MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 149 



its success, &c., when he most warmly encouraged 

 us to proceed. 



Such animals as I knew, I drew from memory on 

 the wood; others which I did not know were copied 

 from Dr. Smellie's Abridgement of Buffon, and 

 other naturalists, and also from the animals which 

 were from time to time exhibited in shows. Of 

 these last, I made sketches first from memory, and 

 then corrected and finished the drawings upon the 

 wood from a second examination of the different 

 animals. I began this business of cutting the 

 blocks with the figure of the dromedary, on the 

 i5th November, 1785, the day on which my father 

 died.* I then proceeded in copying such figures as 

 above named as I did not hope to see alive. The 

 figures which were done from nature or from 

 memory, so much attracted the notice of our friend 

 that he ardently insisted upon our making our 

 work assume a superior character to that of the 

 "shabby book" we had only been thinking of 

 surpassing; and from the opinion we had formed of 

 his being better acquainted with business than we 

 were, we offered him a third share, free from any 

 expense for the cuts. A proper agreement was 

 made, and he became our partner in the " History 

 of Quadrupeds." While I was busied in drawing 

 and cutting the figures of animals, and also in 

 designing and engraving the vignettes, Mr. Beilby, 

 being of a bookish or reading turn, proposed, 

 in his evenings at home, to write or compile 

 the descriptions, but not knowing much about 



[ * A memorandum, pasted in the original MS. says " Novr 

 1785 29 Begun the Natural History with the Fig of the Drome- 

 dary Dec 2nd The Camel lOth Elephant i2th Mufflon-Zebu 27 

 Evng the Zebra''] 



