PREFACH. 
On taking a retrospective glance at the contents of ‘The 
Zoologist’ for 1885, the Editor sees every reason to be grateful 
to those correspondents who have favoured him with contribu- 
tions during the year. Many of these are especially interesting 
as throwing light upon unrecorded or unexplained habits of little- 
known species ; whilst others, if they contain no new information, 
are at least useful as confirming statements made by previous 
observers, advanced possibly upon less complete evidence. 
It has to be borne in mind that there is always a new 
generation of naturalists springing up, to whom much that 
appears in the pages of ‘The Zoologist’ will be new, although, 
in some form or other, it may have been previously published. 
It is obvious therefore that it would be unwise to exclude such 
observations as those referred to, for such a course would prac- 
‘tically defeat one of the chief objects of this Journal. 
It does not follow because a certain incident deserved pub- 
lication once, that it is not worthy of being again recorded. It 
is obvious that there must be many occurrences which it is not 
only allowable, but even highly desirable, to communicate time 
after time, although beyond the mere occasional differences of 
place and date there may be little or no novelty in the notice. 
Of such a kind are communications regarding the appearance 
of really uncommon species, or of common species at unusual 
seasons or in new localities. The use of these lies in their 
multitude, for it is only by collecting such records extending over 
a long period that any law may be deduced from them—a law 
which perhaps may bear upon some more general questions. 
