PUBLICATION EDITOR'S PREFACE 



The manuscript of the Naturalist's Guide first came to my hands in an 

 advanced stage of preparation, after the members of the compiling com- 

 mittee had given several years and much hard work to the planning of its 

 scope, the selection of contributors, and the arrangement of the material 

 secured. 



My own part of the production of the Guide has been the small one 

 of reading the manuscript with reference to the coordination of certain 

 features of the treatment, and the unification of typographic style. While 

 many minor changes have been made, it has seemed best to preserve in 

 each chapter the individuality of style and treatment of each of the various 

 authors, chosen for their recognized familiarity with the areas which had 

 been assigned to them. Nothing has been done by way of attempting to 

 recast into a uniform mould all of the chapters which relate to regions of 

 such diverse character, known with such varying degrees of completeness. 



The latest work of incorporating rewritten and fresh material, as well as 

 the final revision of the manuscript, has been in the hands of Dr. V. E. 

 Shelf ord, by whom the project of such a guide was conceived, and to whom 

 the major share of credit will belong for the hoped-for utility of this 

 product of many hands. 



FORREST SHREVE. 



Tucson, January, 1925. 



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