Paris, Germer Baillière, 1869. Large 8vo (25.0 x 16.0 cm). 82 pp.; 19 lithographed plates. Original printed wrappers.

Originally this work was part of Charles d'Orbigny's Dictionnaire universel d'histoire naturelle (1848) with the fine plates by Paul Oudart, but this is an updated, separate edition. As such it is a very rare book on herpetology indeed with, however, a nasty water stain in the upper outer corner, gradually stronger towards the end, reaching text and figures. Provenance: With a dedication by the author, François Louis Paul Gervais (1816-1879) on the front wrapper, to "Monsieur Bocourt", and his autograph. Marie-Firmin Bocourt (1819-1904) "... collaborated with Auguste Duméril (1812-1870) on a series called Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amérique Centrale, a result of Bocourt's scientific expedition to Mexico and Central America in 1864-66, in one part during the French Intervention in Mexico led by Napoleon III. Dumeril died in 1870, and the project was continued by Bocourt with assistance from Léon Vaillant (1834-1914), François Mocquard (1834-1917) and Fernand Angel. With Vaillant, he published a study on fishes, Études sur les poissons, that was included in Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amérique Centrale) (Wikipedia). Wrappers rubbed at edges; dampstain, as noted, becoming stronger on the last plates, otherwise good. Rare. Adler III, pp. 101-102; Nissen ZBI, 1544.