PREFACE. 
At the end of the twelfth year during which this magazine 
has been regularly issued, we have once more the pleasing 
duty of thanking our contributors for their valued help. The 
only cause for regret is that more of the midland Natural 
Histoiy Societies cto not make use oi our pages for the 
publication of more of the important papers read before 
them. The Members of one of these Societies—the Oxford 
Natural History Society—have been especially helpful to us 
during the past year, and have supplied us with several most 
interesting contributions. We trust the Members of other 
Societies will follow their example, and so add to the interest 
of our next volume, for which we are glad to announce that 
we have already received several papers of general interest. 
