222 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



the woods in the vicinity along with him, and had promised to 

 procure for him some birds, of which I had drawings in my 

 collection, but which he had never seen. 



It happened that he lodged in the same house with us, 

 but his retired habits, I thought, exhibited either a strong 

 feeling of discontent, or a decided melancholy. The Scotch 

 airs which he played sweetly on his flute made me melan- 

 choly too, and I felt for him. I presented him to my 

 wife and friends, and seeing that he was all enthusiasm, 

 exerted myself as much as was in my power, to procure 

 for him the specimens which he wanted. We hunted to- 

 gether, and obtained birds which he had never before seen ; 

 but, reader, I did not subscribe to his work, for, even at that 

 time, my collection was greater than his. Thinking that per- 

 haps he might be pleased to publish the results of my researches, 

 I offered them to him, merely on condition that what I had 

 drawn, or might afterwards draw and send to him, should be 

 mentioned in his work, as coming from my pencil. I at the same 

 time offered to open a correspondence with him, which I thought 

 might prove beneficial to us both. He made no reply to either 

 proposal, and before many days had elapsed left Louisville, on 

 his way to New Orleans, little knowing how much his talents 

 were appreciated in our little town, at least by myself and my 

 friends. 



Some time elapsed, during which I never heard of him, or of 

 his work. At length, having occasion to go to Philadelphia, 

 I, immediately after my arrival there, inquired for him and 

 paid him a visit. He was then drawing a White-headed Eagle. 

 He received me with civility, and took me to the Exhibition 

 Rooms of Rembrandt Peale, the artist, who had then portrayed 

 Napoleon crossing the Alps. Mr. Wilson spoke not of birds 

 or drawings. Feeling, as I was forced to do, that my com- 

 pany was not agreeable, I parted from him; and after that 

 I never saw him again. But judge of my astonishment some 

 time after, when on reading the thirty-ninth page of the ninth 

 volume of American Ornithology, I found in it the following 

 paragraph : — 



