2 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE.

embraces the whole range of animal life and reaches its
highest order in man. The science which treats of organic
life as a whole is called Biology, while its two departments
are separately known as Botany and Zoology. Natural
History is a general term popularly applied to the study of
Zoology.

Zoology. Zoology is the science of animal life. It deals
with the origin of species, and the evolution of the varied
forms of animated nature, and treats of the structure, habits,
and environment of all living creatures. Scientifically speak-
ing, Zoology is the classified arrangement of all known truths
concerning all animal organisms.

Classification. For convenience in study the Animal king-
dom is divided into seven Sub-kingdoms, each of which is further
divided into classes. These Sub-kingdoms are known as: I
Vertebrata, II Arthropoda, ITI Mollusca, ITV Echinodermata,
V Vermes, VI Cuelenterata, and VII Protozoa. Sub-kingdom I,
Vertebrata, includes all animals distinguished by the possession
of Vertebre or back-bones, and its classes are 1 Mammalia:—
animals that suckle their young; II Aves:—Birds; III
Repitlia:—Reptiles; IV Batrachia:—Frogs, Toads, etc.; and V
Pisces:—Fishes. Sub-kingdom II, Arthropoda, includes the
Insect families, etc., which it also divides into classes. Sub-king-
dom III, Mollusca, animals of the cuttle-fish order, including
limpets, oysters, and slugs. Sub-kingdom IV, Echinodermata,
a large number of marine animals, such as the star-fish
and the sea-urchin. Sub-kingdom V, Vermes, the various
classes of worms. Sub-kingdom VI, Coelenterata, corals and
sponges, etc. etc, and Sub-kingdom VII, Protozoa,
protoplasms and the lowest forms of animal life. This
volume is devoted to the illustration of the first of these
sub-kingdoms, the Vertebrata, with its five classes, Mamma-
lia, Aves, Reptilia, Batrachia and Pisces.