INTRODUCTION 



The following notes may be helpful: 



(1) Chapter I explains the purpose of the book and how to use it. 



(2) Chapter 1 1 is a summarized classification of living animals. 



(3) Chapter IH is a classification of living animals, with examples of genera 

 in each class, order, sub-order, etc. 



(4) Appendix I provides references for further reading. 



(5) Appendix II is a list of the authorities consulted on the classifications. 



(6) Some 4,000 examples of 'better known' genera are mentioned in 

 Chapter III and the Index, which also gives the order or sub-order to 

 which each genus belongs. 



(7) The Index contains more examples than the text. The reader who wishes 

 to see whether a particular animal is classified should refer to the Index 

 and not to the order, in Chapter III, to which he believes the animal 

 belongs. 



(8) Only a certain number of English names are recorded and some of these 

 might be questioned by the purist. Innumerable examples could be given 

 of the confusion caused by the use of vernacular as opposed to Latin 

 names. Where I live, the hedgehog, Erinaceus, is sometimes called an 

 urchin. Where I often work, an urchin is called Echinus. But members of 

 the order Echinoida (sea urchins), to which Echinus belongs, are also 

 called sea hedgehogs, egg urchins, sea eggs, egg-fish, buttonfish, sea 

 thistles, needle shells, chestnuts, burrs, spikes, zarts, porcupines and 

 whore's eggs. 



(9) No species are given, only genera. The English names of some better 

 known animals are, therefore, missing, because they refer to a species 

 and not the genus: for example, the herring gull (Larus argentatus) and 

 the crested newt (Triton cristatus). The reader will not find herring gull 

 or crested newt in the Index, but will find gull, newt, Larus and Triton. 



R. 



