It may therefore be hoped that
the work may be found to be available for the purposes of both the
Geological and the Zoological student; since it is essentially an
outline of Historical Palaeontology, and the student of either of
the above-mentioned sciences must perforce possess some knowledge
of the last. Whilst primarily intended for students, it may be
added that the method of treatment adopted has been so far
untechnical as not to render the work useless to the general
reader who may desire to acquire some knowledge of a subject of
such vast and universal interest.
In carrying out the object which he has held before him, the
Author can hardly expect, from the nature of the materials with
which he has had to deal, that he has kept himself absolutely
clear of errors, both of omission and commission. The subject,
however, is one to which he has devoted the labour of many years,
both in studying the researches of others and in personal
investigations of his own; and he can only trust that such errors
as may exist will be found to belong chiefly to the former class,
and to be neither serious nor numerous. It need only be added
that the work is necessarily very limited in its scope, and that
the necessity of not assuming a thorough previous acquaintance
with Natural History in the reader has inexorably restricted its
range still further.
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