PREFACE. 



IT is well for young people to get acquainted with the crea- 

 tures which are living all around them. Birds and bees and 

 squirrels are near neighbors to a great many of us, and they 

 Avill prove good neighbors or bad neighbors, to a large degree, 

 in accordance with our treatment of them. The same is true 

 of many creatures that are not so well known as birds and bees. 

 It may be necessary, at times, to restrict their numbers, and 

 always to define the limits which they must not pass ; and yet, 

 how many people in this world live on bad terms with their 

 neighbors, both brute and human, because they do not take 

 the trouble to become acquainted with their good qualities. 



A warm, generous heart is a source of pleasure which can- 

 not be overestimated ; and a narrow, cruel spirit is a source of 

 untold grief, not only to its possessor, but also to those with 

 whom he comes in contact. The true teacher has a great 

 mission. It is not merely to impart knowledge; far higher 

 than that, it is to develop life, life that is pure, truthful, 

 honest, loving, and happy. For such a great work the teacher 

 needs all possible aids. 



We seldom love that of which we have but slight knowledge. 

 It is the aim of this book to assist the teacher in developing 

 the interest of the pupils in a class of animals which is not 

 so commonly studied or so well known as some other classes. 

 If the interest can be awakened, good results are pretty sure 

 to follow. 



The author's book on WEST COAST SHELLS has been consid- 

 erably circulated and has been freely consulted by some of 

 our young people. It cannot, however, be extensively used in 

 the classroom, where a smaller and cheaper book would be 



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