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Timber Rattlesnakes in Vermont and New York: Biology, History, and the Fate of an Endangered Species.2007.JonFurman.Universitypressofnewengland,lebanon,newhampshire(www.upne.com/1-58465-656-5.html).207pp.,12colorillustrations,8halftones.paperback–Isbn:978-1-58465-656-2.$24.95

AnnouncedbytheCenterfornorthAmericanherpetology(CnAh)in2008,thisauthoritativeandwell-illustratedbookisanimportantacqui-sition for all ofuswhowork to advance the conservationoftimberRattlesnakes(Crotalus horridus)throughoutthewiderangeofthespecies.ReadersmaywellwonderwhyIfeelthatabookgroundedinthebiologyofthisimpressivespeciesintwonortheasternstatesissorelevantelsewhere.simplyput,conservation—especiallyofvenomoussnakes—isadelicatebalanceofscience,sociology,andpolitics.Furmanhascarefullyresearchedandthoroughlydocumentedtheinterplayofthesethreeelementsastheyrelatetothesundry(andincreasing)anthropogenicthreatsfacedbytimberRattlesnakepopulationsintwoeasternstatesthatonlyinrelativelyrecenttimeshaverecognizedthespeciesasendangeredandhavemovedtotrytoreversedeclines(orevenextirpations)resultingfromearlierflawedmanage-mentpractices. A talentedwriter, Furman explores the troublingdecline of thenortheasternpopulationscausedbybountyhuntingfromthe1890stotheearly1970s.hisfriendshipswithcontemporaryresearcherssuchasRandystechert,Williambrown,andothers,whoseindividualandcombinedresearchandconservationworkwithCrotalus horridushavebeencrucialtoreversinghistoricaltrendsofpersecutionofthespecies,addsmuchtothebook.Vignettesofthelegalbattleswagedonbehalfofthesesnakes,alongwith Furman’s observations on thepersonalities involved and their var-ied approaches to preventing furtherhumandamage todens andbirthingareasoffereffectivemodelsofappropri-ateconservationmeasures. AnunusualaspectofthebookisthetimeFurmaninvestedininterview-ing themostnotedCrotalus horridusbounty hunters of the area. Despitethegreattollthesepeopletookonthesnakes,fewweremotivatedbyanimos-ity toward them. Rather, they werepeopleekingouta living ina largelyagriculturalareaduringdifficulteco-nomictimes,andtheysawthepoorlyconceivedstatebountiesonrattlesnakesas anotherway toearn income.oneortwoofthehunterswentsofarastostudywildandcaptiveCrotalus horridusbehavior,ecology(althoughnotusingthatterm),andphysiology,thebettertolocatesnakesandplytheirtrade.eventheinterviewsinvolvingpreparationof

rattlesnakeoilasananti-inflammatory,atopicthatinitiallybroughtasmirktomyface,provedvaluableinunderstandinganotheraspectofwhythehunterspursuedtheirquarry.so,delvingintothepharmacologicalliteratureinDecember2009,Ifoundthatcertainsnakeoilsarehigherineicosapentaenoicacid(omega-3)thanmanyfishoils(Kunin1989,Graber2007)!

overall,thebookissolidlyanchoredinbiology, sociology, and history of science.AlthoughpartsofFurman’soralhistoryinter-viewswithold-timebountyhuntersoftenareunpleasantforherpetologiststoread,theyareimportantforunderstandingthesociologicalrealitiesthathistoricallyhavehamperedcon-servation of any venomous snake species.Ifherpetologistsaretosuccessfullyworktochangepublic attitudes about rattlesnakes,suchunderstandingiscrucial(pisaniandFitch1993).

conservation of venomous snakes is a Delicate balance of science, sociology, and Politics

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Amaledark-phaseCrotalus horridusfromWarrenCounty,newYork.

Literature CitedGraber,C.2007.snakeoilsalesmenwereonto

something.Scientific American,1november2007(availableonlineat:www.scientificam-erican.com/article.cfm?id=snake-oil-sales-men-knew-something).

Kunin,R.A.1989.snakeoil.Western Journal of Medicine151:208.

pisani,G.Randh.s.Fitch.1993.A surveyofoklahoma’s rattlesnake roundups.Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter(92):7–15.

George R. PisaniKansasbiologicalsurvey

lawrence,Ks66047