PREFACE. 



SOME years ago Professor Huxley delivered a lecture at the 

 Royal Institution, entitled "The Coming of Age of the Darwinian 

 Theory," celebrating thereby the momentous natural history discoveries 

 and events, of which the brilliant discovery of our Biological NEWTON 

 was the parent, nurse, and suggestor. 



We desire only to compare great things with small. The present 

 volume also witnesses the "Coming of Age" of Science-Gossip. 

 For twenty-one years we have endeavoured to meet the tastes of 

 students of natural science — to treat of the discoveries, theories, 

 opinions, and guesses in every department of the same — Ornithological 

 Entomological, Conchological (besides many other ologicals) ; Botany, 

 in its multitudinous departments ; Geology (including Paleontology, 

 Petrology, Lithology, &c.) ; Microscopy, with its enormous and ever- 

 increasing " Cast-net " over every science imaginable ; as well as a 

 host of subjects bordering on Astronomy, Meteorology, Chemistry, 

 Folk-lore, and " Notes and Queries " (which latter will be found 

 tolerably encyclopaedic). 



It has been a loving and loveable work on the part of the Editors. 

 For the first seven years this Magazine had the advantage of the 

 Editorship of Dr. M. C. Cooke — for the last fourteen years, the 

 present Editor has had the enjoyment of personal communication 

 with all, or nearly all, the writers whose papers have appeared in 

 these pages. 



A brief interregnum, however, has occurred. Owing to failing- 

 health, the Editor was obliged to take as long a holiday as he could. 

 Fortunately, the same able agent who piloted Mr. R. A. Proctor 

 through Australia as a Lecturer on Astronomy, came to England, 

 and made a similar arrangement with the Editor of SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



