66 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



back page for other matter. This must 

 be our second good resolution to be carried 

 out as soon as possible. Advertisements 

 are an advantage to our readers as well as 

 to ourselves. The third fault, which we 

 make ourselves, is that' occasional errors 

 have crept in, or been overlooked in cor- 

 recting proofs. We did not begin our 

 paper hurriedly, but our want of experi- 

 ence was greater than we imagined, *nd 

 this must be our excuse. We have already 

 managed to eliminate the bulk of these 

 errors, and will endeavour in future to 

 avoid them altogether. With the next 

 number will be issued our first special 

 plate. It will be illustrative of the various 

 " Orders of Insects." We trust it will 

 give satisfaction to our readers. Those 

 who have favoured us with a year's sub- 

 scription in advance will receive their 

 plates beautifully hand coloured, but for 

 use the plain plate will, we expect, answer 

 every purpose. These special plates will 

 be issued occasionally whenever they 

 can be of service in elucidating any sub- 

 ject better than woodcuts. Now having 

 made various promises for the future we 

 ask one from you. First, we want you 

 to increase our circulation. We are quite 

 aware that our Magazine was commenced 

 at the dead season, and our circulation is 

 perhaps as large as we could reasonably 

 expect it to be at present, but if we are to 

 be as useful as we desire it must be very 

 largely increased. One young friend, 

 greatly interested from the first, has 

 personally exerted himself so well that he 

 has thirty-three subscribers weekly. There 

 must be hundreds of young naturalists in 



the country who could help us as welL 

 One of our difficulties is to find agents 

 who will undertake the sale. A large 

 profit cannot be made out of a penny 

 paper, and we do not know, in many 

 places, to whom to apply. Will our 

 I friends endeavour to find us, in every 

 town, some person who will keep the paper 

 for sale. We will send them by post and 

 take back unsold copies, so that they shall 

 neither have trouble nor loss. To find us 

 such agents at present would be the 

 greatest help that can be given us. The 

 distribution of bock numbers is perhaps 

 the best means of extending our circula- 

 tion, and we will be glad to assist in this 

 as far as possible, either by supplying them 

 to our friends at a cheap rate for distribu- 

 tion or by sending copies to any address 

 furnished us. If our readers would for 

 their first good resolution each determine 

 within a month to get one additional sub- 

 scriber we would be quite satisfied. The 

 next good resolution we desire you to 

 make is that you will send us some com- 

 munication worth printing during the 

 coming year. Knowledge is almost the 

 only thing that can be parted with without 

 the donor becoming poorer. In Natural 

 History it constantly happens that by 

 communicating what you know to others 

 you increase your own knowledge. Two 

 or three notes are published, made by 

 different observers, they are seen to be 

 connected, and some generalization is at 

 once arrived at that could not have been 

 reached by a solitary observer. Let us 

 have your observations then, your notes 

 and comments. Questions will always 



