Xviii PREFACE. 



business and with editorial duties. There is no vokime of the 

 ' Zoologist ' that does not contain numerous articles from his 

 pen: these are upon Entomology, Ornithology, and other 

 branches of Natural History; and many are of considerable 

 importance. With him it was not sufficient to work out only 

 one branch of a science, or even all the various ramifications of 

 that one science : with whatever he undertook he made himself 

 thoroughly familiar. He had taken up the study of Natural 

 History, and everything connected with it was of interest to 

 him, — whether Quadi-upeds, Birds, Eeptiles, Fishes, Insects, or 

 Plants ; he was familiar with every branch of every subject. 



In the year 1850 he read before the Zoological Society, an 

 ingenious paper proposing a new Physiological Arrangement of 

 Bu-ds. The new system, however, met with slender support, 

 and considerable opposition. 



An essay " On the Employment of Physiological Characters 

 in the Classification of Animals," the result of most careful 

 thought, was pubHshed in 1856. These two papers are full of 

 information, and the reasoning is very acute. Some naturalists 

 are still of opinion that Mr. Newman's views have been too 

 much disregarded by modern systematists, especially as to the 

 proposed division of birds into two great groups, viz. Hesthogenae 

 and Gymnogense : the former containing those bh-ds which 

 produce their young clothed with down, eyes oj)en, and capable 

 at once of running and feeding themselves ; the latter, those 

 birds which produce then- young naked, blind, and helpless. 



The ' Insect Hunters,' or Entomology in verse, appeared 

 anonymously in 1858 : it was written for beginners, and gives 

 an insight into the hidden mysteries of the science in simple 

 language. The author discourses pleasantly to a young friend 

 on "The Four Stages of Insect-life:" "Metamorphosis;" 

 "The Scale Wings;" &c. There is a charming little poetical 

 Preface. Although anonymous, the author was at once suspected. 

 The book was quickly out of x^rint ; and a second edition, bearing 

 the author's name, was published in 1860. In this appeared 

 several other poems, written at an earlier date. 



In 1858 Mr. Newman became Natural-History Editor of the 

 ' Field,' and continued to hold that post until his death. The 

 Natural-History department of that paper, however, largely 



