104 



THE OSPREY. 



William Swainson in 1840. 



WILLIAM SWAINSON AND HIS TIMES. 

 By Theodore Gii,i,, Washington, D. C. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



One of the most productive of ornithologists, 

 and one who has contributed nearly as many if 

 not more new generic names for the North 

 American Avifauna than any other, was William 

 Swainson. For this reason he becomes of special 

 interest to American ornithologists. Another 

 cause for interest is the strange philosophy 

 which he imagined and zealously propagated. 

 Still another, and that which will be to many 

 Americans the greatest cause of interest, is the 

 intimate intercourse which occurred between 

 him and Audubon and, to less extent, between 

 him and Rafinesque. So many delightfully 

 gossipy details have come to light within the 

 last few years of the intercourse of Audubon 

 and Swainson that the latter has become the 

 subject of renewed interest, and undoubtedly 

 some of those details will be welcomed on Swain- 

 son's account, and still more on account of 

 Audubon. 



Those details give such a picture of the man 

 and his surroundings as to vivify his life and 

 give us an idea of the times and conditions which 

 influenced him which nothing else could do in 

 equal degree. It is believed, therefore, that the}- 

 will be welcomed and appreciated b}' all ornitho- 

 logists. 



Swainson in his day enjoyed a high reputa- 

 tion as a learned and "philosophic" naturalist. 

 He was even designated as the "British Cuvier" 



and reg-arded as the "g-reatest zoologist" of 

 Britain. In a notice of his "Preliminary Dis- 

 course on the Study of Natural Historj-", pub- 

 lished in 1834, in the Magazine of Natural 

 History, (vol. 8, p. 238,) the Discourse is de- 

 clared to be "the most lucid, complete and mas- 

 terly introduction to natural history that has 

 hitliei'to been published in any language." 

 Further, it is declared, "the author was, before 

 the appearance of this volume, deservedly re- 

 garded as the greatest zoologist Britain has 

 produced; he may now fairly claim to be placed 

 on an equality with the most esteemed, of any 

 age or country."* 



It is evident, from numerous passages in his 

 works, that Swainson heartily endorsed this 

 opinion, but doubtless considered that the title 

 of "the British Cuvier" was somewhat deroga- 

 tory. At anj' rate, jealousy if not ill will 

 toward Cvxvier is frequently manifest in his 

 works. Cuvier is declared to have been "totally 

 unacquainted with the very first principles of 

 the natural system." As "the natural system" 

 of Swainson was based on the concept of a 

 magical number and a circle the statement is 

 perfectly correct, but the charge, instead of 

 involving discredit to Cuvier, involves praise; 

 Cuvier, indeed, frequently' exposed and ridiculed 

 arithmetical and so-called philosophical classi- 

 fications. 



Swainsonf claimed to have "characterized 

 more new groups unnamed among the^verte- 



*Magazine of Natural History, vol. 8, p. 238, 1835. 

 INatural History of Fishes, etc., II, 358. 



