18 MEMOIR OF LE VAILLANT. 



leading him to observe the character and habits or' 

 the feathered tribes. He likewise accustomed him- 

 self to stuff the various species which fell under his 

 notice, until by degrees he became a proficient in 

 that art. 



In 1777 some accidental circumstance brought 

 him to Paris, where he had an opportunity of 

 inspecting the numerous cabinets of natural history 

 in that city. Not satisfied with examining the 

 inanimate forms of the many strange and beautiful 

 birds he had seen in these collections, he conceived 

 an irresistible desire of visiting, for the purpose of 

 further observation, the countries where they were 

 to be found in their native state. 



Africa, which was then much less known to 

 European science than it is now, appeared to him 

 to be that quarter of the world best calculated to 

 increase his stock of new information, as well as to 

 rectify old errors, in that peculiar department which 

 was the great object of his journey. France and 

 England were then at war ; but this did not in the 

 slightest degree damp the enthusiasm of M. Le Vail- 

 lant ; he embarked at the Texel on the 1 9th Decem- 

 ber 1780, and arrived at the Cape of Good Hope 

 on the 29th of March 1781. In order to collect as 

 much new information as possible, he proceeded in 

 one of the Dutch Company's vessels, which were 

 then taking their departure from Saldanha Bay; 

 and it was while he sailed on board this ship that 

 the fleet was attacked by an English squadron. 

 Unfortunately the vessel which carried the whole 



