52 MEMOIR OF RAY. 



1696, with the addition of more than a hundred 

 species, and a history and arrangement of mosses, 

 mushrooms, fuci, and other cryptogamous plants. 

 The edition now most in use, is that published many 

 years after the author's death by the celebrated 

 Dilienius. 



Although our accomplished naturalist was so 

 much occupied with his botanical labours, and writes 

 to one of his correspondents that he resembled him 

 who said, Pectora nostra duas non admittentia euros* 

 yet such was his industry, that he was enabled to 

 prepare for the press the valuable but incomplete 

 and ill-digested materials left by Mr Willughby for 

 a general history of fishes. As the pecuniary aid 

 which was liberally contributed by Willughby's re- 

 lations to the former work was in this instance with- 

 held, the book was printed, through the interest of 

 Bishop Fell, at the theatre in Oxford, and the ex- 

 pense of the plates defrayed by several members of 

 the Royal Society. The Historia Piscium forms a 

 folio volume, and is illustrated by 188 plates. It is 

 a valuable contribution to the natural history of a 

 class of animals which, after quadrupeds, are of the 

 greatest utility to man, but which are less known, 

 notwithstanding the recent exertions of Lacepede, 

 Cuvier, and Valenciennes, than any other depart- 

 ment of the animal kingdom. 



It had always been matter of deep regret to Ray 

 that he was prevented from engaging in the active 

 duties of his profession : his earnest desire to pro- 



