CONTENTS. xi 



XVIII. 



Three great categories of birds Injurious birds Birds of mixed quali- 

 ties Useful birds Certain birds not to bo proscribed at first 

 glance Some conclusive facts Frederick the Great and his cher- 

 riesCurious observation made in Paris Those that eat insects 

 Some figures An unjust and odious persecution The worst enemy 

 of rats, field-mice, and other rodents Birds as protectors of sailors 

 An English law Cormorant-fishing in China A possible cure 

 for the Phylloxera A proposal from Franceschini 



XIX. 



In the wood Interment of a field-mouse The population of an oak- 

 tree Gall-fly The origin of gall-nuts Parasites ot parasites The 

 surprise prepared by the keeper A park for insects New treasures 

 for the collection of Leon Arrest of an assassin Ocypus olens A 

 little-known way of butterfly hunting Wedded couples should be 

 well-matched Saint Francis of Sales might have become an excel- 

 lent entomologist The grebe A difficult problem solved by a bird 

 The return A conjugal drama . 253 



XX. 



On board the cutter Albatross At sea Medusae Rene is again a 

 "martyr of science" Physalia An old tale by Father Lucas A 

 Bailor's fancy that cost its author dear Phosphorescence of the 

 sea How the Medusae grow Alternation of generations Arrival 

 at Etretat 275 



XXI. 



Villers and Etretat The cliffs of Normandy The power of a drop of 

 water How shingle beaches are formed A "water-cat" Way 

 of getting rid of an octopus Every nook occupied The popula- 

 tion of a rock A new fauna The various zones of the tidal region 283 



