Correspondence with Audubon. 181 



eiit is her teaching to that expressed l)y men in 

 general I have read the speculations of men, I 

 have listened to the tales of the ignorant traveler, 

 and it seemed as if there were defects in all the works 

 of God. Then I have turned to the fields and woods; 

 to the air, the earth, and the sea ; and I perceived 

 that all was order, harmony, and beauty, and I have 

 acknowledged that all the defects were in the short- 

 sightedness of man. '•' ^^ =5= * * 



That you will be obliged to begin with the " Water 

 Birds/' after the second volume of the " Land Birds " 

 is finished, is an event that I conceive inevitable. 

 It will take many years to finish your work. Before 

 that time a number of land birds will be discovered 

 which are now unknown. What land birds may not 

 be found in Florida, along the borders of Mexico and 

 the Pacific I I am also inclined to believe that you 

 may yet wish to include tlie birds of Canada. Under 

 any circumstances, you cannot possibly include all 

 your land birds in two volumes; but, surely, your 

 subscribers would rather have a perfect work in the 

 manner proposed, that have some post mortem 

 publication like Ord's supplement volume to Wil- 

 son, in which the reader has to lament, at every 

 step, that the author had not lived to save his work 

 from the murderous hands of a friend. 



I scarcely know what answer to give to your ques- 

 tions — soliciting advice with regard to your travels 

 in the Spring ; but I will say something to convince 

 you that I have thought on the subject. The only 

 reasons why a visit to the coast of Labrador might 

 be advisable, is, that you may be able to complete 

 your dissertations on the habits of the Ducks, Gulls, 

 etc. This would certainly enable you to say more 

 with regard to the habits of our water birds, than 

 has ever been written before ; for it cannot be dis- 

 guised that little, as yet, is known of water birds — 



