LOOKING AT LIZARDS

In a straightforward, businesslike manner, Hartman begins by looking at some of the anatomical, developmental, and behavioral features of lizards in general, then devotes separate chapters to the chameleons, geckos, skinks, and other lizard families, and ends with a few words of advice on keeping lizards as pets. Hartman is never as intriguing or as enlightening as is Dorothy Patent in her exemplary Reptiles and How They Reproduce (1977)--compared to Patent's intelligent attention to why this or that is so and what it means, Hartman's entry often seems a compilation of incidental information. But the information is accessibly organized and clearly presented, with a few anecdotes and research reports--as well as the lizards' own striking peculiarities--to add interest.