TIMOTHY TICKLER. 7 



last deprived him of this luxury, they could not make him 

 effeminate. He had reached his ninety-fourth year before 

 he had ever breakfasted in bed, and the first day on which 

 he did it was his last of life. This kind, methodical, and 

 sprightly uncle was a favourite with his nephews, and 

 went far to supply a father's place ; nor was any one of 

 them a more welcome visitant at 20 George Square than 

 the youngest of the Queen Street band ; for alike in his 

 graver and his gayer moods, the delicate sympathy and 

 merry enchantments of his congenial kinsman gladdened 

 the heart of the dear old man. 



We have now told who was the father of the subject of 

 this memoir, who were his mother and his uncle, and in 

 the progress of the narrative we hope to shew who he 

 was himself ; but in all the dictionary of biographical 

 synonyms there is no other instance where it is so need- 

 ful to premise who he was not. Knowing him to be a 

 naturalist, many of our friends confound him with another 

 Wilson, whose admirable and original researches amongst 

 the feathered natives of the United States, followed out 

 by Prince Lucien Bonaparte, are still a standard work on 

 American ornithology ;. but although a poet and an orni- 

 thologist, and withal a native of Paisley, our Mr Wilson 

 never was a weaver, nor was he ever in the United States, 

 and his Christian name was not Alexander. Nor can he 

 even claim all the honours winch the catalogues have 



