FRANCIS WILLUG'HBY. 
11-3 
in favour of the opinion that Mr Itay is the 
author of the system, either wholly or partially, 
we have Mr Ray’s own most positive statement, 
that when he came to look over Mr Willughby’s 
MSS. he “ found the several animals in every 
kind ; both birds, beasts, Jishes, and insects, 
digested into a method of his own contriving.” 
This statement is perfectly consistent with Dr 
Derham’s account of his interview' with Mr Ray, 
a few months only before his death ; and in 
which Dr Derham, speaking “ of the noble and 
useful design which by agreement between Mr 
VVillughhy and Mr Ray, fell to Mr Willughby’s 
share, which was despatching the history ' of 
animals ; of which design,” he continues, “ it 
may not be improper here to give some account, 
w'hich I shall do, as I had it from Mr Ray him- 
self" He then proceeds to say, that “ these two ■ 
gentlemen, finding the history of nature very 
imperfect, had agreed between themselves, before 
their travels beyond seas, to reduce the several 
tribes of things to a method, and to give accurate 
descriptions of the several species from a strict 
view of them. And forasmuch as Mr Willughby’s 
genius lay chiefly to animals, therefore he under- 
took the birds, beasts, fishes, and insects, as Mr 
Ray did the vegetables.” It is also perfectly con- 
sistent with Mr Ray’s statement in the preface 
to the Ornithology, (the reader’s impartiality 
will lead him to pardon the requotation of these 
passages, which is in this instance for a different 
purpose from the preceding,) that Mr Wilr- 
