PREFACE. 



THE present essay, reprinted from the sixty-second 

 volume of the " Philosophical Transactions," was, like 

 the " Faunula Americana," no doubt written by FORSTER 

 during his temporary residence in this country before his 

 departure with Cook on his second voyage. 



The circumstances which led to its preparation are 

 explained in the following paragraph, which is attached 

 to the corresponding paper on the Quadrupeds of 

 Hudson's Bay (Phil. Trans. LXII. p. 370). 



"Among the occasional advantages, which the observations 

 k 'of the late Transit of Venus have procured, that of receiving 

 " useful informations from, and settling correspondencies in, 

 " several parts of the world, is not the least considerable. 

 " From the factory at Hudson's Bay, the Royal Society were 

 " favoured with a large collection of uncommon quadrupeds, 

 " birds, fishes, &c., together with some account of their names, 

 "place of abode, manner of life, uses, by Mr Graham, a gentle- 

 " man belonging to the settlement on Severn River; and the 

 " Governors of the Hudson's Bay Company have most obligingly 

 "sent orders, that these communications should be from time to 

 " time continued." 



"The descriptions contained in the following papers were- 

 "prepared and given by Mr Forster, before his departure on an 

 "expedition, which will probably open an ample field to the 

 " most important discoveries." 



