This transcription follows the original text, including inconsistent hyphenation and spelling. Accents and diacritical marks on non-English words have not been added, except as mentioned below.
There are some differences between the chapter titles as listed in the Table of Contents and as given prior to chapters; neither have been changed.
Page 42, illustration Arch bridge of steel pipe: Saxondale is probably an error for Saxonville, used elsewhere in the text.
Page 263, Cuban firefly, life size: the scale of the illustration is not necessarily life size.
Page 433, paragraph Concrete is now ...: the closing quote mark is missing in the original work.
Page 459, 470: CO² as printed in the original work.

Changes made to the text:
Minor obvious punctuation errors have been corrected silently.
Footnotes have been moved to directly under the paragraph where they are referred to; illustrations have been moved from inside paragraphs.
Page xvi: plainer changed to planer
Page 43: opening quote mark added before was the great constructive ...
Page 132: slighty changed to slightly
Page 162: footnote [13] has no footnote marker in the original work; one has been provided by the transcriber
Page 180: p. 254 changed to p. 255
Page 219: paqyrus changed to papyrus
Page 260: Ammorphila changed to Ammophila
Page 297: opening quote mark added before Indicative Plants
Page 326: Ashersleben changed to Aschersleben
Page 443: des Peres changed to des PÊres as elsewhere
Page 490: facing is Brantford homestead changed to facing 2 his Brantford homestead
Page 494: Frauenhofer changed to Fraunhofer
Page 495: 473-374 changed to 473-474
Page 500: Shuckers changed to Schuckers (and moved into proper alphabetic place)
Page 501: Frauenhofer changed to Fraunhofer
Page 502: page number 241 inserted after materials, American Society for
Page 503, facing 156 changed to facing 164.