Xll ADVERTISEMENl- lO THE PRESENT EDITION. 



With all its attractions, however, his work — owing to the im- 

 Jjerfect state of information which obtained in the Author's time 

 on many branches of the science— is not free from errors, and at 

 this day cannot be held either as conaplete or scientific in its sys- 

 tem. To correct its mistakes and supply its deficiencies are, there- 

 fore, leading objects of the present edition ; and while the origi- 

 nal text of the Author — which has so long delighted, and can 

 never fail to delight the general reader — is faithfully retained, 

 such additions are made to it in the shape of Notes as the present 

 improved state of the science calls for. These Notes are thus dis- 

 tinguished : the references to them consist of an asterisk or dag- 

 ger, while the references to Dr Goldsmith's own notes, or to 

 notes not peculiar to this edition, consist of figures. 



It is in scientific details that Goldsmith is chiefly deficient ; and 

 the Editor has, therefore, been careful to give as much of these 

 within his Notes as would tend to render the work more com- 

 plete as a system of natural history, without encumbering its 

 spirit, or dimming its attractions. This necessarily left him 

 little room for the inti'oduction of illustrative anecdotes ; and as 

 these form not only an interesting, but a most important point of 

 natural history, he has been led to devote a supplemental volume 

 entirely to them. By this means, he trusts the value of the 

 work will be increased, and it will have a claim to completeness 

 much beyond that of any other edition. 



Jn the prosecution of his labours, the Editor has derived great 

 advantage from the writings of Wilson, Rennie, Knapp, Selby, 

 Bennet, Vigors, Loudou, Jamieson, Audabon, and other jjopu- 

 lar modern naturalists. But he begs, in an especial manner, to 

 acknowledge his obligations to the highly interesting and valua- 

 ble Supplements, appended by Mr GriflBth, Mr Pidgeon, and 

 Major Smith, to the English edition of Baron Cuvier's Animal 

 Kingdom. These gentlemen have proved themselves worthy co- 

 adjutors of the great Baron in his splendid r£searches; and it is 

 from devoted leaders like these, that so great an impulse has been 

 given in the present day to the study of natural history. 



