



Produced by Chris Curnow, Wayne Hammond and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive)









REPTILES AND BIRDS.


[Illustration: HAWKING IN THE MIDDLE AGES.
_Frontispiece._]




  REPTILES AND BIRDS.


  A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF THEIR VARIOUS ORDERS,
  WITH A DESCRIPTION OF
  THE HABITS AND ECONOMY OF THE MOST INTERESTING.

  BY LOUIS FIGUIER,
  AUTHOR OF "THE WORLD BEFORE THE DELUGE," "THE VEGETABLE WORLD,"
  "THE INSECT WORLD," ETC. ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED WITH 307 WOODCUTS.
  BY MM. A. MESNEL, A. DE NEUVILLE, AND E. RIOU.

  Edited and Adapted by
  PARKER GILLMORE
  ("UBIQUE").

  NEW YORK: D. APPLETON AND CO.

  1870.

  LONDON:
  PRINTED BY VIRTUE AND CO.,
  CITY ROAD.




PREFACE.


In presenting to the public this English version of LOUIS FIGUIER'S
interesting work on Reptiles and Birds, I beg to state that where
alterations and additions have been made, my object has been that the
style and matter should be suited to the present state of general
knowledge, and that all classes should be able to obtain useful
information and amusement from the pages which I have now the honour and
pleasure of presenting to them.

On commencing my undertaking I was not aware of the immensity of the
labour to be done, and fear that I must have relinquished my arduous
task but for the kind encouragement of FRANK BUCKLAND, Esq., Inspector
of Salmon Fisheries, and