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Introduction: Authors

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF SOME AUTHORS WRITING ON, AND WORKS RELATING TO NATURAL HISTORY, TO WHICH REFERENCES ARE MADE IN THE PRESENT VOLUME; EXTRACTED TO A GREAT EXTENT, AS TO THE WESTERN AUTHORS, FROM KNIGHT'S "CYCLOPÆDIA of BIOGRAPHY."

The Shan Hai King-According to the commentator Kwoh P'oh (A.D. 276-324), this work was compiled three thousand years before this time, or at seven dynasties' distance. Yang Sun of the Ming dynasty (commencing A.D. 1368), states that it was compiled by Kung Chia (and Chung Ku ?) from engravings on nine urns made by the Emperor Yü, в.c. 2255. Chung Ku was an historiographer, and at the time of the last Emperor of the Hia dynasty (B.C. 1818), fearing that the Emperor might destroy the books treating of the ancient and present time, carried them in flight to Yin.

The 'Rh Ya-Initiated according to tradition, by Chow Kung; uncle of Wu Wang, the first Emperor of the Chow dynasty, в.c. 1122. Ascribed also to Tsze Hea, the disciple of Confucius.

The Bamboo Books-Containing the Ancient Annals of China, said to have been found A.D. 279, on opening the grave of King Seang of Wei [died B.c. 295]. Age prior to last date, undetermined. Authenticity disputed, favoured by Legge. Confucius-Author of Spring and Autumn Classics, &c., в.c. (551-479).

Ctesias-Historian, physician to Artaxerxes, в.c. 401. Herodotus-B.c. 484.

Aristotle-B.c. 384.