The Zoologist— June, 1870. 2179 



which, and to which alone, I owe the formation of tastes, which now 

 prove a continual and endless source of pleasure and occupation to 

 me. In the hope that it may prove useful to them I have undertalien 

 this ' labour of love.' " 



The author then proceeds to explain the objects and character of 

 the Society to which he alludes, " For the information of those, 

 either in schools or in private life, who may feel an interest in such 

 societies, a slight sketch of the one in point may not be out of place 

 here. 



"In April, 1864, two or three members of the school, who had a 

 taste for Natural History, banded themselves together, electing the 

 Rev. T. A. Preston as their president, and agreeing to meet on certain 

 nights for consultation. Difficulties at first cropped up thickly, but 

 scientific energy, aided by the firm support of the Rev. G. G. Bradley, 

 in time overcame these. The Society grew, and a year and a half 

 after its formation published its first report. The career of the still 

 small but thriving Society brightened more and more. About the 

 middle of 1866 the College provided a room as a museum. From 

 that time to this no cloud of any importance has appeared on the 

 Society's horizon. It now publishes its reports half-yearly, numbers 

 more than half a hundred members, and its collections have outgrown 

 its museum. Such is the Society to which I owe so much, and which 

 I have now so poorly attempted to repay a few of its benefits." 



It would be equally unfair to the author and to myself to conceal 

 the fact that there are many deficiencies in the book, and some evident 

 mistakes, such as arranging the goatsucker, jack snipe, wigeon, wood- 

 cock, teal and hawfinch with " rai'e and occasional visitors," although 

 of the last named the author admits his knowledge that it is com- 

 moner at Marlborough than in most places, and he must know that the 

 others are as constant and as regular visitors as are the autumn and 

 the winter. I will not dwell on the supposed occurrence of curlews' 

 eggs on Aldbourne Downs, because this evident mistake is copied 

 from another source, and refers to the stone curlew {CEdicnemus 

 crepitans) and not to the true cinlew {Numenius arquata). The 

 application of the local name "sea woodcock" to the dabchick {Podi- 

 ceps minor) is also without doubt a copied mistake ; this name has 

 repeatedly been applied to the godwits, and those who have seen these 

 long-billed birds cruelly caged in Leadeuhall Market, as I have done 

 this very morning, and thus had an opportunity of close inspection, 

 will perceive at once how applicable is the name. 



