LIFE OF WILSON. H 



will afford you more pleasure than any of my productions has 

 ever done. The two nondescript birds* which I killed on the 

 Mohawk, attracted the notice of several naturalists about Phi- 

 ladelphia. On the fourth of March I set to work upon a large 

 sheet of fine drawing paper, and in ten days I finished two faith* 

 ful drawings of them, far superior to any that I had done before. 

 In the back ground I represented a view of the Falls of Nia- 

 gara, with the woods wrought in as finely as I possibly could 

 do. Mr. Lawson was highly pleased with it, and Mr. Bartram 

 was even more so. I then wrote a letter to that best of men, 

 Mr. Jefferson, which Mr. Bartram enclosed in one of his, (both 

 of which, at least copies of them, I shall show you when we 

 meet, ) and sent off the whole, carefully rolled up, by the mail, 

 on the 20th inst. to Monticello, in Virginia. The Jay I presented 

 to Mr. Peale, at his request; and it is now in the Museum. I 

 have done but few other drawings, being so intent on the poem. 

 I hope if you find any curious birds, you will attempt to pre- 

 serve them, or at least their skins; if a small bird be carefully 

 skinned, it can easily be set up at any time. I still intend to 

 complete my collection of drawings; but the last will be by far 

 the best. * * * * 



" The poor of Philadelphia have suffered extremely this win- 

 ter, the river having been frozen up for more than two months, 

 yet the ice went away without doing any damage. I must again 

 request that you and Alexander would collect the skins of as 

 many birds as you have not seen here. * * * * The 

 process of skinning the birds may amuse you; and your collec- 

 tions will fee exceedingly agreeable to me. In the mean time 

 never lose sight of getting rid of the troublesome farm, if it can 

 be done with advantage; so that we may once more be together; 

 and write to me frequently. 



" I have now nothing more to say, but to give my affection- 

 ate compliments to your mother and all the family; and to wish 



* One of these birds was the Canada Jay, (Am. Om. vol. 3, p. 33. ed. 1st.) 

 which was known to naturalists. 



