General Heads for a Natural Hiftory of a Gomtteyfimt 
or fmall 7 imparted lifemfelyMr. Boyle* 
Ic having been already intimated (N»«;8. of Phil Trmfatt. 
p. 1 40. 141.) that divers Phikfophers aime,amongother things, 
at the Compofing of a good Natural Hiftory, to luperftru<ft, in 
time, a Solid and Vfefui Philofophy upon ; and it being of no 
flight importance, to be furnifht with pertinent Heads, for the 
diredion ofXnquirerss that lately named BenefaUourto Experi- 
mental Philofophy , has been plealed to communicate, for the 
ends aboveiaid, the following Articles^ which ( as himfelf did 
fignifie ) belong to one of his EJJays of the unpubliltat part of 
the Vfefulnefs of Nat, and Experimen. Philofophy. 
Bik firft he premifes, that what follows, is defign'd only to 
point at the more General heads of Inquiry, which the pro- 
per ignores not to be Divers of them very comprehenfive, in 
fo much, that about fome of the Subordinate fubjetfts, perhaps 
too, not the mold fertile, he has drawn up Articles of inquifition 
about particulars, that take up near as much room, as what is 
here to be deliver'd of this matter. 
The Heads themfelves follow 5 
The things, to be obferv’d in fuch a Hiftory, may be van. 
oufly( and almoft at pleafure) divided: As, into Supraterrane- 
eus.Eerreftriaf and Subterraneous » and otherwife : but we will 
at prefent diftinguifh them into thofe things, that refpecft the 
Heavens, or concern the Air, the Water , or the Earth, 
1. To the Firft fort of Particulars, belong the Longitude 
and Latitude of the Place (that being of moment in reference 
to the obfervations about the Air . &c. ) and confequently the 
length of the longeft and fliorteft days and nights, the Cli- 
mate, parallels what fixt ftarrs are and what not feen 
there : What Conftellations 9 tis faid to be fubjedf to f Where- 
unto may be added other Aftrological matters , if they be 
thought worth mentioning. 
2. About 
