VOL. X. 



The Oologist. 



ALBION, N. Y., SEP., 1893. 



KO. 9 



SCENES FROM THE LtFE OF ALEXANDER 

 WILSON. 



The Progress of His Undertaking. 



G. V .room an Smith. 



VI. 



Wilson's first extended pilgrimage 

 was undertaken in the month of Octob- 

 er, 1804, to Niagara country. He 

 seems to have regarded this journey as 

 a trial of strength, for the hardship 

 which he was afterwards to undergo. 

 On his return he wrote to Mr. Bartram 

 that though he had travelled over 

 twelve hundred '>> foot, at a late 



season of the year, through trackless 

 forests and deep snows; crossed danger- 

 ous rivers and v\ ild mountains; yet he 

 was so far from being satisfied with 

 what he had accomplished, or discour- 

 aged by what he had encountered, that 

 he feels more earnest than ever to enter 

 upon some new aud more extensive ex- 

 pedition. He wished to visit scenes 

 and subjects entirely new and as of yet 

 unknown; aud by so doing he might 

 add something new to his- stores of 

 knowledge. He feels the utmost con- 

 fidence in his own spirit aud resolution; 

 and having no family to claim his affec- 

 tions; no ties but those of friendship; 

 with a constitution which hardens 

 amidst fatigues, a disposition sociable 

 and familiar, aud equally at home by 

 an Indian lire in the deep forests as in 

 the best of city society, he thinks he 

 will become a traveller. But he about 

 despaired when he reviewed his miser- 

 able deficiency in botany, mineralogy 

 and drawing — acquirements absolutely 

 uecessary for a profitable expedition. 

 He asks his venerable friend for instruc- 

 1ion in botany and drawing; and with 

 these he has no fear of anything. When 



he wrote this letter the whole amount 

 of his personal property was three 

 quarters of a dollar; yet iiis determina- 

 tion to succeed overruled all these cir- 

 cumstances of greater importance. 

 Still we must remember that it was not 

 so much money needed to undertake 

 an extended journey in those days as it 

 was courage aud perseverance. 



The winter of 1804-5 wa« largely 

 spent in teaching, drawing and prepar- 

 ing "The Foresters," an account of his 

 remarkable journey in the form of a 

 poem for publication. While on his 

 way home from Niagara he passed 

 through the Mohawk country, and it 

 was near the banks of that majestic 

 river that he shot two birds which he 

 took much pains to preserve, supposing 

 them to be wholly new to naturalists, 

 though one of them the Canadian Jay 

 was known before. He took much 

 pains in drawing these specimens, and 

 presented them to Thomas Jefferson, 

 then President of the United States who 

 acknowledged them in a very cordial 

 manner. There were few in this coun- 

 try at that time who possessed a more 

 thorough knowledge of our native birds 

 than did Mr. Jefferson; and it is worthy 

 to remark that one of our common 

 birds presented an impenetrable mys- 

 tery to him, aud he recommended 

 Wilson to make a earful study of it and 

 to see if he could determine its name. 

 From the brief description Mr. Jeffer- 

 son gave and what he had learned him- 

 self, Wilson was able to distinguish the 

 Wood Thrush as the species to whic h 

 he leferred. 



The winter of 180o was one of un- 

 usual severity and the poor throughout 

 the country suffered much with cold 

 and hunger. Owing to this Wilson's 

 school was at its lowest ebb; and he 

 says that he was searcelv able to col- 



