The Victorian Era has closed. By the death of the Gracious Lady who has so long reigned Queen over this realm, an epoch marked by giant strides in the development of our industries, arts, and sciences has terminated. We can as little separate the sympathy of the Queen with human progress as we can overestimate the close relationship she held with all that was best in her people; such things are felt rather than seen or written.
As zoologists—few of us, indeed, having lived during any other reign—we see focussed in this period the rise of modern thought. In geology—uniformitarianism; in biology—the unfolding principles of evolution. If strange animals were once brought to Imperial Rome, how can we estimate the zoological treasures we have acquired from our Greater Britain? It is not beyond reason to say that a Natural History descriptive of the fauna and flora of the regions now known as British would represent the main features of Animated Nature.
The Head of our polity has passed away. It has at least been our privilege to largely make the journey through life in the Era of Victoria.
