Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 23 



furnished him both notes and specimens at a price mutually 

 agreeable. Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, of New York, favored 

 him with an excellent study of the Pinnated Grouse ; and John 

 L. Gardner, of Gardner's Island, considerable data on the Bald 

 Eagle, Osprey and Fish Crow. He was also indebted to Dr. 

 Nathan Potter, of Baltimore, for manuscript on the Cowbird; 

 and to Judge John Joseph Henry, of the Supreme Court of 

 Pennsylvania, for information relating to the Purple Martin. 

 From Charles Wilson Peale, the portrait painter, he received 

 much material in the way of specimens ; and he reciprocated 

 by depositing many of his types and rare specimens in Peak's 

 musuem, which, from a gallery of portraits of historical per- 

 sonages painted by the proprietor since 1784, had gradually 

 embraced : " Everything that walks, creeps, swims, or flies, 

 and all things else." The founder deserves more than passing 

 notice. In an Introduction to a Course of Lectures on Natural 

 History, delivered at the University of Pennsylvania, Novem- 

 ber 16, 1799, and published in 1800, he quaintly says: " Little 

 did I then know of the labour I was bringing" on these shoul- 

 ders, — though I was called mad, and cautioned to beware of 

 the gulph into which many others of greater merit had fallen, 

 — neglect and poverty. Yet so irresistibly bewitching is the 

 thirst of knowledge with science of nature that neither the 

 want of funds, nor leasure from other occupations, could damp 

 my ardour, though a thousand difficulties rose in succession." 

 Two volumes remained to be published when the master 

 laid down the pen, pencil and brush. No one promising the 

 ready versatility of the lamented Wilson, could be found. It 

 was fortunate, therefore, that little beyond editing the author's 

 notes for the final volume, was required. George Ord had 

 done good field work under the eye of Wilson during the last 

 few years, and to him as an almost sacred trust, fell the task 

 of completing the contract broken by the death of the author. 

 Volume VIII required the engraving of a single plate and the 

 writing of the preface, Volume IX the editing of, and in some 

 instances, the supplying the want of Wilson's notes. The 

 plates having already been engraved, Ord performed the part 

 under his control acceptably, apparently without thought of 



