encroachments, they seem, by their extreme precaution, to elude his observation, and to regard him as their most formidable enemy. The nestling and ovation of the feathered race are no sooner completed, than they enter upon another process equally necessary to perpetuate their kind, but still more tedious and painful. Neither the nature nor extent of the instinct of brutes is fully understood; this principle, however, during the incubation of birds, seems in some respects to approach, if not to surpass, the powers of reason. Nothing can exceed the patience of birds when hatching: during a period which continues from three to eight weeks, neither the approach of danger, nor the calls of hunger, can drive them from the nest. Before incubation is completed the female, however plump at the beginning, is generally emaciated to a skeleton. Among some tribes, the male and female sit alternately, the more equally to divide the tedious labour: among others, the male provides food for his mate, while hatching, or alleviates her toils by his melody from a neighbouring bush; some join together in the arduous operation, and by increasing the heat, endeavour to accelerate its progress. At times, however, the eggs acquire an beat that seems hurtful to infant life: on these occasions they are left to cool; and the hen, after a longer or shorter space, according to the weather, again resumes her occupation, with her former perseverance and pleasure. Mr. Addison, when speaking of the instinct of birds, terms it an immediate direction of providence, such an operation of the Supreme Being, as that which determines all portions of matter to their proper centre of attraction. It is certain that they seem almost entirely passive under its influence. In obedience to its call, they fly from one appetite to another; and whatever ingenuity they may seem to possess while acting under it, in every thing beyond its reach, they display the utmost dulness, or the greatest stupidity. "With how much seeming caution does an hen provide herself a nest in places unfrequented, and free from disturbance! When she has laid her eggs, so that she can cover them, what care does she take in turning them regularly, that every part may partake of the vital heat! When she leaves them to provide necessary sustenance, how punctually does she return before they have time to cool, and become incapable of producing an animal! When the birth approaches, with how much nicety and attention does she help the chick to break the prison she covers it from the injuries of the weather; provides it with proper nourishment, and teaches it to help itself " In all these particulars, her instinct guides her with the caution and exactness of human reason in its nicest and most delicate operations. Yet with all these appearances of Isagacity, the hen, in other respects, discovers no glimmerings of thought, nor any shadow of ingenuity. She will please herself with a stone, or a piece of chalk, instead of an egg, and will incubate it in the same manner. She knows not the number she has laid; and allows them to be increased or diminished at pleasure. She cannot distinguish her own eggs from those of another; and she will rear a brood of ducks as carefully as of chickens. When she beholds this supposititious offspring launch into the pool, she stands at the edge of the water, tremb' between two contrary impulses of instinct. 1 the more powerful call of nature, tion. When the young are that produced, the next object of parental care is their protection and support; and the spirit and indus try they display at this period demonstrate how amply nature has qualified them for both. The most timid and inactive become spirited and cou. rageous in defence of their progeny. The rapacious kinds acquire more than usual ferocity. They carry their prey, yet throbbing with life, to the nest, and early accustom their young to habits of cruelty and slaughter. Those of milder natures, equally occupied by the necessary concern of supporting their families, discontinue their singing at this season; every inferior amusement, on the commencement of this great æra of their happiness, is laid aside, when, proud of becoming parents, and rearing a progeny of their own, they seem transported with pleasure. Of those birds that build on the ground, the greater part of the young are able to run as soon as they are excluded from the shell; all that is necessary for them, is shewing their food, and teaching the manner of collecting it. Those, however, who are hatched upon trees, remain in the nest so long as they continue in an unfledged state. During this period, both parents are commonly employed in providing them a regular supply; with which they are all fed in their turns, one after another, that none may take away the nourishment from the rest. It is not till after their plumage is fully grown, and they are capable of avoiding dan ger by flight, that the young are led from the nest, and taught to provide for themselves. At first they make only short excursions, while the weather is fine, around the nest, or to those places in its vicinity where food abounds. After they have been for some days taught to discover their food, and carry it away, and have become at length completely qualified to provide for themselves, the old ones lead them no longer back to the nest; but, conducting them to some field where their food is plen tiful, forsake them for the last time; and their for mer intimate connection being no longer necessary, is for ever broken off. From the longevity of birds, and their fertility in production, we might imagine that they would soon overspread the face of the earth, and over. power the feebler tribes in the great commonwealth of nature. Their numbers, however, are abridged by a thousand accidents; and it is probable that a family seldom adds its whole increase to the general stock of inhabitants. Such only as are hatched early in the spring, are strong and vigorous; while such as have been delayed till after the middle of summer, are feeble and tender. Many of the latter are incapable of sustaining the rigours of winter, and fall a sacrifice to cold and want, against which they are unable to provide. Birds, as if warned of this danger, endeavour to produce their young early in the spring; if, however, their la bours have been obstructed by any accident, if their nests have been discovered and Į lundered, they still persevere in their endeavours to fulfil the purpose of nature, and usher into life a feeble offspring, at a period too late to acquire that vigour necessary to overcome the severity of winter. After the young of birds have come to that degree of maturity which renders them independent of parental assistance, the various tribes differ remarkably in their appetite for society; some kinds are solitary, and others gregarious. Many birds who live in pairs only during the breeding season, assemble together in large flocks as soon as that period is past. This is remarkably the case with swans, geese, and ducks; the whole order of passeres also commonly collect into flocks during winter; and in these flocks, birds of different species are often united: they all, however, regularly disperse on the approach of spring, the pairing season. On the other hand, the herons, gannets, and some other tribes, live in a gregarious state during the breeding mouths, and afterwards spread over the country in a state of solitude and dispersion. Some are observed to breed and live the whole year in society, such as the pigeons, rooks, and starlings; while the rapacious live in continual solitude: the eagle, jealous of the rivalship of his own offspring, unmercifully expels them from that district which he has chosen for bis residence, and seems equally deaf to the calls of pity and of affection and proportion is maintained throughout the whole; and no nation in the universal republic is allowed to surpass its boundaries, or overpower its neighbours. Besides the uses to which the feathered tribes are subservient in the general plan of nature, we may contemplate their connection with man, and observe how far they contribute to his pleasûre or advantage. With regard to his support, their utility is momentous: for it is remarkable, that of the vast number of birds which inhabit the globe, it has never yet been discovered that a single one is of a poisonous nature. They differ, indeed, in being more or less salutary and palatable, as an article of diet; but none of them are pernicious: none of their eggs, in like manner, have been found of a noxious quality; a circumstance well known to seafaring people, who eat freely every SECTION VI. General Uses in the Economy of species of egg, without finding any evil conse Nature. In the general history of birds we must not overlook their important uses to the world at large. The rapacious kinds evidently serve the purpose of preserving the salubrity of the air, by devouring all sorts of carrion, scattered over the surface of the globe. The earth every where teems with living creatures, whose natural death, or accidental destruction, would communicate to the atmosphere a putrid and noxious influence, were their carcases allowed to dissolve and mingle with the soil by the slow process of corruption. The order of grallæ, or waders, are evidently destined by nature to co-operate in the same necessary employment. They destroy toads, frogs, lizards, and serpents, animals noxious while alive, and whose bodies, when dead, must more or less infect the air with putrid vapours. On this account, the inhabitants of Holland and of Egypt are greatly indebted to the labours of the stork: in the latter country, which abounds with every hideous reptile which a humid soil or sultry sun can quicken into life, this favourite bird lives, even in its wild state, protected by the laws of that ancient kingdom. The granivorous birds are also deemed of great utility in the system of nature; because they abridge the fertility of those weeds which emit such immense quantities of seed as would soon overspread the earth; and which, if left unrestrained, would infallibly overpower the more useful vegetables. Many species are farther useful in transporting seeds from one country to another, and thus disseminating plants more universally over the surface of the globe. Some of the water-fowl perform a similar service, by transporting the spawn of different kinds of fishes, and replenishing the waters where their inhabitants have been extirpated or diminished. The seeds of plants, and the spawn of fishes, are in many instances know to resist the digestion of animals, and to pass through their bodies unassimilated, and still in possession of their prolific qualities: water-fowl also perform the same office in their element which the rapacious birds do in the air; they prevent the putrifactions of stagnated waters, and preserve their purity by destroying vast numbers of aquatic animals with which they teem, whose bodies, by corruption, would render it pernicious. Thus throughout the whole empire of nature every province is subservient to the general welfare: vegetables, insects, and fishes supply many animals, while the former are more universally disseminated by the latter; every order contributes to assist and nourish the adjoining one, or to check its exuberance. Thus a due balance VOL. VIII. quence. Their eggs, however, as well as their flesh, vary considerably in taste; some are greatly preferable to others. The eggs of those termed game, and of the different species of gallinaceous birds, are generally reckoned agreeable: of the caper-caillie, it is said, that its eggs are the most delicate hitherto known; those of the ptarmigan, lapwing, and bustard, are also coveted by many, who prefer them to the eggs of the domestic poultry. As an article of diet, all the carnivorous birds are avoided; though by no means poisonous, their flesh is hard, tough, and often of a fetid smell." The piscivorous too, and especially those with sharp bills, are generally disliked; though some of the young are eaten with avidity, such as the marrot, puffin, and gannet. All the water-fowl, even those with flat bills, are generally reckoned a heavy and rancid food: the goose and duck are pro bably the best, and these are much improved by being kept at a distance from water, and restricted from fishes. The insectivorous birds, though not noxious, are likewise generally avoided as an article of food, from their impure manner of feeding: on the contrary, all the tribes of finches, and other small birds who feed upon grain or seeds, are much esteemed. The woodcock, snipe, and bittern, the whole tribe called mud-suckers, are accounted a great delicacy among the connoisseurs; by these, too, are approved the muir-cock, partridge, and capercaille: it remains doubtful, however, whether the food of any bird can justly be preferred to the common poultry. The next article relating to the general history of birds, is their domestication. Although the desh, eggs, and feathers of birds are valuable articles in the commerce of life, yet very few of this numerous class of animals has been made subservient to economical uses by domestication. Shy, timid, or fierce in their nature, they appear but little susceptible of attachment or obedience. Jealous of liberty, and furnished with effectual means of escape, they fly the haunts of men, and by far the greater part continues in the primitive wildness of nature. Few even of those which we term do.. mestic discover that familiarity or affection that obtains among those quadrupeds which have given up independence for protection, and to whose constant ministry we are so much indebted. Of the first order of birds, the rapacious, not one species has ever been domesticated by man, except a few, for the purposes of falconry; and these are always taken when young from the nests of the wild ones; a proof that they do not thrive encroachments, they seem, by their extreme precaution, to elude his observation, and to regard him as their most formidable enemy. The nestling and ovation of the feathered race are no sooner completed, than they enter upon another process equally necessary to perpetuate their kind, but still more tedious and painful. Neither the nature nor extent of the instinct of brutes is fully understood; this principle, however, during the incubation of birds, seems in some respects to approach, if not to surpass, the powers of reason. Nothing can exceed the patience of birds when hatching: during a period which continues from three to eight weeks, neither the approach of danger, nor the calls of hunger, can drive them from the nest. Before incubation is completed the female, however plump at the beginning, is generally emaciated to a skeleton. Among some tribes, the male and female sit alternately, the more equally to divide the tedious labour: among others, the male provides food for his mate, while hatching, or alleviates her toils by his melody from a neighbouring bush; some join together in the arduous operation, and by increasing the heat, endeavour to accelerate its progress. At times, however, the eggs acquire an heat that seems hurtful to infant life: on these occasions they are left to cool; and the hen, after a longer or shorter space, according to the weather, again resumes her occupation, with her former perseverance and pleasure. Mr. Addison, when speaking of the instinct of birds, terms it an immediate direction of providence, such an operation of the Supreme Being, as that which determines all portions of matter to their proper centre of attraction. It is certain that they seem almost entirely passive under its influ ence. In obedience to its call, they fly from one appetite to another; and whatever ingenuity they may seem to possess while acting under it, in every thing beyond its reach, they display the utmost dulness, or the greatest stupidity. "With how much seeming caution does an hen provide herself a nest in places unfrequented, and free from disturbance! When she has laid her eggs, so that she can cover them, what care does she take in turning them regularly, that every part may partake of the vital heat! When she leaves them to provide necessary sustenance, how punctually does she return before they have time to cool, and become incapable of producing an animal! When the birth approaches, with how much nicety and attention does she help the chick to break the prison she covers it from the injuries of the weather; provides it with proper nourishment, and teaches it to help itself " In all these particulars, her instinct guides her with the caution and exactness of human reason in its nicest and most delicate operations. Yet with all these appearances of sagacity, the hen, in other respects, discovers no glimmerings of thought, nor any shadow of ingenuity. She will please herself with a stone, or a piece of chalk, instead of an egg, and will incubate it in the same manner. She knows not the number she has laid; and allows them to be increased or diminished at pleasure. She cannot distinguish her own eggs from those of another; and she will rear a brood of ducks as carefully as of chickens. When she beholds this supposititious offspring launch into the pool, she stands at the edge of the water, trembling between two contrary impulses of instinct, but obeys the more powerful call of nature, that of self-preservation. When the young are produced, the next object of parental care is their protection and support; and the spirit and indus try they display at this period demonstrate how amply nature has qualified them for both. The most timid and inactive become spirited and coe. rageous in defence of their progeny. The rapacious kinds acquire more than usual ferocity. They carry their prey, yet throbbing with life, to the nest, and early accustom their young to babin et cruelty and slaughter. Those of milder patars, equally occupied by the necessary concem ci mporting their families, discontinue their singing it this season; every inferior amusement, on the co mencement of this great æra of their happiness, a laid aside, when, proud of becoming parents, and rearing a progeny of their own, they seem tans ported with pleasure. Of those birds that build on the ground, é greater part of the young are able to run as soon as they are excluded from the shell; all that is ne cessary for them, is shewing their food, and traching the manner of collecting it. Those, howe, who are hatched upon trees, remain in the best z long as they continue in an unfledged state. Du ing this period, both parents are commonly ployed in providing them a regular supply; with which they are all fed in their turns, one after 25other, that none may take away the nourishment from the rest. It is not till after their plumce & fully grown, and they are capable of avoiding ger by flight, that the young are led from the ne, and taught to provide for themselves. At first they make only short excursions, while the weather fine, around the nest, or to those places in its vic nity where food abounds. After they have bee for some days taught to discover their food, and carry it away, and have become at length compies ly qualified to provide for themselves, the old lead them no longer back to the nest; but, e ducting them to some field where their food is ple tiful, forsake them for the last time; and their fer mer intimate connection being no longer uecessary, is for ever broken off. From the longevity of birds, and their fertilivin production, we might imagine that they woad soon overspread the face of the earth, and eve power the feebler tribes in the great commonve of nature. Their numbers, however, are about by a thousand accidents; and it is probable that family seldom adds its whole increase to the general stock of inhabitants. Such only as are hatched early in the spring, are strong and vigorous; whe such as have been delayed till after the middle of summer, are feeble and tender. Many of the lat ter are incapable of sustaining the rigours of w ter, and fall a sacrifice to cold and want, a which they are unable to provide. Birds, as f warned of this danger, endeavour to produce the young early in the spring; if, however, their he bours have been obstructed by any accident, if ther nests have been discovered and lundered, they” persevere in their endeavours to fulfil the par of nature, and usher into life a feeble offsprit, a period too late to acquire that vigour necesser to overcome the severity of winter. some And After the young of birds have come to that d gree of maturity which renders them indepen of parental assistance, the various tribes c markably in their appetite for society; are solitary, and others gregarious. Many kib who live in pairs only during the breeding seam assemble together in large flocks as soon as period is past. This is remarkably the case m wans, geese, and ducks; the whole order of paseres also commonly collect into flocks during inter; and in these flocks, birds of different pecies are often united: they all, however, reularly disperse on the approach of spring, the airing season. On the other hand, the herons, annets, and some other tribes, live in a gregarius state during the breeding mouths, and aftervards spread over the country in a state of solitude and dispersion. Some are observed to breed and ive the whole year in society, such as the pigeons, rooks, and starlings; while the rapacious live in continual solitude: the eagle, jealous of the rivalship of his own offspring, unmercifully expels them from that district which he has chosen for bis residence, and seems equally deaf to the calls of pity and of affection and proportion is maintained throughout the whole; and no nation in the universal republic is allowed to surpass its boundaries, or overpower its neighbours. Besides the uses to which the feathered tribes are subservient in the general plan of nature, we may contemplate their connection with man, and observe how far they contribute to his pleasure or advantage. With regard to his support, their utility is momentous: for it is remarkable, that of the vast number of birds which inhabit the globe, it has never yet been discovered that a single one is of a poisonous nature. They differ, indeed, in being more or less salutary and palatable, as an article of diet; but none of them are pernicious: none of their eggs, in like manner, have been found of a noxious quality; a circumstance well known to seafaring people, who eat freely every SECTION VI. General Uses in the Economy of species of egg, without finding any evil conse Nature. In the general history of birds we must not overlook their important uses to the world at large. The rapacious kinds evidently serve the purpose of preserving the salubrity of the air, by devouring all sorts of carrion, scattered over the surface of the globe. The earth every where teems with living creatures, whose natural death, or accidental destruction, would communicate to the atmosphere a putrid and noxious influence, were their carcases allowed to dissolve and mingle with the soil by the slow process of corruption. The order of grallæ, or waders, are evidently destined by nature to co-operate in the same necessary employment. They destroy toads, frogs, lizards, and serpents, animals noxious while alive, and whose bodies, when dead, must more or less infect the air with putrid vapours. On this account, the inhabitants of Holland and of Egypt are greatly indebted to the labours of the stork: in the latter country, which abounds with every hideous reptile which a humid soil or sultry sun can quicken into life, this favourite bird lives, even in its wild state, protected by the laws of that ancient kingdom. The granivorous birds are also deemed of great utility in the system of nature; because they abridge the fertility of those weeds which emit such immense quantities of seed as would soon overspread the earth; and which, if left unrestrained, would infallibly overpower the more useful vegetables. Many species are farther useful in transporting seeds from one country to another, and thus disseminating plants more universally over the surface of the globe. Some of the water-fowl perform a similar service, by transporting the spawn of different kinds of fishes, and replenishing the waters where their inhabitants have been extirpated or diminished. The seeds of plants, and the spawn of fishes, are in many instances know to resist the digestion of animals, and to pass through their bodies unassimilated, and still in possession of their prolific qualities: water fowl also perform the same office in their element which the rapacious birds do in the air; they prevent the putrifactions of stagnated waters, and preserve their purity by destroying vast numbers of aquatic animals with which they teem, whose bodies, by corruption, would render it pernicious. Thus throughout the whole empire of nature every province is subservient to the general welfare: vegetables, insects, and fishes supply many animals, while the former are more universally disseminated by the latter; every order contributes to assist and nourish the adjoining one, or to check its exuberance. Thus a due balance VOL. VIII. quence. Their eggs, however, as well as their flesh, vary considerably in taste; some are greatly preferable to others. The eggs of those termed game, and of the different species of gallinaceous birds, are generally reckoned agreeable: of the caper-caillie, it is said, that its eggs are the most delicate hitherto known; those of the ptarmigan, lapwing, and bustard, are also coveted by many, who prefer them to the eggs of the domestic poultry. As an article of diet, all the carnivorous birds are avoided; though by no means poisonous, their flesh is hard, tough, and often of a fetid smell." The piscivorous too, and especially those with sharp bills, are generally disliked; though some of the young are eaten with avidity, such as the marrot, puffin, and gannet. All the water-fowl, even those with flat bills, are generally reckoned a heavy and rancid food: the goose and duck are pro bably the best, and these are much improved by being kept at a distance from water, and restricted from fishes. The insectivorous birds, though not noxious, are likewise generally avoided as an article of food, from their impure manner of feeding: on the contrary, all the tribes of finches, and other small birds who feed upon grain or seeds, are much esteemed. The woodcock, snipe, and bittern, the whole tribe called mud-suckers, are accounted a great delicacy among the connoisseurs; by these, too, are approved the muir-cock, partridge, and capercaille: it remains doubtful, however, whether the food of any bird can justly be preferred to the common poultry. The next article relating to the general history of birds, is their domestication. Although the desh, eggs, and feathers of birds are valuable articles in the commerce of life, yet very few of this numerous class of animals has been made subservient to economical uses by domestication. Shy, timid, or fierce in their nature, they appear but little susceptible of attachment or obedience. Jealous of liberty, and furnished with effectual means of escape, they fly the haunts of men, and by far the greater part continues in the primitive wildness of nature. Few even of those which we term do.. mestic discover that familiarity or affection that obtains among those quadrupeds which have given up independence for protection, and to whose constant ministry we are so much indebted. Of the first order of birds, the rapacious, not one species has ever been domesticated by man, except a few, for the purposes of falconry; and these are always taken when young from the nests of the wild ones; a proof that they do not thrive U C and propagate in their captivity. As their acquired habits are conferred upon them with great difficulty, so they are slight, and easily effaced: a hawk, when he gets at a certain distance from his keepers, seldom wishes to return. The numerous tribe of pies contains not one species that has ever been reduced to a domestic state. Their food could not easily be procured in captivity; their inanner of life is unfavourable to it, and their flesh is deemed impure as an article of food. The gallinaceous order contains several species, which have with great advantage been made subservient to the purposes of domestic economy, viz. the peacock, the turkey, the barn-door fowl, and Guinea-hen: the last of these, however, has but lately been imported into Britain; the common poultry are originally from Asia, but were early introduced into Europe. Of the columbine tribe one species only has been tamed, that of the common pigeon, which is well known, and in some places a very lucrative object of commerce. None of the passarine or struthious orders have yet been domesticated, though many of the former are reckoned delicate food. Four species of the duck kind have been brought from their wild state to the service of man; the swan, the goose, the Guinea duck, and the wild duck. The grallæ, or waders, are deemed such excellent food, as to provoke the appetite of the pampered epicure, such as the woodcock, shipe, curlew, stork, and crane; yet not one of all this numerous class has ever been brought into a domestic situation. This enumeration suggests a remarkable fact, that of four thousand different species of birds, described by Latham, not more than ten or twelve have been rendered serviceable 'to the human race by domestication. It is to be regretted, that the acquaintance of man with the feathered race is so limited, as inany species may no doubt be found, which, if domesticatel, would add to his stock of subsistence, inerease his industry, and multiply his amusements. We have reason to believe, that even the birds of the warmer climates might, if otherwise proper for the purpose, be successfully domesticated, even in these northerly Countries. Many of those which we already possess are natives of the intratropical parts of the earth. The common turkey and Guinea-hen were originally inhabitants of Africa, and probably of the burning regions under the liner The skeldrake, a bird rather larger in size than our commoy duck, is one of those which, it is presumed, might be rendered useful by domestication. It is tamed with facility; and though it lives on the shore, it has been found by experience that it will thrive and breed in ponds. It is more beautiful in plumage than the common duck, and is equally proper for the uses of the table. The domestication of the Canadian goose has also been attempted with success at the seat of a nobleman in Scotland. The eider duck, a bird rather smaller than the goose, should also be tamed, especially as its down is considered as an article of value. From the weight and size of the bustard, in which it is superior to the turkey, this bird seems highly useful for the table; and from the nature of its food, which is grain, it seems perfectly fitted for domestication. Its eggs are said to be preferable to those of all other birds, and its flesh is m its weight it is scarcely capable From the ground; a circumstance perhaps too easy a prey to the ich seems favourable to its doar to the bustard in its manner nutris of life is the field-duck, a native of France; a bird which might be brought into this country, and tamed with great facility. The American pigeon might with propriety be introduced into this country from Canada, where it abounds, and constitutes a great part of the food of the inhabitants. Besides the birds fitted for domestication, there are others which might be imported to this island from abroad, and might prosper in a wild state. The hazel hen, so much esteemed in Germany both for the sport and the table, the Francolin of Italy, and the red-legged partridge of Spain, might all be easily introduced into Britain, to the great increase of our game. The last of these is domesticated at Cadiz, and is found in its wild state in plenty throughout Spain and France. It might be transported to Britain in either state, perhaps with equal or greater success than the golden and China pheasants, which some gentlemen have so earnestly endeavoured to propagate upon their estates. The crested turkey abounds in its wild state in the inland parts of New-England. The great quantities of food which the inhabitants obtain by killing this bird, clearly point out the advantages to be derived from its domestication, and the propriety of transporting it into this country. The same reason exists for introducing the American pigeon, which constitutes so considerable a part of the subsistence of the inhabitants of Cauada. But the greatest desideratum in the transportation of birds, seems to be that of the capercaille. This bird is indigenous in Scotland, and was formerly spread over the whole country; but from the facility with which it is killed, it became an easy prey to the sportsman, and is now so nearly extirpated from the island, that, except in some remote districts of the Highlands, it is no where to be found. The black-cock or heathfowl, too, is rapidly diminishing in number; its extermination appears to be at no very remote period, unless it be transported, and preserved on those estates where it formerly abounded. In the later arrangement of birds, although it cannot be said that our ornithologists have lost sight of their great predecessor Linnéus, yet the necessity of deviating from him in many instances (and we have felt the necessity in the preceding treatise) must seem obvious to every one, when the great number of species which have come to our knowledge of late years is considered. In his last edition of the Systema Naturæ, Linnéus enumerates 930 birds only: while in Mr. Latham's index and synopsis they have been increased to very nearly four thousand, a number never ima gined by former writers to exist in nature. M. Biberg, in his excellent treatise on the Economy of Nature (Amoenitat. Acad. vol. ii.) calcu lates the probability of the vegetable kingdom furnishing as far as 10,000 species: that of the vermes 2000; insects 10,000; amphibia 300; fishes 2000; quadrupeds 200. How far we have already exceeded this number in every depart. ment the naturalist can easily testify; but how much farther the list may be increased no one will venture to predict, whilst the ardour and indefatigable industry of the present race of enquirers, added to the taste for possessing new acquisitions and exploring, new countries shelt entipue. We beg to refer our readers for more formation to the valuable work on Billiaŭ Oruntbology, by Mr. Graves, of Walworth, |