NEW UFE IN A NEW IvAND 6l 



stead of lightening, the burdens of his sons and 

 brother-in-law. These troubles, united with his 

 own personal difficulties, often brought Wilson's 

 naturally gloomy disposition into what he himself 

 called the "slough of despondency;" but his friend- 

 ship for the good old naturalist, William Bartram, 

 served as an excellent antidote to his melancholia. 

 Bartram was a man of distinction as a botanist and 

 was somewhat widely known as a writer on orni- 

 thology; he had many acquaintances among the 

 naturalists of the day, and above all else he was a 

 level-headed, big-hearted gentleman. He was not 

 slow to notice the unfortunate effect that Wilson's 

 spells of melancholy had on his happiness, and he 

 united with another of Wilson's friends, Alexander 

 Lawson, so to fill up his time with interesting pur- 

 suits that there could be no hours left for brooding 

 over his misfortunes. It was about this time, too, 

 that a narrow escape from the accidental discharge 

 of his gun, while he was in the woods alone, startled 

 Wilson to a realization of how, should he die in any 

 uncertain manner, he would be thought to be a sui- 

 cide. Of this possibility he had great horror, and 

 was as ready as his friends would have him be to 

 enter into their plans. Accordingly, at their sug- 

 gestion he began the study of birds and of drawing, 

 as a pleasant way to spend his unoccupied moments. 

 His self-given lessons, under the guidance of Wil- 

 liam Bartram's niece. Miss Ann Bartram, afterward 

 Mrs. Carr, progressed most satisfactorily in spite 

 of having to be carried on chiefly by candlelight, and 

 he was no less successful in his study of the birds 

 themselves, though he knew little of their nomen- 



