CASSINIA 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE DELAWARE VALLEY 

 ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB 



No. X. PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1906. 



William Bartram 



BY GEORGE SPENCER MORRIS 



The name of Bartram had been famihar to me from child- 

 hood. This familiarity I held in common with all properly 

 brought-up Philadelphians, and doubtless with a large majority 

 of naturalists throughout the English-speaking world. But 

 when I came to question myself for information regarding the 

 man, or men, who brought fame and honor to this name, I 

 found a distressing lack of knowledge. It came down to some- 

 thing like this : that John Bartram was a botanist who dwelt in 

 a most attractive house in the midst of a beautiful garden. 

 That his son William was a friend and patron of Alexander 

 Wilson, and hence it was safe to conclude that he was somewhat 

 of an ornithologist himself. 



With a desire to increase mj' knowledge of these two men, 

 and especially of William, the sultject of this sketch, I have 

 sought for information regarding them in such directions as lay 

 open to me. I now venture to present a brief synopsis of the 

 results of my research to the readers of Cassinia. 



In 1682 there came to Pennsylvania from Derbyshire, Eng- 

 land, a worthy Quaker named John Bartram. With his wife 



