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Those Who Made It to the Columbia

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Those Who Made It to the Columbia VIRGINIA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN No. SEVENTY EASTERN SEABOARD HERPETO­ LOGICAL LEAGUE MEETING AT COLUMBIA UNION COLLEGE f -* • ' „ . ' • VaHS members who started Opaque coverings on the of recent laws and regu­ hibernating early missed cages prevent laboratory lations, emphasizing the a great treat! Those who visitors from disturbing role of individual herpe- . made it to the Columbia the animals and making tologists and regional Union College’s science them nervous. They are societies. He stressed building, about 100 from housed one to a cage. Re­ the need for cooperation the eastern seaboard, saw mote handling of food and in line with the ASIH or exhibits and slide talks water jars protects the SSAR resolutions (pp.3-C) of excellent quality. laboratory staff from the and concluded that: possibility of snakebite. "Overall, few species and The occasion, October 29, subspecies of reptiles or was the first meeting of Current research is on amphibians are now really the Eastern Seaboard Her- the biochemical make-up protected from uncontrol­ petological League. Much of rattlesnake venom and led collecting by was learned from the ex­ has centered upon the• researchers, fanciers, posure . is o la tio n of s e v e ra l com­ and the pet trade. The ponents of the venom. Of survival of extant herpe- The assemblage was wel­ th e se , some components tiles is our responsibil­ comed by Dr. Lester E. have been obtained in too ity, individually and Harris, Jr., Chairman of small quantity to permit collectively. Reasonable the Biology Department of research results to be demands for pets can con­ Columbia Union College. obtained. It is hoped, tinue and studies can be in time, to have these in continued unimpaired only Professor Harris spoke of greater quantity for use. if threatened forms are some of the research un­ Action of each constitu­ adequately protected by derway over the past few ent of the venom can be u s . years on campus, and at traced using the carbon­ the college’s Biological ic-tagged amino acid Station at Head Waters, le u c in e . Afternoon’s light touch: V a., in HIGHLAND county. presentations of the ESHL Other research efforts at "coveted" HEDGETOAD AWARD "We have an active pro­ the "outdoor laboratory" for "outstanding contri­ gram of research going on in HIGHLAND county during butions to cooperation here at the campus on the the summers have included among h e rp e to lo g is ts and venom of the Timber Rat - behavioral research on the re g io n a l s o c ie tie s ." The tlesnake (Crotalus h. local box turtles (Terra- awards were presented to: horridus). For this, we pene c_. Carolina).>} Franklin J. Tobey, Jr., have kept specimens in VaHS; Mr. Itzch ak G ilboa, a we11-controlled labora­ e d ito r of HISS NEWS — a tory designed for the Dr. Bruce Bury, Fish and publication of the Herpe- comfort of the animals— Wildlife Service, Dep’t tological Information and the safety of the lab of the I n te r io r , was the Search Systems; and, in staff. We add a few more keynote speaker. He de­ absentia, to Dr. James A. specimens from HIGHLAND scribed the reasons for Peters (since deceased)., county each summer. protecting amphibians and (see page nine ) reptiles, reviewed the conservation legislation, ESHL MEETING continued and discussed the impact on page two .... The VaHS BULLETIN and PROGRAMS are a non-profit,:science-information activity. i T ‘•' *. tf r.H% VaHS BULLETIN is a n e w sle tte r VaHS BULLETIN is s e n t, g r a tia , appearing at least six times to Virginia’s university and a y e a r. The pages a re open college biology, zoology, and f o r a r t i c l e s or comment on natural science departments.. topics related to Virginian Science and biology teachers, h erp eto lo g y . The p r in c ip a l high school or junior high,- activity is the state survey may receiv e the VaHS BULLETIN of reptiles and amphibians. (with membership) at $1 a •(Revised list available soon.) year; request on school letter head preferred. - 1 VaHS BULLETIN No. 70 January“February 1973 ESHL MEETING, continued: EASTERN SEABOARD HERPETO­ Mr. Jaren G. Horsley, Mr. Saul F r ie s s , NYHS, LOGICAL LEAGUE MEETS ON Curator of the Reptile delighted the ESHL meet­ STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.,3 /3 /3 Division at the National ing with a slide talk on Zoological Park (NZP) de­ his successful methods of The next m eeting of the fined a herpetologist as incubating and hatching Eastern Seaboard Herpeto­ "anyone with sufficient snake and other reptile logical League (ESHL) is interest in amphibians or eggs, the major problems at New York’s Staten Is­ reptiles to study them." encountered and how to land Zoo. The d ate is He said it was the res­ cope with them. Eggs are I^.rch 3> 1973 (Saturday). ponsibility of amateurs removed only from those Registration: 12:30 p.m. and professional alike to areas where the environ­ and first session at 1:30 refrain from indiscrimi­ ment was being destroyed p.m. with afternoon break nate and non-essential by bulldozers and similar and dinner scheduled. It collecting and to take construction equipment. is hoped that a number of whatever steps may be The h a tc h lin g s are l a t e r VaHS members w ill be on necessary to preserve the released in proper near­ hand. Hope to see you on natural gene pools. ... by habitats. A poster he Staten Island on 3 March I showed bearing one of his "Whenever possible, study photographs of three Pine Sponsoring the March ESHL animals in their environ­ snakes hatching was en­ meeting are the officers- ment and return them to titled- "Three Good Eggs." and-raembers of New York their environment because It has been a highly suc­ Herpetological Society of inadequate population cessful educational aid (NYHS). VaHS members and data, we cannot properly in New Jersey and N.Y. in friends have been extend­ assess the effects of our support of the New York ed a personal invitation collecting on a particular Herpetological Society’s by Mr. David Hulmes, population." conservation program. President of N.Y.H.S. Dr. W. Leslie Burger,VaHS Of endangered species, The VaHS coordinator for cofounder and past presi­ Horsley said: "Wildlife • ESHL affairs is: dent (1959-196^)was.guest is more important than lecturer. He spoke on his scientific study. By all Mr. Robert D. Jennings proposed reclassification means, study a box turtle 593^ Telegraph Road and arrangement of pit- in the woods, but think Alexandria, VA. 22310 viper genera of Eastern twice before taking it A sia and th e W estern Hemi­ home. You don’t really Let Bob Jennings know i f sphere to reflect his know how many th e re are you plan to go, whether theory of the evolution l e f t . " you will be staying for and zoogeography of these dinner (6:00 p.m.)nearby groups. We plan to devote restaurant involved) and future BULLETIN space to a if you have an item for timely message from Leslie See next column: the program, as soon as Burger on his near-future you can. Thanks! FJT plans. He is at the U.S. NEXT ESHL MEETING AT N.Y. National Museum of Natur­ al History (Smithsonian). STATEN ISLAND ZOO ON SEE THE PRELIMINARY We wish he would remain PROGRAM FOR THE ESHL in the area longer than SATURDAY 3 MARCH 1973 MARCH 3, 1973 MEETING his present plans indi­ ON BOTTOM OF P .10. c ate . OF THIS VaHS BULLETIN FAREWELL! GOOD LUCK! TO OUR FRIEND BOB TUCK! Robert G. Tuck, ESHL co­ he will become the first friend in the Division ordinator, President of Curator in Zoology for of Reptiles and Amphi­ Maryland Herpetological the Iranian Department of bians and has kept the Society (MdHS), and the Environmental Conserva­ VaHS BULLETIN p o sted on f i r s t (c h a rte r) member of tion and will assist in new specimens recorded the Maryland section of the development of a new and preserved at USNM that VaHS (1958-1961) is leav­ Natural History Museum in were collected in Va. We ing the National Museum the Persian Capital City. will miss Bob and wish for Teheran, Iran, where - Bob has been a good VaHS him all good luck in Iran. VaHS BULLETIN No. 70 January-F ebruary 1973 LETTERS, IDEAS, COMMENTS: " Received VaHS BULLETIN A. opacum k laying season population of 3 to ^,000 #66 some tim e ago and was is shorter — about Sept­ larvae 30 to 50 mm in very interested in the ember 25 through O ct. 15. length. I have only two material concerning the records of A. jefferson- Ambystoma salam anders. I "In the mountainous areas ianum, both from western have been keeping notes and in the northern Tennessee. As far as I on this group since 1936 states the egg-laying know, these are the only and am contributing the season for A. maculaturn sp ecies of Ambystoma in W. following information on is short, usually less (western) Tennessee." the Tennessee animals. than 2 weeks. S in c e re ly , "I have been supplying A. texanum is not common, Ambystoma eggs, m ainly A. at least in middle Tenn., (Dr.) Glenn Gentry* opacum, maculaturn, and t . but I have several col­ 28l6 Colonial Circle tigrinum to research lab­ lection records for west­ Donelson, Tenn.
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