DO NOVAK ] 
BRITISH ORNITHOLOGY 
173 
plates, whether of birds or any other subject, have an artistic 
delicacy that makes them more in demand at the present 
day than many of the stiff and inartistic productions of his 
contemporaries or even successors. In addition to the two 
works cited below, he also published the Naturalist’s Re- 
pository , 5 vols. 8 vo ; Natural History of British Shells , 
5 vols. 8 vo ; Natural History of British Insects , 8 vols. 8vo ; 
and the Natural History of the Insects of India , of China and 
of Australia , each in 1 vol. 4to, forming a wonderful series of 
illustrated works for one artist to produce ; nearly all of 
these are now scarce. In 1833 he published a memorial 
respecting his losses at the hands of the booksellers. He 
stated that he began to publish in 1783, and during fifty 
years a complete set of his publications would cost nearly 
£100. From affluence he was reduced almost to ruin, as 
the publishers retained nearly the whole of his literary 
property in their hands, and he begged for contributions to 
enable him to take his case into Chancery. He died in 
Kennington Road, London, on February 1, 1837. 
1794-1819. The | Natural History | of | British Birds ; | or, a | Selection 
of the most Rare, Beautiful, and Interesting | Birds | which 
inhabit this Country : | The Descriptions from the | Systema 
Naturae | of | Linnaeus ; | with | General Observations, | either 
original, or collected from the latest | and most esteemed | English 
Ornithologists ; | and embellished with | figures, | drawn, en- 
graved, and coloured from the original specimens. | By E. 
Donovan. | London : | Printed for the Author ; and for F. and C. 
Rivington, | No. 62, St. Paul’s Church-Yard. 1794. | 
Collation — 10 vols. 8vo, also royal 8V0. 1 
Owing to the curious way in which this work was produced, the 
pages sometimes being numbered and sometimes not, without any 
system or reason, we do not attempt a collation of the text. The 
dates of issue of the vols. and the number of plates they contain 
are as follows : Vol. I. (1794), 24 pi. ; Vol. II. (1795), 24 pi. ; 
Vol. III. (1796), 24 pi. ; Vol. IV. (1797), 28 pi. ; Vol. V. (1798), 
24 pi. ; Vol. VI. (1809), 24 pi. ; Vol. VII. (1816), 24 pi. ; Vol. 
VIII. (1817), 24 pi. ; Vol. IX. (1818), 24 pi. ; Vol. X. (1819), 
24 pi. = 244 plates in all. 
1 We are informed by Mr. 0. V. Aplin that the above work was issued in monthly 
parts, in 50 Nos., 2 plates in each No. ; price 2s. 6d. The plates are stated on the 
cover of the parts to be “ drawn from specimens ip the collection of the author.” 
