| | | PAGE |
| Introduction | [439] |
| Acknowledgments | [440] |
| Systematic Relationships and Distribution | [441] |
| Description | [444] |
| | Color and Pattern | [444] |
| | Scutellation | [444] |
| | Dentition | [449] |
| Habitat and Limiting Factors | [450] |
| Reproduction | [452] |
| | Courtship and Mating | [452] |
| | Reproductive Cycles | [452] |
| | Embryonic Development | [454] |
| | Birth of Young | [454] |
| | Number of Young per Litter | [454] |
| | Population Composition | [455] |
| | Reproductive Potential | [455] |
| Growth and Development | [456] |
| | Size at Birth and Early Growth | [456] |
| | The Umbilical Scar | [457] |
| | Later Growth and Bodily Proportions | [457] |
| Shedding | [459] |
| | The Shedding Operation | [459] |
| | Frequency of Shedding | [460] |
| Food Habits | [461] |
| | Methods of Obtaining Prey | [461] |
| | Food and Food Preferences | [462] |
| Mortality Factors | [465] |
| | Natural Enemies and Predators | [465] |
| | Parasites and Diseases | [465] |
| | Miscellaneous Causes of Death | [466] |
| Behavior | [466] |
| | Annual and Diel Cycles of Activity | [466] |
| | Basking | [469] |
| | Coiling | [469] |
| | Locomotion | [470] |
| | Disposition | [470] |
| | Defense and Escape | [471] |
| | "Head Bobbing" | [471] |
| | Combat Dance | [472] |
| The Venom | [473] |
| | Properties of the Venom | [473] |
| | Venom Yield and Toxicity | [473] |
| | Susceptibility of Snakes | [475] |
| The Bite | [476] |
| | Effects of the Bite | [476] |
| | Treatment | [477] |
| | Case History of a Bite | [479] |
| | Snakebite in the United States | [480] |
| Summary | [480] |
| Literature Cited | [485] |