Swimming with Crocodiles:
A true story of adventure and survival

Dispite the herpetological title and cover, this book is primarily a coming of age story with a herpetological subtext. After graduating from a private high school and finding himself unable to get into any of the universities that he had applied for, Will Chaffey decided to go to Australia. With little knowledge of the country and virtually no plans of what to do when he got there, Chaffey scraped by working for room and board. Eventually he moved on — working his way through other parts of Australia — meeting "Jeff" Cunningham along the way. Jeff had a keen interest in herpetology, particularly in finding the Rough Scaled Python (Morelia carinata).

The bulk of the book consists of Will and Jeff's journey through the Kimberly's in northwestern Australia. This remote and largely unexplored portion of Australia is of particular interest to herpetologists because of the presence of the Rough Scaled Python as well as the prospects of discovering new species. Somehow the author managed to get funding from Australian Geographic Magazine for this expedition, and with somewhat haphazard planning the they flew into the Drysdale River Station. From Drysdale River they began their journey on foot, west to Prince Regent Sound, where they planned to hitch a ride on a tourist boat. Along the way they hoped to find a Rough Scaled Python.

Unfortunately, for readers hoping for something of herpetological interest, very little of the book discusses the primary goal of the journey. Reptiles are occasionally mentioned, but only in passing. The focus of the book is the personal struggle to survive and the coming of age story of a young man trying to find his place in the world.

Even with minimal herpetological content, this book is a good read for anyone interested in the remote Australian northwest. The Kimberly's is an area that many herpetologists have dreamed of going, and this book is a good way to experience the area, until you are able to get there yourself.

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Current Herpetological Contents

 I have been having a little difficulty programming a search engine for the Herplit Database to search for predefined journals. Once I get this programmed you will be able to view the current contents of several journals, by selecting the journal and clicking search. Until that is ready I have come up with another option to deliver the current contents of herpetological journals — a newsletter. In the upper right corner of the homepage is a place to sign up for newsletters. If you would like the contents of several herpetological journals emailed to you as I receive them, please sign up for this newsletter. If you don't want to subscribe you can simply click on the "Current Herpetological Contents" link for the newsletter and you will be able to see the previous emails. I plan to list a single journal in each newsletter to facilitate seaching through the archive by journal and issue.

In addition to signing up for the newsletter, I recommend registering for the website (in the left column). Registration allows you to: comment on blog entries, such as this one;  add web links in the links section; and even upload images from old books for the classic illustrations section. I will be adding more user features in the future.

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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 oran-utan, 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 Oran-utan. 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. 

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Snakebit: Confessions of a Herpetologist

Leslie Anthony

2009 Greystone Books, Vancouver, xii, 292 pages

Clothbound with a dust-jacket. ISBN: 9781553652366

Suggested Retail $27.95

 

 

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.

 

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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.

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