

INTRODUCTION. 



THE Work here presented to the public was undertaken 

 with the hope of supplying, in part at least, what seemed a 

 remarkable deficiency in the course of academical study 

 pursued throughout the United States, under the general, but 

 not often rigidly defined appellation of Natural History* 



In the respective departments of the Natural History of 

 Animals, exclusive of Corichology and Human Physiology, 

 in this latter science itself, in Botany with Vegetable Physio- 

 logy, and in Geology, although much remains to be done, still 

 there appears no absolute hiatus, in regard to the necessary 

 text books. I say in these respective departments; but it, 

 must have occurred to every scientific man who thinks upon 

 the subject, as singular, that in a science whose very exist- 

 ence may be truly said to depend upon method, there should 

 have been no attempt made to collect the parts into a readily 

 discernible whole. The entire course of Natural History, as 

 now taught, is only gleaned by the Student from a variety of 

 distinct sources sources differing in manner, and often (from 

 the very nature of sciences not included among "the exact") 

 discordant, and often conflicting, in the more important par- 

 ticulars of matter and arrangement. A perfect remedy for 

 this latter evil could, perhaps, be found only in a work of 

 magnitude, and consequent expense, unfitting it for general 

 dissemination. It is, however, not so much in any thing of 

 this extended character, as in a well digested and fully com- 

 prehensive Synopsis that we are deficient. 



A compendium appears to be wanting, which, discarding 



