} 



THE AMERICAN NATURE SERIES 



The fortunate increase in the attention paid by the American i)co|)le 

 to Nature study, has led to the pubhcation of many i)oi)u!ar books on tlie 

 subject, some of wliicli are good, and some not. In the liope of doing 

 something toward furnishing a series where the seeker will surely find a 

 readable book of high authority, the publishers of the American Science 

 Series have begun the jniblication of tlie American Nature Series. It is 

 the intention that in its own waj', the new series shall stand on a \>:u- with 

 its famous prfdccesjt)r. 



The i)rimary object of the new series is to answer (piestions — those 



(outside of the domain of ])hilosophy ) wliich the contemplation of Nature 



is constantly arousing in the mind of the unscientific intelligent person. 



Hut a collateral ol)ject will be to give some intelligent notion of the 



causes of things. *" > 



The books will be under the guarantee of American experts, and 

 from the American point of view ; and where material crowds space, ])ref- 

 erence will be given to American facts over others of not more than equal 

 interest. 



The series will be in five divisions: 



GROUP I. CLASSIFICATION OF NATURE 



This division will consist of three sections. 



Section A. A large popular Natural History in several volumes, 

 with the topics treated in due proi^ortion, by authors of unquestioned 

 authority, 'i'here is no existing Natural History which does not fall short 

 in some one of these particulars. Possibly the Natural History in the 

 American Nature Series may not be kept ideal regarding all of them, but 

 if it is not, the fault will iu)t be due to carelessness or apathy on the part 

 of the ijublishers. 



The books so far arranged for in this section are : 

 FISHES, by David Starr Jordan, President of the Leland Stanford Uni- 



versit.v. 2 N'olumes. 

 INSECTS, by Vkrnon L. Kellogo, Professor in the Leland Stanford Junior 



I iii\ ersity. 

 TREES, by N. L. Brittox, Director of the New York Botanical Garden. 

 WILD MAMMALS OF NORTH AMERICA, by C. Hart Mkrriam, 



Chief of the United States Biological Survey. 



Section B. A shorter Natural History by the authors of Section A, 

 {)reserving its i)oi)ular character, its ]n-oportional treatment and its author- 

 ity so far as that can be preserved without its fullness. 



Section C. Identification books— " How to Know," brief and in 

 portable shape. By tlie authors of the larger treatises. 



