OBSERVATIONS ON BLIGHT. 431 



into a little error of the same kind : liis first number of the 

 Magazine of Natural History contains 44 pages of small type, 

 equal to 66 pages of large, and 41 wood cuts; the number of 

 pages of small type have decreased to no?ie at oil, and of wood 

 cuts to 13, which makes a diiference to the subscriber of about 

 22 pages of letter-press and 28 wood cuts in each number. 

 Every body must see at once that this has happened merely 

 from some oversight, for Mr. Loudon has been so overwhelmed 

 with communications that he has seriously considered of the 

 necessity of publishing the Magazine monthly. This little 

 alteration in Mr. Loudon's plan makes no difference whatever 

 in his excessive kindness in pointing out your little pecca- 

 dilloes, a kindness which I hope you will allow me the use of 

 your pages thus to return ; my age entitles me to act as a kind 

 of Mentor to both of you; and you well know that " plus les 

 instituteurs aiment leurs eleves, plus ils sont attentifs a les 

 reprendre de leur fautes." 



You will think that I have become very talkative, but the 

 truth is I do love a bit of gossip, and it will be a long time 

 before I have another opportunity : your Fire-fly will ever have 

 my best wishes ; in the words of your worthy and classical cor- 

 respondent, Mr. Haliday, Esto perpetual I don't know 

 how it is, but the farewell seems to stick in my throat, or 

 rather on my pen, — I have contracted a kind of friendship for 

 your readers which makes it hard to say — farewell; so I'll skip 

 it. Inclosed is a packet of memoranda on all manner of 

 subjects — the other end of the trip to the Isle of Wight that 

 Loudon published part of — something about wire-worms, and 

 crane-flies, and summer-birds, and tortoises, and bees, and 

 ants, — a rare medley; you may pick out what you like and 

 put in the Fire-fly, when crack-jaw runs short with you ; there 

 are also a good many pen-and-ink sketches illustrative of the 

 subjects. 



Towards the end of 1834, Rusticus may be again in England ; 

 and, if his name has not passed from the memory of your 

 readers, he may perhaps once more address you; but that 

 time is too far a-head of us to make much calculation about 

 it now. 



Interia classem velis aptare jubebat 

 Anchises, fieret vento mora ne qua ferenti. 



Yours, &c. Rusticus. 



London, 2d Jul i/, 1833. 



