Xll INTRODUCTION. 



The study of animals, Zoology (zool'oji) [zO'on, ani- 

 mal; log' os, a discourse], would naturally begin with the 

 more simple forms, and finally conclude with those of 

 the highest development. We would not, however, were 

 we even to include a consideration of all fossilized, as 

 well as living, forms, meet with an unbroken series ; but 

 would find rather a branched arrangement, the ultimate 

 twigs of which might represent the living forms. It is 

 the province of systematic zoology to discover the rela- 

 tions that these ultimate twigs bear to one another and 

 to their supporting branches, giving us finally a natural 

 arrangement, a complete classification. 



Classification. --The systematic zoologist first deals 

 simply with individuals; finding several which bear a 

 strong resemblance to one another, but nevertheless have 

 some little points of variation. The few he picks out 

 may be the swallows, and he gives to them a character- 

 istic generic name, Hirundo (hi run'do), and characterizes 

 each peculiar form under this genus, by some specific 

 adjective, as horreorum (hor re o'rum), "of the granaries," 

 for the Barn Swallow, and Hirundo bicolor (bi ktii'or) for 

 the Two-colored Swallow.* 



Several birds may be swallow-like but not true swal- 

 lows ; these would be given different generic and specific 

 names, but would be included in the family of swallows, 

 the Hirundinidae (hi run din'i de). 



Several families, as the swallows, sparrows, robins, etc., 

 may show structural peculiarities which unite them into 

 an order, the PASSERES (pas'se rez). 



Several orders, however, resemble one another in many 



* This, giving to each animal a Latin or Latinized generic and specific name, 

 is called the binomial (Vino' mi al) system of nomenclature (no men Mat' ur), and is 

 that adopted by naturalists throughout the world. 



