THE object which the Compiler has had in view in 

 producing the following work, has been to present to 

 the young reader a collection of well-authenticated 

 facts, illustrative of the nature, habits, and various 

 modes of capturing some of the largest and fiercest 

 of the animal world, and to describe some of the 

 numerous adventures, terrible fights, and hairbreadth 

 escapes which the hunting of these animals has given 

 vise 'to. For this purpose M. Victor Meunier has 

 availed himself of the writings of a great variety of 

 travellers of different countries, ancient as well as 

 modern ; and in thus bringing together their varied 

 and often conflicting statements, he has endeavoured, 

 without entering into minute scientific details, to bring 

 them into harmony, or to arrive at the truth on dis- 

 puted points. 



The Translator, notwithstanding the temptation 

 which an almost inexhaustible field presented to 

 him of adding illustration and adventure, has con- 

 fined himself, with one or two exceptions, to an 

 almost literal translation of M. Victor Meunier' s com- 



