which he has bequeathed us, possesses a charm, which affects us the more, the better we become acquainted with the delightful original. His inquisitive habits procured him from others a vast heterogeneous mass of information, but he had the happy talent of selecting from this rubbish whatever was valuable. His perseverance was uncommon, and, when engaged in pursuit of a particular object, he would never relinquish it while there was a chance of success His powers of observation were very acute, and he seldom erred in judgement, when favoured with a fair opportunity of investigation."

"That the industry of Wilson was great, his work will for ever testify, and our astonishment is excited, that so much should have been performed in so short a time. When we take into consideration the state of our country, as it respects the cultivation of science, and that in the walk of Ornithology particularly, no one deserving the title of a naturalist had yet presumed to tread; when we view the labours of foreigners, who have interested themselves in our natural productions, and find how totally incompetent they were, through a deficiency of correct information to instruct; and then, when we reflect that a sin gle individual, without patron, fortune or recompence, has accomplished, in the short space of seven years, as much as the combined body of European naturalists have taken a century to achieve, we feel almost inclined to doubt the evidence of our senses. But it is a fact, which we feel a pride in asserting, that we have as faithful, as complete, and as interesting an account of our birds, in the estimable volumes of the American Ornithology, as the Europeans can at this moment, boast of possessing of theirs. Let those who doubt the correctness of our opinion examine for themselves, and determine according to the dictates of an unbiassed judgement.

"We need no other evidence of the unparalleled industry of our author than the fact, that of two hundred and seventy-eight species, which have been figured and described, fifty-six of these have not been noticed by any former naturalist, and several of the latter are so extremely rare, that the specimens from which the figures were taken, were the only ones he was enabled to obtain. The whole number of birds, figured in the work, is three hundred and twenty. The collection and discovery of these birds were the fruits of many months of unwearied research, amongst forests, swamps, and morasses, exposed to all the dangers, privations, and fatigues, incident to such an undertaking. What, but a remarkable passion for the pursuit, joined with the desire of fame, could have supported a solitary individual, in labours of body, compared to which, the bustling avocation of common life are mere holiday activity or recreation.

"Independently of that part of his work, which was Wilson's particular province, namely, the drawing of his subjects, and composing their histories, he was necessitated to employ much of his time in colouring the plates, his whole resource for support being in that employment, as

his duties as assistant editor of the Cyclopedia had ceased. This is a circumstance much to be regretted, as the work would have progressed more rapidly, if he could have avoided that confining drudgery. The principal difficulty in effect attending this work, and that which caused its author most uneasiness, was the colouring of the plates. If this could have been done solely by himself; or as he was obliged to seek assistance in this delicate process, if it could have been performed immediately under his own eye, he would have been relieved of much anxiety, and would have better maintained a due equanimity, his mind being daily ruffled by the negligence of his assistants, who, too often, through the deplorable want of skill and taste, made disgusting caricatures of what were intended to be modest imitations of simple nature. Hence much of his precious time was spent in the irksome employment of inspecting and correcting the imperfections of others. This waste of his stated periods of labour, he felt himself constrained to supply, by encroachments on those hours which Nature, tenacious of her rights, claims as her own; hours, which she consecrates to rest--which she will not forego without a struggle, and which all those, who would preserve unimpaired the vigour of their mind and body, must respect. Against this intense and destructive application, his friends did not fail to admonish him; but to their kind remonstrances he would reply, that "Life is short, and without exertion nothing can be performed." But the true cause of this extraordinary. toil was his poverty. By the terms of agreement with his publisher, he was to furnish at his own cost all the drawings and literary matter for the work, and to have the whole under his own controul and superintendence. The publisher obligated himself to find funds for the completion of the volumes. To support the heavy expenditure of prceuring materials. and other unavoidable expences, the only resource of our author, as has been stated, was in colouring the plates."

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"In the preface to the third volume he observes, " The publication "of an original work of this kind in our country has been attended "with great difficulties, and it must be confessed sometimes discourag"ing to the author, whose only reward hitherto, has been the favourable opinion of his fellow-citizers, and the pleasure of the pursuit. "Let but the generous hand of patriotism be stretched forth to assist "and cherish the rising arts, and the literature of our country, and "both will most assuredly, and that at no remote period, shoot forth, increase, and flourish with a vigour, a splendour, and usefulness, "inferior to no other on earth."

"We have here an affirmation that the author had laboured without reward, except what was confined to inefficient praise, and an eloquent appeal to the generosity and patriotism of his fellow citizens. Seven illustrious cities disputed the honour of having given birth to the prince of epic song. Philadelphia first beheld that phenomenon, the American Ornithology, rising amidst her boasted opulence, to vin

dicate the claims of a calumniated portion of creation, and to furnish her literary pride with a subject of exultation for ages to come; yet duty calls upon us to record a fact, which may cause our native city Philadelphia to feel the glow of shame, namely, that of her literati, her men of benevolence and riches, seventy only, to the period of the author's decease, had the liberality to countenance him by a subscription, of whom more than the half were tradesmen, artists, and those of the middle class of society; whilst the little city of New Orleans, in the short space of seventeen days, furnished sixty subscribers to the American Ornithology. "Wilson was possessed of the nicest sense of honour. In all his dealings, he was not only scrupulously just, but highly generous. His veneration for truth was exemplary, his disposition social and affectionate, and his benevolence was extensive. He was remarkably temperate in eating and drinking; his love of retirement preserving him from the contaminating influence of the convivial circle, and, unlike the majority of his countrymen, he abstained from the use of tobacco in every shape. But as no one is perfect, our departed friend partook of the weakness of humanity. He was of the genus irritabile, and was obstinate in opinion. It ever gave him pleasure to acknowledge error, when the conviction resulted from his own judgement alone, but he could not endure to be told of his mistakes. Hence his associates had to be sparing of their criticisms, through a fear of forfeiting his friendship. With almost all his friends he had occasionally, arising from a collision of opinion, some slight misunderstanding, which was soon passed over, leaving no disagreeable impression. But an act of disrespect or wilful injury he would seldom forget.

"Such was Alexander Wilson. When the writer of this humble biography indulges in retrospection, he again finds himself in the society of that amiable individual, whose life was a series of those virtues which dignify human nature; he attends him in his wild wood rambles, and listens to the charming observations to which the magnificence of creation was wont to give birth; he sits at his feet, and receives the instructions of one, in science so competent to teach; he beholds him in the social circle, and notes the complacency which his presence inspired in all around. But the transition from the past to the present, quickens that anguish with which his heart must be filled, who casts a melancholy look on those scenes, which a few weeks since, graced with the presence of one, united to him by a conformity of taste, disposition and pursuit, and who reflects that his beloved friend can revisit them no more."

"It was the intention of Wilson, on the completion of his Ornithology, to publish an edition in four volumes Octavo, the figures to be engraved on wood, somewhat after the manner of Bewick's British Birds, and coloured with all the care that has been bestowed on the original plates, If he had lived to effect such a scheme, the public would have been put in possession of a work of considerable elegance,

as respects typography and illustrations, wherein the subjects would have been arranged in systematical order, and the whole at a cost of not more than one seventh part of the quarto edition.

"He likewise contemplated a work on the quadrupeds of the United States, to be printed in the same splendid style of the Ornithology; the figures to be engraved with the highest finish, and by the best artists of our country. How much then has science lost in the death of this ingenious and indefatigable naturalist!"

In the Edinburgh Christian Instructor for June 1812, the first four volumes of the Ornithology were reviewed. This was during the author's lifetime, and I know that the number containing the review was sent to him; and therefore, before his death, he had an opportunity of knowing that his work was highly esteemed in his own country. The Reviewer thus gives a favourable opinion of the work.

"This very splendid production of the American press, the " American Ornithology," professes to be a description of the birds which are either natives of the United States, or known to take residence there.

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What is

Of these many are yet unknown to the Naturalist, and of others our knowledge is extremely limited. The author before us appears to be peculiarly well qualified for supplying an important desideratum in this respect. He evidently enters with enthusiasm into his subject, and seems to feel no small pleasure in the prosecution of it. perhaps better than this, he discovers a talent for observation and research, combined with elegance of taste and accuracy of discrimination. As he appears to be wedded to no system, and as the field in which he labours is new, it cannot be expected that he should have adopted any particular principle of classification. His great desire obviously is, to collect facts and observations, which is the legitimate sphere of the natural historian.-He is no closet naturalist, retailing what others have retailed before him, and copying indiscriminately their excellencies and their faults He examines for himself. Creation is the book of reference. To consult its dictates he spares no toil. He penetrates woods and wilds. He watches the feathered tribes with that minuteness and accuracy, which are necessary for gaining an acquaintance with their habits and modes of living. He paints from nature, and in all cases where it can be had, gives a decided preference to the living subject."

"Although the author adheres strictly to facts in his description of animals, it must not be supposed that he deals merely in dry narrative. On the contrary, his description is lively and interesting. He allows imagination to exert herself where she has a right to do so, in adorning the style with a few chaste embellishments. He does not follow the example of too many professed naturalists, in clothing their disquisitions in that dry and uninviting dress, which inevitably repels the approach of all, excepting those who are versant in the phraseology of the science. He uses as seldom as possible technical language. Anecdotes,

illustrative of the operations of instinct, in this very interesting department of zoology, are occasionally introduced. One pleasing quality in this author, by which he is distinguished from not a few of our celebrated writers on natural history, I would be unpardonable not te remark. He embraces frequeut opportunities of noticing the evidences of divine wisdom and goodness which the animal creation presents. Nor does he confine himself to those more general and obvious appearances, which may present themselves to a careless observer. He de scends to more minute cases, and brings forth instances of divine agency from facts, which even attentive enquirers have allowed to pass unnoticed."

The reviewer, after selecting for the perusal of his readers a few striking examples from the work, illustrative of the above remarks, concludes as follows, "The present work, it is calculated, will extend to ten volumes, of which four have already reached this country. It is our earnest wish and prayer, that the author may be spared not only to finish his present undertaking, but also to make other excursions into the kingdom of Nature."

The writer of a biographical essay prefixed to an edition of his poems, published in his native town in 1816, gives us the following character of Wilson's splendid work. "In speaking of the American Ornithology, it is quite out of the question to attempt giving any account of its contents. So much is made to meet the eye, that description, however excellent, falls infinitely short of the figured and coloured delineations. Natural History is a study, however curious and entertaining, and though it exhibits so many striking evidences of the wisdom and goodness of the Creator, yet at the outset, it is extremely repulsive, by the form in which it has been hitherto represented. It is entrenched with so many scientific terms, in dead or foreign languages, that to gain a thorough knowledge of these, requires a severe and laborious discipline. When subjected to experiment, the student must pass through so long a train of blood and slaughter, of torture and dissection, that the heart revolts at the threshold. Like an enchanted building, every thing without and within is mysterious and spell-bound-pronounce the words, the visionary fabric melts into air, and the symmetry and beauty of a palace appear. In the classification of birds for instance, it is necessary first to attend to a minute deseription of feet, toes, talons, and bills, while the object before us possesses many brilliant beauties that are sufficiently apparent without art or labour. Mr. Wilson, when he put down the birds in their orders and classes, and arranged them according to the artificial decrees of science, at the same time as far as his pencil and colours could imitate, presented them to the view, in the simple and beautifully insulated state, in which they are formed and left by the hand of Nature. It cannot have escaped the eye of taste and criticism, that with the most correct notions of delineation, he has chosen the most elegant and animated attitudes for representing