A General History of Quadrupeds: The Figures Engraved on Wood

A few examples bear mentioning: the hindquarters of the "Lancashire Ox" (35) are depicted at far too steep an angle; the proportions of the giraffe's neck are less than precise ("The Cameleopard" [118]); the head on "The Sloth" (496) resembles a copy of a Renaissance drawing; and "The Orang-Outang" displays a distinctly humanized posture, reflecting the fact that "The Wild Man of the Woods" (452) was still being used as a synonymous expression for the animal in certain natural history books. Furthermore, the preface reveals a major epistemological weakness of the work, which takes a distinctly providentialist stance and therefore falls short of the exacting scientific standards that underpinned late eighteenthcentury natural history: ". . . leads us to contemplate the wisdom and goodness of the adorable Author of Nature, who 'openeth His hand, and all things are filled with good'" (IV).