4 Inaugural Address. 



he took a more northerly course through what is now the 

 Somerset East district and the Karroo. 



In 1783 he went another journey into the interior, this 

 time travelling northwards towards the Orange River : he 

 does not appear to have gone much beyond that point, but 

 he obtained a giraffe, ot" which he was very proud, and which 

 finally found a resting-place in the Paris Museum. 



Le Vaillant returned to France in 1784, and prepared 

 accounts of his travels and of his collections ; the travels 

 were published in 1790, and went through many editions, 

 besides being translated into several other languages. The 

 book, however, that chiefly concerns us here is the celebrated 

 'Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux d'Afrique,' in six quarto 

 volumes, published in Paris between 1799 and 1808. This 

 sumptuous work, illustrated by 300 coloured plates prepared 

 under the author's eye by the celebrated French artist, 

 Barraband, contains descriptions of 284 birds. Unfortunately, 

 whether owing to loss of part of his collections or of his 

 notes, or, perhaps, owing to his trusting too much to in- 

 formation imparted to him by untrustworthy people, his 

 statements as regards some of his birds are by no means 

 reliable. A valuable commentary and criticism on Le Vail- 

 lant was published by Sundevall in 1857. He divides the 

 284 species as follows : — 



Birds accurately described by Le Vaillaut and easily 

 recognisable as from South Africa 134 



Birds probably from South Africa, but with faulty 

 descriptions 9 



Doubtful birds, not recognisable from the descriptions 

 given ; • • 10 



Birds stated by Le Vaillant to have been obtained in 

 South Africa, but which almost certainly come 

 from elsewhere 50 



Birds described by Le Vaillant and stated by him to 

 have been obtained in countries other than South 

 Africa 71 



Birds almost certainly artificially made up and not 

 existing in nature 10 



284 



