FRANCIS WILLUGHBY. 
79 
multis retro annis navavit operam, ego obiter 
tantum et animi causa hac in parte versatus 
sum.” 
Similar notices may be found in several other 
letters of different dates. In one, dated June 29, 
1670, it appears that he had greatly extended 
Mr Lister’s enumeration of English spiders. 
Other letters in that interesting collection of the 
correspondence of several of the most eminent 
men of that time, relate to his observations on a 
variety of other topics. 
The greatest part of the winter Mr Ray was 
occupied in reviewing and helping to put in order 
Mr Willughby’s collection of birds, fishes, shells, 
stones, and other fossils, seeds, dried plants, 
coins, &e.; and in conjunction with Mr Willughby, 
in rendering to Dr Wilkins that assistance, by 
framing his tables of plants, quadrupeds, birds, 
fishes, &c. for the use of the Universal Character, 
which he had requested. “ Of these tables,” Dr 
Derham says, in his Life of Ray,* “ they were 
partly drawn up by Mr Willughby and Mr Ray, 
who were the best able of any men living for 
such an undertaking. But yet, when they had 
done it, I find they were not well pleased with 
it, thinking it imperfect, and capable of great 
amendments, which they afterwards gave it in 
their histories of plants and animals. 
But it is not at all to be wondered, that such 
an account should be defective at the beginning, 
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