INTRODUCTION TO FIRST EDITION' ^^ * 



A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles 

 has long been wished for by all students of American herpetol- 

 ogy. This list has been prepared generally upon the lines of 

 the American Ornithologists' Union Check List of Birds, and, 

 following that example, it has included the species and sub- 

 species which the authors deem valid ^ and of certain occur- 

 rence in North America, north of the Rio Grande, and in 

 Lower California, Mexico. Miller's List of North American 

 Land Mammals (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 79, 1912) has 

 also been a valued guide. 



This volume is the result of lists begun some years ago 

 independently by both authors. The arrangement is on the 

 following system: The higher groups and genera are in sys- 

 tematic sequence, the species are in alphabetic order. No 

 attempt is made to give synonyms. Species not listed are 

 believed to be invalid. The citation of original appearance of 

 names is given for all except such (e. g., family names) as are 

 formed automatically. Following the citation of the original 

 description of each species comes the place of first appear- 

 ance of the name in its present combination — accurate in so 

 far as we have been able to determine. References are added 

 to Cope's North American Batrachia and to his Crocodilians, 

 Lizards, and Snakes of North America. Both are frequently 

 erratic and inaccurate, but large and excellent portions of 

 both works are to a great extent from the pen of S. F. Baird, 

 as painstaking an investigator as this country has produced. 

 These monographs are in widespread use, and constitute the 

 most recent attempts toward complete lists. In the case of 



1 By this statement it is not meant that the authors in all cases have verified the status of a 

 number of more recently established forms by critical study. The judgment of reliable workers has 

 been accepted where no special reason appeared to contra-indicate the validity of the form. As for 

 the admission of subspecies — or rather trinominal designation — for certain forms no special at- 

 tempt has been made at consistency, the authors on principle leaning towards binominals in all cases 

 where the need of trinominals has not been clearly established. 



