68 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



worked fairly well in respect to all these matters, for 

 if Audubon possessed faults, he was not lacking in mer- 

 its ; if he was assailed by a few bitter enemies, he was 

 supported by a host of judicious friends. 



As soon as Audubon became known in England, he 

 was importuned to contribute to the scientific maga- 

 zines, and in response to this demand wrote five articles, 

 which were published in Edinburgh and London in 1827. 

 Some of these papers, which dealt with the habits of the 

 Turkey Vulture, the Alligator, the Carrion Crow or 

 Black Vulture, the Wild Pigeon, and the Rattlesnake, 1 

 were roundly scored in the Philadelphia press, and Au- 

 dubon was called a romancer of the first order. Thomas 

 Sully, the artist, who was then living in that city and 

 who had taken a deep interest in the naturalist since their 

 meeting in 1824, wrote in November, 1827, and told him 

 what had occurred. Since Audubon's reply was practi- 

 cally the only answer which he ever made to attacks of 

 this sort, and since his friend was given permission to 

 make such use of it as he saw fit, we shall reproduce 

 this letter nearly entire. 2 In writing to his wife on the 

 same day Audubon said: "Now my Lucy, I am going 

 to answer Sully's letter; it is no difficult task, so far as 

 truth be connected with my answer, but as regards my 

 feelings it is perhaps the severest one I have had to 

 encounter for many years." 



Audubon to Thomas Svlly 



LIVERPOOL, Dec* 22, 1827. 

 My dear Mr. Sully : 



I received from your truly friendly letter of the 7 th. of 

 November the long wished for intelligence that you and your 



1 See Bibliography, Nos. 17-21. 



'For this privilege I am indebted to Miss Maria R. Audubon. 



