60 TEE RE V. J. G. WOOD. 



incalculable. The kestrels and the owls, in spite of the 

 accusations so freely brought against them by game- 

 keepers and owners of poultry, are altogether invaluable 

 benefactors, and alone prevent the produce of our 

 fields from being entirely destroyed by mice. And 

 even the much-vilified sparrow is not altogether so 

 black as he is painted, but undoubtedly possesses more 

 than the one redeeming virtue to qualify his thousand 

 crimes. Such was the teaching of "My Feathered 

 Friends." 



In the following year 1857 Messrs. Eoutledge & 

 Co., who had conceived the idea of publishing a series 

 of shilling Handbooks on Natural History and kindred 

 topics, requested my father to undertake one at least of 

 the volumes ; and he, therefore, set busily to work upon 

 " Common Objects of the Sea-shore." The book was 

 not a large one, and the actual writing was a matter of 

 only a few weeks ; but, as he did not care to describe 

 any animal with which he was not thoroughly familiar, 

 the preliminary investigations occupied some little time, 

 and the small sum which he received for the copyright 

 was certainly thoroughly earned. 



The book appeared towards the end of 1857, and 

 met with an immediate and marked success, the 

 publishers being scarcely able to keep pace with the 

 demand. It was quite a new thing for those who make 

 holiday at the seaside to be able to learn something 

 about the various creatures which they were daily 

 finding in the rock-pools, or lying dead upon the 

 shore ; and the little handbook opened out quite a new 



