AU TELS 2Piee AC 7. 
NATURAL history is deservedly a popular subject. The 
manifestations of life in all its varied forms is a theme 
that has never failed to attract all who are not destitute 
of intelligence. From the days of the primitive cave- 
dwellers of Europe, who lived with mammoths and other 
animals now lost to the world; of the ancient Egyptians, 
who drew and painted on the walls of their magnificent 
tombs the creatures inhabiting the delta of the Nile; of 
the Greeks, looking out on the world with their bright 
and child-like curiosity, down to our own times, this old, 
yet ever new, theme has never failed. Never before was 
there such a profusion of books describing the various 
forms of life inhabiting the different countries of the globe, 
or the rivers, lakes, and seas that diversify its scenery: 
Popular writers have done good service in making the 
way plain for those who wish to acquaint themselves with 
the structures, habits, and histories of living animals; 
while for students a still greater supply of excellent 
manuals and text-books has been, and still continues to 
be, forthcoming. 
But in our admiration for the present we forget the 
great past. How seldom do we think of that innumerable 
