Reptiles and Birds : A Popular Account of Their Various Orders, With a Description of the Habits and Economy of the Most Interesting

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Figuier, Louis, 1819-1894

Contributor:

Gillmore, Parker

Mesnel, A.

Neuville, Alphonse Marie de, 1835-1885

Riou, Édouard, 1833-1900.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Reptiles and Birds" by Louis Figuier is a scientific publication written in the late 19th century. This work offers a popular account of various orders of reptiles and birds, detailing their unique habits and ecological roles. Figuier, also known for other explorative natural history works, combines detailed illustrations and descriptions to present the intricacies of these animal classes, appealing to both lay readers and those with a scientific interest. At the start of the book, the author sets the stage with a comparative introduction discussing the physiological similarities and differences between reptiles and birds, despite their outward appearances suggesting a wide divergence. He elaborates on the classifications within these groups, referencing historical and ongoing debates among naturalists regarding their evolutionary connections. The opening also introduces the amphibians as a transitional category, discussing their unique life cycles and biological characteristics with emphasis on metamorphosis. This lays the groundwork for a broader exploration of the specific traits and behaviors of various reptile and bird species, engaging readers with the marvels of natural history. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

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)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 65.5 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2014-06-03