iucutly brought before the y>ublic ;. — in some cases, supposing them 

 to be injurious when they are really of the greatest service to our 

 gardens and crops ; — in other cases, accounting them as poisonous 

 Avheu they are quite innocuous ; inducing gamekeepers, in 

 particular, too often M'ith the full approbation of their employers, 

 to shoot and trap, under the name of vermin, many animals which 

 seldom or never touch game of any kind, — or wantonly and 

 without any object whatever, to kill almost everything that comes 

 to hand, which has led nearly to the extirpation of many fine and 

 interesting species formerly abundant in this country. 



But to enumerate all the mistakes so commonly made, and the 

 \'ulgar errors so pertinaciously defended, even by persons well 

 educated in other respects, ■with regard to animals and plants ; — 

 the prejudices that exist against some species traceable to nothing 

 but to popidar dislikes handed down from generation to generation; 

 — the superstitions entertained about others, — their power to 

 cause or cure cei*tain diseases,* or to act as charms in keeping off 

 evil spirits, — their being influenced by human prayers, — their 

 foreboding good or evil according to the circumstances under 

 which they appear, — would take up more room here than we can 

 devote to the subject. It is sufficient to express a belief that 

 these and such like lamentable fruits of ignorance would be gi'eatly 

 lessened by a little plain knowledge of Natural History, combined 

 with a few other matters of useful instruction. 



And to advance another step in setting forth the utility of 

 Museums. If they serve not merely to remove ignorance, but 

 to encourage a taste, in yoimg persons especially, for the study of 

 Natural History, so as to induce them to take it up, what a field 

 of entertainment is thus set before them through life. It is the 

 charm of science generally that it opens a way to the most 



* See, as one instance, White's Natural Histoiy of Selborne, Letter 

 xxviii to Daiues Barrington. This superstition is said still to pre\'ail 

 in some places. 



