Mr. Harting has justly remarked ' in thirty years readers have become much more
critical, much more exacting; and naturally so, for they have learnt much m the
meantime, they have read more and observed more for themselves, and have thus
become able to check the statements of others by the experience thus gained.
British Mammals too have been dealt with by such able writers as William Mac-
Gillivray, Mr. Richard Lydekker, and Sir Harry Johnston, all of whom have
treated our fauna from special points of view: MacGillivray giving admirable field
notes of such common animals as came under his noti<# Mr. Lydekker describing
with much skill their classification and ancient history; a n ^ S ir Harry Johnston
concisely elucidating for the student the whole history of Mammals, and in turn
the origin of the British species and their subsequent history and kindred orders.1
Of recent years, too, many of our leading zoologists have published admirable
treatises on British species or orders: notably the late Sir William Flower
(Whales), Mr. F. E. Beddard (Whales),. MigThomas Southwell (Seals and
Whales),’ the late Dr. Dobson (Bats),' Mr. W. E. De Winton ani|Mr. Oldfield
Thomas (Rodents), Mr. J. E. Harting (British Mammals generally), Messrs. J. A.
Ilarvie-Brown and T. E. Buckley (Distribution of Scottish Mammals), the late W.
Thompson (Irish M amma« Dr. R. F. Scharff (Irish Mammals), the late A. G.
More (Irish Mammals), Captain Barrett-Hamilton1 and R. M. Barrington (Irish
Mammals), Messrs. Alcock, Jameson, C. B. Moffat, and Professor Kinahan (Irish
Bats), E. R. Alston (Scottish Mammals),. Messrs, Coward, Oldham, Tomes
(English Bats), the Rev. H. A. Macpherson, A. Trevor Battye, the late Rev. L.
Jenyns (Blomefield), Wm. Borrer, G. H. Caton-Haigh, O. V. Aplin, J. R. B.
Masefield, W. B. Tegetmeier, Rev. C. A. Bury, Miller Christy, G. T. Rope,
W. Eagle Clarke, H. Charbonnier, J. Steele Elliott, Wm. Evans, Lord Lilford,
W. D. Roebuck, Robert Service, Rev. J. E. Kelsall, E. Cambridge Phillips,
Hy. Laver, Wm. Taylor, Sir William Turner, G. Dalgliesh, J. H. Bonhote,
R. I. Pocock, the Hpn. Gerald Lascelles are also a few names of those who by
I When Sir Harr» J a b a M wort appeared it caioe in for somewhat severe criticism from the pens ofjdppntif
gentlemen who we», perhaps, well acquainted with some particular animal, but these emsors entirely overlooked the many
admirable points in.his boot, which, as an exposition o f scientific elucidation, is a fine piece o f wort.
• Captain Banett-Hamilim's resetuches are by no means confined to Irish Mammals, for he has pubhshed a great deal
of matter on all European Mammals.
their observations and notes have helped on the knowledge we now possess
of British Mammals. C. J. Cornish, Oxley Grabham, and F. G. Aflalo have also
written on British Mammals.
Of writers who have dealt with the past history and fossil remains of British
Mammals, lasting work has been done by Sir Richard Owen— the pioneer of our
knowledge in this respect, Dr. A. B. Smith Woodward, and Professor Boyd
Dawkins, while the scattered literature of the subject is so vast in such journals as
the ‘ Zoologist ’ and the ‘ Field ’ that I have found it no easy task to read everything
that has been written. In these two publications alone the notes are so
excellent that it is impossible to speak of them too highly. There are also
original observations and views expressed in such first-rate publications as ‘ The
Annals of Scottish Natural History,’ ‘ The Irish Naturalist,’ the volumes of
‘Vertebrate Fauna of Scotland’ (Harvie-Brown and Buckley), and the ‘ Transactions
’ of the Norfolk, Essex, Yorks, Hants, and Perth Natural History Societies.
Many interesting facts concerning Mammals are also to be found in the recently
issued volumes of the ‘Victoria History of the Counties of England.’ Mr. A. H.
Cocks too has written some admirable papers on British Mammals in captivity.
Broadly speaking the above embrace the whole literature of the subject, and
I have made it my business to read the greater part. It may seem strange that
no one previously has taken the trouble to collect all this mass of material and
edit it in book form: but it is not every naturalist who would care to give
several years of his life to such a task, and few others are equal to the work.
One [man, who is thoroughly conversant with the literature of the subject,
I had always expected to write a good book on British Mammals, but he has
given his attention to other subjects, and when I last spoke to him he said he
was as far off the project as ever. I allude to my old friend Mr. J. E. Harting,
formerly editor of the ‘ Zoologist ’ and editor of the ‘ Field.’ He has had a
very wide experience in summarising the works of others, and his knowledge of
the distribution of our animals is great, but other engagements have monopolised
his time, or perhaps I should not now be writing these lines.1
1 As this work goes to press Mr. Harting has generously placed the whole of his valuable notes on British Mammals at
my disposal.