156 



RAY. 



considering it as one of immense labour^ although, as 

 the greater part was avowedly borrowed from other 

 writers, it has not the advantage of ranking among 

 those that have resulted from original observation. 



About the same time he revised and arranged Mr 

 Willughby's papers relative to fishes, which, being 

 put in order for the press, and communicated by Dr 

 Robinson to the Royal Society, were published at 

 the charge of that learned body; the engravings 

 having been executed at the expense of several of 

 the members. This important treatise appeared in 

 1686. 



Besides all the species of Belon, Rondelet, Gesner, 

 Aldrovandi, Olina, and Margrave, says an eminent 

 ichthyological writer, there are in these works a great 

 number which Willughby and Ray had observed in 

 Germany and Italy. The fishes of the Mediterranean 

 in particular are described with great accuracy, and it 

 is often easier to trace them in their volumes than in 

 Linnaeus. To these two works are appended nume- 

 rous figures, most of which are only copies, although 

 there are some very good original ones among them. 

 Even such of them as are borrowed from Belon and 

 Rondelet acquire an interest from the descriptions 

 which accompany them, and which are much supe- 

 rior to those of the French writers.* 



Dr Robinson appears, by his notices contained in 

 the " Philosophical Letters between the late learned 

 Mr Ray and several of his ingenious Correspond- 

 ents," to have been of considerable use to our au- 

 thor in transmitting information on every subject 

 that seemed interesting to the latter, and especially 



* Biographie Universelle, art. Ray, tome xxxvii. p. 161. 



