174 



THE OOLOGIST. 



SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER 

 WILSON. 



His Last Days- 



G. Vrooman Smith. 



XI. 



Returning from his southwestern trip 

 on the 2d of August, 1810, Wilson im- 

 mediately applied himself with unre- 

 mitting attention to the preparation of 

 the third volume of the Ornithology. 

 The number of new and undiscovered 

 birds which he had found on this trip 

 amounted to forty. Enriched with this 

 choice stock of new material for his 

 work he labored unceasingly to get the 

 plates and text prepared for publica- 

 tion. His whole energy was exerted in 

 unwearied industry to the finishing of 

 the magnificent work he had under- 

 taken. The remaining volumes ap- 

 peared in rapid succession considering 

 that he had to do the wh-ple work him- 

 self. 



Wilson spent the greater part of the 

 years 1811 and 1812 in the genial com- 

 pany of his old friend Mr. Bartram, 

 under whose hospitable roof he resided. 

 This retreat proved to be of inestimable 

 value to him. Here, removed from the 

 bustle and interruption of the city, he 

 was enabled to dispose of his time to 

 the best advantage. In the shady re- 

 treats of the botanic garden there 

 dwelt multitudes of feathered creatures 

 whose society was carefully fostered by 

 the proprietor. When Wilson became 

 wearied by long hours of study he had 

 only to step outside and refresh his 

 mind by the observation and enjoy- 

 ment of these feathered friends. His 

 long sojourn at the botanic garden 

 did much to improve his health which 

 had been considerably impaired by 

 over exertion. He made frequent ex- 

 cursions to many places in the vicinity 

 to obtain additional information for 

 the perfecting of his work. Several 



visits were made to the shores of New 

 Jersey where much valuable material 

 was gathered of the shore birds which 

 inhabited that region in vast numbers. 



Meanwhile his ability as a natural 

 artist had become so well known that 

 he was chosen a member of the society 

 of Artists of the United States. The 

 following year he was honored Dy be- 

 ing admitted to the American Phil- 

 osophical Society of Philadelphia. 



The last of those journeys which did 

 so much for the cause of science in this 

 country was to the eastward. He says 

 this trip principally undertaken for the 

 purpose of visiting his agents and sub- 

 scribers, yet at every point his pen was 

 busy and upon his return he found his 

 note book to be by no means empty. 

 Unfortunately we have no very minute 

 account of this tour preserved. 



From New York he proceeded up the 

 Hudson River by boat as far as Albany. 

 From Albany he journeyed overland to 

 Lake Champlain, and up that water- 

 way to Burlington, Vt, Thence across 

 the state of Vermont to the headwaters 

 of the Connecticut River, remaining 

 some time exploring the neighborhood 

 of the White Mountains. The magnifi- 

 cent scenery of this region was con- 

 templated with the greatest delight by 

 Wilson. On the heights of Mount 

 Washington he found a pair of Snow 

 Buntings breeding. This find was re- 

 garded by him as one of the most valu- 

 able and interesting of his ornithologi- 

 cal experience as it was tho only 

 known instance of this species breed- 

 ing within the limits of the United 

 States. 



This tour was undertaken just at the 

 commencement of the war of 1812, and 

 the whole country was plunged into 

 feverish excitement. Everywhere Wil- 

 son went he saw evidences of it, and 

 more especially in the north of New 

 England, the frontier region between 

 Canada and the United States. 



He relates an interesting adventure 



