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the time of its publication. Thefe defcriptions were moftly derived 

 from the accurate and perfonal obfervations of the fagacious and 

 indefatigable author, or from the communications of his numerous 

 difciples, who have travelled over various parts of the world in learch 

 of natural knowledge ; fome of them, indeed, are collected either 

 from the works of authors of acknowledged reputation, or from the 

 private communications of refpectable correfpondents. 



Human ingenuity is not expected to produce any work that is 

 completely perfect : The field of fcience which Linnaeus had to ex- 

 plore is immenfe; and it was not to be fuppofed that, from fuch a 

 furvey, the traveller, however enlightened and indufhious, fhould re- 

 turn with perfect defcriptions of all its parts; he is not therefore juft- 

 ly to be blamed for having fometimes been miftaken, or occafionally 

 deceived by erroneous information; neither is he too hafiily to be 

 condemned for having fometimes given imperfect characters of the 

 genera and fpecies, or for having failed in a few inftances to diftin- 

 guifh, with fufficient accuracy, the limits between the fpecies and 

 varieties of natural productions. Indeed there are fcarcely two wri- 

 ters who have agreed on the diftinction between what ihould be con- 

 iidered as the characters of fpecific difference, and fuch marks of dis- 

 crimination as ought to belong only to difference of variety. We 

 fhould not certainly condemn, as ignorant, that architect who, ha- 

 ving laid firmly the foundation of an admirably contrived edifice, 

 almoft of infinite magnitude and variety in the number, difpofitions, 

 and ufes of its parts, and who, having raifed the fuperftructure, even 

 in his own lifetime, worthy of the wonder and admiration of the 

 world, fhould leave to pofterity a few fmall parts yet unfinifhed, or 

 the poffibility of fome additions, alterations, and improvements, 

 which future wants, and increafing knowledge, might render necef- 

 fary : We certainly ought rather to admire the talents and ingenuity 

 which could construct the original edifice in fuch a manner as to fuf- 



fer 



