8 



sense, for English ornithology. His imagination is not 

 cultivated enough to enable him to choose, or arrange. 



4. Xor can much more be said for the observations of 

 modern science. It is vulgar in a far worse way, by its 

 arrogance and materialism. In general, the scientific 

 natural history of a bird consists of four articles, — first, 

 the name and estate of the gentleman whose gamekeeper 

 shot the last that was seen in England ; secondly, two or 

 three stories of doubtful origin, printed in every book on 

 the subject of birds for the last fifty years ; thirdly, an 

 account of the feathers, from the comb to the rump, with 

 enumeration of the colours whic-li are never more to be 

 seen on the living bird by English eyes; and, lastly, a 

 discussion of the reasons Avhy none of the twelve names 

 wliich former naturalists have given to the bird are of any 

 further use, and why the present author has given it a 

 thirteenth, which is to be universally, and to the end of 

 time, accepted. 



5. You may fancy this is caricature ; but the abyss of 

 confusion produced by modern science in nomenclature, 

 and the utter void of the abyss when you plunge into it 

 after any one useful fact, surpass all caricature. I have 

 in my hand thirteen plates of thirteen species of eagles ; 

 eagles all, or hawks all, or falcons all — whichever name 

 you choose for the great race of the hook-headed birds of 

 prey — some so like that you can't tell the one from the 

 other, at the distance at which I show them to you, all 

 absolutely alike in their eagle or falcon character, having, 



