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Now becaufe elegant and accurate Figures do much illuftrate and 

 facilitate the underftanding of Defcriptions, in order to the Engraving 

 fuch Figures for this Work, Mr. Wiltughby made a Collection of as many 

 Pictures drawn in colours by the life as he could procure. Firft He 

 purchafed of one Leonard ftaltner, aFifherman of Strasburrb, a Volume 

 containing the Pidures of all the Water-fowl frequenting the <%bene 

 near that City, asalfoall the FiOi and Water Jnfeds found there, drawn 

 with great curiofity and exactnefs by an excellent hand. The which 

 Fowl, Fifties, and Infers the CaidBaltner had himfelf taken, defcribed, 

 and at his own proper cofts and charges caufed to be drawn. Which 

 curiofity is much to be admired and commended in a Perfon of his 

 Condition and Education. For my part, I muft needs acknowledge 

 that I have received much light and information from the Work of this 

 poor man, and have been thereby inabled to clear many difficulties, and 

 rectifiefome miftakes in Gefner. Secondly, At Nurenberg in Germany he 

 bought a large Volume of Pictures of Birds drawn in colours. Third- 

 ly, He caufed divers Species, as well feenin England as beyond the Seas, 

 to be drawn by good Artifts. Befides what he left, the defervedly fa- 

 mous Sir Thomas 'Brown, ProfefTor of Phyfick in the City of Norwich, 

 frankly communicated the Draughts of feveral rare Birds, with fome 

 brief notes and defcriptions of them. Out of thefe, and the Printed 

 Figures of JldroVandm, and Pet.Olina, an Italian Author, we culled out 

 thole we thought moft natural, and refembling the life, for the Gravers 

 to imitate, adding alio all but one or two of MarggraYim's, and fome 

 out of Clufius his Exotics, <Pifo his Natural Hiftory of the Weft Indies, and 

 fBontiu* his of the Eaft. 



The Gravers we employed, though they were very good Workmen, 

 yet in many Sculps they have not fatisfied me. For I being at a great di- 

 ftance from London, and all advices and directions neceffarily paffing by 

 Letter, fometimes through hafte miftook in my directions, iometimes 

 through wearinefs and impatience of long Writing lent not fo clear and 

 full inftruetions as was requifite- and they as often neglected their 

 inftructions, or miftook my meaning. Notwithstanding the Figures, 

 fuch as they are,take them all together,they are the beft and trueft, that is, 

 moft like the live Birds, of any hitherto engraven in Brafs. 



It is recjuifite now that we inform the Reader what compendious ways 

 we fought to avoid unneceflary expences in graving of Figures. 1 . Of 

 the fame Species of Bird when more Figures than one occurred either in 

 divers Authors, or our own Papers, or both, we caufed only one, which 

 we judged to be the beft to be engraven. 2. We have for the moft part 

 contented our felves with the figure of one Sex only, and that the Male. 

 3 . We have omitted all fuch dubious Icons as we knew not whether they 

 were of true birds or not, or could not certainly determine of what 

 Species they were. 4. Gf fuch as differ only in bignefs, or if otherwife 

 in fuch accidents as cannot be exprefled in Sculpture, we have given only 

 the Figure of the greater. Of this kind are the greater and leffer Qurlew, 

 the common Snipe, and Jack-Snipe, or Judcock- And yet fome Birds we 

 have caufed to be graven twice when the firft time the Gravers mift their 

 aim, and ffiot too wide of their mark ; Such are the red-leg d Cartridge, 



the 



