10 



THE OSPEEY. 



audubonii), the typical Hairy Woodpecker (Dryo- 

 bates villosus) and the Downy Woodpecker (Dryo- 

 bates pubescens) for comparison and the descrip- 

 tion of Swainson, aswell as that of Audubon, 

 is applicable to the first. In other words the 

 two authors have independently (?) given the 

 same name to the same species, and that name 

 in no wise suggested by any characteristic of 

 the bird! It is a strange coincidence and it is 

 almost equally strange if Trudeau's attention 

 had not been called to the previous use of the 

 name lie adopted. The previous use would have 

 effectually precluded its subsequent use for 

 another species, as Audubon and Trudeau should 

 have known. 



This treatment of the Woodpecker throws 

 light on the paragraph in Swainson's letter 

 respecting difference "about species of wood- 

 peckers.'* We may infer that Swainson had 

 shown the Woodpecker in question to Audubon 

 and proposed to name it after him and that 

 Audubon suggested that it was the young of the 

 Downy Woodpecker. But Swainson did not 

 ••wait for some species" which Audubon would 

 "admit" and never named another after "out- 

 friend," as he promised to do. 



The species dedicated to Swainson was not a 

 conditional one but so distinct that recent 

 American ornithologists consider it to be the 

 type (and only representative) of a distinct 

 genus Helinaia of Audubon. Audubon com- 

 memorates Swainson tints:""' "To none of my 

 ornithological friends could I assuredly with 

 more propriety have dedicated this species than 

 to him. the excellent and learned, whose name 

 you have seen connected with it — to him, who 

 has himself traversed large portions of Amer- 

 ica,! who has added so considerably to the list 

 of known species of birds, and who has enrich- 

 ed the science of ornithology by so many valu- 

 able works. Surely you will allow that on none 

 else could I with more propriety have bestowed 

 it." 



WORK IX CONNECTION WITH THE BIRDS OF THE 

 FAUNA BOREALI AMERICANA. 



In the first half of 1x2s Swainson entered into 

 an arrangement with Dr. John Richardson to 

 co-operate with him in the preparation of the 

 volume on Birds of the Fauna Boreali-Ameri- 

 cana Richardson had accompanied the cele- 

 brated Sir John Franklin in his first two expe- 

 ditions into the "fur countries." The first ex- 

 pedition "was formed in the several springs of 

 1820. 21 and 22, on the Saskatchewan at Fort 

 Enterprise and on Great Slave Lake respect ively; 

 and in the autumn of 1822. at York Factory (lat. 

 57°), Hudson's Bay." The second expedition 

 was made in 1826 and 1827. < in this expedition, 

 in 1826 "birds were collected at Fort Franklin, 

 on Great Bear Lake," and in 1827 "at Carlton 

 and Cumberland House on the Banks of the 

 Saskatchewan." Bird collecting was, of course 

 a mere incident of these expeditions. "As the 

 entire summer of each year was spent in travel- 

 ling," the expeditionaires did not reach winter 

 quartets "until after almost all the migratory 



birds had retired to the southward. Nothing 

 could, therefore, be done beyond securing ex- 

 amples of the few resident birds, until the fol- 

 lowing spring, when the interval of a month or 

 six weeks, which occurred between the first 

 melting of the snow and the commencment of 

 the summer journey, was devoted almost exclu- 

 sively to collecting- birds." All the specimens 

 were prepared by Dr. Richardson and Mr. Drum- 

 nioiid. his assistant. 



The collections made on the second expedi- 

 tions were supplemented by others and thus the 

 material was secured for the preparation of 

 "The Birds" of the Fauna Boreali-Americana. 

 That work "contains two hundred and forty 

 species, and about twenty-seven in addition are 

 described by Pennant and Vigors of inhabitants 

 of the northwest coast, making in all two hun- 

 dred and sixty-seven." 



The work was divided between Rlchardons 

 and Swainson. Richardson himself prepared 

 the descriptions of species and the discussion of 

 their geographical distribution and did his part 

 well. He deferred to Swainson in matters of 

 nomenclature and classification. Swainson 

 gave the outlines of his classification, and sup- 

 plied "Intoductory Observations on the Natural 

 System" (p. lxi-lvi) as well as the "preface" 

 (p. lvii-lviii). He also added comments on the 

 families and on many of the species. His most 

 important contribution, however, was the illus- 

 tration of the work. lie furnished 50 colored 

 plates (Nos. 24-73 of the whole work) and 41 

 wood cuts representing "parts" of external 

 struct ure. 



Swains. in informs us that this work "occu- 

 pied no inconsiderable portion of two years; 

 while impaired health and the necessity of pro- 

 secuting literary engagements previously made, 

 have all contributed to retard the publication." 

 His "Introductory Observations'' were dated 

 July. 1831. 



Swainson accepted from the British Govern- 

 ment through Richardson fitting recompense 

 for his artistic contributions. It appears that 

 he not only made the drawings, but engaged "in 

 engraving the plates of the work, the only por- 

 tion of such works", says Vigors (Zool. Mag. 

 v. 203), "on which there is ever a question re- 

 garding recompense," Vigors thought "he was 

 amply paid for the employment," but gave no 

 data on the subject. .Swainson objected to the 

 statement of Vigors (Mag. iv, 334) that he was 

 "employed" by Richardson and obtained from 

 the later a testimonial that he had "voluntarily 

 and at a great personal sacrifice of time, and a 

 considerable one of expense, contributed a large 

 and most material part of the letter press to 

 that work" without receiving "any pecuniary 

 reward forthese exertions." (Zool. Mag. iv.4s4). 



Swainson was enabled to increase his collec- 

 tion from the specimens that came under his 

 eye-.. Richardson reported that "between 70 

 and so species had been presented to Mr. Swain- 

 son. by permission of the Right Honourable the 

 Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs." (F. B. 

 A., ii, vi.) 



*Orn, Biog., II, 564. 



tit should not from this be inferred that Swainson ever visited North America; he never did. 



