PREFACE. 



Excepting the Birds, where the Manuals of Tem- 

 minck and Degland leave nothing to be desired, there 

 is no work of portable size in the English or French 

 language on any division of European Vertebrates. 



It was the want of some such guide which at first 

 induced the Author to put together for his own 

 information the descriptions of the Quadrupeds and 

 Reptiles found in our own quarter of the globe, which 

 form the present Work ; and he trusts that the same 

 want felt by others wishing to observe the animals 

 of the countries which they visit in their Continental 

 tours, will be found to justify its publication. The 

 reader will kindly bear in mind that it is a mere 

 compilation, intended to serve only until superseded 

 by some more original work on the subject. 



No pains have been spared to select the clearest 

 accounts of the several species, those of the Reptiles 

 being almost all from the great work of Dumeril and 

 Bibron. It is therefore hoped, that although, where 

 the distinguishing characters are obscure, the traveller 

 may not always be enabled to name his specimen at 



