SYSTEMATIC ZOOLOOY. 
6 
How to Begin the Study of Zoology. — In our rapid sur- 
vey of the animal kingdom, in order to obtain a clear idea 
of what an animal is, and of the structure of some common, 
well-known type or example, we would earnestly advise the 
student to study some human physiology, such as Martin's 
^^The Human Body," or any other at hand, and then to 
read the account of tlie anatomy of the fish in this book, 
and also study the skeleton and dissect a perch or any 
common fish. The student will thus have a standard of 
comparison, a standpoint from which to survey the animal 
world as a whole. He will thus learn the relations of the 
skeleton or solid framework of an animal to the muscles, 
etc., and learn what a heart, lung, or eye is. Then he can 
the better understand the structure of the lower animals. 
This book begins with the lower, simpler, one-celled forms 
and ends with the most complicated, i.e,, bii'ds and beasts, 
as it is believed that this is the most natural and philo- 
sophical method. In geological history the invertebrates, 
i,e,y those animals without a backbone, appeared before the 
vertebrates. It is better to lead the student from the sim- 
pler to the more complex animal forms, just as in studying 
history we begin with the origin of mankind and trace the 
history of the earlier nations which have preceded existing 
peoples; or in the history of our own country, begin w^th 
the discovery and first settlement by our European ances- 
tors. To begin the study of zoology by first taking up the 
mammals and birds is like reading history backwards. Be- 
sides this, the student, being more familiar with the birds 
and mammals, will find the subject growing more interest- 
ing as he gets nearer the end of the book. 
General Works on Zoology. 
T. H. Huxley. A Manual of the Auatomy of the Invertebrated 
Animals, 1877. A Manual of the Anatomy of the Vertebrated 
Animals, 1871. 
C. Gegenbaur, Elements of Comparative Anatomy. 1878. 
C. Glaus. Elementary Text-book of Zoology. 2 vols. 1884-85, 
A. Lang. Text-book of Comparative Anatomy. Pt. I. 1891. 
Coues and Kingsley's Standard INatural History. 6 vols. 1884-85. 
Also, Darwin's Origin of Species, and the works of Lamarck, Sem- 
per, Haeckel, Wallace, Weismanu, and Eimer. 
