vill PREFACE. 
diave I coveredimy” hand with seratches, fromothe prickles: of 
briars and ‘brambles, in my attempts to gam asatisfactory view 
‘of'a nest andiits contents, without causing an'y disarrangement, 
‘well knowing ‘how’ great was the risk of desertion: ifthe! parent 
birds should discover anything ‘amiss; and, when deserted, if I 
knew not the builders; a nest was valueless: ‘How -welliwas I 
repaid for bleeding lands; if :I discovered but one point in the 
history ‘of ‘a ‘species. ‘Eggs: ‘strung: on bents: are: riferin all 
‘country places’; old: nests :are: easy tobe seen whem the leaves 
are gone ;: birds are plentiful im every hedge-row, and their:song 
is the burthem of the passing» breeze: but to veonneet swith 
certainty each bird with its mate ;:to. assign) it thewproper nest 
and propereggs; to learn the exacttime of its: arrivaliand cits 
departure ;~—all this is a study, a labour, rarely undertaken; ‘and 
affords a pleasure akin to that which must be felt:by a. traveller 
exploring countries where man has not before trodden.’ Let 
the reader turnto the first:chapter of the ‘Letters of Rusticus,’ 
from which ‘the foregoing’ extract is: taken, and observe: with 
what microscopic, “yet loving and -living,: detail ‘the ‘natural 
features of the’ neighbourhood .of Godalming «are: pourtrayed. 
No words can give so true an account:of these ten! years:spent 
at Godahning as the‘ Letters of Rusticus.’ i) Extract after 
extract: might be’ quoted, ‘all to!the point, and jof sexeeeding 
imterest;. but the short.space which can bes ae to: ¢his»brief 
memoir doesnot permit.) oe is vor to witty as 
It will be noticed that ‘ Rusticus’ as: cae spoken» of as: the 
actual: work: of ‘Mr: Newman. This bringsuforward. the: once- 
vexed question! of the authorship: of: those: charming ‘Jietters.’ 
‘To few besides.:the' author’s -near relatives has: the seeret 
been divulged ;- even: Edward: Doubleday, his: nearest :friend 
‘andi second! self; was: ‘kept. im) ignorance-of the actual fact, 
although ‘he; in ‘common: with most! naturalists, hadia shrewd 
suspicion. Whew the.:‘duettets’:appeared in the +t Magazine 
of )Natural History’ and) the‘ Entomological ‘Magazine’ they 
caused quite a sensation in Godalming. Written by one who 
knew Godalming so well, who was so able a writer, as well 
as so skilled a naturalist; yet no one was able to discover the 
author. After much discussion they were finally attributed to 
the late Mr. J. D. Salmon. The veil may now be withdrawn, — 
