tanical Arrangements, and will make seven large 

 octavo volumes. 



** He that enlarges his curiosity after the works of 

 Nature," says a celebrated writer, *' demonstrably 

 multipHes the inlets to happiness. A man that has 

 formed a habit of turning every new object to his 

 entertainment, finds in these productions an inex- 

 haustible stock of materials upon which he can em- 

 ploy himself without temptation to envy or malevo- 

 lence ; faults, perhaps, seldom entirely avoided by 

 those whose judgment is much exercised upon the 

 works of art. He has always a certain prospect of 

 discovering new reasons for adoring the Sovereign 

 Author of the Universe, and probable hopes of ma- 

 king some discovery of benefit to others, or of profit 

 to himself." 



The traveller who has leisure and inclination to be 

 acquainted with this charming Science, who may 

 find it necessary to determine what animals are fit 

 for food, and what are poisonous, or who may wish 

 to add whatever new materials may occur to him ; 

 the collector of such subjects as are valuable either 

 for their beauty or their rarity, and who may wish to 

 arrange his cabinet according to the laws of Nature 

 and Science ; and the retired and private individual, 

 who may desire to fill his vacant hours with a natural 

 knowledge of the various objects around him, must, 

 except they be well acquainted with the Latin Lan- 

 guage, and the technical terms peculiar to the Science, 

 be for ever ignorant of the means by which this in- 

 formation may be best obtained. 



Had Natural History been more scientifically 

 known, Milton would not have described the Whale 

 as a scaly animal, nor the Snake as having a hairy 

 mane : nor would the arms of many of our nobility 

 have been supported by the representations of com- 



