Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. 25 



Auduboii introduces Rafinesque as the &quot; Kccentric 

 Naturalist&quot;,* the humor of which has so appealed to 

 very many writers that they have been constrained to 

 reproduce the episode without much interest in the man 

 it most affects. Audubon nowhere gives the name of his 

 victim, but it is understood that the &quot;M. de T.&quot; is none 

 other than Rafinesque. The account runs as follows: 



&quot; What an odd-looking fellow! said I to myself, as, while walk 

 ing by the river, I observed a man landing from a boat, with what 

 I thought a bundle of dried clover on his back. How the boatmen 

 stare at him ! Surely he must be an original ! He ascended with 

 rapid step, and, approaching me, asked if I could point out the house 

 in which Mr. Audubon resided? Why, I am the man, said I, and 

 will gladly lead you to my dwelling. The traveller rubbed his 

 hands together with delight, and drawing a letter from his pocket 

 handed it to me without any remark. I broke the seal and read 

 as follows : My Dear Audubon I send you an odd fish, which you 

 may prove to be undescribed, and hope you will do so in your next 

 letter. Believe me always your friend, B. 



&quot; With all the simplicity of a woodsman, I asked the bearer 

 where the odd fish was; when M. de T. . . . smiled, rubbed his 

 eyes, and with the greatest good humor said, I am that odd fish, 

 I presume, Mr. Audubon. I felt confounded and blushed, but 

 contrived to stammer an apology. 



&quot;We soon reached the house, when I presented my learned 

 guest to my family, and was ordering a servant to go to the boat 

 for M. de T. s luggage, when he told me he had none but what he 

 brought on his back. He then loosened the pack of weeds which 



*Vide Ornithological Biography, Vol. I, pp. 455-460. 

 4 



