48 IN THE DAYS OF AUDUBON 



comfited naturalist. A thunder-storm with a deluge of 

 rain completed our experience of the cane-brake, and my 

 friend begged to be taken out. This could only be accom- 

 plished by crawling in a serpentine manner out of the 

 jungle, from which the naturalist was delighted to escape, 

 perfectly overcome with fatigue and fear. The eccentric 

 was more than gratified with the exploit, and soon after 

 left my abode without explanation or farewell. A letter 

 of thanks, however, showed that he had enjoyed the hos- 

 pitality, and was not wanting in gratitude." 



This singular man who had trained his eye to see what 

 was new in the botanical world was Constantine Samuel 

 Rafinesque. He was born in Constantinople in 1783. 

 Though born a Greek, he was brought up in Marseilles. 

 He read books of travel and began to study plants, and 

 at the age of eleven he made a herbarium. He resolved 

 to become a merchant, as that would enable him to travel 

 and to see plants by the way. He came to America 

 at the time of the French Revolution, and saw what a 

 pioneer botanist could do for the new and wonderful 

 country. He developed a passion to make American medi- 

 cal plants known to the world. In his wanderings among 

 the Indians he became persuaded that the American Indians 

 were descendants of the lost Israelitish tribes, who crossed 

 Siberia to the New World, possibly by Bering Strait. He 

 became the author of " Medical Flora of the United 

 States." He died in poverty at Philadelphia in 1840, but 



