PREFACE. 



T N the title of this book the word " animals " is used 

 as embracing the Mammals, Reptiles, and Amphibians, 

 which are, of course, no more specially " animal " except 

 in the popular sense than the Birds, Fishes, Molluscs, and 

 Butterflies and Moths dealt with in the four other volumes 

 of the series. The book is on the same plan as these, and 

 its object is the same, namely, the easy identification of 

 our native species by means mainly of external characters 

 and concise descriptions of such habits and peculiarities as 

 help in distinguishing them. In many respects it differs 

 from the very numerous other works on the subject, and 

 is introductory to them all. As compared with " Our 

 Country's Birds" and "Our Country's Fishes," which with 

 it form a complete guide to the British Vertebrates, the 

 number of species is so small that space was found for a 

 few notes on our fossil faunas and separate lists of our 

 Mammals, Reptiles, and Amphibians, past and present. 



The illustrations are all by Mr. R. E. Holding, who 

 drew them speciaUy for the work, nearly all of the figures, 

 including the unique series of representative skulls of every 

 British mammalian genus, being from Nature. 



W. J. G, 



M365355 



