In sects. 4645 



Local Lists. By the Rev. W. H. Hawker, M.A. 



" Why sleeps he not when others are at rest?" 



Byron 



Some time ago a book was published by a nobleman, which one of 

 the Reviews thus criticised, "'Things hoped for, by Viscount ***' — 

 and by nobody else." I will not thus summarily deal with "Things 

 hoped for, by John Scott, Esq.," which appeared in the 'Zoologist' 

 for September last, but wish merely to make a few friendly suggestions 

 thereupon. 



To hope for a thing implies, at least in this case, that the thing 

 hoped for does not exist. Now many of the things that Mr. Scott 

 is hoping for have already entered upon their existence (for instance, 

 local collections and lists, aud popular lectures on Natural History), 

 quietly, perhaps, and unobtrusively, but not the less really. Nothing 

 in ^ nature or science is born full grown, "parva * * primo, vires 

 adquirit eundo," and it would take away the chief charm of the study 

 of Natural History, if, the moment we entered upon the zealous pur- 

 suit of any particular branch, everything connected with it were to 

 burst upon one with a hop, skip and a jump, and a "here we are !" 

 like the clown in a pantomime. Nature is a coy maiden, who will 

 strongly resent any rough handling, and will only by degrees, in pro- 

 portion as you cultivate her acquaintance, unfold all her charms to 

 you : she is no coquette, and if she courts your attention it is more 

 by her retiring modesty than by any meretricious display of her riches. 

 I remember, when on the Continent, experiencing a feeling almost 

 of disappointment at seeing Bath whites and Camberwell beauties 

 flaunting about in such profusion, and felt almost inclined to say, 

 " I am ashamed of you — I really thought better of you." The same 

 feeling is expressed by a friend of mine, who, writing me a description 

 of some of the New Zealand and Australian localities for ferns, says, 

 " Ferns are really too numerous in New Zealand — they almost cease 

 to be interesting from their vulgarity. In South Australia, for the 

 same reason, Adiantum ceases to be lovely." I merely adduce these 

 instances to show that it is the need of " patience and perseverance," 

 and the gradual mastering of difficult passages, that renders the 

 book of nature so interesting. 



To return to the ' Things hoped for.' I find there a " desire and 

 wish to see men spring up with minds so large as to compete with 



XIII. Q 



