Looking around, you see a brilliantly colored lizard stalking a small fly. Poised to strike, its head is still with amber eyes glued on the target. On the left, your view is filled with chameleons, their bright blue and green colors sparkling in the sunlight. On the right, turtles and tortoises, frogs and snakes of all sizes compete with an assortment of crocodiles to attract you attention.

No prior knowledge or species training is required to recognize the beauty in this exotic collection of reptiles and amphibians. They are easy to care for, do not require a special environment, and are available to almost everyone. This collection exists in the crystal glass sections of most major department stores throughout the country, and a quick look is all it takes to recognize that glass reptiles are a hot item.

Our love affair with animals in art dates back to early man and drawings he left on cave walls. Early examples of glass were made to be utilitarian, such as bowls and vessels, but even those objects often depict animals and nature.

Fine glass making is an ancient technique dating back 4,000 years, and it allowed artists to mold, cut, color, and blow glass into intricate and delicate images. Except for the aid of modern equipment used to control heat, the beauty of glass today is dependent on the vision and skill of the glass maker, just as it was years ago.

On a day trip to Chicago department stores, I found many glass menagerie displays, including a large variety of crystal reptile and amphibian reproductions. The majority (and most striking) were crystal pieces created by the three well-known French glass manufacturers: Lalique, Daum, and Baccarat crystal.

Rene Lalique began as a jewelry designer in the late 1800s and made the transition to glass designer about 1890. The beautiful "writhing serpent motif" was a favorite of Lalique's, but he also created many less dramatic frog and lizard designs. Today, the Lalique company still carries on this tradition and you can purchase crocodile bookends, salamander paperweights, and sculptured frog, turtle, and lizard pieces.

One of Lalique's most recent designs is a small chameleon statue available in a variety of colors. At under $100, it is an affordable piece of crystal art. On the pricier side, a large, round crystal bowl has sculpted Frilled Dragon heads on each side and retails for about $3,300. Depending on your budget and taste, there are many items to choose from priced between the two extremes.

Daum crystal is distinguished by its clear crystal bases with sculptured accents in opaque glass of green, blue, and purple. The Daum company, in particular, has several pieces with herps placed in natural settings. I found a crystal candy dish adorned with a salamander sunning itself on a leaf, while another depicted a lizard snatching a fly.

Daum also designs dinnerware. In one line, white dinner plates show swamp-like scenes in a pale salmon color. The swamp abounds with water plants and grasses, and an occasional frog. A five-piece place setting costs around $300, but you can purchase just the cup and saucer for a fraction of that price to enjoy your tea or coffee.

With fewer selections, but of excellent quality, is Baccarat crystal. Although in this display herps were not used to accent bowls, vases, or other utilitarian pieces, there was an impressive menagerie in crystal which included frogs and turtles.

The opportunity to indulge one's taste in furnishing a home has never been so great. Whether collecting reptiles and amphibians is a passion or a hobby, consider adding some of these glass herp species to your collection. Crystal specimens maintain their original beauty with no requirements for food, water, heat, or light. An occasional dusting and a place where they can be looked at and admired are all that they need.