INTRODUCTION. 



THE following Contributions to Land and Water are, I think, 

 too interesting and valuable to the lovers of natural history tc 

 be allowed to remain in the columns of a newspaper.* There 

 are too few of them to make a volume, and so are published in 

 this form.f I would have added to them but for the difficulty 

 in finding subjects, or leisure to develop them, that have not 

 been treated before, or treated in such a way as to require to be 

 corrected, and placed on another and more permanent founda- 

 tion than heretofore. Intelligent and ingenious people generally 

 prefer to see an idea started and elucidated, with all the circum- 

 stances attending it as some enjoy the breaking away of a fox, 

 and being well up with the hounds, and in at the death rather 

 than have the dry result of an inquiry stated to them ; for then 

 they become, as it were, investigators along with him who 

 makes it, while the particulars give them detailed and positive 

 evidence of the conclusions arrived at. For my part, I consider 

 the testimony to prove the leading fact set forth in these Contri- 

 butions so complete, that nothing could be added to it ; although 

 it would be very interesting to have a careful examination of the 

 anatomy of the Snake, to ascertain the physical peculiarities con- 

 nected with the phenomenon described. 



What I have said on the subject of snakes swallowing their 

 young applies to everything connected with natural history, 

 viz : that it " should be settled by evidence, as a fact is proved 

 in a court of justice ; difficulties, suppositions or theories not 

 being allowed to form part of the testimony " (p. 28). In other 

 words, the writer should be placed in the witness-box, and 

 severely cross-questioned as to his facts, systems and theories; 

 or place himself there, and be his own examiner. In these days, 

 on the subject of natural history among others, we stand greatly 



* Such of these Contributions as were printed in Land and Water have a note giving the date of pub- 

 lication ; the others, with only one date attached, were returned by request, 

 t It was originally intended to print these in the form of a pamphlet. 



