Tlie Carolina Hare. 107 



all my inquiries, and beg me to make otliers. You 

 have indeed done wonders, and if you hereafter, do 

 but half as well, I cannot complain * ■■' * * * 

 Your resolution to publish the ord. \o\. of Water 

 Birds, you will recollect was partly entered into here, 

 and from that moment, my mind w^as at ease. It 

 will give you four or five years in advance, and wrll 

 enable you, in a 5th Vol., to add all recent discov- 

 eries of Land and Water Birds. Should you, yet be 

 able to go to Florida and the Pacific, I apprehend 

 that you will extend our American Ornithology to 

 460 or 470 species, perhaps more. Your sons being- 

 able to skin birds and paint them, is a great desid- 

 eratum — it should be mentioned in your preface to 

 your next volume. The talents of the family com- 

 bined, (for I know that Mrs. Audubon can write,) 

 will now place the work beyond the fear of falling 

 through, even in case of your death — and the pub- 

 lic ought to know it. But you must push for sub- 

 scribers. If your son Victor can do nothing in 

 Europe, you must go there yourself, and sooner than 

 let the work suffer, you must go on a pilgrimage 

 throughout all the great cities of our Union. Should 

 God spare your life, I want to hear of you enjoying, 

 in your old age, '' Otiura cum dignitate" and to see 

 your children reaping some of your recompense. 

 Do you not begin to get tired of my long letters ? To- 

 morrow evening I am to read before the Philos- 

 ophic Society, a description of the new " Carolina 

 Hare." G., has written a review of Nuttall — it is 

 severe and unwise, and I shall try lo prevail on him 

 to suppress it. I do not like to see a good fellow 

 put down. 



The cholera is on Coles Island — you know where 

 that is — do you remember where we waded over the 

 sand hills on Folly Island? There, a vessel has 

 stranded, with Irish emigrants from New York, with 



