The Zoologist— June, 1874. 4005 



A History of British Quadrupeds, including the Cetacea. By 

 Thomas Bell, F.R.S. Second Edition, revised and partly 

 re-written by the Author, assisted by Robert F. Tomes and 

 Edward Richard Alston. London : Van Voorst. 1874. 

 Demy 8vo, 474 pp. letterpress, 160 woodcuts. 



The delay in the publication of this Second Edition has been a 

 grievous annoyance to those veho have been so long expecting it, 

 and who put faith in the promises so often held out for its ap- 

 pearance. " Hope deferred maketh the heart sick," and many of us 

 were " sick at heart" with hope deferred : in the present age it 

 seems essential that our quadrupeds, as well as our birds, reptiles, 

 fishes, shells, forest trees, ferns, butterflies and moths, should find 

 a competent chronicler; and long and frequent have been the un- 

 availing demands for a 'History of British Quadrupeds.' The 

 kind-hearted and accomplished naturalist whose name has always 

 stood, and still stands, as the responsible author, felt this as keenly 

 as any one, for he tells us in the Preface — 



" The publication of the present edition of this work has been so long 

 delayed, that the author feels it to be his duty to explain as briefly as 

 possible the cause of tlie non-fulfilment of its promised appearance, and to 

 remove the responsibility of the failure both from his respected publisher 

 and himself. His removal from his residence in London, — the centre of 

 literary and scientific society and information, together with other personal 

 circumstances over which he had no control, induced him gladly to avail 

 himself of the well-known extensive knowledge of Mr. Tomes as regards 

 both the history and habits of the animals to which his attention had 

 been specially directed, and his acquaintance with foreign literature on the 

 subject; and much of the additional interest of the earlier portion of the 

 volume, including the orders Cheiroptera and Insectivora, is due to him, and 

 is gratefully felt and acknowledged. It is painful to be obliged to add that 

 the extremely dilatory manner in which this advantage was bestowed 

 caused extreme uneasiness both to Mr. Van Voorst and to the author, and 

 occasioned the lamented delay." — Preface, p. x. 



This acknowledgment may be painful, but it was essential to 

 Mr. Bell's reputation ; he was necessitated to make it. 



The first edition of this work was published in 1837, and is so 

 well known to English naturalists that I need not describe it here. 

 second series — vol. IX. 2 D 



