PREFACE. 



The work here submitted to the English 

 public is a translation of one that has already 

 appeared in three languages, German, French, 

 and Italian. The intrinsic interest of the 

 subject, the character of the text, which is 

 from the pen of a distinguished naturalist 

 long recognized as a master in scientific ex- 

 position, and the character of the illustrations, 

 which are the work of the most eminent 

 natural -history painter now living, quite ac- 

 count for its having earned this distinction, 

 and will no doubt make the work welcome 

 in an English dress. 



With regard to the English edition a few 

 words of explanation are necessary. While 

 the English text is in the main a transla- 

 tion from the German, it is the duty of the 

 translator to explain a few differences that 

 will be found between it and the original 

 from which the translation was made. 



In the first place it ought to be stated that 

 the French, as well as the Italian version, is 

 from the hand of the author himself, and 

 both of these are hence entitled to be re- 

 garded as original works. Occasionally, 

 therefore, the translator, while following the 

 German as a rule, has felt himself at liberty 

 to adopt modifications introduced by the 

 author into the French version. 



Vol. I. 



Another difference will be found in the 

 naming of the animals described. While, 

 as in duty bound, the translator has always 

 given the scientific names used by the author 

 himself, he has in many cases added other 

 scientific names which are more commonly 

 applied to the same animals by English 

 naturalists, and by which accordingly the 

 animals spoken of are likely to be more 

 easily identified by English readers. These 

 additional names are distinguished by being 

 inclosed in subordinate parentheses after the 

 names used by the author. Where a different 

 name is added only for the genus or the 

 species, that name is given after the generic 

 or specific name used by Vogt. For example, 

 "Rhyz(sna [Suricaia) tetradactyld" means that 

 the animal referred to by Vogt as Rhyzeena 

 tetradactyla is the Suricata tetradactyla of 

 other naturalists, and " Ursus ferox {horridilis)" 

 means that the animal called Ursus ferox by 

 Vogt is the same as that known to others as 

 Ursus horribilis. Where both generic and 

 specific names are different the entire alterna- 

 tive name of the animal is given after that used 

 by the author, thus "LeMonyx monachus {Mon- 

 achus albiventer)" means that the Lepionyx 

 monachus of Vogt is the Monachus albiventer 

 of other writers. In furnishing an alternative 



b 



