AUTHOK'S PKEFACE 



A pull statement of the reasons which have prompted me to write 

 this book, and of the principles on which the work is founded, has 

 already been set forth in a separate publication,* which may therefore 

 be accepted as a detailed preface to the present work. Briefly sum- 

 marized, my views are that, in accordance with the present condition of 

 the sciences of zoology and botany, as well as of the teaching art, certain 

 changes in the methods of instruction have become necessary. Hitherto 

 the task of the science teacher has been limited to a mere one-sided 

 description and a dry classification of natural objects, whereas it has 

 now become of primary importance to regard such objects in all their 

 various relations, and to reveal to the pupil the intimate connection 

 between the structure of living organisms and their vital functions ; or, 

 expressed in other words, to replace the antiquated and purely descriptive 

 form of instruction by a new method, based on physiologico-morphological, 

 or, in short, biological, observations. It is my opinion that only in this 

 manner is it possible to convert instruction in natural history into a real 

 mental discipline, second to none in educational value, and one, moreover, 

 which, so far as the pupil's mental powers and the present state of our 

 knowledge permit, is likely to supply him with a true insight into 

 Nature and natural phenomena, and, finally, one which is capable of 

 affording a powerful and lasting stimulus to that sense for Nature 

 which is innate in the young. 



The present work has been written from this standpoint for the 

 purpose of supplying schools with the material necessary for instruction 

 in zoology. 



A superficial knowledge being quite valueless as an instrument of 

 education or mental culture, I have, in the consideration of each animal 

 group, selected a single example embodying the average type, which on 

 the one hand exhibits as clearly as possible the organization of the 

 group, and on the other hand will also serve as an illustration of its 



* "Arguments for Reform in the Teaching of Natural History." Third edition. Stuttgart: 

 Erwin Nagele, 1899. 



