PREFACE 



The plan of this course is similar to that of the "Invertebrate 

 Zoology" published by the author three years ago. Its principal 

 aim is to furnish a guide to the dissection of types of the most 

 important groups of vertebrates. The directions are practical in 

 character, and are designed to be in sufficient detail to enable the 

 student to carry on his work intelligently and profitably and with 

 the least possible waste of time and material. Vertebrates are 

 large animals with complex systems of organs, and it is impossible 

 for a young student to dissect them in the best manner unless he 

 receives full instructions at every important step. To give such 

 instructions is the main purpose of this book. 



The course seeks also to keep the morphological relations of 

 the various organs and systems of organs constantly before the 

 mind and to make the study a comparative one. 



Each of the dissections is complete in itself and is not depend- 

 ent upon any of the others. The teacher may thus assign to 

 his class such of the dissections as he wishes, and in the order 

 he wishes. 



The directions do not contain exhaustive descriptions of the 

 animals dissected, the completeness of the description in each case 

 being made dependent upon the pedagogical ends aimed at, and 

 upon the time ordinarily at the disposal of the student. The 

 organs which have been treated in the least detail are the muscles, 

 in most cases only the superficial ones being described, and they 

 not minutely. A teacher will find it an easy matter, however, to 

 extend the study of the muscles if he wishes. The particular order 

 in which the various systems of organs of each animal are studied 

 is the one which experience has shown will accomplish the desired 

 result with the greatest economy of time and material. 



The number of specimens necessary for a complete dissection is 

 mentioned at the beginning of each description. In most cases one 



