Excerpt from Zoology of New-York, or the New-York Fauna, Vol. 3: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed Within the State of New-York, With Brief Notices of Those Occasionally Found Near Its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations; Reptiles and Amphibia So general is the repugnance of mankind to the animals composing these classes, that their study has been overlooked, and they have usually been con sidered as beings which it was not only necessary but meritorious to destroy. A part of this vulgar prejudice is derived from education, and perhaps some of it may originate from the fact that several of them are furnished with venomous fangs, capable of causing intolerable sufferings and death. To the naturalist and physiologist, however; to those who study nature through her various modifica tions of form and structure, they present some of the most interesting objects of contemplation. Their utility, either in diminishing various noxious animals, or in furnishing food themselves to others, has been lost sight of; and because they were cold to the touch, with a naked slimy skin without hair or feathers, they have been considered as loathsome and hideous, although their structure displays as much of the omnipotence and care of the Creator as can be seen in those which are considered to be the most gorgeous and beautiful of his animated beings. The number of known Reptiles and Amphibia throughout the world has been variously estimated. It seems to be considered by some writers to reach to species, whilst others suppose that would scarcely comprise them all. As the greater number inhabit the torrid zone, we are not to expect to find many in the United States. In this work we have enumerated one hundred and sixty-one species, and have described and figured sixty-three species as found in the State of new-york; but we suppose the list to be far from being exhausted, more particularly among the Amphibians. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.