TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE 



In its purpose and style this book closely re- 

 sembles the same author's "Story-Book of Science," 

 and it belongs to the same series. To many readers, 

 however, it is likely to prove even more interesting 

 than its predecessor, inasmuch as the domestic ani- 

 mals are more familiar and hence more interesting 

 to many persons than the ant, the spider, the plant- 

 louse, the caterpillar, and other examples of insect 

 life discussed in the earlier work. Particularly at 

 this time, when not a few of us, both old and young, 

 are turning our attention, however inexpertly, to 

 farming in a small way, in order to make the most of 

 nature's food resources within our reach, we like to 

 become a little better acquainted with the denizens 

 of the farmyard and the four-footed helpers in the 

 field. The pig and the hen, the goose and the turkey, 

 the ox and the ass, the horse and the cow, the sheep 

 and its canine keeper these and many other old 

 friends of ours in the animal kingdom are made to 

 enliven the following pages by the genius and skill 

 of him who knew and loved them all as few natural- 

 ists have known and loved their dumb fellow-crea- 

 tures. 



Faithfulness to the spirit of the French original 



M350996 



