EDITOR'S PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION 



The Grundziige cler Palaeontologie, which forms the basis of the present work, 

 was published in the spring of 1895, only a short time after the completion 

 of the fifth and last volume of Professor von Zittel's celebrated Handhuch der 

 Palaeontologie. Of the latter, an excellent translation exists in French by 

 Barrois ; but English-speaking students are Avithout either an independent 

 treatise on Paleontology or translation from any foreign work, which is 

 comparable in scop6 and character to the writings of von Zittel. 



With the hope of supplying this deficiency the Editor undertook the task 

 of rendering the GrundzUge into English. It was at first intended to bring 

 out a strictly literal translation, but with the Author's consent this plan was 

 modified in important respects which should be clearly understood by all. 

 The chapters on Protozoa and Coelenterata stand here essentially as in the 

 original, but nearly all the remaining chapters have been remodelled, enlarged, 

 and brought as nearly as possible up to date by a selected body of experts. 



The greater part of the work is therefore a composite production, and 

 from the nature of the case some incongruities in style and treatment are to 

 be expected. For all the collaborators to have adhered to uniform limits of 

 altei'ation and expansion would have been impossible. It will be found, 

 therefore, that some portions of the revised text are not sensibly different 

 from the original while others are changed very radically, and a few chapters, 

 notably the Molluscoidea, Mollusca, and Trilobites, are entirely rewritten. An 

 effort has been made throughout to adapt the text more especially to the 

 needs of Anglo-American students, and the bibliographies have l)een enlarged 

 with similar intent. 



For all changes in the classification over the original the revisers of the 

 different sections are responsible ; but although radical departures have been 

 made with the Author's sanction, one must by no means presume he is thereby 

 committed to all the innovations which are set forth. How far and Avhether 

 in all cases the system has been improved must be left for experience to 

 detei'mine. The Author's graciousness, however, in yielding his own prefer- 

 ences on systematic points will be apparent on reading his annexed preface. 



Due acknowledgments are rendered the collaborators in the Author's 



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