Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 69 



been successfully controverted ; while Lawson, the foremost 

 ornithological engraver of his time, and one accustomed to, 

 indeed m'ust of necessity, note the minutest details in the 

 various specinnens he used in conjunction with the drawings; 

 asserted that he had handled the skin. The combined testi- 

 mony of those four reputable men, all of tliem specialists, 

 accustomed to note the slightest difference in specimens, 

 Would scarcely warrant the slightest doubt of the existence 

 of a bird answering in the main to the description of Wilson 

 and Audubon. Audubon's iigure, however, as we have it, 

 is not frona the original drawing and perhaps not even from 

 a copy of it, for he inforniis us in his Ornithological Bio- 

 graphies that " The figure in the plate has been copied from 

 the drawing in the possession of my excellent friend and 

 patroness. Miss Evipemiia Clifford." This information has been 

 left out of the text of his later editions. We are not informed 

 of the existence of the original drawing, or whether it was 

 unfortunately destroyed by rats at Henderson with almost his 

 entire collection, and reproduced from memory alone. His 

 description, while to a certain extent supplementary to that 

 of Wilson, yet coincides in many respects to the details as set 

 forth by the latter, the conspicuous white ring surrounding 

 the eye being the chief disagreement ; and it is significant 

 that in his Synopsis, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey records 

 are accepted, and Wilson's measurements appropriated, with- 

 out question! 



Audubon claimed to have drawn his figure at Louisville, 

 and said " I consider this Flycatcher as among the scarcest 

 of those that visit our middle districts. * * * I have never seen 

 it out of Kentucky, and even there it is a very uncommon 

 bird. * * * I have more than once seen it attracted by an 

 imitation of these notes. * * * The sound is comparatively 

 weak, as is the case with the species above mentioned, it being 

 stronger, however, in the Green Blackcap than in this or the 

 Hooded species. Like these kinds, it follows its prey to some 

 distance at times, whilst at others, it searches keenly among 

 the leaves for its prey, but I believe never alights on the 

 ground, not even for the purpose of drinking, which act is 



