Page:Natural History of the Nightingale, John Legg, 1779.djvu/5

 of the NIGHTINGALE.

T has been aerted by many reputable naturalits, both ancient and modern, that the nightingale never ings near its net, for fear of its being dicovered by that means; but I will beg leave to affirm from a long coure of obervation and experience in ornithology, (which indeed for many years pat has been my chief tudy, the generality of naturatits, and particularly thoe who have wrote on ornithology, have been too credulous and inaccurate, and abound with errors, the author of the above, to obviate thee inconveniences, has, with great application and indefatigable tudy and indutry, compoed a Natural Hitory of Britih Birds on a new plan, i.e. by a trict  attention to nature herelf, without regard to any thing aid by others on the ubject. Such a work can want no recommendation, as it mut be valuable to every one who would wih to acquire ome proficiency in this delightful and pleaing department of natural hitory. The author of this performance has not like his predeceors and contemporaries, clandetinely copied the mitakes of preceding writers; but to make it as perfect as poible, has abolutely been at the trouble and expence of procuring almot every bird he has mentioned, and o taken an exact decription: he has alo been at the pains of examining the net, eggs, &c. of each pecies, and made many new dicoveries with relation to their netlings, never before taken notice of. Throughout the whole great care has like-wie been taken clear up the faults, and rectify the mitakes, to correct the blunders, and explode the errors of former writers; who, intead of copying nature, and repreenting things with jutnes, plainnes, and perpecuity, have, too often added from their own imaginations, and impoed on the reader carce any thing but fables, fictitious tories, and chimerical aburdities. The works of the ancients, particularly that of Aldrovandus, Pliny, Arilotle, Gener, &c. &c. are replete with uch dry extraneous matter and impertinent tuff, as is really diguting to a erious reader; the moderns alo are in ome meaure culpable, as they too frequently trancribe them, and again confirm what the ancients imprudently, and without ufficient tetimony aerted. Johnton, Ray, Edwards, Abin, Brookes, Pennant, and many other of our modern celebrated naturalits, have, for want of ufficient obervation, diligence, and experience, mentioned many things, in repect to birds, contrary to fact and real truth, which I hall make appear hereafter. Thus one of them tells us in his decription of the cuckoo, that it builds a net like other birds with thorns, long gras, hay, &c. hatches, and brings up its young. The ame author informs us that the water-wagtail is a bird of paage, and is never een in this country in winter—that the crow, the raven, and the pie, like the rapacious tribe, kill and eat mall birds—that the white owl has a hooting note, and never appears in moon light evenings, all which aertions are certainly fale, as mut be obvious to every one who is the leat converant in this part of natural hitory. Another modern writer would make us believe that the jay builds in boles of trees, and is a carnivorous bird. The miel thruh, if we credit this author, lays eggs like thoe of the throtle, and principal amuement) that it always its and ings not far from the pot where all its affections are centered; and any one who is curious enough to earch the hedge-row where it delivers its muic, will frequently find the net near