9 



Perfect certainty regarding species, however, is of the 

 utmost importance. On this one point everything else will 

 turn. It is, in fact, the exact determination of the thing 

 spoken of; and unless that determination he correct, any 

 record of occurrence or notice of hahits will he vitiated. 

 Astronomical observations, however correctly taken or elabor- 

 ately worked up, would he of little value, if there were any 

 douht as to the particular star observed ; so of any notes of 

 species, if those species be incorrectly named ; unless indeed, 

 examples of the species accompany the notes. 



BUT if this latter be the case, if examples accompany the 

 notes, all the responsibility for the correct naming of species 

 may be at once transferred to others better placed for 

 determining them, either by access to rare or costly books, or 

 by their familiarity with the particular tribe of animals to 

 which they belong. 



We come then briefly to this : That large and often 

 important additions may be made to Zoological knowledge by 

 members of the Mercantile Marine, by recording places of 

 occurence, and notes of habits, of such living objects as niay 

 come under their observation ; but that to be of service, the 

 animals to which they relate must be determined with the 

 strictest accuracy, (by no means an easy matter,) or be 

 accompanied by specimens of the objects spoken of, which will 

 at once remove the difficulty. Of course the acquisition of 

 specimens is of itself a great object to Museums, Collectors, 

 and Students. It is here, however, considered subordinate to 

 the acquisition of a knowledge of their life-history, but it 

 will in fact be found to be almost absolutely necessary to the 

 imparting of that knowledge. 



Let us suppose the case of a Merchant- Captain, or Officer, 

 really desirous of doing something, however trifling, to add to 

 our scientific knowledge. A land bird alights exhausted on 

 the rigging of his ship, far out at sea unless the bird be 



