Vlll PREFACE. 



Our Societies have shown great energy during the past year ; and 

 the masterly Reports of the Meetings of the Zoological, Entomologi- 

 cal, and Microscopical, have, I am sure, been read with pleasure and 

 instruction. I take this opportunity of publicly expressing my thanks 

 to the Secretaries of those learned bodies for the punctuality and cour- 

 tesy with which their Reports are supplied. The Zoological Society, 

 after falling almost into a state of inanition, has been resuscitated by 

 the untiring and judicious exertions of the Secretary, Mr. Mitchell; 

 no expense has been spared to render the gardens attractive, and the 

 result has been a prodigious increase in the number of visitors, and, 

 as a consequence, of income also. The Exhibition, of course, brought 

 multitudes of sight-seers to London and to the Gardens ; but the great 

 increase commenced prior to their arrival, and the comparative in- 

 crease still continues to be great. A most curious incident occurred 

 at the Gardens in October ; one of the great snakes, having received 

 his nocturnal allowance of rabbits for supper, is supposed to have 

 made a snap at one of them, after the manner of his kind, and missing 

 his rabbit, to have seized a mouthful of the large Welsh blanket, or 

 railway wrapper, which he usually spreads over his knees and round 

 his loins in chilly weather. He seems to have been as much pleased 

 with a Welch rabbit for supper as some of his betters, for he left the 

 live rabbits to gambol about his cage as they pleased, and cofined his 

 attention entirely to the inanimate substitute, which, after duly sla- 

 vering over, he swallowed entire, notwithstanding the remonstrances 

 of the head keeper, who was half petrified at the double loss, that of 

 the blanket before his eyes, and that of the Boa as an almost infallible 

 consequence. However, the next morning the Boa appeared none the 

 worse for his unwonted supper; a little bloated and lethargic, but 

 nothing more : and as for the rabbits, the pretty little creatures were 

 sitting up on their tails, and washing their faces with their paws with 

 the most perfect nonchalance : the only effect produced in the rep- 

 tile, beyond the ordinary one of repletion, was that of extraordinary 

 thirst ; there was no end to his drinking : I presume the blanket 

 required moisture to assist digestion. The blanket has since been 



