108 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



but, as to species, I want not, nor do I ever ask, the opinions 

 of any one. that is quite a different matter, and entertaining 

 peculiar ideas on that subject, you must not feel surprised at 

 my differing from you in almost every instance. My reasons 

 will always be laid before the public. In the present case, we 

 totally differ about species of Woodpeckers. I shall not, how- 

 ever propitiate a favourable opinion from you, or any one, by 

 a compliment and therefore I will wait for some species which 

 you yourself will admit, which I shall then give your name to, 

 I am rather glad you did not accept my offer, for I am now 

 assisting in bringing out an Octavo edition of Wilson, by Sir 

 W Jardine which will be arranged according to my nomencla- 

 ture. 



Yours my dr Sir 



Very faithy 



W Swainson 



The letter just quoted naturally served as a check 

 to their intimacy, but Audubon did not withdraw his 

 friendly hand, as shown by his letters to follow later, 

 though his answer to this has not been preserved. 14 



Audubon reached Edinburgh early in October, soon 

 after receiving Swainson's decisive reply, and immedi- 

 ately made an arrangement with MacGillivray, as al- 

 ready related. 15 It is evident from Swainson's letter 

 that when Audubon called upon him for editorial aid, 



14 But three other letters of Audubon to Swainson, after this date, are 

 noted by Albert Gunther (Bibl. No. 204) in the Proceedings of the Linnaan 

 Society, 112th session (1900): one of "6 June, 1831," announces Audubon's 

 prospective return to America in August of that year; another, dated 

 "6 Dec. 1837," asks for the loan of some bird skins; and the last of 

 "11 Jan. 1838," is reproduced in Chapter XXXII. Swainson is said to have 

 been negotiating at this time with Charles L. Bonaparte in reference 

 to a joint compilation for a work on the birds of the world; Bonaparte 

 estimated that there were then between 7,000 and 8,000 known species 

 to be characterized, but Swainson's terms were not satisfactory, and 

 nothing came of the project. To the above list should be added the 

 letter, evidently misdated, of "April 28 th. 1831," soon to follow. 



16 See Vol.* I, p. 438. 



