﻿iv 
  PREFACE. 
  

  

  To 
  some 
  extent 
  local 
  in 
  character, 
  and 
  addressed 
  mainly 
  

   to 
  the 
  agriculturists 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  a 
  class 
  to 
  whom 
  a 
  

   popular 
  style 
  and 
  an 
  avoidance 
  of 
  abstruse 
  speculations 
  

   are 
  most 
  acceptable, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  expected 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  will 
  

   greatly 
  interest 
  the 
  proficient 
  in 
  science. 
  

  

  The 
  naturalist, 
  nevertheless, 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  wholly 
  dis- 
  

   appointed 
  in 
  the 
  perusal 
  of 
  these 
  pages, 
  and 
  perchance 
  

   may 
  glean 
  some 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  geographical 
  dis- 
  

   tribution 
  of 
  the 
  Fauna 
  and 
  Flora 
  of 
  our 
  country, 
  their 
  

   local 
  habits, 
  and 
  characteristics, 
  and 
  extend 
  his 
  know- 
  

   ledge 
  by 
  an 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  our 
  palaeontology. 
  

  

  For 
  these 
  he 
  will 
  be 
  indebted, 
  in 
  part, 
  to 
  those 
  gentle- 
  

   men 
  who 
  have 
  kindly 
  lent 
  me 
  their 
  aid 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  

   departments. 
  The 
  name 
  of 
  Agassiz 
  stamps 
  with 
  authen- 
  

   ticity 
  the 
  catalogue 
  of 
  southwestern 
  fishes 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  

   given. 
  Prof. 
  Baird, 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution, 
  verifies 
  

   the 
  list 
  of 
  our 
  reptiles; 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Conrad 
  has 
  found 
  in 
  

   our 
  collections 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  establishing 
  forty 
  new 
  species 
  

   of 
  Eocene 
  fossils 
  — 
  no 
  inconsiderable 
  contribution 
  to 
  mine- 
  

   ral 
  Concholog}^ 
  

  

  The 
  casual 
  reader 
  may 
  find 
  something 
  to 
  interest 
  him 
  

   in 
  the 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  our 
  State, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   gress 
  of 
  our 
  agriculture, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  cultivation 
  and 
  pre- 
  

   paration 
  of 
  our 
  important 
  staple, 
  which, 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   cotton-growing 
  States, 
  has 
  been 
  little 
  understood. 
  

  

  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  to 
  the 
  favor 
  and 
  indulgence 
  of 
  my 
  own 
  

   fellow-citizens, 
  for 
  whose 
  information 
  and 
  benefit 
  it 
  was 
  

   chiefly 
  prepared, 
  that 
  I 
  commend 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  Satisfied 
  with 
  their 
  approval, 
  my 
  gratification 
  wdll 
  be 
  

  

  