theoOlocjjst. 



175s 



SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER 

 WILSON. 



Wilson and Bartram the Naturalist 



G. VuooMAN Smith. 



III. % 



John Bartram, whose career ended in 

 1777, and wlio estal)lished the Ihst bot- 

 anic garden in America, was pronounc- 

 ed by Linnixius to be "the greatest 

 self taught botanist in the world." 

 William, his son inherited the father's 

 vast capal)i.ities and love for Botan3', 

 and became at his death properietor of 

 the Botanical Gardens at Gray's Ferry 

 on the Schuylkill. He, like his father 

 did notconilne his studies exclusively to 

 Botany, but his tastes were directed a- 

 long the entire line of natural history. 

 Before Wilson conceived the plan for 

 his American Ornithology, Bartram 

 was without doubt better acquainted 

 with the birds of tins country tlian any 

 other person living. In fact he hail 

 published the most comprehensive list 

 of American birds ever written. 



Wilson's School was ia close pi*ox- 

 imity to the Botanical Gardens of Bar- 

 tram. The benign, congenial disposi- 

 tion of the owner early led Wilson to 

 become afreijuent visitor at the garden, 

 and lie contracted an attectionate, cn- 

 iluring intimacy with the vene'able 

 naturalist. The two friends conversed 

 and argued about topics relating to na- 

 ture, and gradually Wilson became 

 drawn into its fascinating meshes. He 

 often accompanied thr? Botanist on bot- 

 anizing exi)editions in the vicinity, and 

 became ac(iuainted with the natural ol)- 

 jects of tiiat section and enjoyed hearing 

 ihem explained by a master of the 

 science. Always a worshipper of the 

 beauties of nature, his it) born tastes were 

 kindly fostered in the society and by 

 the instruction of his newly made 

 acquaintance. 



Confined to the close air and weary,, 

 iiionotonous routine of a village school 

 his uerves and active spiiits were be- 

 ginning to lose their power. He was- 

 often given over to melancholy, depres- 

 sion and deponde -cy; for his mind wa.s- 

 constantly working and brooding over- 

 dim and indefinite plans and systems 

 for the future; and this tendency 

 was greatly increased by his devotion 

 to poetry and the tlute, in whit'h he 

 spent most of his leieure time. His 

 health was rapidly becoming impaiicd 

 by severe mental exertion arid sru'ljl'ig 

 late at night by a dim c,i idle lig'it 



Mr. Bartram's library contained but 

 few works on the subject of Natural 

 Histoi-y. The writings of P2dwar<ls and 

 Catesby were sulKcient to give iiim .in 

 i<lea of science, and to direct him iu 

 making observations for himself. 



One of his first acquisitions in the 

 science was to discover th ; imperfiic- 

 • tions of i)ooks on the subject of the 

 birds of this country by an actual com- 

 parison with the living oi)jects them- 

 selves. While Mr. Bartram possessed 

 invaluable taste and judgement to assist 

 and advise him in his new pursuit; yet 

 his ideas concerning the torpidity of 

 swallows and the night hawk and whip- 

 poor-will beingone and Ihesamespecies, 

 were wholly in accord with the prevail- 

 ing opinion of the time. To Wilson, the 

 opinion that swallows, the gay hnrbin- 

 gers of Spring shr)uld at the approach 

 of cold weather take up their abode at 

 the bottom of mill-])onds and rivers with 

 the turtles and fiogs, seemed like ati 

 enornjous absurdity. Though B.irtrani 

 shared the ])opular o|)iniou, as Linn;eus 

 did, anil even as Aristotle in remote 

 times believed in the submersion of 

 swallows, Wilson was deterniineil to 

 prove, if possible thc^ contrary to him- 

 self and li> the world by actual impartial 

 ol)servation. He evamined mill-ponds 

 when they weredrained in the Autmnn;. 

 saw a multitude of trees cut down in 

 which chimney swifts had nested for- 



