EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION six 



the British Association to Australia, by way of the Cape 

 and back by the Mediterranean. The manuscript has 

 also been read by Dr. Charles Hose and Mr. H. N. 

 Ridley, F.R.S., who, with their profound knowledge of 

 the East, have given me the greatest help. The proofs 

 have been carefully read, not only by these three, but 

 also by Mr. Henry Balfour, Dr. H. Eltringham, and 

 Commander J. J. Walker, all of whom have made sug- 

 gestions of great value and have helped in the detection 

 of printer's errors. Commander Walker also kindly 

 undertook the preparation of the index and Professor 

 Selwyn Image the design of the title-page. I have also 

 gratefully to acknowledge the assistance of friends, to 

 whom I have written for information on various doubtful 

 points friends whose names will be found in footnotes 

 here and there throughout the book. Notes contributed 

 by any of the above-mentioned friends are indicated by 

 their initials. 



The manuscript as I received it was very far from 

 ready for publication. Many references had been left 

 blank or incomplete, many names of species omitted. 

 In nearly all cases it has been possible to make good. 

 The author had written a list of chapters, with marks 

 indicating "rough draft" or "completed" or "almost 

 so." Chapters I (Mammals) and II (Birds) were marked 

 as rough drafts, III (Snakes) as completed, but all three 

 were carefully written in ink by Shelford himself, and he 

 had probably omitted to alter the sign for I and II. 

 Chapter IV, originally entitled "Other Reptiles and 

 Frogs," or alternatively, " Some other Reptiles and some 

 Amphibia," he had not marked at all, probably because 

 the frogs had been not even begun. The manuscript 



