312 Stone, Ornithological Works of J. J. Audubon. \'u\w 



Uuly 



Errors of Quotation. 



This seems to be the proper place to call attention to the following 

 corrections, which are written in pencil on the margins of the copy 

 of Volume V of the 'Ornithological Biography' in the Library of 

 the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, in the hand of 

 John K. Townsend and signed J. K. T. They refer to notes 

 furnished by him to Audubon and misplaced by the latter. 



Volume V, p. 22, paragraph on habits of Fringilla cinerea "be- 

 longs to Fringilla grammaca, V, p. 17." 



Page 204, Audubon says that Townsend procured a thrush which 

 "he considered as new," etc. Townsend says, "mistake, the spec- 

 imen was marked Turd us wilsoni." 



Page 236, under Fringilla townsendi, the quotation from Town- 

 send relative to its habits "belongs to Emberiza pallida, p. 66." 



Page 464, the quotations under Sylvia mitrata, Townsend says, 

 are "a mistake. The bird alluded to both by Mr. Nuttall and 

 myself is Sylvia Wilsoni." The real mistake is in the heading the 

 English portion of which is correct, i. e., Green Black-capped 

 Warbler; under this Audubon gives Sylvia mitrata instead of S. 

 wilsoni. A similar confusion is found on p. 623 where 'Eared 

 Grebe 'and 'Podiceps cornutus' are associated. 



Page 512, under Fringilla iliaca the statement that it occurs on 

 the Columbia river is a mistake, according to Townsend. 



Those interested in the charges of plagiarism raised by Audubon 

 against Wilson, 1 after the latter's death, should read Ord's refuta- 

 tion and counter charge (Proc. Amer. Philosoph. Society, Vol. I, p. 

 272) where it is stated that Audubon copied Wilson's figure of the 

 Mississippi Kite to complete his plate 117. 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 against 

 Wilson 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 state- 

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

 of his drawings are contradictory (rf. Ornith. Biog., I, p. 439 

 and V, p. 291). 



i Ornith Biog., V. p. 291. 



