VIU PREFACE. 



duction of Colonel Montagu to his Oi'nithological Dictionary, may 

 be consulted with both profit and satisfaction. 



But in respect to system, if we except Belon, Gesner, Aldro- 

 vandus, and Johnston, all of whom have made, more or less, attempts 

 at arrangement, there are but few who have taken more than a 

 desultory view of the matter. 



Our Countryman, the great Ray, therefore, may be justly con- 

 sidered the first author of system, and it is to him that we are indebted 

 for the valuable Ornithology of Francis Willughby, Esq. which, 

 though published as far back as the year 1679, has not lost its 

 celebrity; but from that time Ornithology has made a rapid progress. 



From hence we are naturally led to the name of the ever to be 

 remembered Linnaeus, who not only has descanted largely on Birds, 

 but, at one view, drawn together, as it were, all nature and her 

 productions, into his Systema Maturae, and his method, as far as 

 relates to our sulyect, has served as a basis, to the present day. 

 There is one thing, however, which has appeared unaccountable, 

 and in which he differs from Ray. The latter separated all birds 

 into two grand divisions ; the one, those which frequent land — the 

 other, those which frequent water : but Linnaeus divides the land 

 birds into two parts, placing the water birds between. This has ever 

 seemed to us unnatural, and has, therefore, not been admitted in the 

 present work. We prefer Ray's original aiTangement, but adhere to 

 the Linnaean Genera, except in such instances as manifestly required 

 a deviation ; and it will not escape the reader's attention, that we 

 have, from this necessity, ourselves formed several new ones; for 

 instance, in the Synopsis — Wattle-bird, Channel-bill, Plant-cutter, 

 Plantain-eater, Colv, Menura, Tinamou, Sheath-bill, Cereopsis, 



