PREFACE. 



The attempt to combine scientific truths with readable English, 

 has been considered by my friends as one of sm'passing rashness ; 

 and many have been the kind and pressing solicitations I have re- 

 ceived to desist from a labour so hopeless, — many the supplica- 

 tions to introduce a few Latin descriptions, just to give the work a 

 scientific character. 



In reply to my friends, I would beg to instance White's Selborne. 

 That most delightful of histories is written in pure, plain, intelli- 

 gible English, and has found ample favour in the eyes of the 

 public. White is now no more, but his mantle has fallen upon 

 others : — a multitude of observers have arisen in the same field, 

 and, what is more to my purpose, have become contributors to the 

 pages of ' The Zoologist.' Nature herself is exhaustless : our field 

 of observation is wider, a thousand-fold, than White ever enjoyed; 

 our capacity for observation is certainly not less. These are the 

 grounds I have for hoping that 'The Zoologist' will succeed. 



I beg to offer my warmest thanks to those naturalists who have 

 by their contributions rendered me such important assistance. I 

 would gladly mention by name several whose papers have struck me 

 as particularly pleasing ; but in doing so I feel I should be guilty of 

 an unkindness towards others, whose contributions are equally well 

 intended, and equally essential to keep up the character of the work, 

 as a general register for zoological facts. 



I hope every contributor to this volume will be also a contribu- 

 tor to the next : and I hope too that each present contributor will 



