SOME EARLY BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS. 291 



finding the ' History of Nature ' very imperfect, had 

 agreed between themselves, before their travels beyond 

 sea, to reduce the several tribes of things to a method ; 

 and to give accurate descriptions of the several species, 

 from a strict view of them. And forasmuch as Mr. 

 Willughby's genius lay chiefly to animals, therefore he 

 undertook the birds, beasts, fishes, and insects, as Mr. Ray 

 did the vegetables. And how each of these two great 

 men discharged his province, the world hath seen in their 

 works ; which show that Mr. Ray lived to bring his part 

 to great perfection ; and that Mr. Willughby carried his 

 as far as the utmost application and dihgence of a short 

 hfe could enable him." The period in which Ray and 

 Willughby flourished is justly described by Linnaeus as 

 the dawn of the golden age in natural history. Before 

 their great work Avas undertaken, ornithology as a science 

 could scarcely be said to exist. It is true that an 

 Englishman, Edward Wootton (1492-1555), had in a 

 folio work entitled : — 



Edoardi Wotto- / ni Oxoniensis de / Differentis Ani- / 

 malium Libri / Decem. / Ad Sereniss. Angliae Regem / 

 Edoardum VI. / . . . . itemque singulae eorum partes 

 recensentur, .... Lutetiae Parisiorum / apud 

 Vascosanum. / M.D.LII. / Cum privilegio Regis, 

 made some attempt at a systematic arrangement of 

 birds, but he did not profess to do more than give a 

 compilation from the classical authors, while the standard 

 authorities of the day, Gesner and Aldrovandus, were 

 full of obscurity and mistakes. 



In England itseK the study of zoology had hitherto 

 received but scant attention, hence " observing in this 

 busie and inquisitive age the History of Animals alone 

 to have been in a great measure neglected by English men 

 (for that since Turner* and Mouffetf none that I know 

 of have performed anything worthy of commendation). 

 .... Our main design was to illustrate the History of 



* William Turner (1500-1568), author of " Avium Historia." 



t Thomas Mouffet (1553-1604), author of '* Insectorum Theatrum." 



