62 J. E. HAKTING SirCT OF NATUEAL HISTOllY. 



who reside in the countiy and have leisure to inquire into the 

 subject. 



Of the calendars which I distributed, twenty-six were filled up in 

 dififerent parts of the countiy and returned to me ; and I thereupon 

 prepared a report upon the results obtained, which was published 

 in the Natural Histoiy columns of 'The Field,' and subsequently 

 reprinted at my request for private distribution. It seems to me 

 that this Society may assist veiy materially in carrying out such a 

 scheme, and I have accordingly handed copies of the ' Calendar ' 

 and of the ' Eeport' to our Secretary for the Library, and I shall 

 be happy to distribute further copies to such of our members as 

 may feel disposed to take up the subject. To those who, like our- 

 selves, reside in the country, and have leisure to observe and to note 

 their observations, the practice of keeping an annual record or 

 register especially commends itself ; for besides being an agreeable 

 occupation, it sooner or later furnishes the means for drawing 

 important conclusions from trustworthy data. Nor need it be con- 

 sidered a selfish gratification, when we remember that one of the 

 most delightfiil books ever published upon Natural History owed its 

 origin to the author's habit of systematically noting eveiy natural 

 occurrence or phenomenon which seemed worthy of futm-e consider- 

 ation. So important did such a practice appear to him tliat he 

 remarked : "If stationary men would pay some attention to the 

 districts in which they reside, and would publish their thoughts 

 respecting the objects that surround them, fi'om such materials 

 might be drawn the most complete county histories, which are still 

 wanting in many parts of the kingdom." In this respect the 

 historian of Selborne set an excellent example in liis own district, 

 which we in ours would do well to follow, though we can scarcely 

 expect to do so with a like result. 



The secret of success consists in knowing "how, when, and 

 where to observe," — a knowledge which all may attain, but which 

 can be acquired only by method and by practice. 



If the foregoing remarks should tend to remove some of the 

 difficulties which seem at starting to beset the path of would-be 

 observers (but which difficiilties indeed are more apparent than 

 real), it will be a gratification to me to have acquiesced in the 

 request of our Secretary by submitting them for your consideration. 



