The Hooded Serpent

The Hooded Serpent

I received this plate several years ago, but have been unable to determine the original book it came from. The plate itself contains very little information — no artist or engraver. In the upper left is "Vol. 1. pa. 147" - This at least tells me the book is in English and probably published in London. The plate has wide margins and the total size is about 14.5" x 9" (37 x 22 cm).

From the anthropomorphic characterizations of the orangutan, ape, and even the serpent, I had assumed the plate was from the 1600s. Recently I was thumbing through Ramona and Desmond Morris' 1966 book, Men and Apes when I spotted a very similar illustration of the Orangutan. This illustration came from Daniel Beeckman. 1718. A Voyage to and from the Island of Borneo, in the East Indies... T. Warner, London.

I was able to get a copy of the 1973 reprint of Beeckman's voyage to see if it also included the hooded serpent and Java ape — it doesn't. I do not know if Beeckman's voyage was published in multiple editions - an official report and a popular account. The reprint is of a popular account. So it is possible that the plate I have came from an official report, if one exists.

More likely the Beeckman was the original source for the illustration and the copy I have appeared in a later book, perhaps and encyclopedia.

I have also been able to find a similar illustration of the hooded serpent. There is a copy on Brown University's library website dated 1774. Although I originally found it on the
blog: A journey Around My Skull. This illustration is from The Royal American Magazine, or Universal Repository of Instruction and Amusement, May, 1774 (They just don't name magazines like they used to...). This 1774 illustration lacks some of the detail of the hooded serpent in the plate I have, but is clearly based upon it, or a related copy. Given that the 1774 illustration lacks detail, I would guess that my plate was published between 1718 and 1774.
Eventually I hope to discuss the evolution of natural history illustration. This engraving is a good example of the anthropomorphic style from the 17th and early 18th centuries when artists frequently had to illustrate animals from written descriptions, or at best a carcass, or stuffed specimen.

I would be most grateful for any comments or insights to the origin of this plate.

Note added 1/21/2015: In updating this old blog with the hopes of beginning to add content again I found another version of this same plate on the PrintedPrimate.org website: http://printedprimate.org/2010/02/20/an-ape-of-java-the-hooded-serpent-oranootan/ . The two plates are mirror images of each other and it is clear one has been copies from the other - a direct copy of an engraving would have to be re-engraved thus causing the copy to be a mirror image of the original. I think my copy has slightly more detain, suggesting it is the earlier version, but I honestly don't know. The two plates also have different headings (volume and page number).

The PrintedPrimate website also has another plate showing the same Ape from Java illustration and it is dated 1752. I believe this 1752 illustration is a later copy of the original, so my new guess for the publication date for this plate is between 1718 and 1752.

Review: Snakebit: Confessions of a Herpetologist

Snakebit: Confessions of a Herpetologist

Leslie Anthony

2009 Greystone Books, Vancouver, xii, 292 pages

Clothbound with a dust-jacket. ISBN: 9781553652366

When I first heard about this book, I was somewhat suspicious — 'Confessions of a herpetologist' — who is Leslie Anthony? I searched my herpetological database and came up with nothing. When the book arrived, it was clear that he was a herpetologist —not just someone who likes amphibians and reptiles and decided to write a book about it. He has a Ph.D. in herpetology from the University of Toronto and was a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University's Redpath Museum. His acknowledgements include a number of well known herpetologists; still I couldn't find a single herpetological publication by him. Thus I started to read the book with dubious curiosity.

By the time I finished the prologue, I was hooked. Anthony's writing style is engaging and his insights into the herpetological community and biology of amphibians and reptiles are genuine and accurate. Since he completed his postdoc, Anthony has worked as an outdoors/sports journalist. The origins of this book stemmed from a trip to Finland to write ski story for an international travel magazine. While working on the story he found himself in the Arctic circle watching snakes (Vipera berus) sunning in rock outcrops surrounded by snow and skiiers. While observing these snakes in such an unlikely location, and after having been out of mainstream herpetology for a number of years, Anthony was struck by how important amphibians and reptiles had been in his life and he suddenly wanted to know why — and why his life was so distant from these animals now. Thus began the journey that led to this book. A journey of remembrance, renewing old acquaintances, and reliving past adventures.

Without going into too many details of the book, Anthony begins by recounting his childhood collecting amphibians and reptiles near Toronto. Eventually he landed a job on a faunal survey and became the herpetologist on the team. This work opened the door for him to meet James P. Bogert, who became his graduate advisor for his Masters. Anthony returned to Toronto for his Ph.D. under Robert W. Murphy, where among other things he played guitar in Rommy — the first and only phylogenetic rock opera (1988). He returned to play again in the tenth anniversary concert of Rommy II in 1998. During his postdoc at McGill's Redpath Museum Anthony worked with David M. Green.

Throughout his herpetological career, Anthony went on several herpetological expedtions, most with Robert W. Murphy, to places such as Baja California, Vietnam, and Armenia. These trips as well as several others make up a large portion of the book. The exotic locations are made all the more exotic by the expedition members and the author's ability to tell a good story. But herpetological expeditions make up only a part of his journey to examine his past herpetological life. In 2006, Anthony returned to the joint ASIH/SSAR/HL meetings in New Orleans. His part retrospective, part insider commentary on herpetological meetings is insightful, although many herpetologists may disagree with some of his observations — and ichthyologists will wholehartedly disregard his observations as rubbish.

At the end of his journey to uncover the importance of amphibians and reptiles in his life, Anthony writes:

"I owed a lot to herpetologists. Ultimately, they'd delivered me an understanding that no type of blind faith could ever serve up. Most importantly, I'd learned how to question and why. They had also given me laughter, absurdity, knowledge, deep time, discovery, healthy fear, and sheer terror. But if herpetologists... had taught me how to look at the world, then snakes had shown me how to see it. From within and never without. As part and not apart. Snakes led the way to a lifetime of natural appreciation. They'd also brought a sense of mystery, reverence, and true beauty. So I was indebted to them too..."

I think most herpetologists I know could easily agree with these sentiments. I also think most herpetologists would enjoy this book. It is very well written and engaging from the very beginning. Anthony pulls in tidbits from a wide variety of sources (Ditmars, Minton, and Francesco Redi to name a few). There is much in this book that herpetologists will be able to relate to. There are also several characters in this book that are well known in herpetological circles. If you have any inclination towards biographies or true life adventures, you will probably enjoy this book. My only criticism of the book is that there are no photographs — of people, places, or animals.

After reading this book, I was armed with a bit more information about the author — where and what he studied — so I did another quick search to discover why I didn't have any references to any of his many publications. I quickly discovered that I had been led astray by the book. The author of the book is Leslie Anthony, however as a herpetologist he is known as Leslie A. Lowcock. Search for him using this name and you'll find a number of publications. If, like me, you have reservations about reading a book subtitled 'Confessions of a herpetologist' because you can't link the author to any herpetological research, you can cast those doubts aside. The author was (is) an able herpetologist.

Snakes: Ecology and Conservation

Stephen J. Mullin and Richard A. Seigel (Editors)

Destruction of habitat due to urban sprawl, pollution, and deforestation has caused population declines or even extinction of many of the world's approximately 2,600 snake species. Furthermore, misconceptions about snakes have made them among the most persecuted of all animals, despite the fact that less than a quarter of all species are venomous and most species are beneficial because they control rodent pests. It has become increasingly urgent, therefore, to develop viable conservation strategies for snakes and to investigate their importance as monitors of ecosystem health and indicators of habitat sustainability.

In the first book on snakes written with a focus on conservation, editors Stephen J. Mullin and Richard A. Seigel bring together leading herpetologists to review and synthesize the ecology, conservation, and management of snakes worldwide. These experts report on advances in current research and summarize the primary literature, presenting the most important concepts and techniques in snake ecology and conservation. The common thread of conservation unites the twelve chapters, each of which addresses a major subdiscipline within snake ecology. Applied topics such as methods and modeling and strategies such as captive rearing and translocation are also covered. Each chapter provides an essential framework and indicates specific directions for future research, making this a critical reference for anyone interested in vertebrate conservation generally or for anyone implementing conservation and management policies concerning snake populations.

Turtles of the United States and Canada, 2nd Edition

Carl H. Ernst and Jeffrey E. Lovich

Ernst and Lovich's thoroughly revised edition of this classic reference provides the most updated information ever assembled on the natural histories of North American turtles.


From diminutive mud turtles to giant alligator snappers, two of North America's most prominent experts describe the turtles that live in the fresh, brackish, and marine waters north of Mexico. Incorporating the explosion of new scientific information published on turtles over the past fifteen years — including the identification of four new species — Ernst and Lovich supply comprehensive coverage of all fifty-eight species, with discussions of conservation status and recovery efforts.


Each species account contains information on identification, genetics, fossil record, distribution, geographic variation, habitat, behavior, reproduction, biology, growth and longevity, food habits, populations, predators, and conservation status. The book includes range maps for freshwater and terrestrial species, a glossary of scientific names, an extensive bibliography for further research, and an index to scientific and common names.

Logically organized and richly illustrated — with more than two hundred color photographs and fifty-two maps — Turtles of the United States and Canada remains the standard for libraries, museums, nature centers, field biologists, and professional and amateur herpetologists alike.

Méhelÿ salamander plate from 1895

In updating the classic herpetological illustrations I just added a plate of salamanders from:

Méhelÿ, Lajos. 1895. A magyarországi farkos kétéltüek álczái (Larvae amphibiorum urodelorum Hungarieae). Természetrajzi Füzetek. 18 (3-4): 149-165; 270-288, 1 plate.

The salamanders featured on this plate are, from top: 1. Salamandra salamandra (listed as Salamandra maculosa), 2. Ichthyosaura alpestris (listed as Molge alpestris), 3. Lissotriton montandoni (listed as Molge montandoni), 4. Lissotriton vulgaris (listed as Molge vulgaris), 5. Triturus cristatus (listed as Molge cristata)