161 
Echinoderms, Worms, Crustacea, Fishes, &e., will, I hope, furnish 
he means of a better appreciation of the general character of our 
Fauna, which thus far has only been a with that of the other 
 eontinents in its higher elasses. 
I shall bave frequent opportunities of acknowledging the many 
favors I have received from naturalists of all parts of the country 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, and from the shores of our 
3 great Lakes to those of the Gulf of Mexico; and also of mentioning 
ihe many specimens which have been furnished to me from every 
part of the Union, and of which I shall publish desecriptions. 
It is a matter of course, that a work like this, illustrated by a 
large number of plates, cannot be published without a liberal and 
extensive patronage. As it has been prepared solely with the view 
of throwing additional light upon the wonderful diversity of the animal 
ereation of this continent, its structure, and its general relation to that 
Bo ‚the other parts of the world, withont the slightest hope of com- 
- pensation for myself, I trust I may meet with the approbation of those 
_ eonversant wilh the importance of the subject, and receive sufficient 
_ encouragement from the enlightened part of the community to enable 
me to bring to a successful close an undertakinug upon which I enter 
_  mow, and in this form, for no other purpose than to contribute my 
- share towards increasing the love of nature among us. 
As the printing of this work cannot begin until a sufficient gua- 
ee is secured for the publication of the whole, I take the liberty 
making an appeal to the lovers of science to send to the publishers 
their own subscriptions, and such others as they may procure, as 
soon as convenient, and, if possible, before the first of August next, 
at I may be able to proceed at once with a work which, relating 
fo animals peculiar to America, I wish to make, in every respect, 
a American contribution to science, fostered and supported by the 
age of the community at large. I hope in this way to show 
friends in Europe that American naturalists have entered upon a 
competition with the scientific labors of the old world, and that 
hey aspire, with a generous ambition, to achieve their scientific inde- 
pendence, and to return freely the intellectual gifts which have thus 
ar been poured upon them. 
To render this work more generally accessible, it is intended to 
blish at the rate of about one volume a year. Such an arrangement 
bring the whole within reach of every student of Natural History, 
d of every friend of ihe progress of science in the country. The 
periods of publication, however, cannot be more definitely fixed, 
ecause the required uniformity of execution of the plates, to which 
. ar attention will be paid, will demand that they be all entrusted 
——  Beltschr, f. wissensch. Zoologie. VII. Bd. E 
