192 KINGFISHER. Clafs II: 



bird dcfcribed by Arijlotle ; but as its colors are very 

 plain, and that ftriking charafter of the fine blue 

 back is wanting, we cannot affent to the opinion of 

 Belon J but rather imagine it to be one of the loft 

 birds of the antients. 



Thofe who think \ye have faid too much on this 

 fubjedt, fhould confider how incumbent it is on every 

 lover of fcience, to attempt placing the labors of the 

 antients in a juft light : to clear their works from 

 thofe errors, that owe their origin to the darknefs of 

 the times ; and to evince, that many of their accounts 

 are ftri(5lly true ; many founded on truth ; and others 

 contain a mixture of fable and reality, which cer- 

 tainly mjcrit the trouble of feparation. It is much 

 to be lamented that travellers, either on claffic or any 

 other ground, have not been more afllduous in noting 

 the zoology of thofe countries, which the antients have 

 celebrated for their productions : for, from thofe Vvho 

 have attended to that branch of natural knowlege, 

 we have been able to develope the meaning of the 

 old naturaliils ; and fettle with precifion fome few of 

 the animals of the antients. 



, 7/^/y, a country crowded with travellers of all na- 

 tions, hath not furnifhed a fingle writer on claffical 

 zoology. The Ea/l has been more fortunate : Beion, 

 the fir ft voyager who made remarks in natural hiftory 

 during his travels, mentions many of the animals of 

 the places he vifited, and may be very ufeful to af- 

 certain thofe of Ariftotk, efpecially as he has given 

 their modern Greek names. Ourcountryman, Dr. Ruf- 

 feU enumerates thofe of Syria. Dr. Hojjelqwfi has 

 made fome additions to the ornithology QiE^yp.; 



but 



