PEEFACE 



Although the idea of a publicatiou ou the Mammals of 

 Europe was suggested many years ago by the late Lord 

 Lilford, who kindly contributed an annual sum towards the 

 collecting necessary for its realization, the possibility of 

 issuing the present Catalogue has mainly grown up from the 

 work which its author, Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, of the United 

 States National Museum at Washington, has for some years 

 been doing independently on the subject. 



It is true that European Mammals had not been neglected 

 here, and that the collection had begun to grow, both by 

 the help of the Lilford Eund and by the efforts of Major 

 G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton, who published many papers on 

 the subject, and of Mr. Oldfield Thomas, E.E.S., who devoted 

 a number of his vacations to collecting in various parts of 

 the Continent. 



There was, however, no prospect of being in a position 

 to prepare a Catalogue until about 1905, when Mr. Miller 

 arranged to devote his entire time for a considerable period 

 to the study of European Mammals. The opportunity was 

 taken of having the results of this work published here 

 instead of in America, by inducing him to write a British 

 Museum Catalogue ; thus utilizing his knowledge, and com- 

 bining for the purposes of his studies the material of both 

 the American and the British National Museums. 



Collections were then made in various selected areas, 

 partly by Mr. Miller himself and partly by trained collectors, 

 such as Messrs. A. Eobert, C. Mottaz, Eev. S. Gonzalez and 

 N. Gonzalez, the cost of whose services were contributed by 

 friends of the Museum, notably Mr. Oldfield Thomas, the 

 Hon. N. C. Itothschild and ^Ir. J, I. S. Whitaker. The 

 Catalogue could hardly have been contemplated if it had 

 not been for Mr. Thomas' unremitting efforts in developing 



