Contents: 1. Physiography of the western ghats. 2. Glossary. 3. Snakes scale glossery. 4. Accounts of species. Part I. Non-venomous snakes. Part II. Venomous snakes. References. Acknowledgements. Index.

From the introduction: "The snake fauna of the western ghats is amazingly rich in number and diversified, with as many as 91 species out of the nearly 240 species occuring in the Republic of India. Due to the current interest in the biota of western ghats of which snakes form an important component and also in view of the fact that several species of snakes have been seriously threatened because of the depletion of forests, it is felt that the present guide might prove useful to the zoologists, field naturalists, conservationists, and the forest and plantation officials who might encounter these snakes in the forests and hills of the western ghats. The text, the vernacular names and the illustrations will make identification of these fascinating creatures easy even by a non specialist. In keeping with the title and in view of the fact that the snakes of India are poorly figured animals, special attention has been paid to illustrate as many species as possible. The glossary of technical terms and the select bibliograpy may be of use to those who wish to pursue the subject."No. 7569

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