Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1870-[1890]. Large 4to and matching folio (36.5 x 27.5 cm). General herpetological title; 720 pp.; 72 lithographed plates [numbered 1-23, 25-51; 17bis, 18bis, 20A-G, 21A-C, 22A-J], of which 20 exquisitely hand-coloured. Later uniform grained, burgundy cloth with gilt title on the spines and a blind-stamp on the front boards. Green endpapers. Edges speckled red.

In 1864, two years after the start of a military campaign in Mexico, Napoleon III ordered an additional scientific expedition, modelled after the famous Egyptian scientific expedition initiated by Napoleon I, following the military campaign in that country. In contrast to the latter, the "Mexican expedition" produced only haphazard results, mainly because the French lost interest after the end of the war. Nevertheless, a few superb monographs were among the published results. This includes the very rare part on reptiles, including tortoises, crocodiles, snakes, and lizards. The work forms part four of the Mission Scientifique, comprising 13 volumes. Also, they form part three of the Recherches Zoologiques. The true amphibians were described in another part of this series. The authors themselves - the ichthyologist and herpetologist Auguste Duméril (1812-1870), and his colleague and artist, Marie Firmin Bocourt (1819-1904) - initiated the Mission Scientifique series. The latter combined zoological knowledge with great artistic qualities. This volume is particularly rare, as it was published in instalments over a period of no less than 40 years. This copy lacks the last five instalments and the title to the part. The earlier published general herpetological title is present. Apparently, subscription was terminated after 20 years, but before completion of the volume. According to Vanzolini, and to Flores-Villela & Bour, this is the whole work as published up to 1890, instalment 12. Plate 24 was not published until instalment 14. Plate 39 is the highest-numbered coloured plate. The concluding instalments 16 and 17 were published almost 20 years later, in 1908-1909: "by the last livraison, with plates drawn by F. Angel, the quality of the illustrations is noticeably poorer than Bocourt's illustrations" (Crane Library, p. 32). "This is one of the most difficult herpetology books to obtain in its complete form" (Adler). Provenance: pictorial bookplate of the Manchester Central Library mounted on the front boards. Some toning and soiling in the top margins, red mark on front free endpapers; one plate with an old repair in the top margin; a few snake plates a bit age-toned; weak blind-stamp (of the Manchester Library) in the top of the last few text leaves, and in the lower margin or top of several plates, a few touching a figure. Otherwise, a very good copy of this extremely rare work. Adler I, pp. 43-44 (for Duméril); Adler II, pp. 87-89 (for Bocourt); Crane Library, AC44, pp. 32-33; Flores-Villela & Bour (2016), Publication History of the Mission Scientifique au Mexique et dans l’Amérique Centrale, Reptiles and Amphibians; Nissen ZBI, 1198, 4694; Vanzolini I, pp. 115-116.