Gleanings of Natural History, exhibiting Figures of Quadrupeds, Birds, Infects, Plants, &c. Most of which have not, till now, been either figured or defcribed. With Descriptions of seventy different Subjects, defigned, engraved, and coloured after Nature, on fifty Copper-plate Prints. By George Edwards, Fellow of the Royal Society, and of the Society of Antiquaries, London. Printed for the Author, at the Royal College of Phyficians, in Warwick-lane. 4to. 21. 2s.

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HE ftudy of Natural Hiftory is attended with greater difficulties than most other Sciences: the multitude of its objects may embarras the mind; and the obstacles to the infpection of them, are commonly too great to be removed. deed so very few have the opportunity of confulting the natural objects themselves, that prints from copper-plates have always been confidered as an effential part of every treatise on Natural Hiftory; and fuch defigns, if accurately performed, would, in fome measure, fupply the place of the real fubjects. But the misfortune is, that thofe defigns are too often drawn by persons unequal to the tafk; or, what is ftill worfe, from imperfect defcriptions only, without the Artift's having ever feen the real object. It is therefore no wonder that fuch perfons, notwithftanding all their care, often both imbibe and convey false ideas of many of the objects of nature.

But all the Writers on Natural Hiftory are not chargeable with fuch deficiencies; feveral having given defigns from the life, and executed them in the most accurate manner. Among thefe, Mr. Edwards deferves the most honourable mention; his defigns, both in the work before us, and in his History of Birds, &c. being drawn with the greatest accuracy from Nature and therefore we are not to wonder at the welcome reception they have met with from all who have any taste for just delineations, decorated in the most beautiful manner. The principal object is here always drawn in fome natural and pleafing attitude, free from all tiffness or affectation, and the plate embellifhed in fuch a manner, as greatly to increafe the beauty of the object itself. Some have, indeed, fuggefted, that Authors in this way, have fometimes given too much scope to fancy, and to increase the beauty of their plates, added many touches not to be found in Nature. But, with regard to Mr. Edwards, we have taken fome pains to fatisfy ourselves in this particular, by comparing many of the figures with the natural objects from which they were taken, and can with truth aver, that we perceived, in every part, a very exact refemblance, both

in the drawings and the colouring. Mr. Edwards has, indeed, made ufe of art in the decorations of his plates, by forming an elegant contraft between the colours of the principal objects and thofe of the ornaments; but in this refpect he has never departed from Nature; fuch particulars being chofen, whose proper colours form the intended contraft.

Mr. Edwards has alfo contrived to place his fubjects in a variety of pleafing attitudes, that the eye may not be tired with a difgufting fameness of pofition; which at once betrays a poverty of invention, and a careless inspection of the original objects themselves.

Another particular which renders Mr. Edwards's works the more valuable, is, that most of the subjects are fuch as have never before been delineated or described, or that have been inaccurately performed by others: fo that they are real acquifitions to Natural History, and increase our knowlege of the numberless fpecies of objects with which the Almighty Creator has decorated our terreftrial abode.

The work before us confifts of fifty Copper-plates, with accurate defcriptions, both in English and French: and on these Copper-plates are delineated the following fubjects.

Plate I. The Apple Service: this fruit is drawn in its natural bignefs; and at the bottom of the plate is a figure of the Pear-Service. 2. The hand of a boy with a diftempered skin, and a branch of the common Service tree: the common Service added as a decoration to this plate, ferves alfo to rectify a mistake in Mrs. Blackwell's Herbal, where fhe has figured the Red-berried Afh, and called it the common Service. 3. The Man of the Woods: feveral prints of this creature have been published, but none that convey fo juft an idea of it, as this of Mr. Edwards'. 4. The Pig-tailed Monkey, from the island of Sumatra in the Indian fea : this is the firft figure ever published of this fpecies of Monkey. 5. The St. Jago Monkey; a creature generally known by the name of the Green Monkey. 6. The Mongooz: another fpecies of this kind of Monkey was before defcribed in Mr. Edwards's Hiftory of Birds, &c. page 197. 7. The Black Maucauco. 8. The Sanglin, or Cagui Minor: the animal delineated on the copper-plate annexed, and whofe defcription we shall add at the end of this article. 9. The Gerbua; this animal is fhewn in feveral attitudes, and being a native of Egypt, the plate is decorated with a diftant view of the Pyramids. 10. The Little Ant-eater: this animal has been mentioned by Linnæus, but has, we believe, never before been delineated. 11. The Elephant and Rhinoceros. 12. The

Male

Male Zebra. 13. The Female Zebra. 14. The Crowned Eagle. 15. The Blue Hawk, and the Little Brown Lizard. 16. The Black and White Butcher Bird: on this plate is alfo the figure of a black and white Butterfly from China. 17. The great Horned Owl from Athens: the bird from which this figure is taken, was brought from Athens, and supposed to be that which the Athenians held facred to their Goddess Minerva, 18. The Little Owl. 19. The Brafilian Green Maccaw. This Bird has been defcribed by Marggrave, but never before figured. 20. The Blue-faced Green Parrot.

21. The Green and Red Parrot from China. 22. The Red-breafted Parrokeet: the three last have never before been either figured or described. 23. The Rofe-headed ring Parrokeet. 24. The Yellow-faced Parrokeet: a non defcript. 25. The Golden-crowned Par rokeet; and the Leaft Green and Blue Parrokeet. 26. The Little Red-winged Parrokeet: a non defcript. 27. The little Red-headed Parrokeet, or Guiney Sparrow; and the Maryland Yellow-Throat. 28. The Red-beaked Toucan. 29. The Blue Jay, and the Summer Red-Bird. 30. The Nut-Cracker. 31. The Purple-breafted Blue Manakin. 32. The Chatterer of Carolina: this plate is decorated with a figure of the Small Blue Convolvulus. 33. The Lefler Bonana Bird. 34. The Wood-Pecker of Jamaica. 35. The Little Green and Orange coloured King-Fisher; and the Blue Lizard. 36. The Francolin. 37. The Chinefe Quail; and the Guernsey Lizard. 38. The Ruffed Heath-Cock, or Grous. 39. The Little Pintailed Grous. 40. The Indian Buftard. 41. The Little Buftard. 42. The Golden-crowned Thrufh; and the Blue FlyCatcher. 43. The Olive coloured Fly-Catcher; and the Yellow Butter-Fly. 44. The Golden-crowned Wren; and the Ruby-crowned Wren. 45. The Yellow-rumped Fly Catcher; and the Gentian of the Defert. 46. The Yellow Red-Pole; and the White-tailed Humming-Bird. 47. The Yellow-tailed Fly-Catcher; and the Spotted Fly-Catcher. 48. The Yellow Water-Wagtail, the Walking Leaf, &c. The bird is placed on the figure of a ftone from the Giant's Caufeway in Ireland. 49. The Grey Water-Wagtail; and the Water Lizard. 50. The Black-capped Manakin; and the White-capped Manakin : this plate is decorated with a figure of the Small Bineweed.

Having thus mentioned the fubjects delineated on Mr. Edwards's plates, we fhall conclude with his defcription of the Sanglin, or Cagui Minor: and further to oblige our Readers, we have added the figure of this curious little animal, (of its natural fize) taken from the fame Copper-plate with thofe in Mr. Edwards's book, and which will convey a more competent idea of the manner in which this Gentleman's plates are executed,

than

than can poffibly be given by words. The impreffion, and colouring, of this plate, has, indeed, added confiderably to the expence of this month's Review; but the Proprietor chearfully acquiefces in whatever may be conducive to the fatisfaction of the Public, to whom he is proud to acknowlege his obligations.

The SANGLIN, or CAGUI MINOR,

Is a fpecies of animal of the Monkey kind, partaking of the nature of a Squirrel: the figure is drawn from life, of the natural fize. They have been found to weigh from four ounces and a half to fix and a quarter, Averdupoize weight. This ་ was a male.

The head is very round, and covered with black hair on its crown on the fides of the head, and all round the ears, it hath long white hair, which stands out in two tufts, in a re'markable manner. The ears are not feen in the pofition the figure is drawn, but fide-ways they fhew themfelves: they refemble the human ear, are void of hair, and of a dark flesh'colour. The face hath little or no hair on it; the skin of it is of a flesh-colour, pretty dark, except the upper part of the forehead, which is white; the eyes are of a reddifh hazel colour, with black pupils: the face resembles that of a Monkey, as the figure will better exprefs than words. The whole body was covered with hair of a dark-brownifh afh-colour, and of a very foft woolly nature; that on the back was a little firmer, and each fingle hair was of various colours, viz. dufky at the bottom, then reddish, and tipped with grey, which caufed a mixture or variegation on its back: the paws, except their infides, were covered with fhort hair: it had five toes on each foot, made like thofe of Squirrels, with pointed claws, except on the two great toes or thumbs of the hinder fect, which had flat nails. The tail was very long in propor tion, covered with a thick furr, in rings of a light afh-colour and black, which fucceed each other its whole length.

It is figured, tho' very badly, and defcribed, by Gul. Pifo, in his Natural Hiftory of Brazil, page 227; and from him is defcribed by Ray in his Synopfis Methodica Animalium Quadrupedum, page 154. It feems alfo to be the Cercopithecus Sagouin of Clufius, figured in his Exotics, vol. II. page 372. Johnfton, in his Hiftory of Quadrupeds, has given the figures from both Pifo and Clufius, as feparate and diftinct animals. His figure, from Pifo, he by mistake calls Caitaia, that name ftanding in Pifo nearer the figure of the Cagui than its own proper name. J. Ludolphus, in his Hiftory of Ethiopia, or Abyffinia, hath given two figures of this animal. They are defcribed page 58, in the English Tranflation of that work: he calls it Fonkes, or • Guereza;

Guereza; but his description doth not agree at all with the figures: fo that I imagine this was met with in Holland, and fuppofed to be the Little Monkey defcribed by Ludolphus ; tho' it was really brought from Brazil, which was poffefied by the Hollanders at the time of the publication of that Hiftory. Jacob. Theod. Klein, in his book de Quadruped. Lipfiæ, 1751, has given a figure as big as life, Tab. III. defcribed at C page 87, where he has figured the tail of a greater thickness ⚫ than ever I obferved any of them to be, tho' I have seen five, or fix of these animals living. The laft Author, and who has given the fulleft and beft defcription of the Cagui, is James • Parfons, M. D. and F. R. S. who has faid fo much of him, • and described him fo well, in the Philofophical Transactions, • vol. XLVII. page 146, that he has fpared me the trouble of faying fome things which otherwise I might have faid; but the Doctor had not the good luck to meet with a subject so vigorous, and full of furr, as fome of those I saw after his was publifhed. Lord Kingston's I faw, which was the smallest and moft fickly of all I have feen. Mr. Hyde's, when I faw it, alfo • wanted vigour, and a fullness of furr natural to it. I after<wards met with two or three that appeared quite other things, they being very healthy, and full of furr. That from which I drew my figure, was the property of the good and very obliging Mrs. Cannon, formerly midwife to the Royal Family, • who informed me, that it fed on feveral forts of things, as bifcuits, fruits, greens, infects, fnails, &c. and that once, when let loose, it fuddenly fnatched a Chinese Gold-fifh out of a ⚫ bafon of water, which it killed, and greedily devoured; after which the gave him fmall live eels, which frighted him at first, by their twisting round his neck, but he foon mastered them, and eat them. I faw a fine one of this kind at Mr. John • Cook's, Merchant in London. Mr. Cook had formerly refided at Lisbon, where his Lady, for her amusement, tried to breed the Sanglin, as they called this little creature; and fuc⚫ceeded fo well as to produce young ones, the climate being C proper for it: the young were very ugly at their birth, having little or no furr on them; they cling, or ftick very fast to the • breafts of their dam; when they grow a little bigger they hang to her back or shoulders, who, when he is tired of them, will rub them off against the wall, or any thing elfe in her way; when fhe has quitted them, the male immediately. takes care of them, and fuffers them to hang on his back for C a while to ease the female.'

B.

*** We are informed, that another volume of this curious work is intended; which will compleat the undertaking.

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