4 TO THE READER. 
J The limited space of a little work of this kind, of course, pre- 
eludes the possibility of entering otherwise than briefly on the j 
theme j but it is hoped that it may prove to be an incentive to j 
) pursue the study and the means of obtaining a scientific knowl- ( 
edge of Natural History. So important has this branch of study [ 
j become in Europe, that the authorities of many of the principal j 
) cities and seats of learning — particularly in England, France, ( 
[ and Germany — have deemed the founding of Zoological Institu- | 
tes an imperative necessity, in order that the students in the j 
various colleges and normal schools might have opportunities to ( 
i 
compare ocular observation with the statements of the several | 
writers on Zoology. These institutions are subsidized by their [ 
respective governments, and have agencies established in Asia, [ 
Africa, South America, and other parts of the globe, for the pur- j 
) 
| pose of securing and transporting any rare or extraordinary beast j 
or reptile that may come under observation. j 
j Our descriptions have been compiled from standard works j 
on the subject, and it is hoped that they may have a tendency ( 
to lead the reader into a contemplation of the vastness and sub- 
limity of the animal world, and show the wisdom and potency of 
the Great Creator of the universe, and all that therein is. ! 
Many of the animals on exhibition in this Menagerie are the ( 
finest of their species, — in fact, they have been pronounced by [ 
those well versed in Natural History, to be the best specimens 
ever seen on this Continent. 
