244 NATURAL HISTORY 



northerly parts of Europe, or perish for 

 want of food. 



I am glad you are making inquiries from 

 LirincBus concerning the woodcock : it is 

 expected of him that he should be able to 

 account for the motions and manner of life 

 of the animals of his own Fauna, 



Faunists, as you observe, are too apt to 

 acquiesce in bare descriptions, and a few 

 synonyms : the reason is plain : because all 

 that may be done at home in a man^s study, 

 but the investigation of the life and con- 

 versation of animals, is a concern of much 

 more trouble and difficulty, and is not to 

 be attained but by the active and inquisi- 

 tive, and by those that reside much in the 

 country. 



Foreign systematics, are, [ observe, much 

 too vague in their specific differences ; 

 which are almost universally constituted by 

 one or two particular marks, the rest of the 

 description running in general terms. But 

 our countryman, the excellent Mr. Rai/, is 

 the only describer that conveys some pre- 

 cise idea in everv term or word, maintain- 



