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oflanguages : fcarcely any Greek feems to have known more than 

 his own tongue, nor Roman more than two e . 



Ariftotle, indeed, began fomething like a fyitem of natural 

 hiftory ; and Pliny put down, in his common place-book, many 

 an idle fr.ory ; but, before the invention of printing, copies of 

 their works could not be fo generally dilperfed, as to occafion much 

 attention to what might be interefting facls for the ornithologifL 



In the fixteenth century, Gefner, Belon, and Aldrovandus, 

 publifhed fome materials, which might be of ufe to future natu- 

 ralifts; but, in the feventeenth, Ray and Willoughby firft treated 

 this extenfive branch of ftudy with that clearnefs of method, per- 

 fpicuity of defcription, and accuracy of obfervation, as hath not, 

 perhaps, been fince exceeded. The works of thefe great natu- 

 ralifts were foon difperfed over Europe, and the merit of them 

 acknowledged ; but it fo happened, that Sir Ifaac Newton's 

 amazing difcoveries in natural philofophy making their appear- 

 ance about the fame time, engaged entirely the attention of the 

 learned. 



In procefs of time, all controverfy was filenced by the demon- 

 ftration of the Newtonian fyftem ; and then the philofophical 

 part of Europe naturally turned their thoughts to other branches 

 of fcience. 



Since this period, therefore, and not before, natural hiftory 

 hath been ftudied in moft countries of Europe ; and confequently 

 the finding fwallows in a ftate of torpidity, or on the coaft of 



' It need be fcarcely here mentioned alfo, that their navigation was 

 confined to the Mediterranean, from the compafs not having been then 

 difcovered. 



Ennius tria corda fe habere dicebat, quod loqui Grasce, Ofce, et 

 Latine fciret. Aulus Gellius, LXVII. c. 1 7. 

 Lingua doctus utraque. — Martial. 

 Linguas edidichTe duas. — Ovid. 



Senegal, 



