A few journeys I made to the Orient several years ago had awakened in me, despite my advanced age, the desire to once again set foot on the continent from which the sun still rises daily, but from where, in the past, the light of enlightenment and civilization spread over the West, which had sunk into darkness and barbarism. Without much hesitation, I chose the island of Cyprus, a land rich in natural blessings, filled with mythical echoes from humanity's childhood, and with pages of its earlier history written in dense script. If historians and archaeologists have already found a wealth of material for their interests on the ground of Cyprus, I thought that the naturalist would not leave empty-handed either, especially since the island is still so little known in terms of its physical characteristics.