ON HABITS OF OBSERVING. 45 



in a given neighbourhood as the year advances,* 

 but how occasionally in certain seasons some spe- 

 cies will abound, and then disappear, perhaps, and 

 not be seen again for several years. We remem- 

 ber once finding several species of orchis growing 

 abundantly in a pasture, which we had been in 

 the habit of crossing again and again in former 

 seasons, without noticing one; and two of these 

 have not been observed since in that locality. But 

 every botanist, and yet more every entomologist, 

 can adduce similar cases. Even among the larger 

 animals, novelties will perpetually occur; and we 

 cannot do better than call to the reader's mind, 

 in reference to this subject, the remark with which 

 White begins his letter to Daines Barrington, 

 giving an account of that rare bird the stilt-plover, 

 which he had just procured in his own neighbour- 

 hood. He says, "It is now more than forty years 



* St. Pierre affirms, "I can say, with truth, that I have not 

 permitted a single day to pass, without picking up some agreeable, 

 or useful observation." 



Afterwards, in illustration of the boundless extent of Nature, 

 he writes thus : " One day, in summer, while I was busied in the 

 arrangement of some observations which I had made, I perceived, 

 on a strawberry plant, which had been accidentally placed in my 

 window, some small winged insects, so very beautiful, that I took 

 a fancy to describe them. Next day, a different sort appeared, 

 which I proceeded likewise to describe. In the course of three 

 weeks, no less than thirty-seven species, totally distinct, had visited 

 my strawberry plant : at length, they came in such crowds and 

 presented such variety, that I was constrained to relinquish this 

 study, though highly amusing, for want of leisure." Studies of 

 Nature, (Engl. Transl. by Hunter,) vol. i. p. 2. 



