Contents: Introduction by Dr. J.C. Poynton. Preface. Amphibians: 1. General characteristics of amphibians. 2. Some more generalities. 3. Falling frogs and buried Bufos. 4. The platanna. 5. Some typical frogs. 6. Bullfrogs and others. 7. The Arum frog and his relatives. 8. Vivid stripes. 9. A chirping frog. 10. Three more Lilliputians. 11. An unsuspected neighbour. 12. The ghost frog. 13. A batrachian puff ball. 14. Some toads. 16. Some more careful parents. 17. A limbless amphibian. Reptiles: 18. Reptiles in general. Lizards: 19. Something about lizards. 20. The sentinel of the crags. 21. Rock lizards. 22. Bony sheath and nimble feet. 23. Lapsed limbs. 24. The libelled gecko. 25. The leguaan. 26. The chameleon. 27. Sundry notes on lizards. 28. More notes on lizards. Snakes: 29. Something about snakes. 30. The ways of a serpent. 31. Sense and sensibility. 32. What and how a snake eats. 33. Reproduction. 34. Enemies and protective devices. 35. Friends or foes. 36. Is it poisonous? 37. Venom, to kill or cure? 38. Degenerates. 39. The python. 40. Fangless snakes, Colubrinae. 41. Oesophageal teeth. 42. Back-fanged snakes, Boiginae. 43. Hooded death. Elapidae. 44. Other front-fanged snakes. Elapidae. 45. The sea snake. Hydrophiidae. 46. Adders. 47. Myth or fact? 48. Some snake stories. 49. To a dead mole snake. Chelonians: 50. Chelonian armour. 51. Turtles. 52. Terrapins and tortoises. Crocodiles: 53. The crocodile.
From the preface to revised edition: "The passing of more than a decade since the last edition of this book was published has made me so increasingly conscious of its short-comings that I am glad to have this chance of rectifying at least some of them, as well as adding an appreciable amount of extra material. I have already considerably enlarged the snake section in a separate book, Snakes--Mainly South African, which is now included in this new volume. In that book, from circumstances quite beyond my control, an annoying number of typographical mistakes occurred and some of the scientific names were not brought fully up to date. The greater leisure afforded by my retirement after fifty years in practice, has permitted a more thorough and careful revision of my text.
"Certain additions have been made to other sections, notably that devoted to lizards, though, on the advice of several friends, I still retain the little nature studies. Actually, I have been preparing a fairly ambitious book on lizards alone, covering the whole world, but realised that this would hardly be likely to attract a publisher. However, I include some of my notes and have adapted most of the proposed preface to form chapter nineteen. To the tortoise section, I have added only a few notes on growth and breeding, and to the crocodile chapter practically nothing."
