Handbook of lizards : lizards of the United States and of Canada / by Hobart M. Smith.

"First published 1946 by Cornell University Press"--Title page verso

Includes bibliographical references (pages 513-543) and index.

Print version record.

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Foreword to the 1995 Printing -- Preface -- PART I: INTRODUCTION -- Zoological Position -- Characteristics -- Distribution -- Major Groups -- Fossil History -- Structure -- Habitats -- Life History -- Habits -- Folklore -- Economic Importance -- In Captivity -- Collecting -- Preserving -- American Saurologists -- Problems -- PART II. ACCOUNTS OF SPECIES -- Key to Families -- FAMILY GEKKONIDAE-The Geckos -- FAMILY IGUANIDAE-The Iguanids -- FAMILY XANTUSIIDAE-The Plate-bellied Night Lizards -- FAMILY SCINCIDAE-The Skinks -- FAMILY LACERTIDAE-The Lacertids -- FAMILY TEIIDAE-The Teiids -- FAMILY AMPHISBAENIDAE-The Ringed Lizards -- SUPERFAMILY ANGUIOIDEA -- FAMILY ANGUIDAE-The Lateral Fold Lizards -- FAMILY HELODERMIDAE-The Venomous Lizards -- FAMILY ANNIELLIDAE-The Shovel-snouted Legless Lizards -- Distribution Maps -- General Literature -- State Lists of Species and Literature -- Literature Cited -- Index

The most thorough treatment of lizards of the United States and Canada when first published in 1946, Handbook of Lizards has become a landmark among herpetologists and lizard specialists. Hobart M. Smith spent years compiling and organizing information on 136 species of lizards for this classic study. With more than 300 illustrations, including black-and-white photographs, labeled drawings, range maps, and illustrated keys, this volume serves as a still-relevant and convenient reference guide to the study of North American lizards. Darrel Frost, a prominent lizard specialist, provides a foreword for the 1995 paperback edition that underscores the work's relevance for herpetology today. In the first section, Smith covers in concise fashion the habits, life history, habitats, methods of collection and preservation, and structural features of lizards. The second section of the book considers each species under topics that are conveniently arranged for studying both living lizards and laboratory specimens: range, type, locality, size, color, scalation, recognition characters, habitat and habits, and references. Smith also discusses problems for further study and gives recommendations for special investigations of each species. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography.

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