14 INTRODUCTION. 



(11.) We have hitherto spoken of observations in 

 Natural History, as made with a view to promote 

 the advancement of that particular science, and to 

 supply facts upon which all generalizations must 

 rest. But some of these facts, when obtained, may 

 be of use in other ways. They may assist in forming 

 the statistics, as it were, of other sciences, particu- 

 larly Meteorology, for which purpose they have been 

 assiduously collected by some observers. The differ- 

 ent times at which the periodic movements of animals 

 take place, their times of breeding and hybernation, 

 and many interesting phenomena of the same na- 

 ture; also, in the vegetable kingdom, the times of 

 the leafing of trees, and the flowering of plants, the 

 ripening of fruits, &c. all these are more or less 

 connected with the progress of the seasons, and 

 climatological considerations, and on this account 

 are well worthy of our notice. The Calendar of 

 Flora in the Amcenitates Academics of Linnseus 

 is well known, and White's Naturalist's Calendar 

 known, perhaps, still better in this country; and 

 from the circumstance of the attention of the scien- 

 tific public having been lately reawakened both here 

 and abroad to this subject, we have been induced to 

 devote to it a certain portion of this work, as a 

 guide and stimulus to those who are disposed to 

 join in making observations of this nature. What, 

 however, we have chiefly to say on this head will 

 serve as an immediate introduction to the Calendar, 

 which we propose offering to the reader in another 

 place. We shall simply state here that the regularity 

 which pervades nature, as regards the recurrence of 



