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. 



