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PREFACE. Se 
Four years ago I published the grand divis- 
ions, the classes and orders of Cuvier’s Le Regne 
animal distribue d’ apres son organization. No- 
tice was given at the time, that it was my inten- 
tion to publish a translation of Cuvier’s genera. 
But soon afterwards I was assured that two or 
three of our best Zoologists contemplated the ex- 
ecution of an elementary system of Zoology. My 
pepils have now waited for the promised work 
about two years, since my edition of the classifica- 
tion of Cuvier has been exhausted. I was at 
last driven to this undertaking; which I entered: 
upon with extreme reluctance. Not on account 
of love of ease, or that modest diffidence usually 
complained of by authors. But because it may 
_ retard the publication of the promised system of 
American Zoolezy, which, itis confidently hoped, 
- some competent naturalist will ere long complete. 
- In answer to this objection it has been observ- 
ed by my friends, that such a small book, present- 
ing a familiar outline of the science, might serve 
"as a pioneer for a full system 5; as my Manual of 
. - Botany did for the enlarged works of Elliott and 
Torrey. More than four thousand copies of the 
Manual, in the hands of botanists, awakened a 
