PREFACE. 



TWENTY years knocking about amongst birds and 

 beasts at home and abroad has furnished me with a 

 great variety of notes concerning their habits, economy, 

 and haunts. I have compiled many of the following 

 articles from my journals, others have been given 

 almost word for word as they were written on the spot, 

 whilst a few are simply extracted from them without 

 any touching up or embellishment whatever. 



My principal aim in publishing them is to endeavour 

 to foster habits of careful and loving observation and a 

 taste for Natural History in the reader whose idle 

 moments may be spent out of doors in the country. 

 There is interest everywhere ; there are living creatures 

 whichever way we turn, all appealing, as it were, for 

 notice and for admiration. The sermons preached by 

 Nature in her lovely temple are full of beauty and 

 simplicity ; each one of us is welcome there, the seats 

 are free to all. To those who hitherto have looked at 

 Nature as a sealed book, or have given no thought to 





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