52 
William M. Palmer and Alvin L. Braswell 
snake has now faded to a pale yellow with reddish brown mottling on the 
head. 
Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta, Black Rat Snake 
GASTON CO.: 5.6 km (3.5 mi.) sw of Gastonia, summer 1977, 
Schiele Museum at Gastonia. A captive adult female examined by us on 2 
December 1979 had a red tongue, red pupils, and a pinkish white dorsal 
groundcolor with 35 rather prominent reddish body blotches. Color 
transparencies from life are in NCSM. 
HARNETT CO.: 2.4 km (1.5 mi.) w of Angier, 24 April 1978, 
NCSM 20043. An adult female, found among the rafters of an old barn, 
had bright red pupils and a red tongue. The dorsum was white with pink 
or pale red pigment forming 34 faint middorsal body blotches, a series of 
alternating lateral blotches weaker than those of the dorsum, and 1 1 or 
12 obscure tail bands. Pattern was most evident on the anterior body. 
The venter was yellowish white and nacreous, with faint pink mottling 
along the edges. Color transparencies from life are in NCSM. 
NORTHAMPTON CO.: 6.4 km (4 mi.) nw of Rich Square, 3 June 
1970, NCSM 9428. An adult male, examined shortly after it was killed by 
a logging crew, had a plain whitish groundcolor with scarcely discernible 
pinkish middorsal body blotches. Eye color was not determined. 
Two reports of albinistic black rat snakes from Stanly County 
(Meacham 1946, Hensley 1959) were based on the same specimen, 
originally in NCSM but now lost. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . — We are grateful to the following persons 
who collected and donated specimens or otherwise provided information: 
Victor Ambellas, Larry D. Dunnagan, Carl Hiatt, Darrel Jones, Robert 
B. Julian, Brian Keho, Warren Kimsey, John E. Kiser, Dan F. 
Lockwood, Pat Mitchell, Jerry and Riley Petrea, Martin O. Shackleford, 
Richard Stout, George and Robert Tregembo, and Dick and Rick Wells. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Brimley, C. S. 1944. Amphibians and reptiles of North Carolina. Reprinted from 
Carolina Tips (1939-1943). Carolina Biological Supply Co., Elon College, 
North Carolina. 63 pp. 
Collins, Joseph T., J. E. Huheey, J. L. Knight and H. M. Smith. 1978. Standard 
common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and 
reptiles. Soc. Study Amphib. Reptiles Herpetol. Circ. No. 7. 36 pp. 
Hensley, Max. 1959. Albinism in North American amphibians and reptiles. 
Publ. Mus. Mich. State Univ. Biol. Ser. 7(4): 133-159. 
1968. Another albino lizard, Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus 
(Green). J. Herpetol. /(l-4):92-93. 
Meacham, Frank B. 1946. An albino pilot black snake from North Carolina. 
Copeia 1946(2): 102. 
Smithe, Frank B. 1975. Naturalist’s color guide. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New 
York. 
Accepted 14 March 1980 
