552 APPENDIX. 



Master Jameson sees his folly in attacking me. My two letters to 

 him have given universal satisfaction in this country, and nobody 

 pities him. He has not answered them, and, as far as I can learn, 

 he does not intend to answer them. Indeed, what can he say? 

 The public must now clearly see that the Scotch philosophers have 

 supported Audubon at the expense of truth ; and I have run them 

 so ' hard, that they can no longer defend him. Should they begin 

 again, I will write and print a third letter to Jameson, which I pro- 

 mise you shall be a flogger j and I will take care to give that con- 

 ceited closet naturalist, Master Swainson, his deserts. I shall whip 

 him severely for his ignorance and puff of Audubon's plate of the 

 rattlesnake and mocking-birds. As I keep no copies of what I write 

 to you, I do not recollect at this moment whether or not I ever 

 pointed out to you the humbug of that drawing and Swainson's 

 ignorance. Audubon drew it, as an illustration of ornithology, and 

 he makes the mocking-birds not only defend their eggs, but abso- 

 lutely attack the snake. Swainson says, the snake is going to suck 

 the eggs. Now, who ever heard of a snake sucking eggs ? A snake 

 can only snatch and swallow. And what a fool this snake must have 

 been to have taken the eggs, when he could have taken the old bird 

 itself, which was within a foot of him. But this is not all. Audubon, 

 who tells us that he has been all his life amongst rattlesnakes, has 

 positively drawn the fangs in the shape of the letter S, with their 

 points turning up, instead of down; and he has made the eye of the 

 snake starting out of the socket, from which it could not possibly 

 move. The whole head of the snake is caricature, and puts you 

 in mind of St George and the Dragon. So much for Audubon's 

 drawing, and Swainson's critique. These two men ought to be 

 whipped ! Your comments on Audubon's raven are admirable. He 

 is, indeed, an arrogant fool ! Only think of heaven imposing upon 

 such a fellow the task of writing the history of your birds ! Father 

 Morris sends you his blessing. He is here to-day, and says he prays 

 for you continually. He is delighted beyond measure with your 

 lamentation for the death of your ducks by the carrion crow. Your 

 heart is softer than mine. This spring, while I was sitting in my 

 room up-stairs, before anybody was up, I saw a carrion crow carry 

 away four ducklings, one after the other, to its nest in a tree on the 



