Volume I includes a table of contents, list of tables, preface, introduction, and regional/country accounts with related bilingual identification keys and vegetation and topographic maps. Genus and species accounts in this volume treat all the lizards, coralsnakes, and seasnakes; these accounts are accompanied by color photographs of individual species. Volume II begins with the pitvipers, including all known species of rattlesnakes. This volume features four chapters by experts on mimicry, evolution, and snakebite treatment in tropical and temperate America. A glossary, literature-cited section, and index serve both volumes. Color photographs portray pitvipers, including rattlesnakes, and the damage done by snakebite. "The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere, Volumes I and II is an essential reference for all naturalists interested in herpetology--amateurs impressed by the beauty and complexity of venomous reptiles as well as professional herpetologists and their students conducting research in the classroom, in the field, and at the zoo.
