PEEFACE. 



It having been considered desii'able to ascertain accurately the 

 natural productions of the Colony of Victoria, and to publish works 

 descriptive of them, on the plan of those issued by the Governments 

 of the different States of America, investigations were undertaken, 

 by order of the Victorian Government, to determine the Geology, 

 Botany, and Zoology of the Colony, to form collections illustrative of 

 each for the public use, and to make the necessary preparations for 

 such systematic publications on the subject as might be useful and 

 interesting to the general pubHc, and contribute to the advancement 

 of science. 



As the geological and botanical investigations have already 

 approached completion, and their publication is far advanced, 

 it has been decided to now commence the publication of the 

 third branch completing the subject, namely, that of the Zoology 

 or indigenous members of the different classes of the animal kingdom. 



As the Fauna is not so well known as the Flora, it was a necessary 

 preliminary to the publication to have a large number of drawings 

 made, as opportvmity arose, jfrom the hving or fresh examples of 

 many species of reptiles, fish, and the lower animals, which lose their 

 natiu'al appearance shortly after death, and the true characters of 

 many of which were consequently as yet unknown, as they had 

 only been described from preserved specimens. A Prodromus, or 

 preliminary issue, in the form of Decades or numbers of ten plates, 

 each with its complete descriptive lettei-press, will be published, of 

 such illustrations as are ready, without systematic order or waiting 

 for the completion of any one branch. The many good observers 



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