PREFACE, lit 



indebted ; I mean, the ever-memorable and great Sir Charles 

 Linn^us, who at one view has drawn together, as it were, all 

 Nature and her productions, in his Syftema Nature. This work 

 has brought down our fubjecT:, among the reft, through twelve 

 editions, as far as the year 1767!. In this undertaking, his aim 

 has been concifenefs; but in gaining this, he has loft fight, I fear, 

 of fufficient inftruftion -, having done little more than pointed out 

 where fuch inftruction may be found. 



His arrangement of Birds is, in general, approved of, and his 

 divifion into Genera fcarrely to be altered for the better ; but as 

 it is now fome years fince he wrote, many new lights have been 

 thrown on Natural Hiftory, fufficient to excufe future writers, if 

 in fome few inftances, at leaft, they fhould differ from him ; 

 which will be the cafe in the work now before us, 



There is one thing in Linn<eus's arrangement of Birds, which, 

 I muft confefs, has ever appeared to me unaccountable, and in 

 which he differs from Ray at his firft fetting out. Mr. Ray di- 

 vided all Birds into two grand divifions ■, iiiz. Firft, Thofe which 

 frequent the land : Secondly, Thofe which frequent the water : 

 but Linnaus feparates the Land Birds into two parts, and thrufts 

 in the Water Birds between. This is certainly unnatural, and 

 therefore will not be admitted in the prefent undertaking. 



The bafis then of this work will be on the prime divifion of 

 Ray ■, but we ihall adhere to the Linn^ean Genera, except in a very 



+ In the Mantijfa Plantarum, publilhed in 1771, will be found a few more 

 Birds defcribed at the end ; but thefe are only twenty in number. 



a 2 few 



