PREFACE. XI 



serving of approbation. From his own appli- 

 cation to the subject, and from the communi- 

 cations of numerous friends, (whose kindness, 

 he trusts, will still be continued,) a very con- 

 siderable portion of original matter, in all 

 the classes, has already been obtained. The 

 remainder of his materials will be furnished 

 from the works of the most authentic natu- 

 ralists of foreign countries, and from other 

 sources, which, for the most part, are not easily 

 accessible to the English reader. 



With respect to the plates, he considers 

 himself peculiarly fortunate in having obtained 

 the able assistance of Mr. Howitt, whose ex- 

 cellence in the art which he professes is too 

 well known, and too justly appreciated by 

 the public, to need, in this place, any enco- 

 miums. And it is but an act of justice to the 

 character of a young man, deserving of every 

 encouragement, to state, that the drawings for 

 several of the engravings, (particularly of the 

 Polecat, Weesel, Stoat, two species of Shrew, 



and 



