Bibliographical Notices. 499 



minent place in the courses of education wliich have been prescribed 

 in British Universities. Latin and (yrcek and Mathematics have been 

 tlie sole passports to Professors' chairs, and the highest prizes that 

 the church has had to bestow have been conferred on the greatest 

 adept in Greek metres or in the abstractions of algebraical analysis. 

 Such a state of things has been long exploded on the continent, and 

 Natural History there occupies a j^osition which it ought alwaj^s to 

 hold, wherever the true end and aim of science is known and ap- 

 preciated. 



We are, however, differently situated in this country. The changes 

 that may be judged by a few to be desirable cannot be enforced on 

 the many AA-ithout suspicion of interest; and the prejudices of the 

 few often oppose the enlightened demands of the many. In this 

 state of things all that can be done is to wait patiently till the time 

 come when the advantage and propriety of some change will be re- 

 cognised by all. In the mean time, we think those naturalists do 

 well who take every opportunity of enforcing on the attention of the 

 public the importance of cultivating a taste for Natural History ; 

 and we feel much satisfaction that Mr. Patterson of Belfast has ap- 

 peared as a labourer in this field, well known as this gentleman is 

 to many of our readers as a popular writer on Natural History, and 

 as an active and efficient member of the Natural History Section of 

 the British Association. The pamphlet before us is an address de- 

 livered before the Natural History Society of Belfast, and was 

 printed at the request and expense of the Society. 



At the commencement our author meets the humiliating question 

 cui bono, wliich we are so often obliged to hear frcja quarters where 

 we might least expect it. 



" What, it may be asked, is the use of Natural History ? And by the word 

 nse, in such a question, is understood — In what way will Natural History 

 increase a man's profit, protect him from loss, or augment his personal com- 

 fort ? I pause not here to consider whether or not the question of cui bono 

 is not at the present time put too frequently and too pertinaciously ; whe- 

 ther we do not sometimes leave the higher regions of science iminvestigated, 

 while we try to wring some practical appHcation out of a partially-revealed 

 truth. The desire of testing the utility of every pursuit by some speedy 

 and profitable result prevails so universally, that it might perliaps be needful 

 to show, that, even on this ground, the study of Natural History is deserving 

 of attention. 



" If so, it woidd only be necessary to quote from published works a few 

 well-authenticated instances of loss, danger, or inconvenience, arising from 

 the want of that information, which even an elementary knowledge of Na- 

 tural History imparts. Such blunders are but too numerous ; and though 

 occasionally they may seem ludicrous, afford on the whole melancholy ex- 

 amples of the evils produced by ignorance, of time and labour misemployed, 

 money uselessly squandered, and, sometimes, a temporary annoyance or loss, 

 increased tenfold by the injudicious effort made for its removal. If to the 

 weight of such evidence we add tlie fact, that the whole of our food, clothing, 

 and habitations, are of necessity derived from the animal, vegetable, or mi- 

 neral kingdoms, there will not, it is presumed, be any one hardy enough to 

 deny that a correct knowledge of such things must be both desirable and 

 advantageous." 



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