A LITERARY, SCIENTIFIC, AND INSTRUCTIVE FAMILY PAPER. 



Conducted by WILLIAM KZDD, of Hammersmith,— 

 author oe the familiar and popular essays on "natural hlstory; " "british song 

 Birds;" "Birds op Passage;" "Instinct and Reason;" 

 " The Aviary and its Occupants," &c. 



"the OBJECT op our work is to make men WISER, WITHOUT obliging them to turn over folios and 



QUARTOS.— TO FURNISH MATTER FOR THINKING, AS WELE AS READING."— EVELYN. 



No. 3.—1852. 



SATURDAY, JANUARY 17. 



Price \\d. 



Or, in Monthly Parts, Price Id. 



ON THE STUDY OF NATUSAL HISTOEY. 

 Preliminary Observations. 



We already perceive by the channels into 

 which our London Journal is fast rind- 

 ing its way, that Natural History, or a 

 proper knowledge of God in his Works, is, 

 as we asserted it to be, a study that is daily 

 becoming more interesting, more popular. 

 Indeed, it is delightful to know that we have 

 made so happy a hit, in launching with the 

 new year a medium of communication with 

 the intelligent public, for which there was so 

 good an opening, and for which there is 

 so extensive a demand. The heads of 

 schools, private families, parents, govern- 

 esses, teachers, guardians, and all who try to 

 win and woo youth to the admiration of 

 Nature (in this matter we should all be as 

 children), in her manifold operations — all 

 are largely interested in the circulation of 

 a work such as we are determined the 

 London Journal shall be. 



Nor shall we lose sight of the many kind 

 " hints" that have been incidentally dropped, 

 conjuring us to study " variety" as much 

 as possible. It is considered — mirabile clictu ! 

 that our First Number is as admirable a 

 model of what the London Journal ought 

 to be, both in its objects and subjects, as 

 could have been produced by long protracted 

 study. This is gratifying; as the model 

 and the idea were the result of a happy 

 thought, in a happy moment — one of those 

 happy thoughts that sometimes cross us 

 once only through a long life. We shall 

 not fail to profit from the universal bias 

 shown towards our " No. I." 



It is yet early for us to talk about having 

 "matured our plans." Each successive 

 week, as Contributions fall in from all 

 quarters, will itself decide the tone that 

 our Paper is likely to take. The feathered 

 race, in all that appertains to them, is evi- 

 dently one of our " strongest" points ; and 

 as one of our intelligent correspondents 

 has observed, seeing that nearly every 



respectable family in the kingdom has a 

 " pet" of some sort, it may readily be fore- 

 seen that a consideration of their respec- 

 tive claims must be one of our most pro- 

 minent features. It shall be so. 



We are not at all sorry for this ; for we 

 have observed with pleasure, that whenever 

 children show kindness to the dumb, or 

 irrational creation, much may be expected 

 from them at a future day, provided their 

 minds be properly cultivated. On the con 

 trary, wherever we have seen innate cruelty, 

 and a pleasurable delight in inflicting pain 

 on any dumb animal, we have not failed to 

 observe rank weeds defiling " that man" in 

 his riper years. Early education either lays 

 the basis for a virtuous, happy life — or it 

 lets a person loose upon society, to carry 

 out stealthily and wickedly the precepts 

 instilled into him from his very childhood. 

 Hence, the sights — revolting to humanity, 

 and dishonoring to the Almighty, that 

 meet us at the corner of every street in this 

 modern Babylon ! Happy shall we be — 

 thrice happy, if in our humble vocation we 

 can assist, even in the smallest degree, to 

 win the attention of youth ; and when won, 

 to instil into their minds by wholesome 

 instruction and pleasing amusement, the 

 delight that must ever be experienced from 

 " following that which is good." 



Ours, let us observe, is a most righteous 

 cause, Our sentiments are truly " Li- 

 beral." Sectarianism haunts us not; and 

 most heartily do we hate cant. Wlierever 

 we see virtue, we admire it ; and we shall al- 

 ways give the right hand of fellowship to 

 those who will aid us in this our pleasurable 

 weekly task. 



The field we labor in is so fertile ; the 

 flowers we seek to cultivate are so nu- 

 merous, and so sweet; and our employ- 

 ment in keeping the garden clear from 

 weeds, will be so very constant — that 

 if we promise " inexhaustible entertain- 

 ment," we can hardly run any risk of being 

 deemed " rash," We make this promise. 



Vol. I.— New Series. 



