2 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Among the Mammalia — generally supposed to be well- 

 known — we may remark that two species of Bats are 

 included in the Scottish fauna on the strength of single 

 specimens, and one of these was obtained as long ago as 

 1858. Some of the larger species of Carnivora are becoming 

 very rare, and their occurrence in many districts is well worth 

 placing on record. The visits of the less common Cetaceans 

 and Pinnipeds are also fit subjects for communications to our 

 pages. The life -history of several species of the Micro- 

 Mammalia is still more or less enshrouded in mystery. 

 Among the Birds and Fishes — classes possessed of remark- 

 able powers of locomotion — the occurrence of rare wanderers 

 always affords material for interesting records : while the 

 details of the migratory movements and distribution of many 

 species are desiderata. Much useful work remains to be 

 done towards the elucidation of the life-history of the Fishes. 

 In BOTANY it is scarcely needful to remind those who 

 have followed the records of the subject in Scotland during 

 the past twenty years, that much has been done in that time 

 towards filling up the many gaps in the census of distribution 

 of both flowering plants and cryptogams. The " Scottish 

 Naturalist," the "Journal of Botany," and the Transactions of 

 the various scientific societies of Scotland, all afford most 

 valuable materials for the completion of a Topographical 

 Botany of Scotland. Yet even in this field much remains to 

 be done, especially among the Cryptogams ; nor is there 

 reason to fear lest soon there will be no more regions in 

 Scotland to explore, or able botanists to pursue the work 

 with zeal and success. 



Not less interesting to the worker, and often more so to 

 the reader, are certain branches of botanical study that have 

 in the past received less notice among us, but which we 

 trust will receive the attention in Scotland that they deserve, 

 and which is given to them on the continent of Europe. 



The life -histories of even our commonest wild plants 

 have scarcely been studied here, with respect to their habits 



