14 The Wilson Bulletin — No. ()'3. 



Bacliman replied in a kindly manner to George Ord, who had 

 questioned some of the statements appearing in the first 

 volume of the Ornithological Biography/ and this is alluded 

 to by his devoted granddaughter,- who can discover no evi- 

 dence of vanity or selfishness in her illustrious ancestor ; yet 

 the subject matter under controversy became altogether 

 trivial in comparison to this later charge, which received no 

 notice whatever. Ord's companionship would have counted 

 for little indeed if he had not defended his departed friend 

 from imputation so vile. H'is defense of Wilson lacked 

 neither dignity nor evidence. Audubon's accusation had been 

 published in the body of a work which the author must have 

 foreseen would have a world-wide circulation and be con- 

 sulted for many generations. It has been copied in every 

 one of the later editions of his works, and reiterated in al- 

 most every one of his biographies, even to the present century. 

 Doubtless a thousand have read and accepted his estimate of 

 Wilson, to one who has as much as seen Ord's defense and 

 counter-charge. Moreover, Ord's attack was not at all cow- 

 ardly, his adversary was not beneath the sod, but quite 

 capable of being heard had he not chosen to silently pose as 

 unjustly persecuted. 



In reference to the Mississippi Kite, Stone has written the 

 following: "It must be admitted that a tracing of Wilson's 

 bird fits exactly over Audubon's figure, but the copyist left 

 out one of the bird's toes. The charge resolves itself solely 

 into a question of veracity between Audubon and Ord ; there 

 is no resemblance whatever between the two figures of the 

 Small-headed Flycatcher, while Audubon's statement about 

 Wilson's acceptance of his offer to let him copy some of his 

 drawings are contradictory." '• 



Audubon states that Wilson api)roache(l him while at his 

 table, drawing. "Some time elapsed, during which I never 

 heard of him, or of his work. At length, having occasion to 



' BiK-ks County (Peimsylvanin ) Intt>llij:eneer. June 10, .July 1 nnd 

 15, 1835. 



- Audubon and Ilis Journals, 1807, p. 5G. 



= Ai;k, Vol. XXIII, 1896, p. 312. 



