The cover picture is a copperhead. This snake was photographed alive,
but somewhat anesthetized with ether, by Dr. John Breukelman and the
author, using a single-lens reflex 35 mm. camera, type A Kodachrome film
and two photofloods. The illustrations on page 14 were taken by these
same two, using a Polaroid Land camera, photofloods, and graduate
student George Ratzlafl as victim. The line drawings and color
illustrations were made by the author. The color plates of non-poisonous
and poisonous snakes were painted in water colors, using live and
preserved snakes as models. The original paintings have been reduced
one-half in this publication.
Poisonous snakes are only one aspect of the study of herpetology, which
includes other reptiles, as well as amphibians. These together may be
referred to as herptiles. There are 97 species of herptiles in Kansas: 9
salamanders, 20 frogs and toads, 15 lizards, 40 snakes, and 13 turtles.
The turtles of Kansas have been described in a past issue of The Kansas
School Naturalist (April, 1956), and an issue on the lizards of the
state is in preparation.