Project Gutenberg's Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found, by Mayne Reid

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Title: Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found
A Book of Zoology for Boys

Author: Mayne Reid

Illustrator: William Harvey

Release Date: November 21, 2007 [EBook #23576]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUADRUPEDS, WHAT THEY ARE ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Quadrupeds, what they are and where found, by Captain Mayne Reid.

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This is a fairly short book, but it certainly hits the spot, for its aim
is to inform young people about the four-legged animals of our planet,
and this it does very competently.

Of course there is no reason why young ladies should not read this book:
I am sure they would enjoy this just as much Reid's target readership,
which was boys.

There are 24 chapters, each dealing with a kind of animal. Sometimes an
animal genus is given two chapters, for instance domestic dogs, and wild
dogs. One grouse: the phrase "well-known" occurs over forty times.
Would the "well-known" fact be well-known to the book's intended
readership? Probably not.

There are a score of very nice illustrations, most showing numerous
animals of that chapter's genus.

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QUADRUPEDS, WHAT THEY ARE AND WHERE FOUND, BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID.

PREFACE.

I have been called upon to write illustrative sketches to a series of
engravings, designed by an eminent artist. In performing my part of the
work I have thrown the _Mammalia_ into twenty-four groups--corresponding
more or less to the picture designs--and have dwelt chiefly on the
geographical distribution of the animals. The _Cetaceae_ and
_Vespertilionidae_ are properly omitted.

In the groups given there is no attempt made at any very scientific
arrangement. The sketches are purely of a popular character, even the
scientific nomenclature being avoided. It is hoped, however, that they
may prove of service to the zoological tyro, and form as it were his
first stepping-stone to a higher order