476 



THE O0L0G1ST. 



years, visiedthe salt-petre-workers iu 

 the B.irrens of Kentucky, where it was 

 believed they resorted to in winter; ex- 



.cavated hundreds of holes of bank 

 swallows, and various other retreats; 

 but failed to find a single incident to 



-testify that swallows did actually as- 

 sume a torpid condition. He laid be- 

 fore Bartram the results of his careful 

 research, which thoroughly convinced 

 him that his idea was erroneous. 

 That peculiarly colored bird perched 



,on yonder low roof, uttering those shrill 

 notes "whip-poor-will," which comes 



vto our ears through the soft air of this 

 pleasant June evening, was almost uni- 

 versally regarded at the time Wilson 

 began his ornithological career, as the 



.same specie of bird that you see swiftly 

 flying there above; now to one side now 

 to the other and uttering its strange, 

 characteristic hotes as it quickly turns, 

 at the same time enabling us to dimly 



,-see through the slowly fading twilight 



-,the white spots of its wings. 



The whip-poor-will and night-hawk 



.greatly interested the young Ornitholo- 

 gist. He resolved to make a thorough 

 examination, as he was accustomed to 

 do of the two birds. We may state 

 right here that Wilson's success as an 

 Ornithologist prinsipally lay in his mi- 

 nute observations. No popular idea or 



.opinion was accepted by him as grant- 

 ed. His great work is based on pure 

 .and reliable personal observation. In- 

 j stead of considering the point as regards 

 the whip-poor will and night-hawk as 

 established, he shot fifteen nighthawks. 

 Nine males and six females. Two 

 were shot as they rose from their eggs, 

 which were laid on the bare ground. 

 All these he very carefully examined 

 and dissected. The same way he treat- 

 .edthe whip-poor-will, examining their 

 ,eggs in every case The result of his 

 research was that he observed the night- 

 t hawk's wings to extend beyond the tail 

 and ornamented with white spots on the 

 .under side,; while the whip-poor-will's 



wings were much shorter and devoid of 

 such spots. The bristles of the whip- ■ 

 poor-will's mouth were absent in the 

 night-hawk, and the bill of the former 

 much longer than the latter. Thus after 

 long and patient study he satisfied him- 

 self and convinced his friend Bartram 

 that they were two distinct species. 



Although Bartram cherished many an- 

 tiquated ideas concerning birds, still he 

 greatly assisted Wilson in his new voca- 

 tion, and his work was afterwards en- 

 riched by many of his observations. We 

 owe to Bartram the honor of being the 

 councillor and adviser in nearly all of 

 Wilson's projects. When barriers arose 

 which were likely to oppose the progress 

 of his plans he freely stated the diffi- 

 culties to his friend, who speedily devis- 

 ed the needed remedy. 



The following communication from 

 the pen of Wilson to his friend in refer- 

 ence to some pencil sketches ^he desh'es 

 to have criticized expresses his exact 

 sentiments and attitude towards him. — 

 "Criticize these, my dear friend, with- 

 out fear of offending me — this will in- 

 struct, but not discourage me. For 

 there is not among all our naturalists, 

 one who knows so well what they are, 

 and how they ought to be represented. 

 In the meantime, accept my best wish- 

 es for your happiness — wishes as sincere 

 as ever one human being breathed for 

 another. To your advice and encour- 

 aging encomiums, I am indebted for 

 these few specimens, and for all that 

 will follow. They may yet tell poster- 

 ity that I was honoured with your friend- 

 ship, and that to your inspiration they 

 owe their existence." 



Floridan Races. 



Florida, while not abounding in new 

 species for a northern collector, is how- 

 ever, exceedingly rich in climatic var- 

 ieties and geographical races, which, 

 during two seasons collecting there 

 have interested me as much if not more 



