PRBEEA CGS xii 
Peter Collinfon, the Reverend Mr. White of Sel- 
born, Hants; and that Father of Britz/h Orni- 
thologifts Mr. George Edwards of the college 
of Phyticians. 
In the profecution of our plan, we fhall, to 
avoid the perplexity, arifing from forming a 
new fyftem, adopt (as far as relates to the Qua- 
drupeds and Birds) that of the ineftimable 
Ray, who advanced the ftudy of nature far be- 
yond all that went before him; and whofe abi- 
lities, integrity, and mnlgners were no lefs an 
ornament to the human fpecies in general, than 
to his own country in particular. Yet, as this 
excellent man was in a manner the founder of 
fy{tematic Zoology, fo later difcoveries have 
madea fewi improvements on his labors: where 
ever then he is miftaken in the arrangement of 
animals, we fhall follow the method of M. 
Briffon; whofe merit, as a fyftematic writer 
is not yet known; or at left, not fafltcignely 
acknowleged among us *. 
We have, in our defcriptions, Aner omit- 
ted the anatomy of animals; as that part, 
unlefs executed with the greateft fkill, would 
be no {mall blemifh to the reft of this per- 
formance ; but the reader may judge of the 
extent of our plan, by the following heads: the 
character of the genus fhall firft be mentioned : 
then the fpecific name: the {ynonyms from 
different authors; and the genera, in which 
thofe authors have placed the animal. The 
* Le Regne Animal. Paris 1756. 4to. Ornithologie, 
contenant la divifion des oyfeaux, &c. Paris 1760, 1762, 
6 tom. 4to. 
4 names 
