Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 7 



Wilson opened his books, explained the nature of his occu- 

 pation, and requested Audubon's patronage. "With hopes 

 humble enough, asking only support equal to his merits, and 

 the laudability of his intentions, expecting no more ; and not 

 altogether certain of that." ^ Here were the first two volumes 

 of a work which the great Cuvier afterward pronounced 

 "equal in elegance to the most beautiful works of ornithology 

 published in the old world." Drawn by one "to whom the 

 art of bird painting had been acquired with fingers stiffened 

 by toil and manual labor," - and "perhaps no other work on 

 ornithology of equal extent is equally free from error, and its 

 truthfulness is illuminated by a spark of the fire divine. This 

 means immotalit,v." " Audubon continues : "I felt surprised 

 and gratified at the sight of his volumes, turned over a few of 

 the plates, and had already taken a pen to write my name in 

 his favor, when my partner, rather abruptly, said to me in 

 French, 'My dear Audubon, what induces you to subscribe 

 tO' this work? Your drawings are certainly far better, and 

 again, you must know as much of the habits of American 

 birds as this gentleman.' Whether Mr. Wilson understood 

 French or not, or if the suddeness with which I paused dis- 

 appointed him, I cannot tell ; but I clearly perceived he was 

 not pleased. Vanity and the encomiums of my friend pre- 

 vented me from subscribing." Audubon's frankness has ever 

 been his most winning weapon, yet after cheerfully shifting 

 part of the blame tO' the vanity of youth and the remainder 

 to his hard-headed friend Rosier, he destroys the whole effect 

 in the following words : "'^■' * * but, dear reader, I did not sub- 

 scribe to his work, for, even at that time, my collection was 

 greater than his." Eleven years later he vainly endeavored to 

 obtain sight of this work in New Orleans, and the cruel irony 

 of fortune, still later while in Europe he wrote in his journal : 

 "How often I thought during these visits, of Alexander 

 Wilson, when traveling as I am now, to- procure subscribers, 

 he, as well as myself, was received with rude coldness and 



^ Wilson's Introduction, American Ornithology. 

 - Bre\yer's Reminiscences of Audubon. 

 " Cones' Key. 



