84 THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 



were all given by Willughby, but are by modern 

 Ornithologists most unfairly ascribed to Ray, 

 Linneus, Latham, Fleming, &c. In conclu- 

 sion I may just mention the "most elegant Figures, 

 nearly resembling the live Birds, engraven in 

 LXXVIII Copper Plates," which are thus bla- 

 zoned forth in red type in the title page. With 

 regard to this department Ray says : — " The Gravers 

 we employed, though they were very good workmen, 

 yet in many Sculps they have not satisfied me. For 

 I being at a great distance from London, and all 

 advices and directions necessarily passing by Letter, 

 sometimes through haste mistook my directions, 

 sometimes through weariness and impatience of 

 long wiiting, sent not so clear and full instruc- 

 tions as were requisite. Notwithstanding, the Figures, 

 such as they are, take them altogether, they are the 

 best and truest, that is, most like the live Birds, 

 of any hitherto engraven in Brass." If this is really 

 the case, the art of drawing and engraving must 

 indeed have been in a desperately low state, for 

 here are a parcel of the vilest — caricatures I was 

 going to say, but they have not even that merit — 

 libels on Nature I should call them — a family of 

 cripples, as Audubon would say : and with a few 

 exceptions, as the Turkey and the Tumbler Pigeon, 

 they have not even any traces of the character of 

 the originals. They are however valuable as show- 

 ing the vast strides which have since been made in 

 advancing from the deplorable state in which this 



