PLAN OF STUDY. 



xvii 



and the lake, are never searched in vain; each have their peculiar 

 inhabitants, that enliven the scene and please the philosophic eye. 



Ten thousand warblers cheer the day, and one 



The live-long night ; nor these alone, whose notes 



Nice-finger' d art must emulate in vain ; 



But cawing rooks and kites that swim sublime 



In still repeated circles, screaming loud ; 



The jay, the pie, and e'en the boding owl, 



That hails the rising moon, have charms for me. — Cowper." * 



Recent observations, however, by extending our views, have 

 shown that in several instances our author was led into mistakes. 

 Although I have corrected many of these, it does not follow that 

 all my corrections are themselves correct, for subsequent observa- 

 tion may in the same way prove at least some of them to be 

 wrong, as the youngest naturalist who will pursue the plan I have 

 recommended may perhaps discover, if he examine Nature for 

 himself, and not allow his thoughts to be trammelled by the lead- 

 ing-strings either of the present work or of any other. The 

 specimen of discrepancies which I have given above in the in- 

 stance of the grebe's nest, proves most strongly indeed that it 

 is unsafe to trust even to what are esteemed the best books and 

 the highest authorities ; for most authors occasionally indulge in 

 fancying facts, instead of proving them by observation. 



The alphabetical order also of this work will be more conve- 

 nient for the proposed plan of study, than if it had been arranged 

 according to any particular classification, as the subjects required 

 may be turned to at once, the mind being left free and unfettered 

 by systems, which are so frequently framed on mistaken principles 

 or imaginary theories. But let me be understood: I do not 

 mean to discard systems, I only wish to place them in what ap- 

 pears to me to be their true light, and to guard the young natu- 

 ralist from the very prevalent and mischievous error, of considering 

 system as the only and exclusive end of study ; an error exten- 

 sively propagated by the variety of system-makers and the indo- 

 lence or the party-spirit of their disciples ; which leads them to 

 think every thing worthless and wrong that does not tally with 

 their classed divisions, or partake of their technical diction. 



Introduction to First Edit. p. xli. 

 b 



