AUTHOR’S PREFACE, 
Natural history is deservedly a popular subject. The 
manifestations of life in all its varied forms is a theme 
that has never failed to attract all who are not destitute 
of intelligence. From the days of the primitive cave- 
dwellers of Europe, who lived with mammoths and other 
animals now lost to the world ; of the ancient Egyptians, 
who drew and painted on the walls of their magnificent 
tombs the creatures inhabiting the delta of the Nile ; of 
the Greeks, looking out on the world with their bright 
and child-like curiosity, down to our own times, this old, 
yet ever new, theme has never failed. Never before was 
there such a profusion of books describing the various 
forms of life inhabiting the different countries of the globe, 
or the rivers, lakes, and seas that diversify its scenery. 
Popular writers have done good service in making the 
way plain for those who wish to acquaint themselves with 
the structures, habits, and histories of living animals ; 
while for students a still greater supply of excellent 
manuals and text-books has been, and still continues to 
be, forthcoming. 
But in our admiration for the present we forget the 
great past. How seldom do we think of that innumerable 
