PREFACE. 



The present volume deals with the members of the Carnivora, 

 with which most people are familiar, viz., the Cats, and I am 

 again indebted to Mr. Lydekker for a most useful summary of 

 our present knowledge of these animals, and also for his very 

 interesting conclusion to the work, wherein he deals with the 

 extinct members of the Order. 



To one trained like myself, by long years of work in the 

 field of ornithological synonymy and literature, the nomen- 

 clature employed for some of the Mammalia appears some- 

 what strange ; but I am glad to say that I have induced the 

 author to latinise the generic term " Linsang " into Linsanga. 



The duplication of the generic and specific names, for the 

 necessity of which I always strongly insist, whenever Linnean 

 specific names have been misappropriated for generic titles 

 by subsequent writers, appears to be necessary in only three 

 instances in the present volume. Mr. Lydekker, as is well 

 known, does not hold with the practice, but, in my opinion, 

 the name of the Common Genet should be Genetia genet fa 

 (L.), that of the Meerkat, Suricata suricatta (Erxl.), and that 

 of Daubcnton's Civet, Fossa fossa (Schreb.). 



R. BOWDLER SHARPE. 



