It may cause surprise to some who are not amongst my most intimate friends, that my name should be attached to a volume on any other branch of Natural History than one which is in some way associated with the Vegetable Kingdom. To these it may be necessary to explain that I have only returned on this occasion to an "old love," long deserted for the fascinating charms of "moulds and mildews." In more youthful days I bird's-nested, caught butterflies and worried reptiles, with all the pertinacity of youth, and amongst all these pursuits acquired a taste for the study of our native birds, reptiles, and insects, which led to my first lessons in the classificatory sciences.