The T%£FACE. 



long abroad, yet travelled he over a great pare of France, Spam, Italy 

 Germany, and the Low Countries. In all which places he was fo incjuiii- 

 tiveandfuccefsfiil, that not many forts of Animals defcribed by others 

 elcaped his diligence. For my part I know no man who hath feen more 

 Species, been more exact in noting their differences, and inventing Cha- 

 racteriftic Marks whereby they may be certainly diitinguifhed ; or more 

 curious in diflecting them, and obferving the make and confticution of 

 their parts as well internal as external. Howbeit I do not deny but fome 

 have been more accurate in anatomizing one or two particular Animals* 

 Thereaionof this his diligence was, becaufe he obferved that fome of 

 the defcriptions of former Writers of this kind, either by reaibn of their 

 brevity, or becaufe they contained only general notes, were very ob- 

 fcure, and gave occafion to many errours and miftakes, but chiefly un- 

 neceffary multiplications of Species 5 the Readers often miftaking feveral 

 defcriptions of the fame Animal, which they meet with in divers Au- 

 thors, by reafon of their generality and obfeurity, forfb many defcripti- 

 ons of feveral Animals. Now that he might clear up all thefe obfeuri- 

 ties, and render the knowledge and diftinction of Species facile to all 

 that fhould come after, he bent his endeavours mainly to find out ( as I 

 before intimated ) certain Characterise notes of each kind. But if in 

 any kind no lingular mark occurred whereby it might be certainly di- 

 ftinguiflied from all others, he did minutely and exactly defcribe all its 

 parts, that at leafl a Collection of many accidents, which all together 

 could not be found in any Species elfe of the fame kind, might ierve for a 

 Character iftic ; That the Reader fhould not by a general and ambigu- 

 ous defcription be left in fufpenfe, or incur the danger of error. Buc 

 becaufe a prolix and operofe defcription is tedious to moil: Readers, and 

 to the unattentive feems rather to obfeure than illuflrate the thing de- 

 fcribed, to relieve and gratifie fuch, befides the defcription he often adds 

 fome fhort notes, by which the Animal defcribed may be diftinguifhed 

 from others of the fame kind like to it, and wherewith it is in danger to 

 be confounded. Now though I cannot but commend his diligence, yet 

 I muft confers that in defenbing the colours of each fingle feather he 

 fbmetimes feems to me to be too fcrupulous and particular, partly be- 

 caufe Nature doth not in all Individuals, (perhaps not in any two) ob- 

 ferve exactly the fame fpots or ftrokes, partly becaufe it is very difficult 

 fo to word defcripfions of this fort as to render them intelligible : Yet da- 

 red I not to omit or alter any thing. 



But to proceed, our Author having made fo good progrels in this 

 Work, that few of our European Animals defcribed by others had efcaped 

 his view 5 that he might ( as far as in him lay ) perfect the Hiftory of Ml- 

 mals, he defigned a Voyage into the New World, but lived not to under- 

 take it. For about the beginning of June, in the year 1672, being feized 

 with a Pleurifie, which terminated in that kind of Fever Phyficians call 

 Catarrhal within lefs than a month after he took his bed, on the third of 

 July in the thirty feventh year of his Age he departed this life to the im- 

 menfe grief of his Friends and all good men that knew him, and the great 

 lofs of the Common- wealth in general. 



Viewing his Manufcripts after his Death, I found the feveral Animals in 

 every kind both Birds, Beafts, Fillies, and Infects digefted into a 



method 



