278 Retrospective Criticism. 



the carrion down to its source. Hence I infer that vultures 

 can find their food through the medium of their olfactory- 

 nerves : and, this being the case, I am of opinion that there 

 ought to be no great mystery attached to the act of the 

 vulture's finding putrid bodies, when those bodies are out of 

 sight, either on account of distance, or of interfering objects. 

 When the American philosophers shall have proved to 

 me, that effluvium from putrid substances does not ascend in 

 the air, and that the organisation of the vulture's nose is im- 

 perfect, then I will consider myself vanquished ; " efficaci do 

 manus scientiae." After those gentlemen shall have accom- 

 plished this, should their vultures pine in famine, by con- 

 tinuing to mistake canvass for carcass, why, rot 'em, they 

 may die, for aught I care to the contrary. — Charles Waterton, 

 Walton Hall, March 6. 1834-. 



AuduhorHs Claim to the Authorship of the Biography of 

 Birds, [p. 171.] — I feel myself imperatively called upon by 

 the statement which the Rev. Mr. Bachman has given us of 

 " the purity, vigour, and originality " of Audubon's style of 

 writing the English language, to bring into one view the 

 contradictory testimonies of many pens. Young Audubon 

 tells us [in VI. 369.] that he has " the authority of a gentle- 

 man," whom we cannot mistake, I mean Mr. Swainson, to state 

 that it is " his firm conviction " that Audubon is the " bond 

 fde author " of the Biography. Swainson himself dc'clares 

 [p. 550.] that he has " read Mr. Audubon's original manu- 

 scripts," and that " the English " is as good as the English 

 of the Wanderings. Audubon himself informs us that a 

 friend aided him " in smoothing down the asperities of his 

 ornithological biographies." The Rev. Mr. Bachman does 

 not " hesitate to state that Audubon is the author of the 

 book." R. B., after telling us that Audubon, at the age of 

 seventeen, " could not speak the English language," remarks 

 that " it cannot, therefore, be the least disparagement to 

 Mr. Audubon, if, when he had a valuable work to publish 

 in English, he should wish to receive the assistance and 

 correction of a native." He adds that " Mrs. Audubon 

 is well qualified to correct her husband's manuscripts." I 

 know that Audubon was engaged, before his marriage, to 

 teach French in St. Francisville ; and, for a small consider- 

 ation, he undertook to teach the elements of drawing in 

 Philadelphia. Audubon states, in his introductory address, 

 that, " for a period of nearly twenty years, his life was a 

 succession of vicissitudes," and that he " tried various 

 branches of commerce, but they all proved itnprofitable." 

 Professor Jameson informs us that Mr. Audubon " devoted 



