"The present contribution to North American Herpetology is a prodromus of a general work on that subject, undertaken some years ago at the request of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The material which has been accumulating in the museum of that Institution has offered great advantages for the investigation of the questions of anatomical structure, variations of specific characters, and geographical distribution. It is believed that these subjects are much elucidated by the study of the Batrachia and Reptilia, since these animals are especially susceptible to physical influences; also, they are unable, like birds, and generally not disposed, as are mammals, to make extended migrations, their habitats express nearly the simplest relations of life to its surroundings."--Page 3.

This is a general work on the amphibians of North America that embraces the results of a thorough study of the characters of the species, with their variatiions, which has been rendered effective by the very full collection contained in the National Museum, and which this work illustrates.

This is a general work on the amphibians of North America that embraces the results of a thorough study of the characters of the species, with their variatiions, which has been rendered effective by the very full collection contained in the National Museum, and which this work illustrates.

This work provides a systematic and synonymic catalogue of the species of Batrachia and Reptilia described and inhabiting Central America and Mexico. The work is largely based on the specimens contained in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. To each species is added a list of localities at which it was discovered, along with the name of the discoverer, or the name of the author who is responsible for the correctness of the locality.

This is a general work on the amphibians of North America that embraces the results of a thorough study of the characters of the species, with their variatiions, which has been rendered effective by the very full collection contained in the National Museum, and which this work illustrates.

The relation of the nearctic and neotropical faunae at their point of junction is as yet a problem not fully solved. Various important features of the fauna of Texas require us to place it within the Nearctic realm; for although it possesses a number of genera which are common to this realm and the Neotropical, there are numerous genera which belong to the former exclusively, and very few that belong to the latter alone.