96 Preside ut' x Address. 



as I can discover in the 'Synopsis,' mentions the name of 

 Watling or James Lee. 



In my ' History of the Bird Collections ' in the British 

 Museum, I have given a list of the species mentioned by 

 Latham in his 'General Synopsis ' (1781-1785), and from this 

 we gain some idea of the extent of .the collection of Birds in 

 those early days. 



Although many specimens from Cook's Voyages passed into 

 the Leverian Museum, it would seem from Latham's work that 

 many were still in Sir Joseph Banks' possession, and there is 

 no proof that the latter ever presented or bequeathed any 

 considerable number of birds to the British Museum, no 

 register being kept at the time. On the other hand many 

 specimens from Cook's Voyages were in the Bullock Museum, 

 which was dispersed in 1819, by auction. On this occasion, 

 priceless specimens of birds, belonging to species now extinct, 

 were purchased by curators and collectors from abroad, men 

 more wise than our own countrymen, and they are now some 

 of the most valuable possessions of foreign museums. 



There can be no question that at the commencement of the 

 nineteenth century the British Museum did not occupy a very 

 commanding position as regards ornithology, and for a suc- 

 cession of years, as has been so well demonstrated by Professor 

 Newton in his historical article in the ' Dictionary of Birds,' 

 France produced most of the epoch-making ornithological 

 works. 



Professor Newton's article above referred to is doubtless 

 familiar to my hearers, but I cannot refrain from quoting 

 at length his account of Buffon and Latham and their times : 

 it seems to me to put the facts in such a concise and masterly 

 way as to convey the best idea of the state of Ornithology at 

 the end of the eighteenth century to be found in any work 

 within my knowledge. It is, too, the most thorough tribute 

 to the genius of Buffon that I know. 



Discussing Edward's i Natural History of Birds ' and 

 ' Gleanings of Natural History of Birds in the ' Introduction ' 

 to his ' Dictionary of Birds ' (p. 9), Professor Newton speaks 

 of the ' Ornithologie ' of Brisson as " a work of very great 

 merit as far as it goes, for as a descriptive ornithologist 



