EDITOR'S PREFACE 



THE publishers are assured from the most expert testi- 

 mony that they are presenting to the educational public, in 

 this volume, a compact but complete treatment of elemen- 

 tary zoology, especially for those institutions of learning 

 which prefer to find in a single book an ecological as well 

 as a morphological survey of the animal world. Animal 

 Life, in the series, treats largely of ecology, Animal Forms 

 of morphology, in this volume the same authors present 

 the salient features of each of the above-named books, with 

 entirely new and additional chapters on Classification, the 

 Economic Value, and the Ancient History of Animals. In 

 Animal Studies an important advance step is taken toward 

 meeting the demand for an elementary zoology that shall 

 treat of the natural history rather than merely of the mor- 

 phology of animals. Several new plates not found in the 

 other volumes have been added. The structure, life habits, 

 environments, economics, and history of fossil animals are 

 each treated with that clearness, conciseness, and complete- 

 ness for which President Jordan is particularly distin- 

 guished. While the book contains adequate material for a 

 year's work, it is also admirably adapted for those schools 

 that find it necessary to give a shorter time to this subject. 

 The following ideas expressed by Dr. Coulter concerning 



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