18 
MEMOIR OF LE VAILLANT. 
leading liim to observe the character and habits of 
the feathered tribes. He likewise accustomed him- 
self to stuff the various species which fell under his 
notice, until by degrees he became a proficient in 
that art. 
In 1777 some accidental circumstance brought 
him to Paris, where he had an opportunity of 
inspecting the numerous cabinets of natural history 
in that city. Not satisfied with examining the 
inanimate forms of the many strange and beautiful 
birds he had seen in these collections, he conceived 
an irresistible desire of visiting, for the purpose of 
further observation, the countries where they were 
to be found in their native state. 
Africa, which avas then much less known to 
European science than it is now, appeared to him 
to be that quarter of the world best calculated to 
increase his stock of new information, as well as to 
rectify old errors, in that peculiar department which 
was the great object of his journey. France and 
England were then at war ; but this did not in the 
slightest degree damp the enthusiasm of M. Le Vail- 
lant ; he embarked at the Texel on the 19th Decem- 
ber 1780, and arrived at the Cape of Good Hope 
on the 29th of March 1781. In order to collect as 
much new information as possible, he proceeded in 
one of the Dutch Company’s vessels, which were 
then taking their departure from Saldanha Bay; 
and it was while he sailed on board this ship that 
the fleet was attacked by an English squadron. 
Unfortunately the vessel which carried the whole 
