530 
A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF 
[SHAW 
Shaw (George), 1751-1813 
Dr. Shaw, the predecessor of Dr. Leach at the British 
Museum, bore the character of being a laborious writer and 
compiler, who was so occupied in writing for the booksellers 
as to have little time to expend on the national collections, 
which consequently fell into a state of neglect, although it 
is only fair to add that the stipend then paid for such posts 
was so small that none but a man with private means could 
have devoted his whole time to his duties. 
George Shaw was born at Biertoh, Bucks, December 
10, 1751, educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford (B.A. 1769, 
M.A. 1772) ; died at the British Museum July 22, 1813. 
Dr. Shaw is best remembered by his General Zoology , 
which, however, is now in no repute ; he was one of the 
abridgers of the . Philosophical Transactions , 1665-1800, and 
produced the first three parts of a work on the Zoology of 
New Holland , 1794-95, in conjunction with Sir J. E. Smith, 
who contributed the botany. In conjunction with Nodder, he 
also produced the Naturalist's Miscellany , 24 vols. (1790-1813), 
with 1068 coloured plates (including a few of British birds), 
nearly all of which, however, are copied from other works ; he 
wrote the text to Miller’s Cimelia Physica (1796) and 2 vols. 
of Zoological Lectures . His Museum Leverianum (6 pts. 4to, 
1792-96) contains, however, original plates of foreign birds 
and quadrupeds from the celebrated Museum of Sir Ashton 
Lever, Bart., a Lancashire gentleman who expended an 
immense fortune in the formation of his Museum. It was 
afterwards removed to London, and finally disposed of by 
lottery in 1805. For the fate of certain specimens from this 
Museum see the Ibis for 1873 (pp. 14, 105) and 1874 (p. 461) : 
a portion were bequeathed by the 13th Earl of Derby to 
the Liverpool Museum, and some found their way to Vienna. 
For a full account of Lever and his Museum, see article by 
Mr. Mullens, The Museums Journal , October 1915. 
*1800-26. General Zoology, | or | systematic natural history, | by | 
George Shaw, MD.F.R.S., &c. | With plates | from the first 
