Di\ Johnston's Contributions to the British Fauna. 175 



The natural situation of this genus will entirely depend upon 

 the nature of its food and economy, both of which appear to be 

 unknown. The bill seems to indicate a habit purely insectivorous, 

 I possess seven or eight species, all from New Holland. 



[To be concluded in the next Number,'] 



Art. XVI. Contributions to the British Fauna, By 

 George Johnston, M,D,^ Fellow of the Royal College 

 of Surgeons of Edinburgh, 



I SUBMIT these contributions to the public with considerable 

 diffidence. Our general systematic catalogues, such as those of 

 Pennant, Turton, and Stewart, give a very imperfect view of even 

 the present state of knowledge concerning the Invertebrate Ani- 

 mals of Britain ; and the great price of most of the works limited 

 to the elucidation of particular families or classes, puts them 

 beyond my reach. It may seem, therefore, that I am scarcely 

 entitled to come forward as a contributor to a Fauna, of the ex- 

 tent of which I acknowledge myself ignorant. But, in this coun- 

 try, systematic Zoology has probably suffered more from the back- 

 wardness of its friends in publishing their discoveries, than even 

 from the multiplicity and perplexity of synonymes. Were it not 

 so, our Fauna would not, surely, at this time, be in such a defec- 

 tive and imperfect state, that no sooner does the student enter 

 upon the investigation of the inferior classes, than he is perplexed 

 with the crowd of animals which present themselves, either 

 wholly unknown, or, if known, scarcely to be recognised in the 

 descriptions which have been given. Anxious to add what little 

 assistance I can to the completion of a work so desirable and 

 needful as a British Fauna, I shall run the risk of being blamed 

 for describing as rare that which is common, and as new that 

 which is well known, rather than that those species which I con- 

 sider new should be left longer undescribed ; and my descriptions 

 I trust will be found sufficiently minute, though they affect not 



