In Georgia, by state law you cannot keep any native species of lizard or snake as a pet, with one exception--venomous ones are legal. You can keep a six-foot diamondback rattlesnake in your bedroom, but don't get caught with a garter snake.

In California, you cannot catch or keep a San Diego mountain kingsnake, an organgethroat whiptail lizard, or a western pond turtle. However, if you have a bulldozer, you are welcome to destroy as many as you like to build a shopping mall.

These are some of the state laws found in a new book, A Field Guide to Reptiles and the Law (1995, Serpent's Tale Natural History Book Distributors), by John P. Levell. The laws regulating the capture, possession, and overall treatment of reptiles and amphibians are given for all fifty states. This book will be a valuable reference source for anyone interested in knowing the rules governing these animals in their own state or comparing regulations among states. Surfing through the book for fascinating provisions in the laws is also fun.

For example, in Kansas you can possess up to five reptiles or amphibians if you have a hunting license. A list of fourteen permissible capture techniques is given. Although firearms are allowed, "fully automatic weapons" are not. Let's give that little leopard frog a fighting chance. But all is not lost in Kansas if you are feeling disarmed. Among the list of acceptable capture methods are deadfalls, crossbows, and poisonous gas. What on earth are they hunting in Kansas?                            by Whit Gibbons