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Eastern Ring-necked Snake — Part 2
June 28th. Three elongate eggs deposited. These are 1 1/16 inches in length, and 3/8 of an inch in diameter at the thickest part. The female snake is 15 inches in length. Damp wood pulp was selected as a hatching medium for the eggs.
July 25th. The eggs have increased in size to a great extent and now measure 1 3/8 inches in length, and 1/2 an inch in diameter at their thickest part.
Aug. 8th. All of the eggs have hatched. Just prior to hatching they measured 1 1/2 inches in length and 1/2 an inch in diameter. The young snakes are surprisingly large--4 5/8 inches long; the ground colour is darker than the parent--almost black--while the ring around the neck is pale, yellowish-white.
From the dates given, it will be appreciated that the development of these eggs was very rapid. A batch of eggs of the coral snake, deposited about the same time, contained embryos but half-way developed, when the Ring-necked Snakes had left their membraneous shells.
That the breeding habits of this species may vary--and occasional females actually produce living young--seems very probable after the receipt of a letter from Arthur Erwin Brown, Director of the Zoological Gardens in Philadelphia. Mr. Brown is a painstaking observer of reptiles; an extract of his letter follows:
"In August, 1891, two small Diadophis punctatus, evidently newly born, appeared in a case containing several adults. No indication of eggs had been observed, nor were any fragments of egg membranes found when the young were first seen. The apparently near relationship of Diadophis to Ophibolus and Coronella--both egg-laying genera--makes me rather cautious about believing that Diadophis is viviparous in a state of nature, and it may be that the conditions of captivity accelerated the development of the young and that they were ovo-viviparously produced. That is the only time they have bred here."