174 Retrospective Criticism^ 



the labours of Audubon are immense : suffice it to say, that 

 he has added upwards of one hundred species not figured by 

 Wilson. Some of these have been described in the valuable 

 continuation of Wilson's work by Bonaparte. Still, with 

 these deductions, there will be an immense number of new 

 birds published in the work of Audubon, for a knowledge of 

 which the public will be solely indebted to his zeal, industry, 

 and experience. Amongst other interesting discoveries made 

 by him may be noticed a new heron, and an eagle, the largest 

 in the United States ; two species of pigeon, a humming- 

 bird, and a considerable number of the genera of the Musci- 

 capa, Troglodytes, Sylvia, and jPringilla, 



His services alone, in correcting the errors into which his 

 predecessors had fallen, from the want of opportunities such 

 as he has enjoyed, are invaluable, and will be duly appre- 

 ciated by the lovers of natural history. It may be interesting 

 to your readers to notice a few of these. In his recent visit 

 to Labrador, to which inhospitable region he was led solely 

 by his ardent zeal for the advancement of science, he has 

 ascertained that the iarus marinus and the Zarus argenta- 

 tmdes are the same bird in different stages of plumage. In 

 the iarus minutus and L, capistratus, a similar mistake had 

 occurred. The ^'rdea Peale/ of Bonaparte proves to be the 

 young of the ^'rdea rufescens, as ascertained by Audubon in 

 the highly interesting ornithological region of Florida; the 

 figure of Wilson of the Rallus crepitans, given as the adult 

 bird, proves to be that of a new species found in the fresh- 

 water marshes of our southern country, and the Falco iagopus 

 is only the immature bird of the Sancti Johannis. 



In addition to this, the visits of Audubon to the breeding- 

 places of many other of our rare birds, in the extreme north 

 and south of our country, have enabled him to investigate 

 their habits more fully, and to describe them more correctly, 

 than had ever been done before. 



If the enquiry be made, what prospect there will be of the 

 continuation of this work, in case the author should not live 

 to complete it, I am happy to say that its publication is secured 

 beyond the fear of accidents. The drawings of the birds 

 for the whole work are nearly completed ; the materials for 

 their history are collected and recorded ; and there exists 

 sufficient acquirement in the members of his interesting and 

 talented family to carry on the work. 



Let the literary world but award to Audubon the justice 

 which he merits ; let the public continue to be indulgent and 

 hberal, and this work cannot fail to prove a very important 

 acquisition to the natural history of America, nor to reflect the 



