PREFACE. 
Giovanni Antonio Scopoli was born, as he himself has told us in the work''^ from which 
the following extracts are reprinted, in 1723, at Cavallese in the Tyrol, and in 1743 graduated as 
Doctor of Medicine at the University of Innsbruck. After studying Botany at Venice, he repaired 
to Vienna and there obtained leave to practise medicine throughout the Austrian dominions. He 
was then appointed physician at the quicksilver-mines of Idria in Carniola, which office he held 
for more than ten years, when he was named Councillor in the mining department and Professor 
of Mineralogy at Schemnitz in Hungary. In 1776 he was transferred to Pavia, as Professor of 
Chemistry and Botany, and died there 8th of May, 1788 — his last days, it is said, embittered if not 
shortened by the misconduct of SPALLANZANi.f 
As a botanist and entomologist SCOPOLI is known all over the world, but English ornitho- 
logists are best acquainted with his name from his 'Annus I. Historico-Naturalis ' having been 
several times mentioned by Gilbert White, who on its appearance was much struck with it ; 
and it gave rise to the aphorism, so often quoted since, "every kingdom, every province, should 
have it's own monographer.^' X That book, which was published at Leipzig in 1769, is not very 
rare ; but SCOPOLI'S later ornithological writings are by no means so accessible, being contained 
in a large folio volume entitled 'Deliciae Florae et Faunae Insubricae' published at Pavia in three 
parts, the first two bearing date 1786 and the third 1708 — the year of his death. These ornithological 
papers, four in number, are accordingly here reproduced, but the most interesting of them is the 
third, the 'Specimen Zoologicum', wherein he refers to Linnsean genera most of the animals described 
by SONNERAT in his 'Voyage k la Nouvelle Guinee' (Paris: 1776) and in the second volume of his 
'Voyage aux Indes Orientales et k la Chine' (Paris: 1782), giving to nearly each species a scientific 
name on the Linnasan method. It follows that the names thus bestowed, being in most cases the 
earliest applied to the species in question, are of considerable importance, and latterly they have 
been very generally adopted by ornithologists. SCOPOLI however was not always right in his 
determination of Sonnerat's birds : thus, to mention only a few instances, Nos. 33 and 34, 
both being Quails, are referred to Oriolus, as is also No. 35, which is a Tiintix ; while No. 74, 
a Duck, is placed under Sterna, and No. 79, a Sand- Grouse, under Tringa. Averse as he was to 
founding new genera, a fact shewn by his abstention from doing so in the case of the " Beoouvert 
des Indes'''' (see between Nos. 32 and 33), SCOPOLI can hardly be held to blame for referring No. 83 
to the genus Otis. But it would be out of place here to criticize the work, or to rectify all the 
ordinary misprints which, as will be seen, are ■ - -y numerous. § It will however be useful to point 
out some shortcomings arising from another caus'j. 
SCOPOLI'S original intention was only to name I've new ar.i.vals described by SoNNERAT in his 
'Voyage a la Nouvelle Guinee', as is clearly shcv/n by i!ie " Pi;'ae 'atio " to part 11. which states: — 
OBSERV ATI ONES in hac parts Alhitae continent 
I. Novas Animalium species a celeberrimo Sonnerat in prima suo itinere nttmeratas, ad 
Genera propria relatas, &^ cha7'acteribus specificis, nominibusque trivialibus insignitas, ut a labore 
* Pars iii. pp. 79—87 'Vitae meae vices'. Other particulars of his life are to be found in the ' Dictionnaire 
des Sciences medicales. Biographic medicale ' vii. pp. 181, 182, by A. J. L. Jourdan (Paris: 1825); Tipaldo's 
'Biografia degli Italiani illustri' x. pp. 252 — 256 (Venezia : 1844) by G. Chiappa; the 'Biographic universelle 
ancienne et moderne ' Nouv. £d. xxxviii. p. 546 (Paris: 1863) by Angelis, and Hoefer's 'Nouvelle 
biographic generale' xliii. p. 635 (Paris: 1864). The 13th of June is given as his birthday. 
t See Sir J. E. Smith's remarks in ' Plantarum Iconcs hactenus ineditae ' (fasc. 2, text to no. xxxiv.), 
and in Rees's 'Cyclopaedia' (xxxi. article ' Scopolia'). 
X 'Natural History of Selborne ' Letter vii. to Barrington. See also Letters vi. and viii. to the same, 
and Letters xxx.— xxxiii.' to Pennant. 
§ To his failing sight or to the carelessness of his printer must be ascribed such errors as "inferiore" for 
"superiore" in the description of No. 13; and of "^ainor" for "major" in that of No. 21. The various 
modes of spelling "Quinea", "Guinn.", "Guiana" and "Guinea" shev/ great laxity on the part of the press. 
"Guenbyensis" (No. 28) is also an error, Sonnerat's name being " Lori de Gueby", as well as " mada- 
garensis" (No. 88) for the "Grande Caille de Madagascar", and "Parvus" for " Parus " (No. 114). 
