PREFACE. 
of facts connected with our most interesting Natural History 
into inclusive theory or generalized speculative statement 
of its philosophy,—a task surrounded with no ordinary 
difficulties, considering the wide field of doubt, probability 
and supposition laid forth rather than contracted by pro¬ 
gressive science. A "Natural History”ofadistrictpretending 
to no more than an enumeration of its objects, or a simple 
statement of facts and phenomena is an undertaking totally 
different from one which essays to systematize those occur¬ 
rences and facts in the various departments of the study, 
and to offer to local students, as here attempted, a theoretic 
statement respecting them at once consistent with itself in 
its own details, and with the main body of existing science. 
Conversations relative to local facts and the theoretic 
philosophy appertaining to them almost invariably shew that 
in the public mind the utmost discrepancy and differences 
exist,—every fact is recognised in its isolated character, 
seldom in its true relative position to others, seldom 
conceded a place in any system, or located in an original 
comprehensive theory,—it is placed at the mercy of 
the adventitious and spurious character accidentally lent it 
by any other circumstance happening to be simultaneously 
contemplated. But whereas many opposite and very erro¬ 
neous, not to say trivial and peremptory conclusions are 
thus pointed to as belonging to one solitary fact or 
occurrence, it must appear on rational reflection that a 
circumstance or phenomenon considered in a single ca¬ 
pacity can have but one place in the natural theory or 
system of events and existences. To what extent I have 
been successful in giving a locality to each of the multitu¬ 
dinous facts I had to encounter,—how far I have succeeded 
in connecting the varied sized links methodically and con- 
