MEMOIR OF RAY. 
41 
Ray's literary occupations consisted in the prepa- 
ration for the press of Willughby’s book on birds, 
the completion of some of his own works on botany, 
and various contributions to the Royal Society. 
The latter related chiefly to the natural history of 
the higher animals, but they likewise communicated 
valuable information regarding insects, spiders, and 
the myriapodae. The physiology of vegetation also 
formed a subject of communication, and on one oc- 
casion, at the request of the indefatigable secretary 
Mr Oldenburgh, who was one of Ray’s regular cor- 
respondents, the latter furnished one of the philoso- 
phical discourses annually read to the society, which 
was received with great approbation. The subject 
was, the nature of seeds, and the specific differ- 
ences of plants. Wiflughby’s observations on birds 
were written in Latin, and the work was accordingly 
completed in that language, and published in the 
year 1675. Nothing was omitted by the editor to 
render it as complete as possible. The descriptions 
are frequently of considerable length, and will often 
be found more correct and satisfactory than many of 
those contained in the numerous and costly works 
which have since been devoted to this favourite tribe 
of animals. Ray afterwards prepared an English 
translation, to which he made large additions, and 
gave it to the public in 1678. In this edition, the 
plates were likewise improved and increased in num- 
ber ; but their execution was by no means satisfactory 
to Ray, as the engravers were but little experienced 
