General Correspondence, 1969 - 2001

The correspondence is divided between external correspondence between Behler and the general public, and colleagues outside of the Society, and internal correspondence between Behler, the rest of the Herpetology Department, and other Society personnel. Letters with zoo colleagues and related professionals discuss such subjects as professional associations, conservation projects and other field work, and endangered species legislation. Common subjects of correspondence with the public include identification of animals, advice on the appropriateness of various herpetofauna as pets, refusal of offered animal donations, and guidance on careers in herpetology. The internal correspondence documents the Herpetology Department’s relations with other facets of the zoo over the years and provides insight into the Society’s evolving programs and attitudes towards its work.

The series also includes a file with chronological indexes to the letters (December 1982-1994), interoffice memos (1983-1994), cables (1983-1985), and postcards (1992-1994) that Behler sent. The indexes include the date, the correspondent's name, and a brief subject description; the listings for letters and memos appear to be relatively thorough, while those for cables and postcards are quite sparse and are probably incomplete.