AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. Ill 



friends, and seeing that he was all enthusiasm, exerted my- 

 self as much as was in my power, to procure for him the 

 specimens which he wanted. We hunted together, and ob- 

 tained birds which he had never before seen ; but, reader, I 

 did not subscribe to his work, for, even at that time, my col- 

 lection was greater than his. Thinking that perhaps he 

 might be pleased to publish the results of my researches, I 

 offered them to him, merely on condition that what I had 

 drawn, or might afterwards draw and send to him, should be 

 mentioned in his work, as coming from my pencil. I at the 

 same time offered to open a correspondence with him, which 

 I thought might prove beneficial to us both. He made no 

 reply to either proposal, and before many days had elapsed, 

 left Louisville, on his way to New Orleans, little knowing 

 how much his talents were appreciated in our little town, at 

 least by myself and my friends. 



Some time elapsed, during which I never heard of him, or of 

 his work. At length, having occasion to go to Philadelphia, 

 I, immediately after my arrival there, inquired for him, and 

 paid him a visit. He was then drawing a White-headed 

 Eagle. He received me with civility, and took me to the Ex- 

 hibition Rooms of Rembrandt Peale, the artist, who had 

 then portrayed Napoleon crossing the Alps. Mr. Wilson 

 spoke not of birds or drawings. Feeling, as I was forced to 

 do, that my company was not agreeable, I parted from him ; 

 and after that I never saw him again. But judge of my 

 astonishment some time after, when on reading the thirty- 

 ninth page of the ninth volume of American Ornithology, I 

 found in it the following paragraph : 



"March 23<^, 1810. I bade adieu to Louisville, to which 

 place I had four letters of recommendation, and was taught 

 to expect much of everything there ; but neither received one 

 act of civility from those to whom I was recommended, one 

 subscriber, nor one new bird ; though I delivered my letters, 

 ransacked the woods repeatedly, and visited all the characters 



