PREFACE, 
No alteration will be made in the plan of the work, which 
will consist, as heretofore, of original papers on Zoological, 
Botanical, and Paleontological subjects, with occasional trans- 
lations of foreign memoirs of importance, brief notices of 
new books and of the proceedings of Societies, and short 
notes of interesting facts and observations. 
Of early contributors to the ‘Annals’ we have had to 
deplore the loss of two distinguished men during the past ten 
years—Dr. James Scott Bowerbank and Dr. John Edward 
Gray,—the latter especially, who for nearly twenty years 
was one of the Editors of this Journal, in the prosperity and 
usefulness of which he took the greatest interest, and nearly 
to the end of his long and valuable life enriched our pages 
with important contributions to various departments of zoo- 
logy. Dr. Gray’s place as Editor has been taken by his suc- 
cessor at the British Museum, Dr. ALBERT GUNTHER, under 
whose auspices valuable descriptive papers which are the 
natural outcome of the work done in his department of the 
Museum will still, as formerly, find their way to the ‘Annals.’ 
One other change we have still to mention. Quite recently, 
from private considerations, Mr. Charles Cardale Babington, 
whose name has appeared on our titlepage for 35 years, 
expressed his wish to retire from the Editorial office; and 
Mr. WILLIAM CARRUTHERS, the Keeper of the Botanical 
Department in the British Museum, will in future act as the 
Botanical Editor of the ‘ Annals.’ 
