1893.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 47 



took place. One morning a man with two A-olnmes under his 

 arm entered his counting room. Audubon describes him as 

 having a long, rather hooked nose, keen eyes and prominent 

 cheek-bones, stamping his countenance with a peculiar character. 

 He was dressed in a short coat, waistcoat and trousers, of grey 

 cloth. This man was Alexander Wilson, the pioneer in the 

 field Audubon was destined to enter, the Father of American 

 Ornithology. He walked up to the table at which Audubon 

 was working, opened his books, explained his occupation, and 

 requested his subscription, thus illustrating in a measure the 

 method which in after years Audubon himself was obliged to 

 adopt in order to bring his own work before the world and ac- 

 complish its publication. Surprised and pleased at the sight of 

 the plates, Audubon took his pen to write his name among those 

 of the subscribers, when his partner said to him in French, " My 

 dear Audubon what induces yon to subscribe to this work ; 

 Your drawings are certainly far better, and again you must 

 know as much of the habits of American birds as this gentle- 

 man." " Vanity and the ecomiums of my friend prevented me 

 from subscribing," is his frank, though sad statement. Wilson 

 probably understood French, for he asked Audubon if he had 

 many drawings of birds. Taking down a large portfolio, its 

 contents were exhibited much to the surprise of Wilson, who 

 said he had no idea that anyone besides himself was engaged in 

 making such a collection, but was still more astonished when 

 asking if it was Audubon's intentions to publish, he was 

 answered in the negative. They met but once again during one 

 of Audubon's visits to Philadelphia, when he called on Wilson 

 and found him engaged in drawing the white headed Eagle. 

 Audubon says he was received with civility and taken to the ex- 

 hibition rooms of Rembrandt Peale, but they spoke not of birds, 

 and shoi'tly afterwards the two men whose names are more 

 closely interwoven with American ornithology than any others 

 ever can be, and whose tastes and pursuits sliould have i)roved 

 the magnet to draw them most closely together, parted never to 

 meet again. The melancholy reserve of the quiet, shrinking 

 Scotchman could not be conquered even by the vivacity of the 

 enthusiastic Franco-American, and their brief acquaintance 

 brought no profit to either. Business at Louis"ville did not 

 prosper, and Audubon sold his interest to his partners and went 

 to Henderson. While traversing the countr}^ between these 

 places, and also during his residence in them, most of his time 

 was given to roaming the woods, hunting with the Indians, 

 studj'ing wild animals and drawing their portraits. He now 

 entered into a partnership with his brother-in-law. luider the firm 



