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Title: Adventures of a Young Naturalist

Author: Lucien Biart

Editor: Parker Gillmore

Release Date: July 8, 2008 [EBook #26009]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: FRONTISPIECE.]

ADVENTURES

OF

A YOUNG NATURALIST.

BY

LUCIEN BIART.

EDITED AND ADAPTED BY
PARKER GILLMORE,
AUTHOR OF "ALL ROUND THE WORLD," "GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE," "ACCESSIBLE
FIELD SPORTS," ETC.

_WITH ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS._

[Illustration]

NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1871.

PREFACE.

There is no country on the face of the earth that possesses greater
interest in the eyes of the scientific or travelled than Mexico, the
scene where the adventures so graphically and clearly narrated in this
volume transpired: nor is this partiality to be wondered at when we
recall to memory what a lavish hand Nature has subtended to her.

Although several of our most celebrated naturalists have climbed its
lofty volcanic mountains, explored its lagoons and giant rivers, and
traversed its immense forests, still, from the vast extent of that
country and variety of climate--caused by difference of elevation--much
yet remains to be done ere the public become thoroughly conversant with
its arboreal and zoological productions.

The elephant, hippopotamus, lion, and tiger, the largest and most
formidable of the terrestrial mammals of the Old World, are not here to
be found; but their places are well supplied by the swamp-loving tapir,
the voracious alligator, the stealthy puma, and the blood-thirsty
jaguar, all well worthy of the sportsman's rifle, or of the
snake-visioned native warrior's weapons--for the power of destruction in
these animals during life is great, while after dea