106 MEMOIR OF 



to abridge their bulky volumes, such epitome* 

 having been already made by Johnston. But 

 our main design was to illustrate the history of 

 birds, which is, (as we said before of animals in 

 general) in many particulars, confused and obscure ; 

 by so accurately describing each kind, and observ- 

 ing their characteristic and distinctive note?, that 

 the reader might be sure of our meaning, and 

 upon comparing any bird with our description, 

 not fail of discerning whether it be the bird des- 

 cribed or no. Nor will it be difficult to find out 

 any unknown bird that shall be offered ; for com- 

 paring it with the tables first, the characteristic 

 notes of the genuses, from the highest or first 

 downwards, will easily guide him to the lowest 

 genus; among the species whereof, being not 

 many, by comparing it also with the several des- 

 criptions, the bird may soon be found. This, 

 then, being our design, that we might surely 

 effect it, we did not, as some before us have 

 done, not only transcribe other men's descrip- 

 tions, but we did ourselves carefully describe 

 each bird from the view and inspection of it 

 lying before us. Having acquainted the reader 

 with our principal aim in this work, which was to 

 give certain characteristic notes of the several 

 kinds, accurately to describe each species, and 

 to reduce all to their proper genera or classes, we 

 omitted every thing not properly relating to 

 Natural History/ Neither have we scraped 



* " As hieroglyphics, emblems, morals, fables, presages, 

 or ought also pertaining to Divinity, as ethics, grammar, 

 or any sort of humane learning." RAY. 



