82 AIv^XANDER WILSON: POET-NATURAUST 



you may perhaps by patience and perseverance 

 (of which much will be requisite) get a sight, if 

 not possession of it. 



"I have for 20 years interested the young 

 sportsmen of my neighborhood to shoot me one ; 

 but as yet without success. 



"Accept my salutations and assurances of re- 

 spect. 



"Th : Je^fkrson" 



The suggested commission at the close of this 

 letter was received by Wilson with enthusiasm. 

 He wrote at once to Bartram and Duncan, that 

 their efforts might be added to his own in search- 

 ing out this strange bird, and after a long and ar- 

 duous pursuit it was found that the naturalists 

 had been misguided by Jefiferson's suggestion 

 that "it was never found but on the tops of the 

 tallest trees" and the bird was identified as the 

 Wood Robin, which, on the contrary, is so often 

 on the ground as to give it, as Ord remarks, one 

 of its names, the Ground Robin. This gave Wil- 

 son the occasion for a second letter to Jefferson 

 which, from its nature, did not require an answer. 

 As this letter has not hitherto been published it is 

 printed here. 



"Kingsess Sep 30th 1805 

 "Sir 



"I had the honor last spring of presenting your 

 Excellency with drawings of two birds which I 

 supposed to be nondescript until the receipt of 

 your very condescending Letter to me of Ap. 7th 

 referring to 8 Buffon 342 PI. en lum 566 which I 



