228 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIX. 



In later years Loten settled at Fulham near London.* 

 There he remained zealously studying zoology and botany, 

 and had regular intercourse with men of science and scien- 

 tific institutions in the motherland and England. He wrote 

 various notes on or with the plates, or completed earlier-made 

 notes. For this the English language, of which he was a 

 thorough master, was often used, conceivably on account of 

 the English friends who received the plates for inspection or 

 for use. I say for use, because from the accompanying notes 

 it appears that the plates did frequent service! for those in 

 the well-known work of Edwards's Gleanings of Natural 

 History, % and the sequel to it by Brown, Illustrations on 

 Z oology. .§ 



The loan of the plates for the purpose mentioned often 

 however caused old Loten much vexation. || We in our time 

 also know well that the loan, especially of books, is even yet 

 accompanied by the danger of receiving them back in a less 

 fresh condition, or sometimes not at all. Now it did not happen 

 to Loten quite so badly, but he could also talk of injuries, 

 and his displeasure at the state in which he often received the 

 plates back sometimes drew from him on the back of the 

 plates bitter expressions at the expense of the engraver ; for 

 instance,^ on that representing the nest of the Tailor- 

 bird :** " The dirty scoundrel was not contented with ruining 



* This is hardly accurate, as Loten's residence at Fulham seems to 

 have been confined to the period 1759-65 (see under Section III.), 

 f As regards this statement see Section III. 



% Gleanings of Natural History, &c. (in English and French), by 

 George Edwards, 3 parts, 1758-60-64. This is a continuation of the 

 same author's A Natural History of Uncommon Birds, &c, 4 parts, 

 1743-47-50-51. (See further under Section III.) The British Museum 

 Library possesses copies of both these works, presented by the author 

 to the Rev. Thos. Birch, containing Edwards's original paintings. 



§ New Illustrations of Zoology, &c. (in English and French), by 

 Peter Brown. 1776. (See further under Section III.) 



|| I think that Mr. van Houten here unwittingly exaggerates : Loten's 

 complaints seem to have been confined to the engraver Mazell, whose 

 ill-treatment of the drawings must have taken place in 1768-9 (see 

 further on), and not to have applied to Peter Brown, to whom Loten 

 lent a number of his drawings for copying some five or six years later. 



*[ All Loten's annotations that follow are in English. 



** Plate viii. in Pennant's Indian Zoology. 



