{ II2 ) 
Art of Ingraving j yet, by doing them myfelf, I have retained in the Prints fomePer- 
fedions, which would have been wanting, had I given my original Draughts to Ingra¬ 
vers to copy, for they often, through Want of a juft Underftanding of the Meaning 
of thofe who give them the firft Draughts, go a little from the Author’s Deligns, 
and will take fome little Bends and Turns of Strokes for the Lapfe of a Pencil, which 
they will, as they fuppofe, corred, which fometimes robs a Figure of what the Au¬ 
thor defigned as its chiefeft, diftinguifhing Mark; fo that it is, in fome Sort, better, 
that the original Defigner works fuch Drawings on Copper himfelf; becaufe a Man 
cannot fo eaftly go from his own Meaning in copying, as a fecond Perfon may mif- 
take him: Befidcs the Diftindions in the extreme Parts of Birds, fuch as the Bills, 
and Feet, and other Parts, in fome particular Species, depend on fuch little Niceties, 
that it is hard for one, not vcifed in the Nature of thefe ^Things, to keep up to a 
due Obfervation and Diftindion of them, in copying from Drawings, which ought 
to be extremely exad, becaufe it is altogether impoflible for a Defcription to give fo 
juft an Idea of Figures, as Lines which precifely exprefs the Things you treat of. I 
have been particularly careful in the extreme Parts of the Figures, to compare and ad- 
juft the Draughts on the Copper with the original Drawings from which they were 
taken, and many of the Plates were diredly worked from Nature itfelf, which is an 
Advantage that few Works of this Kind have had. I have been fcrupuloufly care¬ 
ful to keep the Forms of the Bills, nothing fo much diftinguiftiing the particular 
Kinds as this; for bending an arched Bill a very little too fuddenly, or carrying it but 
little more on a Straight, gives the Bill quite a different Charader, In fome rare Birds, 
which I was forced to reduce by Reafon of their Bignefs, I have at the Bottoms of 
the Plates figured the Bills of their natural Size, the better to exprefs fome Singula¬ 
rities I obferved in them. 
I have not always copied fervilely after the Draughts which I defigned from Na¬ 
ture, becaufe fome of thefe were drawn from dead Subjeds, in which I could not 
confider the various Adions and Geftures of them when living; yet, after having 
made Drawings, wherein I had taken juftly their Parts and Colourings, I had frequent 
Opportunity of feeing thefe fame Birds, or Birds of the like Genus, from which I 
iketched Out-lines, as I had Opportunity in my Vifits to curious Gentlemen in the 
Neighbourhood of Lojidon. Many of thefe Out-lines I have made ufe of, in order 
to amend my firft Drawings, becaufe fome of them were only from dead Birds: 
Thefe later Sketches have helped me much to put Birds into their natural Attitudes, 
by which Means this Work is more perfed than it could otherwife have been. I 
cannot fay all of them have received the fame Advantage, there being many rare and 
tender Birds, which will not bear Sea-Voyages, brought various Ways, preferved, 
to fatisfy the Curiofity of thefe Times. 
When I have met with any of thefe, I have carefully examined the Notes which 
diftinguifh the different Tribes of Birds, and have put them in Adions common to 
fuch Birds as they feem neareft to agree with in their Natures, from my Obfervation 
in Living Birds. 'Dne is fomewhat conftrained in Natural Hiftory, having only one 
Figure of each<^Species, to keep to fuch Attitudes in Figures as will fhew all their 
principal Parts^and Colours treated of ; otherwife the Figures and Defcriptions together 
would notibe-^fo agreeable to fome Readers. Therefore many fuch Adions, Turns, 
