"PacKat" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the gentle advice :-)
I live in Maryland, DC suburb. Yes it has been quite
chilly the last several days. You are right, very likely,
they are harmless. From where I can see, they are dark
brown or black, about 1 foot long. Can't take picture now
that they are flat to the ground. The installer is just
afraid of snake as much as I do, perhaps more. I saw him
jumped straight uup several feet when he yelled
"EeeeiiiiyaH!!! SNAKE!"

I will just keep my distance and let them be when I saw one
next time.
pac

You can go to http://www.enature.com/ and put in your zip code to get field
guides of wildlife (including reptiles) in your area. They do ask for your
email address, but you can just put in a fake one and it will take you to
the field guides.