76 STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 
so, in the natural world, it is necessary to the right 
understanding of the station which an animal holds 
in the scale of creation, that all its characteristics 
are known, either from actual observation, or by 
analogical arguments drawn from its general struc. 
ture. With these preliminary remarks, let us now 
take a rapid survey of the writers who belong more 
or less to this descriptive school, nearly all of whom 
are countrymen of their master. 
(32.) The rapidity with which succeeding edi- 
tions of the works of Buffon were called for, almost 
equalled the avidity which was manifested to possess 
the Systema Nature ; and both had a most extensive 
circulation. It is unnecessary for us, however, to 
enumerate the various reprints of these works, some 
one of which are in the hands of almost every na- 
turalist. Buffon’s work has been more than once 
translated into English, but hitherto by no one at 
all qualified for the undertaking: the translation by 
Woods is, probably, the best. His History of Birds 
was illustrated by a separate publication, at the cost 
of the government, but without letterpress, generally 
termed the Planches Enluminées. ‘These consist of 
one thousand and eight coloured plates of birds, 
printed both in folio and in quarto. The execution 
of these plates has been much over-rated; although 
they were doubtless the work of the best artists then: 
to be met with in France: they are very inferior to 
those of Edwards; and the best that can be said of 
them is, that they are recognisable. That they even 
still continue to be essential for purposes of refer- 
ence, is entirely owing to the enormous expense of 
publishing such a voluminous collection of plates. 

