(ill) 
We are much deceived by People who fhew Foreign Birds and Beafts j' for they, to 
make them feem more rare, often pretend them to be Natives of Places very diflant 
and unknown, by which, not only the ignorant, but fometimes the more knowing, 
are deceived ; and, to ftrike us with Surprize, they pretend that to be a fierce, favage 
and un tameable Creature, which in its real Nature is very gentle and harmlefs. From 
fiicli Impofitions proceeds the vulgar Opinion, that the Pofxupine is a fierce Bead:, 
and that it can kill by fhooting its Quills, tho’ indeed he is a Beafl of the more gen- 
•tie and harmlefs Kind. I believe there are few obferving People, that are any Ways 
curious, but mud: have deteded fome of their Cheats. Many African Birds have 
got the Name of Americans amongfl us, becaufe they generally come to us from the 
WejlAndies \ they being drd; brought thither from Africa in Ships, who trade in 
Negroe Slaves, and prefented by Captains to Governors and Planters in America, 
from whom they are often fent into England as Prefents to the Nobility, and our 
London Merchants, without mentioning their being Natives of Africa, by which 
Midake many Birds are afferted to be Natives of Countries where they were not 
bred. Therefcre, dace it is not always poffible to gain fuch full and perfed Ac- • 
counts as one could wifh,,I think no Man fhould be difeouraged from publidiing 
Accounts of natural Things, becaufe he cannot give fo full an Account of them as 
he defireth; for it is enough in a faithful Author, if he can give but a tolerable Ac- 
count of Things which we have not heard of before, or a clearer Hidory of Things ■ 
we have yet known but obfeurely, which may give a later Searcher Opportunity to dif- 
cover Things more perfedly ; for it is .altogether impodible in many Cafes, at drd, 
to come to the Knowledge of Things in all their particular Circumdances. It is the 
Work of fome only to hint to us w^hat there is in Nature, barely by Names; and of 
others, to fearch a little farther, and give fome tolerable Account of them, which 
may enable others, who come after, to attain a more perfed Knowledge of Things, 
who perhaps would never have buded themfelves about them, had they not received 
tiieir drd- Hints from Authors far more dark than themfelves. In natural Produc- 
tions we often meet with rare Things brought from didant Parts of the World, 
which have lain in Obfeurity, unreguarded by any knowing Perfon, till it is forgotten 
from whence they w^ere produced : When fuch Things are difeovered, I think it 
better to preferve Figures and Deferiptions of them, than to let them fmk in Oblivion, 
to which they were hadening ; becaufe, when we certainly know that thefe Things 
fubdd fomewhat in Nature, the Curiodty of fome will be incited to enquire after 
them, in order to make more full Difeoveries. Sir Francis Bacon has left us fome- 
thing in his Advancement of Learning, pointing out the Means of improving Science, 
(which is, I think, fuitable to our prefent Argument) in the following Lines : 
‘‘ Thofe Things are to be held podible, which may be done by fome Perfon, tho’ 
“ not by every one and which may be done by many, though not by any one ; and 
‘‘ which may be done in Succedion of Ages, though not within the Hour-Glafs of 
“ one Man's Life; and which may be done by publick Defignation, though 'not by 
“ private Endeavour." 
The Gravings of thefe Figures lie under fome Difadvantage, becaufe, till of late 
Years, I had no Knowledge in Etching, or Ingraving : My Strokes in Shadowing being 
not fo clofely nor evenly layed, as they are in Works performed by Maders in the 
Art 
