AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



NATURAL history is deservedly a popular subject. The 

 manifestations of life in all its varied forms is a theme 

 that has never failed to attract all who are not destitute 

 of intelligence. From the days of the primitive cave- 

 dwellers of Europe, who lived with mammoths and other 

 animals now lost to the world ; of the ancient Egyptians, 

 who drew and painted on the walls of their magnificent 

 tombs the creatures inhabiting the delta of the Nile ; of 

 the Greeks, looking out on the world with their bright 

 and child-like curiosity, down to our own times, this old, 

 yet ever new, theme has never failed. Never before was 

 there such a profusion of books describing the various 

 forms of life inhabiting the different countries of the globe, 

 or the rivers, lakes, and seas that diversify its scenery. 

 Popular writers have done good service in making the 

 way plain for those who wish to acquaint themselves with 

 the structures, habits, and histories of living animals ; 

 while for students a still greater supply of excellent 

 manuals and text-books has been, and still continues to 

 be, forthcoming. 



But in our admiration for the present we forget the 

 great past. How seldom do we think of that innumerable 



