314 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



and scientific and moral utility. The "American Ornithology," by 

 the enterprising and ingenious Wilson, has not only immortalized its- 

 author, but has greatly increased the stock of useful pleasures, by 

 forcibly directing our attention to a generally supposed unimportant 

 source of gratification ; and claims our regard for rescuing a beauti- 

 ful portion of animated nature from the rude hands of those to whom 

 it had been unfortunately committed. 



Anterior to the appearance of the above mentioned magnificent 

 work, several nomenclatures of American birds had been published 

 by writers of America. "But these," says Mr. Wilson, "from the 

 nature of the publications in which they have been introduced, can 

 be considered only catalogues of names, without the detail of spe- 

 cific particulars, or the figured and coloured representations of the 

 birds themselves." It was the intention of Mr. Wilson to furnish a 

 description and coloured representation of every species of our na- 

 tive birds, from the shores of the St. Lawrence to the mouths of the 

 Mississippi, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the interior of Louisiana. 

 A task to which the inflexible mind of that remarkable individual 

 was fully competent. In the prosecution of his plan he had made 

 great progress, having published and prepared, an account of two 

 hundred and sixty- five species, fifty-four of which were nondescripts, 

 when the Almighty disposer of events saw fit to close his useful 

 labours by death.* May his noble example stimulate some zealous 

 naturalist to complete the design of our ornithologist : a task by no 

 means easy of execution, but if accomplished with the like success, 

 will be attended with honour and fame commensurate to the hazard 

 and difficulty of the undertaking. And may we not hope soon to be- 

 hold labourers in the other departments of natural history, equally 

 successful in defending the native productions of our country from 

 the attacks of prejudiced foreigners, who have made a merit of de- 

 priciating what in truth they do not understand ! 



"The Ornithology of the United States," says Mr. Wilson, "ex- 

 hibits a rare display of the most splendid colours, from the green, 

 silky, gold-bespangled down of the minute Humming-bird, scarce 

 three inches in extent, to the black coppery wings of the gloomy 

 Condor of sixteen feet, who sometimes visits our northern regions ; 

 a numerous and powerful band of songsters, that for sweetness, va- 

 riety and melody, are surpassed by no country on earth ; an ever- 

 changing scene of migration, from torrid to temperate, and front 

 northern to southern regions, in quest of suitable seasons, food anil 

 climate; and such an amazing diversity in habit, economy, form, dis- 

 position and faculty, so uniformly hereditary in each species, and 

 so completely adequate to their peculiar wants and convenience, as 

 to overwhelm us with astonishment at the power, wisdom and bene- 

 ficence of the Creator. 



"In proportion as we become acquainted with these particulars, 

 our visits to, and residence in, the country, become more and more 

 agreeable. Formerly, on such occasions, we found ourselves in so- 

 litude, or, with respect to the feathered tribes, as it were in a strange 

 land, where the manners, langauge, and faces of all were either to- 

 tally overlooked, or utterly unknown to us : now, we find ourselves 



*He left drawings of thirteen species more. These were given to the public 

 in a supplementary volume. The whole work consists of nine volumes, im- 

 perial quarto. 



