Egg laying and hatching in the smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis.

Abstract

1. There were two cases in which egg-laying was normal and not induced by rough handling. These occured on August 6 and 10th. They fall within the time limit observations of Blanchard (1932) for the same region. 2. The one case in which the eggs were observed being laid averaged thirty-six minutes. Blanchard (1932) gives the average time between eggs as thirty-four minutes. 3. The eggs averaged 25 mm in length and 11.3 mm in width. 4. Three cases of hatching time were under the author's observation and occured on August 19, 20, and 28. These are within Blanchards extremes of August 5, and September 4. 5. Six clutchs were observed and numbered 4, 5, 8, 8, 9, and 5 (or more). 6. The time, from laying until hatching began, was fourteen days and eighteen days in the two cases noted. These are between the extremes of less than two days to twenty-three days noted by Blanchard (1932). They are well over the time limit noted by Creaser (personal communication) of one case in which the eggs hatched in about twenty-four hours within the time of their laying. 7. The time interval, from the time of the opening of the first egg until the last snake left the egg, was forty-five hours and forty-five minutes in one batch, fifty hours and ten minutes in the second and a rough time given by correspondence as two days. 8. The shortest time noted from opening until escape of the young snake was fifteen minutes. The longest period was twenty-two hours. 9. The young snakes averaged 120.7 mm in length.