INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. vii 



ferent species with eyes, either open at birth, or closed for some 

 time after ; to trace the slow progress of the young birds toward 

 perfection, or admire the celerity with which some of them, while 

 yet unfledged, removed themselves from danger to security. 



I grew up, and my wishes grew with my form. These 

 wishes, kind reader, were for the entire possession of all that I 

 saw. I was fervently desirous of becoming acquainted with 

 natiu:e. For many years, however, I was sadly disappointed, 

 and for ever, doubtless, must I have desires that cannot be gra- 

 tified. The moment a bird was dead, however beautiful it had 

 been when in life, the pleasure arising from the possession of 

 it became blunted ; and although the greatest cares were be- 

 stowed on endeavours to preserve the appearance of natiLre, I 

 looked upon its vesture as more than sullied, as requiring con- 

 stant attention and repeated mendings, while, after all, it could 

 no longer be said to be fresh from the hands of its Maker. I 

 wished to possess all the productions of nature, but I wished 

 life with them. This was impossible. Then what was to be 

 done ? I turned to my father, and made known to him my dis- 

 appointment and anxiety. He produced a book of Illustra- 

 tions. A new life ran in my veins. I turned over the leaves 

 with avidity ; and although what I saw was not what 1 longed 

 for, it gave me a desire to copy nature. To Nature I went, and 

 tried to imitate her, as in the days of my childhood I had tried 

 to raise myself from the ground and stand erect, before nature 

 had imparted the vigour necessary for the success of such an 

 undertaking. 



How sorely disappointed did I feel for many years, when I 

 saw that my productions were worse than those which I ven- 

 tured (perhaps in silence) to regard as bad, in the book given^ 



