138 



Alexander' JVilsoji. 



to make it known to his friend, but at 

 length the venerable Bartram was con- 

 sulted, and to Wilson's delight and en- 

 couragement he not only entered warmly 

 into the plan as tending to advance the 

 study of natural history, but he freely ex- 

 pressed his confidence in Wilson's abilities 

 and acquirements. 



The scheme was now unfolded to Law- 

 son, the engraver, with whom Wilson was 

 on terms of intimacy, and met his appro- 

 bation, but his calculations were a terrible 

 damper on Wilspn's sanguine anticipations, 

 so much so, that there was a temporary 

 coolness between them, but a little later 

 Wilson wrote to him saying that he was bent 

 on making a collection of all the birds in 

 that part of North America, and begging 

 him not to throw cold water on the seem- 

 ingly Quixotic scheme. " I have," he 

 wrote, "been so long accustomed to the 

 building of airy castles, and brain wind- 

 mills, that it has become one of my earthly 

 comforts — a sort of rough bone — that 

 amuses me when sated with the dull 

 drudgery of life." 



No plans were immediately matured as 

 the result of this correspondence, but Wil- 

 son found heartof grace and began making 

 a collection of birds in his neighborhood, 

 and improving his talents as a draughts- 

 man. His own sanguine temperament 

 could not entertain the possibility of fail- 

 ure, but Mr. Lawson forced his attention to 

 the many practical difificulties, and Wilson 

 saw the expediency of going slowly, and 

 making such progress as he could in his 

 leisure, while still holding on to his school 

 appointment as a means of subsistence. 



This brings us down to 1804, at which 

 period Wilson was so much immersed in 

 his new pursuits that the schoolboys sought 

 to win their way to his good graces by pres- 

 ents of dead crows, bullfrogs, and other 

 similarly rare creatures. Writing to Mr. 

 Bartram under date of March 31, 1S04, he 

 observes: 



" I sometimes smile to think that while 

 others are immersed in deep schemes of 

 speculation and aggrandizement, in build- 

 ing towns and purchasing plantations, I 

 am entranced in contemplation over the 

 plumage of a lark, or gazing like a des- 

 pairing lover on the lineaments of an owl. 

 While others are hoarding up their bags of 

 money without the power of enjoying it, I 

 am collecting, without injuring my con- 

 science or wounding my peace of mind, 

 those beautiful specimens of Nature's 

 works that are forever pleasing. I have 

 had live crows, hawks and owls; oppos- 

 sums, squirrels, snakes, lizards, etc., so that 

 my room has sometimes reminded me of 

 Noah's ark; but Noah had a wife in one 

 corner of it, and in this particular our par- 

 allel does not altogether tally. I receive 

 every subject of natural history which is 

 brought to me, and although they do not 

 march into my ark from all quarters, as 

 they did into that of our great ancestor, 

 yet I find means by the distribution of a 

 few five-penny bits to make them find the 

 way fast enough. One of my boys caught 

 a mouse in school a few days ago, and di- 

 rectly marched up to me with his prisoner. 

 I set about drawing it that same evening, 

 and all the while the panting of its little 

 heart showed it to be in the most extreme 

 agonies of fear. I had intended to kill it 

 in order to fix it in the claws of a stuffed 

 owl; but happening to spill a few drops of 

 water near where it was tied, it lapped it 

 up with such eagerness, and looked in my 

 eye with such a face of supplicating terror 

 as perfectly overcame me. I immediately 

 untied it, and restored it to life and liberty. 

 The agonies of a prisoner at the stake, 

 while the fire and instruments of torture 

 are preparing, could not be more severe 

 than the sufferings of that poor mouse, 

 and, insignificant as the object was, I felt 

 at that moment the sweet sensations that 

 mercy leaves when she triumphs over 

 crueltv." 



