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FOREWORD
Natural History, with the cordial approval of President Osborn, has at all times given indispensable support in the work of making ready this book for the press. Special acknowledgment is due to Mrs. E. H. Fink and Mrs. C. P. Meadowcroft of the Museum. Dr. G. K. Noble, Curator of Herpetology, has supplied critical notes on the sections dealing with recent reptiles.
Every effort has been made to keep intact the spirit and letter of the original text, and in the few places where corrections or emendations seemed necessary they have been placed in square brackets, as have also the footnotes that record some of the more conspicuous discoveries and advances since 1918.
W. K. G.
