PREFACE 



Our contributors may justly feel satisfied with the present 

 volume, for they have considerably increased our knowledge 

 of British Zoology, and have kept up the reputation of ' The 

 Zoologist ' as the storehouse of bionomical and observational 

 record. 



Ornithology has been even more than usually to the fore. 

 If we instance the excellent paper on the Birds of Scilly, it 

 is to recognize how readily these records can be written in 

 a narrative form without any loss to scientific reference. Mr. 

 Warde Fowler's detailed observations for fourteen years on 

 the breeding of Acrocephalus palustris is a piece of work not 

 likely to be forgotten in the annals of British Ornithology. 

 The Bev. F. C. B. Jourdain has focused our knowledge on the 

 hybrids which have occurred in Great Britain between Black- 

 game and Pheasant, and Mr. M. J. Nicoll has done a similar 

 service in bringing together what is known of Anthus spipoletta 

 as a visitor to England. 



In Pisces, the discussion on the Loch Broom Sea Monster 

 is notable by the unanimity of opinion that the animal seen 

 was a Basking Shark (Selache maxima) ; it is also illustrative 

 of the good results arising from submitting such questions to 

 competent opinion. A similar procedure with the reports on 

 "Great Sea Serpents" might result in a considerable loss of 

 myth, and a guidance to probability. Mr. Patterson's energy 

 at Yarmouth has resulted in the record of a new fish to our 



