A natural history of the animal kingdom : being a systematic and popular description of the habits, structure, and classification of animals, from the lowest to the highest forms. Arranged according to their organisation / by W. S. Dallas.

  • Dallas, W. S. (William Sweetland), 1824-1890.
Date:
[1860?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A natural history of the animal kingdom : being a systematic and popular description of the habits, structure, and classification of animals, from the lowest to the highest forms. Arranged according to their organisation / by W. S. Dallas. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    PREFACE. ♦ The Author's object in preparing the present work, has been to furnish the student with a clear and intelligible arrangement of the Animal Kingdom, accompanied, as far as space would permit, by an account of the most in- teresting particulars of the structure and habits of animals. Considering the class of readers for whose perusal these pages are intended, he has thought it better to follow as closely as possible those views of classification which are now generally adopted, without, however, pretending that the arrangement can be regarded as permanent; indeed, the progress of science already threatens to produce several important modifications in the primary classification of the lower animals, some of which will be found referred to in different parts of this work. The Author has adopted the plan of commencing with the lowest forms of animal life, and working upwards through the long series of existence to the highest. The advantage of this plan is, that we commence with the study of the simplest organisms, and, advancing gradually from these to the more complex, do away with the necessity for a long chapter of generalities at the opening of the book, a great part of which would require repetition as we proceeded with our task. Considerable prominence has been given to the Vertebrated division of animals, the greater amount of individual character presented by these re- quiring that the habits of the species should be dwelt upon at some length. In this division the illustrations of the groups have been selected, as far as possible, from the British Fauna, and exotic species have been referred to principally when native examples were wanting. In conclusion, the Author must record a few of the principal works to which he ha3 been indebted in carrying out his object. In the first rank of these he must place the excellent “ Zoologische Briefe” of Professor Vogt, which has served him as a guido through several departments of the subject. Amongst the Invertebrated animals, ho has derived great assistance from the works of Dr. Johnston upon the “British Sponges and Zoophytesfrom that of Professor Forbes upon the “British Naked-eyed Medusa)from A