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Eastern Ring-necked Snake
Colouration.—Dark gray above, with a ring of bright yellow around the neck, immediately behind the head. The abdomen is orange yellow and the intersection of the gray of the upper surface with the pale hue beneath occurs at the edges of the abdominal plates; the gray extends in wedge-shaped fashion over the edge of each plate, producing a sharply serrated border of the colour.
Dimensions.—A mature specimen, taken in Sullivan County, New York, shows the following, average measurements:
Distribution.—Generally distributed in North America, east of the Mississippi River, from southern Canada (inclusive) to Florida (inclusive).
Habits.—The Ring-necked Snake is a secretive species, hiding under the loose, rotting bark of fallen trees, among loose rocks or under flat stones. It is seldom seen abroad and if it ventures from its lairs, usually prowls at night. In the North, the writer has collected large numbers of these pretty snakes by turning over flat stones. He remembers a particular stone, about the size of an ordinary platter, lying near the edge of heavy timber, in Sullivan County, New York, that appeared to be a favourite hiding place for snakes of this species. In his daily trips to the woods, this stone was always turned over, and generally to disclose a Ring-necked Snake, snugly coiled beneath it. Many specimens were taken at this spot. They had apparently prowled about the clearing at night and on their way back to the thicket, and its hiding places, had discovered the shelving stone.
The body is moderately slender and the head quite flat, though not very distinct from the neck. The scales are in fifteen oblique rows and the plates of the abdomen--not including those under the tail--exist to a number of 140 to 160. An adult specimen is about fourteen inches long.
There is often a single row of black spots on the centre of the abdomen.
Very young specimens are blackish rather than gray and the yellow half-collar is vividly defined. A half-grown specimen from Marion County, Florida, is rather unique in colouring. Above, it is jet-black with a narrow ring of coral red, broken at the top of the neck. The abdomen is deep yellow, with a row of large, black spots in the centre; the underside of the tail is brilliant, coral red.
Total Length . . . . . 13 inches.
Length of Tail . . . . . 2 7/8 inches.
Greatest Diameter . . . . . 5/16 inches.
Width of Head . . . . . 5/16 inches.
The largest specimen examined by the writer was taken at Forestine, Sullivan County, New York. Its measurements are given:
Total Length . . . . . 19 1/2 inches.
Length of Tail . . . . . 3 3/4 inches.
Greatest Diameter . . . . . 7/16 inches.
Width of Head . . . . . 7/16 inches.
Length of Head . . . . . 3/4 inches.
The latter specimen was rather light gray above, with a dull yellow collar; the abdomen was pale yellow, with no trace of black spots.
In the South, large numbers of these reptiles were collected by stripping the bark from fallen trees. To find fifty or more specimens during a half-day's hunt for various reptiles that select such hiding places, was not unusual. The Ring-necked Snakes were most frequently found under the bark of trees infested by ants; often the working streams of these insects would pass but a fraction of an inch from the spot where the reptile lay coiled. In one instance, while pursuing some entomological investigations during the early spring, the writer exhumed one of these snakes while digging through a large and thickly populated ant-hill.
This species is quite omnivorous. It feeds largely upon earthworms and the smaller species of salamanders, as well as lizards and snakes. The writer has observed numerous specimens in the act of swallowing half-grown green snakes, (Liopeltis vernalis.) and adults of the red-bellied snake. (Storeria occipitomaculata.)
Although the species is oviparous, it appears to be one of those serpents that stand midway between the viviparous and the egg-laying snakes, as the eggs contain large embryos when deposited and hatch in less than half the time required for the development of the eggs of the majority of snakes. The eggs are very elongate and covered with a very thin integument. After deposit they increase rapidly in size, acquiring curious and irregular outlines, which in some instances may be curved, like a boomerang. (Illustration--3 eggs).
The writer believes the following to be the first authentic notes published concerning observations on the development of the eggs of this species. The female snake had been received a month previous, from Sullivan County, New York: