PREFACE. 
a list of the summer birds of passage, the Latin names 
which he uses are "Linnaei nomina;" in his correspondence 
with Barrington, Letter I. and elsewhere, he designates 
his birds, scientifically, by Eaii l^omina/^ Barrington 
argued so warmly against the deficiencies of the Linngean 
characters, and advocated so strongly the excellences of 
our countryman, John Eay, that he is carried on by the 
discussion in which he was engaged to inquire, no doubt in 
his estimation triumphantly, "After this comparison can 
there be a doubt whether the English botanist should con- 
sult Ray or Linnaeus for an English plant ? 
William Maekwick, who afterwards took the name of 
Eversfield, derived from his residence in the country op- 
portunities of observing nature, which he embraced with 
a readiness worthy of a pupil of Gilbert White. His 
" Naturalist^s Calendar afi'ords ample evidence of his 
perseverance in attending to and noting occurrences in 
both the organized kingdoms of the creation; and the 
remarks subjoined by him, in numerous instances, to our 
author^s " Observations on various Parts of N'ature,^^ show 
him to have been a sensible as well as a diligent obsoYver, 
He communicated to the Linnean Society various easays 
on subjects of interest to zoologists,, which were published 
in the earlier volumes of the " Transactions of that body ; 
the first of them, On the Migration of certain Birds, and 
on other Matters relating to the Feathered Tribes,^^ included 
a table of the annual appearance and disappearance of 
certain birds, which was continued to the end of 1794 in a 
subsequent communication, entitled '^''Aves Sussexienses ; 
or, a Catalogue of Birds found in the County of Sussex^ 
with Remarks/^ His last paper consisted of Observations 
on the Clover Weevil,^^ and was published in 180L His 
death took place in 1813. 
Dr. John Aikin is known both as the author of numerous 
and popular productions, and as one of an eminently literary 
and scientific family. He dedicated his " Calendar of 
Nature" to his sister, Mrs. Barbauld, referring to her 
