Ornithological Publications: 1780–1800

Abstract

The accelerating influx of ornithological data after Brisson and Buffon’s time was bound to have a profound impact on the nature of ornithology, although the manifestation of this influence was gradual and therefore undramatic. Natural history collections until roughly the turn of the century retained, for the most part their amateur curiosity cabinet status, and one finds in the ornithological literature a reflection of the patterns established by Brisson and Buffon. Brisson, as was described in chapter two, directed his attention to classification based on external morphological features, whereas Buffon attempted a broader natural history of birds. In a sense they epitomize two traditions in zoology; that of the taxonomist and that of the naturalist. This is not to suggest that zoologists necessarily have followed one approach exclusively; they have most often participated in both traditions, in differing degrees, or in others as well. In the ornithology of the late eighteenth century, the direction given by Brisson and Buffon is particularly evident for most of the literature consists of new editions, popularizations, attempts at updating or detailed investigations of a more narrow focus that supplemented Brisson or Buffon’s ornithology.