ALEXANDER WILSON 67 



"In his person he was of a middle stature, of a thin habit 

 of body; his cheek bones projected, and his eyes, though hollow, 

 displayed considerable vivacity and intelligence; his complexion 

 was sallow, his mein thoughtful; his features were coarse, and 

 there was a dash of vulgarity in his physiognomy, which struck 

 the observer at the first view, but which failed to impress one 

 on acquaintance. His walk was quick when travelling, so much 

 so that it was difficult for a companion to keep pace with him; 

 but when in the forests, in pursuit of birds, he was deliberate 

 and attentive he was, as it were, all eyes and all ears. Such 

 was Alexander Wilson." 



So far as we can learn no one differed from the above estimate 

 of the man except Audubon who charges him with failure to 

 acknowledge information that he gave him and with publishing 

 a copy of one of his drawings without credit. These claims were 

 not made until after Wilson was dead and are so at variance with 

 his character as depicted by others that they would seem scarcely 

 worthy of notice were it not that so much has been made of them 

 both by Audubon and his biographers. Audubon at several 

 points in his ornithological writings makes sarcastic remarks 

 about Wilson, and there is every reason to believe that he was 

 much embittered at his failure to secure a publisher for his work 

 in Philadelphia and New York owing to the field being filled by 

 that of Wilson. His relations with Ord and other of Wilson's 

 supporters, moreover, were not friendly, and these facts doubtless 

 had much to do with his attacks. The meeting between the two 

 ornithologists took place at Louisville in March, 1810, when Wilson 

 was seeking birds and subscribers on his western tour. They were 

 quite unknown to each other even by name or reputation. Audu- 

 bon at the time was only thirty years of age and had no reputation 

 except among his immediate friends. He had made a number of 

 drawings of birds, but had no thought of publishing them. He 

 accompanied Wilson upon a day's hunting during his stay in 

 Louisville as Wilson himself states, but the latter doubtless never 

 thought of crediting Audubon with such observations as they may 

 have made, when in each other's company. As to the drawings, 

 all that Wilson made on this part of his trip were lost, and there is 



