110 BRITISH BIRDS. 



in 1650, and speedily passed out of print. Meagre and im- 

 perfect as Merrett's efforts must now appear, his work was 

 at any rate the first of its kind, and was held in high estimation 

 by his contemporaries. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682), 

 the celebrated author of the " Rehgio Medici," with whom 

 Merrett had entered into correspondence when he was 

 contemplating a new and enlarged edition of the " Pinax," 



thus writes : — 



" July 13th, 1668. 

 " To Dr. Meret. 



•' most honoured Sir, — I take ye boldnesse to salute you 

 as a person of singular worth and learning and whom I very 

 much respect and honour. ... I should be very glad to 

 serve you by any observations of mine against yr. second 

 edition of your Pinax which I cannot sufficiently commende." 

 (c/. Southwell's Notes and Letters on the Natural History of 

 Norfolk, etc." London, 1902. 1 vol., 8vo, p. 57). 



Dr. John Fleming, the author of "A History of British 

 Animals " (Edinburgh, 1828, 1 vol., 8vo) also appreciates the 

 " Pinax," and describes it as " This small work, which, though it 

 claims little more than the merit of a catalogue, exhibits many 

 proofs of great diligence, and rises in importance, when viewed 

 as a first attempt at the construction of a British Fauna," 

 a far juster criticism than Pulteney's (Richard Pulteney, 

 1730-1801, author of " Historical Sketches of the Progress 

 of Botany," 1790) that it was " extremely superficial." 



As regards the book itself, a facsimile of the title page of 

 the first edition (1 Vol., small 8vo) is here given. 



The Collation is : — ^pp. 2, Title & Imprimatur, + pp. 7, 

 Epist. Dedicat. ^ pp. 21, Epist. ad Lect., + pp. 231 -f p. 1. 



This edition (of 1666) is very rare, many copies having 

 presumably been destroyed in the Great Fire of London of that 

 same year, either at the printer's or at Merrett's house. 



In the next year, 1667, there appeared two editions, or 

 re-issues of the " Pinax," similar in contents to the original, 

 but with different title pages, as below, one entitled " Editio 

 Secunda," as follows : — 



