vi THE BOOK OF A NATURALIST 



What then was I to do, seeing that all possible 

 changes had been rung on such general titles as 

 Journals, Letters, Notes, Gleanings, and what not, of 

 a Naturalist? There was no second string to my 

 bow since Recreations had already been used by my 

 friend J. E. Harting for his book. In sheer despera- 

 tion I took this title, which would fit any work on 

 Natural History ever published. Doubtless it would 

 have been an improvement if I could have put in 

 the " Field " before " Naturalist " to show that it was 

 not a compilation, but the title could not be made 

 longer even by a word. 



Some of the chapters in this volume now appear 

 for the first time; more of them, however, are taken 

 from or based on articles which have appeared in 

 various periodicals : the Fortnightly Review, National 

 Review, Country Life, Nation, the New Statesman, 

 and others. I am obliged to the Editors of the 

 Times and Chambers' 's Journal for permission to use 

 two short copyright articles on the Rat and Squirrel 

 which appeared in those journals. 



W. H. HUDSON. 



