diftions of various authors reconciled, but many new fubje£Js
have been added, rendering it a valuable work.
There have been many authors who, from time to time, have
treated on Birds, and many different fyliems have anfen in con-
fequence of their labours ; but it is much to be lamented, that
fcarce any two agree in the fame opinion.
The great R a y , our countryman, may juftly be effieemed the
firft author of Syftem; and it is to him we are indebted for the valuable
Ornithology of Francis m U u g h b y ,^ which though
publifhed fo far back as 1678 *, is yet reckoned the beft general
work of its kind in the Englifh language.
A whole volume would fcarce fuffice to give an account of the
various writers in Ornithology, and their works in every languages
but this is not meant to be a part pf our undertaking, and is indeed
quite unneceffary, as we mean to draw matenals for our
pTrpofe from authors of the beft credit only;
L y of them for their attempt to communicate the knowledge of
the ao-e they lived in, as we may juftly fuppofe it was we -
ceived in their days; and no doubt but the time will come when
our prefent notions of things will be held as cheap by ourfuccet
fors, as thofe of the century paft are by the prefent age. We will
therefore pafs over even the names of all here, except the one to
whom all future writers on Natural Hiftory muft feel themfelves
, The feft edition waain the Latin tongue, in 1676, but not tranflated into
Engliih till two years after. in d eb ted ;
P R E F A C E .
indebted; I mean, the ever-memorable and great Sir C harles
L innaeus, who at one view has drawn together, as it were, all
Nature and her produftions, in his Syftema Nature. This work
has brought down our fubjeft, among the reft, through twelve
editions, as far as the year ly h y f. In this undertaking,'his aim
has-been concifenefs; but in gaining this, he has loft fight, I fear,
o ffujficient inftruftion; having done little more than pointed out
where fuch inftruftion may be found.
His arrangement of Birds is, in general, approved of, and his*
divifion into Genera fcarcely to be altered for the better; but as
it is now fome years fince he wrote, many new lights have been
thrown on Natural Hiftory, fufficient to excufe future writers, if
in fome few inftances, at leaft, they fhould differ from him;
which will be the cafe in the work now before us.
There is one thing in Limueus's arrangement of Birds, which,
I muft confefs, has ever appeared to me unaccountable, and in
which he differs from R ay at his firft fetting out. Mr. Ray divided
all Birds into two grand divifions; viz. Firft, Thofe which
frequent the land: Secondly, Thofe which frequent the water :
but Limueus feparates the Land Birds into two parts, and thrufts
in the Water Birds between. This is .certainly unnatural, and
therefore will not be admitted in the prefent undertaking.
The bafis then of this work will be on the prime divifion of
Ray; but we fhall adhere to the Linntean Genera, except in a very
■ j- In the MantiJJa Plantarum, publilhed in 1771» will be founds a few more
Birds defcribed at the end 5 but thefe are only twenty in number.
a 2 few