270 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ope. Aud why do we lay so much 

 stress on this adopted foreigner's ef- 

 forts? Because the science of ornithol- 

 ogy was in its infancy; aye, in its em- 

 bryonic state till Alexander Wilson, 

 that devout child of nature, by years 

 of patient toil, study, poverty and dis- 

 courageni3nt at last brought forth from 

 its obscurity the science that has enlist- 

 ed in its service minds of the very high- 

 est order. Because there is mt to be 

 found in that long line of his illustrous 

 followers one who has led a life abound- 

 ing in such depressing circumstances 

 and still has given to the world a mon- 

 ument of industry to be compared with 

 his efforts. Those of you who have 

 read an account of his life cannot but 

 rejoice to think that we are living in an 

 enlightened a?e. An age when our be- 

 loved science is encouraged rather than 

 discoui'aged. Briefly review again the 

 circumstances under which his work 

 was brought forth. Consider the life 

 of penury he led and then consider 

 what that life gave to us. Eight years 

 previous to the appearance of his first 

 volume. — j 7 ears in which most if not the 

 whole mass of his knowledge of the sub- 

 ject was gained, were years spent in 

 wrestling with disappointment, pover- 

 ty and sickuess. In all that time he 

 worked patiently and thoroughly,scarce- 

 ly receiving any outside aid in the 

 furtherance of his designs. Finally let 

 us think of him as he leaves the abode 

 of civilized man, launches his canoe on 

 unbroken waters, depends on his rifle 

 for subsistence, keeps on his solitary 

 march till the bird has sung its evening 

 song, and then lies dewn to rest with 

 no society but the hoot of the Owls and 

 no shelter but the star-lighted skies. 

 And after all due consideration let us 

 attribute to Alexander Wilson the 

 praise his great work deserves. 



Although twenty-five hundred copies 

 of the prospectus, setting forth the 

 character of the woi'k had been sent to 

 different parts of the country, yet when 

 the real work greeted the public no one 



was prepared to welcome so fine a spec- 

 imen of art. No one entertained an 

 idea of the grandeur and com leteness- 

 of the work. Little wonder that it met 

 with so little patronage when we con- 

 sider how expensive it was. The taste- 

 for such luxuries, had not yet been 

 foimedin this country. Those who had: 

 manifested an interest in the science 

 were mainly persons of limited circum- 

 stances. Thus being an ornament to- 

 the shelves of ihe rich or shut up in the 

 libraries of learned institutions it was a. 

 sealed book to those who really were in 

 need of its benefits. Wilson himself 

 realized the position his book was likely 

 to hold in the public favor, and his plan 

 was to publish a second edition in four" 

 volumes, with drawiugs ou wood. 

 This edition woidd have circulated 

 more generally and would likely reach, 

 the hands of all who were interested in 

 the science, as it could have been sold! 

 at a veiw low iigui'e, as compared with 

 the cost of the original edition which 

 was one hundred and twenty dollars. 

 But unfortunately he died before the 

 ninth volume of the first edition was 

 completed. 



In the latter part of September, 1803 

 he writes to Mr. Bartram: l 'Iu a few 

 moments I set out for the eastern states, 

 through Boston to Maine, and back 

 through the state of Vermont, in search- 

 of birds and subscribers." It was withi 

 a feeling of timidity that he set out in 

 search of patronage; for as he says "the 

 bearer of a subscription paper is seldom! 

 welcomed with rapture.' ' He felt that 

 even if he should fail in securing sub- 

 scribers he at least could gain a greater 

 familiarity with nature's objects. Ac- 

 cordingly he writes to a friend, "I am: 

 fixiug correspondents in every corner 

 of these northern regions, like so many 

 pickets and outposts, so that scarcely a. 

 Wren or Tit shall be able to pass along 

 from York to Canada, but I shall get in- 

 telligence of it." 



Thousands of learned men examined 

 his book; and although only a few en- 



