P EE F A C E. 



The following pages, prepared during intervals 

 of leisure, have served to occupy the attention 

 of the author, and have constituted his amuse- 

 ment amid the active engagements of business. 

 He has esteemed himself fortunate in being able 

 to find, in the study of Natural History, a relief 

 to the over-burthened mind, a solace in trouble, 

 and a protection from the all-absorbing cares 

 "which are incidental to mercantile pursuits. If 

 to the healthful exercise of body and mind 

 which he has himself enjoyed in their prepara- 

 tion, he shall be able to add the approbation of 

 those who are engaged in similar investigations, 

 it will be as ample a recompense as he has ever 

 proposed to himself He offers them to the nat- 

 uralists of the United States without any other 



