PREFACE. 



Although the twenty copies of this Catalogue which I 

 have printed are intended only for those persons, whether 

 relatives or strangers, who may, in future, have to do with 

 my Museum, I think it necessary to make a few explanatory 

 remarks, first about the Collection of Natural History and 

 other objects, and thon abjut the Catalogue itself. 

 The Collection. 



I wish it to be understood that I am not a Scientist, but 

 Dimply an amateur Collector. At an early age I began to 

 gather specimens, - Uirds (w.'iic'i I taught myself to skin 

 and mount,) , Insects, Minerals. &o. and my opportunities 

 of collecting may be divided into three epochs, viz. 1851-60 

 when I was in business in Leghorn; 18H1-69 when a student 

 in Glasgow; and 1S(>9-1910 when Minister of the Presbyter- 

 ian Cliurch in Genoa. But though I was always ready to 

 . v ;il myself of opportunities for getting specimens, I never 

 had time to study them, nor di 1 I possess such books as were 

 necessary to enab'e me to name and classify them. And not 

 having then reali/ed the importance of labelling each speci- 

 men and noting the locality from which it came, all were 

 put away in cases and drawers and left to be arranged at 

 some future time. That time did not come till 1910 when 

 I retired from 1 1 $ Ministry, b;r by that time I had forgotten 

 from what localities many of the specimens had been obtain- 

 ed. Me.mthnj the Collection hid asuirned considerable pro- 

 portions. Twice I had been sent on a long voyage on account 

 of health, and so I had opportunities of obtaining many spe- 

 cimens from S. Africa, New Zealand and Australia. After 

 my retirement I also visited Ceylon and Burma, which places 

 yielded valuable additions to the Collection. But the prin- 



