preface. xvii 
without acknowledging from whence 1 had them^ as a late Publifloer of a 
great Number of coloured Birds has done\ but always chofe to have old 
Defcriptions farthejl from my Mindy when I defcribed any thingy becaufe 
I thought Nature herfelf the beji DtreSior, I have mdeedy as I ought y 
confulted Men and Booksy in order to gain all the Light I could fo 
direSl me in thefe DefcriptionSy and to make thefn as clear and in- 
telligible as might be. 
I was difcouragedy upon frf thinking of this Worky at the great 
Expence of gravingy printingy and other thingSy ^hich I knew would be 
a certain Cojl attended with a very uncertain Profity till my good Friend 
Mr* Catesby put me on etching my P lates my f elf as he had done in his 
Works ; and not only foy but invited me to fee him work at Etchmgy 
and gave me all the neceffary Hints and InftruBions to froceedy which 
Favour I think my f elf obliged publickly to acknowledge* When I had 
praBifed a little whiky I refolved to do fuch new and uncommon Birdsy 
as I had in my Pojjeffiony fmce 1 faved Expences a?td only employed my 
F*ime» 
I'ft etching Plates which afe ajtefwafds to be coloufcd, I have dij-- 
covered, that they jhouldbe done in a manner different from, fuch things 
that are to continue Black and White ; therefore 1 am willing to publifh 
fuch Remarks on that Head, as may perhaps be of ufe to others that may 
hereafter publifh any thing of that kind. He who would make a Print 
after any coloured Drawing, ffould make his Lights much lighter than 
they are in the Drawing, and the Shadows rather darker, which will 
indeed give your Print a fomewhat foocking degree of Light and Shadow j 
but when you conftder that by colouring, your Lights will become ^ darker,, 
and your very black Shadows, by being wafhed with Colours, which gene- 
rally are lighter than Black, will become fomething lighter-, inPrints- 
for colouring it will be convenietit to leave pretty broad clean white 
places that are a little dark in your colour d Drawing : For Fxample, 
if a Part in your Drawing be of Blue or Red, or any fine Colour pretty 
deep ^ if you make your Print of fo deep a hhade in thofe Pa? ts, the 
Blacknefs will cafl through the tranfpare?it Colours which you mujl tfe 
in waping Prints, a?td render thetn dead and, dirty, and if you. lay on 
too great a body of Colour, it will darken your Figure too much in the 
[ d ] 
