PREFACE. vii 



irrelevant to the subject in hand, and to abstain from all 

 technical terms not absolutely essential. In a work at once 

 so wide in its scope, so popular in its character, and so limited 

 in its dimensions, a certain amount of hostile criticism on the 

 part of specialists is to be expected, some portion of it per- 

 haps just, other portions arising from narrow prejudices due 

 to limited lines of study. The writer is willing to receive 

 such comments with attention and gratitude, but he would 

 deprecate the misuse of them in the interest of those coteries 

 which are at present engaged in the effort to torture nature 

 into a confession of belief in the doctrines of a materialistic 

 or agnostic philosophy. 



The title of the work was suggested by that of Gaudry's 

 recent attractive book, Les Enchaineme?its du Monde animal. 

 It seemed well fitted to express the connection and succession 

 of forms of life, without implying their derivations from one 

 another, while it reminds us that nature is not a fortuitously 

 tangled skein, and that the links which connect man himself 

 with the lowest and oldest creatures bind him also to the 



Throne of the Eternal. 



J„ VV. DAWSON. 



McCiILL COLLEGF, MONTREAL 



