PREFACE. 
v 
As far as we could* confidently with the plan laid down in 
the following work, we have confulted, and we trull with fome 
advantage, the works of thefe and other Naturalills. In the 
arrangement of the various clafles, as well as in the defcriptive 
part, we have taken as our guide our ingenious countryman, Mr 
Pennant, to whofe elegant and ufeful labours the world is in- 
debted for a fund of the mod rational entertainment, and who 
will be remembered by every lover of Nature as long as her 
works have power to charm. The communications with which 
we have been favoured by thofe gentlemen who wore fo good as 
to notice our growing work, have been generally acknowledged 
in their proper place ; it remains only that we be permitted to 
infert this tedimony of our grateful fenfe of them. 
In a few indances we have ventured to depart from the ufual 
method of claffification ; by placing the hard-billed birds, or 
thofe which live chiefly on feeds, next to thofe of the Pie kind, 
there feems to be a more regular gradation downwards, a few 
anomalous birds, fuch as the Cuckoo, Hoopoe, Nuthatch, &c. 
only intervening : The foft-billed birds, or thofe which fublid 
chiedy on worms, infe&s, and fuch like, are by this means pla- 
ced all together, beginning with thofe of the Lark kind. To 
this we mud obferve, that, by dividing the various families of 
birds into two grand divifions, viz. Land and Water, a number 
of tribes have thereby been included among the latter, which 
can no otherwife be denominated Water Birds than as they oc- 
cadonally feek their food in moid places, by fmall dreamlets, or 
on the fea-fhore ; fuch as the Curlew, Woodcock, Snipe, Sand- 
piper, and many others. Thefe, with fuch as do not commit 
themfelves wholly to the waters, are thrown into a feparate di« 
vifion, under the denomination of Waders. To thefe we have 
ventured to remove the Kingfilher, and the Water Ouzel $ the 
former lives entirely on filh, is condantly found on the margins 
of dill waters, and may with greater propriety be denominated 
a Water Bird than many which come under that defeription 5 
the latter feems to have no conne&ion with thofe birds among 
