Hill Collection 18th c. French authors In France two exceedingly
influential ornithologists of the 18th century were Mathurin
Jacques Brisson [1723-1806] and Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
[1707-1788]. While the two men differed greatly in their views
and approach, both aimed to systematize and relate their
findings to the larger laws of nature and to raise basic
questions concerning the natural order of the universe.
Comprehensive information, derived by using empirical methods
and presented by means of extensive descriptions and accurate
illustrations, was their goal. Both men sought to lay a
foundation for a more scientific approach to ornithology. A copy
of Brisson's six-volume Ornithologie, issued in 1760, appears in
the Hill Collection. Buffon's Histoire naturelle des oiseaux
(1770-1785) formed volumes 16 to 24 of his Histoire naturelle
générale et particulière (1749-1804). Several editions of that
44-volume work are available in the History of Science
Collections, including the nine volumes on birds.