OBSERVATIONS IN NATURAL HISTORY. 
43 
That hails the rising moon, have charms for me. 
Sounds inharmonious in themselves and hcrsh, 
Yet, heard in scenes where peace for ever reigns. 
And only there, please highly for their sake. 
The Task. 
But we are here speaking of the sounds of 
animals as simply indicating the progress of 
the seasons. It has been said, and it is not 
far from the truth, that if an observant natu- 
ralist, who had been long shut up in darkness 
and solitude, without any measure of time, 
were suddenly brought blindfolded ir.to the 
open fields and woods, he might gather with 
considerable accuracy from the various notes 
and noises which struck his ears what the 
exact period of the year might be. Some 
instances of a remarkable coincidence in this 
respect will be found mentioned in the body of 
this work." — Pp. 14— 16. 
The introduction teems with good advice 
and good feeling. There is a pleasant quiet 
tone in all the lessons which it imparts. It 
may be studied with advantage by all classes, 
and by none with more real benefit than the 
growers of flowers, fruit, plants, and vegetables. 
A man for instance should know every state of 
whatever insect troubles him in his business, 
from the almost imperceptible spider to the 
destructive grub and caterpillar, for it is only 
by knowing every peculiarity that he can effec- 
tually rid himself of many of those things 
which are highly injurious, and it will be 
found as necessary to know something of the 
larger animals, for he has enemies in many 
forms. He cannot therefore be too observant. 
As the author says in the twenty-fifth section 
of the introduction : — 
" It may be useful to young observers, to 
say a few words in reference to the best man- 
ner of searching for facts in Natural History. 
— When a traveller reaches a new country, or 
one which has seldom been visited by natura- 
lists, almost everything he meets with will be 
new also, and at every step he is called upon 
to register some fact or other. There are 
here scarcely any directions necessary beyond 
what have already been given. He must have 
his eyes and ears open, and with pencil in 
hand faithfully record whatever falls under 
his observation. Often too in unexplored 
regions, there is no difficulty in watching the 
habits of animals, from their being unaccus- 
tomed to man, and under no fear at his ap- 
proach. Where this is the case he possesses 
great advantages, and has an opportunity of 
.seeing more of their ways, as well as seeing 
more surely. But this seldom happens any- 
where ; and in thickly inhabited countries the 
observer must exercise great caution and 
address, or even have recourse to stratagem, 
in order to become acquainted with the objects 
of his search. Of course this remark is not 
applicable to the collecting of facts respecting 
the lower animals, which are often stationary, 
and quite indifferent to being watched. Here 
the observer may immediately resort to those 
localities, which are tenanted by the particular 
tribes he wishes to study. But as regards 
quadrupeds and birds, with which principally 
the greater number of persons occupy them- 
selves, they are generally not to be approached 
without stratagem : and if they are species 
frequenting plains or other open places, this 
is unavoidable. Also, if the observer is col- 
lecting facts for the history of any particular 
species, he must follow up that species wher- 
ever it is to be met with, and must exercise 
care and ingenuity, as well as a perpetual 
watchfulness, in getting acquainted with all 
the particulars of its life. , But if our re- 
searches are carried on in a woodland district, 
especially in our own country, and we are not 
particularly interested in one species of animal 
more than another, we would strongly recom- 
mend, or at least as an occasional practice, 
the taking our station in some particular spot, 
and, instead of going to look for objects, 
noting down whatever occurs, which we con- 
sider worthy of our regard. Sometimes in 
this manner we shall have our attention called 
to little matters, which, by being always on 
the move and on the look out for more strik- 
ing facts, we should have long continued to 
overlook. In the dearth of larger animals, or 
in the intervals between their drawing near 
enough to be observed, we shall naturally look 
closer into what is at hand, if it is only to 
while away the time. And there is no spot 
so barren of life as not to afford insects and 
other minute creatures, whose ways and 
actions will amply reward the curiosity of 
such as deign to bestow their attention upon 
them. Many a naturalist, when standing 
under a tree to shelter himself from a passing 
shower, has been led to the observation of 
facts, connected with the smaller animals, or 
the more concealed processes of vegetation, or 
perhaps to the discovery of some new species 
of lichen or fungus, which, but for this acci- 
dent, he might never have noticed. And to 
return to the case of the observer in the wood, 
he will gain an advantage over the larger ani- 
mals by being himself stationary. It often 
makes a considerable difference whether you 
approach them, or they ) r ou. They are much 
more easily frightened in the former case 
than in the latter ; and less easily induced to 
resume their freedom of manner, after the 
interruption caused by having their retreat 
suddenly broken in upon. Add to which, 
there is always the chance, when moving 
about, that we disturb some bird or quadruped 
which, till the moment of surprising it, we did 
not observe, and which not only takes the 
alarm itself, and instantly hurries away to be 
