INTRODUCTION. 
people of Europe had the condefcenfion to 
give me. 
After fpending fome time In Holland we 
repaired to France, to the city where my fa- 
ther was born, and where he fettled in the 
bofom of his family^ Here I had a new op- 
portunity of indulging my tafte, in the cabi- 
net of Mr. Becoeur, which, for the ornitho- 
logy of Europe, contains the moft numerous 
and beft preferved collection I have ever met 
with. 
In Surinam I had followed a plan, with 
refpedi to birds, which fucceeded very well, 
but which fpoke little to the imagination, and 
ftill lefs to the eyes. The only n^ethod I 
knew, was to preferve their Ikins by putting 
them between the leaves of large books ; but 
here a quite different fpeftacle awakened all 
my fenfes. Befides the merit of preferva- 
tion, it was neceflary to reftore their pro- 
per forms. Thefe two effential points embar- 
- raffed me much : I refolved to make then^ 
a peculiar fludy; and to thefe I devoted my 
whole attention. During a refidence of two 
years in Germany, and of feven in Lorraine 
^nd Alface, I made prodigious havoc among 
the 
