LINN-fflUS. 15 



absurdities as easily as boa constrictors swallow curly-headed 

 niggers " — a feat, by the way, not so very easily done. He 

 winds up his satire by saying — " As to the persons who shoot 

 birds for mere sport, all I can say of them is, that they are mere 

 sportsmen" (of course). " I have known very good men among 

 them, and bad ones too." (No doubt of it.) But what informa- 

 tion is there in this to those who wish to know the habits and 

 the history of birds ? 



I do not pretend to squeeze the subject to death — like a mole 

 in the clutch of a golden eagle ; but, as simplicity is my aim, 

 I shall deal chiefly with each individual species, for, we may 

 say, such only truly exists in the order of Nature, and content 

 myself with classifying in the fewest possible divisions, and 

 in the plainest possible language, adhering very much to the 

 system laid down by Linnaeus (one of our earliest and best 

 naturalists). 



The groups he indicated and named have, in a great measure, 

 been retained amid all the progress of science. Among the most 

 important services he rendered was the introduction of a clear 

 and precise nomenclature ; so I feel justified in adhering to his 

 system of classification in its broad, cardinal features, following 

 the arrangement of that eminent ornithologist, Mr Vigors, and 

 adopted by Mr Selby in his " Illustrations of the British Birds." 

 But, after all, Natural History, like what is called Theology, is 

 so varied and so vast a theme, that all should be at liberty 

 to study and arrange the subject for themselves ; and, if I 

 follow any previous system, it is merely to save the time and 

 trouble of classification. 



I make no apology for taking hold of the borrowed lamp of 

 others to guide me on my way in perfecting my little History 

 of this interesting portion of creation — carefully adding my own 

 spark of personal observation ; and if at times I vary the more 

 prosaic and systematic style of classification with a spice of 

 poetry and anecdote, it will simply be to relieve the monotony 

 of bald description. But all such variations shall be in accord- 

 ance with the character of the subject in hand. 



Neither have I scrupled to pin down facts wherever I found 

 them, or lay hold of pithy description and traits of character 

 when they ran parallel with my own knowledge — on the same 

 principle that I would collect good specimens of birds or eggs 

 from the open museum of Nature, in the fields and woods or by 

 the sea-shore, the better to illustrate my subject and make it 

 more attractive to my readers — for such descriptions may have 



