The Naturalist in La Plata

Preface

The plan I have followed in this work has been to sift and arrange the

facts I have gathered concerning the habits of the animals best known to

me, preserving those only, which, in my judgment, appeared worth

recording. In some instances a variety of subjects have linked

themselves together in my mind, and have been grouped under one heading;

consequently the scope of the book is not indicated by the list of

contents: this want is, however, made good by an index at the end.

It is seldom an easy matter to give a suitable name to a book of this

description. I am conscious that the one I have made choice of displays

a lack of originality; also, that this kind of title has been used

hitherto for works constructed more or less on the plan of the famous

_Naturalist on the Amazons._ After I have made this apology the reader,

on his part, will readily admit that, in treating of the Natural History

of a district so well known, and often described as the southern portion

of La Plata, which has a temperate climate, and where nature is neither

exuberant nor grand, a personal narrative would have seemed superfluous.

The greater portion of the matter contained in this volume has already

seen the light in the form of papers contributed to the _Field,_ with

other journals that treat of Natural History; and to the monthly

magazines:--_Longmans', The Nineteenth Century, The Gentleman's

Magazine,_ and others: I am indebted to the Editors and Proprietors of

these periodicals for kindly allowing me to make use of this material.

Of all animals, birds have perhaps afforded me most pleasure; but most

of the fresh knowledge I have collected in this department is contained

in a larger work _(Argentine Ornithology),_ of which Dr. P. L. Sclater

is part author. As I have not gone over any of the subjects dealt with

in that work, bird-life has not received more than a fair share of

attention in the present volume.