THE AMERICAN NATURE SERIES 



The fortunate increase in the attention paid by the American ])eople 

 to Nature study, has led to the pubUcation of many popular books on the 

 subject, some of which are good, and some not. In the hope of doing 

 something toward furnishing a series where the seeker will surely find a 

 readable book of high authority, the iniblishers of the American Science 

 Series have begun the publication of the American Nature Series. It is 

 the intention that in its own way, the new series shall stand on a par with 

 its famous predecessor. 



The primary object of the new series is to answer questions — those 



(outside of the domain of i)hilosophy) which the contemplation of Nature 



is constantly arousing in the mind of the unscientific intelHgent person. 



But a collateral object will be to give some intelligent notion of the 



causes of things. 



The books will be under the guarantee of American experts, and 

 from the American point of view ; and where material crowds space, pref- 

 erence will be given to American facts over others of not more than equal 

 interest. 



The series will be in five divisions: 



GROUP I. CLASSIFICATION OF NATURE 



This division will consist of three sections. 



Section A. A large popular Natural History in several volumes, 

 with the topics treated in due i)roportion, by authors ofunquestioned 

 authority. There is no existing Natural History which does not fall short 

 in some one of these particulars. Possibly the Natural History in the 

 American Nature Series may not be kept ideal regarding all of them, but 

 if it is not, the fault will not be due to carelessness or apathy on the part 

 of the publishers. 



The books so far arranged for in this section are : 

 FISHES, by David Starr Jordan, President of the Leland Stanford Uni- 

 versity. 2 Volumes. 

 INSECTS, by V^ERNON L. Kellogg, Professor in the Leland Stanford Junior 



University. 

 TREES, by N. L. Britton, Director of the New York Botanical Garden. 

 WILD MAMMALS OF NORTH AMERICA, l)y C. Hart Merriam, 

 Chief of the United States Biological Survey. 

 Section B. A shorter Natural History by the authors of Section A, 

 preserving its i)opular character, its proportional treatment and its author- 

 ity so far as that can be preserved without its fullness. 



Section C. Identification books— " How to Know," brief and in 

 portable shape. By the authors of the larger treatises. 



