18 INTRODUCTION 



mate habits of which we know the least about. Then many of 

 the species in our fauna are now rapidly becoming extinct, and 

 these especially need our attention at the present time. I will 

 be very glad and feel more than repaid for my labor should my 

 young naturalist friends, boys and girls, like this book, and wish 

 to have it in their libraries. They have been largely in my mind 

 while its pages were being written; and my own children, who 

 have not only assisted me greatly in collecting some of the ma- 

 teria! therein described, but have heard them read ere they were 

 sent to press. 



It will be observed that quite a large number of the illustra- 

 tions are reproduced from photographs of living animals of va- 

 rious species and kinds. These were all taken by myself from 

 the living subjects, and nearly in every instance of natural size. 

 Too much cannot be said in favor of the constant use of the 

 photographic camera in zoology, and when by its means really 

 first-rate, life-like pictures of any of our living forms are secured 

 in natural attitudes, and with nature's surroundings, they should 

 surely be published, and be made to take the place of many of 

 the highly incorrect figures of our animals, still to be found in 

 popular works upon natural history. Taxidermists and artists 

 will then, 1 am sure, appreciate this feature in my book, for if 

 anything be useful and helpful to them in their work it is good 

 pictures of this class, used, as they safely can be, as models. 



During the entire course of preparation of the volume, not a 

 few of the works of other naturalists have been carefully con- 

 sulted, and in many instances quoted from more or less exten- 

 sively. Chief among these have been the writings of Professor 

 Huxley; Darwin: from his "Voyage of a Naturalist;" Sir William 

 II. Flower of the British Museum; the classical and voluminous 

 writings of Alfred Newton; the very numerous and excellent con- 

 tributions of Doctors Philip Lutley Sclater and R. Bowlder 

 Sharpe; of Alexander Wilson; the Barkers; E. D. Cope; Gill, and 

 G. Brown Goode in fishes; Packard and others distinguished in 

 entomology; the unrivaled works in American ornithology of 

 Robert Bidgway and of (lias. E. Bendire; those of the veteran 

 in the study of reptiles, Dr. Albert 0. L. G. Gi'inther, F.B.S.; and 

 a great many others. 



In closing these introductory remarks, it gives me pleasure 

 to say that il would have been practically impossible for me to 

 have brought out this volume at the present time had il not been 



