( I I 2 ) 
‘Art of Ingraving ; yet, by doing them myfelf, I have retained in the Prints fomePer- 
fecflions, which would have been wanting, had I given my original^ Draughts to Ingra- 
vers to copy, for they often, through Want of a jiift Underllanding of the Meaning 
of thdfe who give them the firft Draughts, go a little from the Authoi s Dellgns, 
and will take fome little Bends and Turns of Strokes for the Lapfe of a Pencil, which 
they will, as they Tuppofe, correct, which fometimes robs a Figure of what the Au- 
thor defigned as its chiefeft, diftinguidiing Mark j fo that it is, in fome Sort, bettei, 
that the original Dedgner works fuch Drawings on Copper himfeif ; becaufe a Man 
cannot fo eadly go from his ‘own Meaning in copying, as a lecond Peifon may niil- 
take him : Befides the Diftindions in the extreme Parts of Birds, fuch as the Bills, 
‘and Feet, and other Parts, in fome particular Species, depend on fuch little Niceties, 
that it is hard for one, not verfed in the Nature of thefe Things, to keep up to a 
due Obfervation and Diftindion of them, in copying from Drawinp,^ which ought 
to be extremely exad, becaufe it is altogether impoffible for a Defcriptlon to give lo 
juil: an Idea of Figures, as Lines which precifely exprefs the Things you treat of. I 
have been particularly careful in the extreme Parts of the Figures, to compare and ad- 
jlid: the Draughts on the Copper with the original Drawings frotn which they weie 
taken, and many of the Plates were diredly worked from Nature itfelf, which is an 
Advantage that few Works of this Kind have had. I have been fcrupuloufly care- 
ful to keep the Forms of the Bills, nothing fo much diftinguifhmg the particular 
Kinds as this j for bending an arched Bill a very little too fuddenly, or carrying k but 
little more on a Straight, gives the Bill quite a different Charader. in fome raie Birds, 
which I was forced to reduce by Reafon of their Bigrtefs, I have at the Bottoms of 
the Plates figured the Bills of their natural Size, the better to exprefs fome Singula- 
rities I obferved in them. , . , r i r i r 
I have not always copied fervilely after the Draughts which I deugned iiorn Na- 
ture, becaufe fome of thefe were drawn from, dead Subjeds, in which I could not 
'confider the various Adions and Geflures of them when living j yet, after having 
'made Drawings, wherein I had taken juftly their Parts and Colourings, I had frequent 
Opportunity of feeing thefe fame Birds, or Birds of the like Genus, from which I 
fketched Out-lines, as I had Opportunity in my Vifits to curious Gentlemen in the 
Neighbourhood of London. Many of thefe Out-lines I have made ufe of, order 
to amend my foil Drawings, becaufe fome of them were only from dead Birds : 
Thefe later Sketches have helped me much to put Birds into their natural Attitudes, 
by which Means this Work is more perfed than it could otherwlfe have been. I 
cannot lay all of them have received the fame Advantage, there being many rare and 
tender Birds, which will not bear Sea-Voyages, brought various Ways, pielerved, 
to fatisfy the Curiofity of thefe Times. ^ , , ivt u* i 
When I have met with any of thefe, I have carefully examined the Notes which 
diftinguilh the different Tribes of Birds, and have put them in Adions common^ to 
fuch Birds as they feem nearefb to agree with in their Natures, from my Obfervation 
in Living Birds. ^One is fomewhat conftrained in Natural Hikory, having only one 
Figure of each,^ oecies, to keep to fuch Attitudes in^ Figures as will fliew all their 
principal Parts, and Colours treated of ; otherwife the Figures and Deferiptions tc^ethei 
would ngtibe To agreeable to fome Readers. Therefore many fuch Adions, Turns, 
