Interest in herpetology is growing steadily as more and more people discard their prejudices and discover that not only snakes but all rep¬ tiles and amphibians are valuable components of our natural environment.

Accurate identification of these animals, a prerequisite to understanding them, is the goal of this Field Guide. The First Edition was widely recognized as the best and most complete on its subject. It has been a required text for courses in many colleges and universities, and yet Dr. Conant’s language is readily understood by young readers and beginners.

The Second Edition is substantially larger than its predecessor. Its range has been extended to embrace all of Texas and the states northward through the Dakotas, as well as Manitoba and Keewatin. Sixty-eight kinds of animals that were not described in the First Edition are included, making a total of 574 species and subspecies, all that are known from the area. There are 646 photographs—472 of them in full color—on 48 plates grouped at the center of the guide. The 353 supplementary line drawings, which appear on the endpapers or are scattered throughout the text and legend pages, show key diagnostic characters in detail. In addition, there are 311 distribution maps near the back of the book that indicate the geographical ranges of the many species and subspecies. The illustrations and maps are carefully coordinated with the text for rapid identification. At the front of the book there are useful chapters on finding specimens in the field and on caring for those one may wish to keep in captivity. There is also a chapter about poisonous snakebite that reviews the latest knowledge about treatment.

From the dust jacket of the Second Edition