THE OOLOGIST. 



321 



across two pairs of Maryland Yellow- 

 throats evidently mated. I take note 

 of the locality intending to visit it 

 again, which I did upon several occa- 

 sions but never saw the birds again. 

 I hurry along aud in a few more min- 

 utes 1 am at the slough, entering the 

 water I start to wade slowly up keep- 

 ing a sharp look out for the birds, in a 

 few moments I can see every yard of 

 the water but no birds are to be seen, 

 "while I am standing wondering what 

 can have become of the birds something 

 comes skimming round the corner of 

 the slough out from the Lake, and 

 comes within 30 vards of me and then 

 turns off back into the Lake, not how- 

 ever before I have ideu titled it as a 

 male Canvas-back, my gun goes to 

 my shoulder as the bird comes so 

 close, but I think better and let him go. 



Feeling encouraged I start to wade on 

 again and have not gone more than 100 

 yarcls,when I hear a flutter and a splash 

 about fifteen yards in front of me and 

 while I am gazing intently ahead I see 

 the head, neck aud partly submerged 

 body of the female, as she comes to the 

 surface of the water (she had dived off 

 her nest as I thought) no sooner is she on 

 the surface than she takes wing aud is 

 soon away. 



A search of a few seconds is sufficient 

 to find the nest, situated on a small 

 patch of dry ground about two yards in 

 diameter, it is composed of dry grass 

 with a little down aud contained five 

 eggs of a pale greenish coloi', as I knew 

 this was not the full set I leave them 

 after carefully marking the place, I vis- 

 ited the nest twice after -this and ou 

 both occasions the bird was off and the 

 eggs were covered up; after leaving the 

 nest four days and only finding seven 

 eggs I came to the conclusion she had 

 laid her full set and so took them. 

 G. F. Dippie, 

 Torouto, Canada. 



SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER 

 WILSON. 



His Southern Subscription Tour- 



G. Vrooman Smith 



VIII. 



Although Wilson's Northern tour 

 was devoid of a brilliant financial suc- 

 cess, yet it by no means discouraged 

 him from further pursuing the task he 

 had entered upon with so much ardor 

 and enthusiasm. Wherever he went 

 he exhibited his work with so much 

 zeal, was received with so much kind- 

 ness, loaded with so much praise and 

 compliments, that to secure only forty- 

 one subscribers for his toil and diligence 

 was a discouragement great enough to 

 depress the bouyant spirits of any oue 

 save Alexander Wilson. To him, who 

 was so accustomed to disappointments 

 and failures although it did cast a con- 

 siderable gloom over his prospects of fu- 

 ture success, yet by no means so de- 

 pressed his hopes as to defer his depart- 

 ure for another extended subscription 

 tour through the south, after a brief tar- 

 ry with his friends at Philadelphia. 



Winter with its many inconveniences 

 had fairly set in when Wilson bent his 

 steps in the direction of the south on 

 the second of his famous pilgrimages 

 in search of subscribers and informa- 

 tion. Unaccompanied he pursued his 

 journey towards Baltimore where he 

 arrived early in December, 1808. The 

 journey was a fatiguing one, performed 

 at a disagreable season of the year, and 

 without a single companion to lessen 

 the sense of solitude naturally arising 

 from ones mingling with strange peo- 

 ple in a strange locality. He pursued 

 the exhibition of his prospectus at Bal- 

 timore with great determination and 

 zeal, and was rewarded by securing 

 sixteen new subscribers. Elated with 

 this unexpected and gratifying success 



