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Bird - Lore 



the birds, which were objects of especial interest to him. Of many of them 

 he soon possessed more knowledge than the books, and it was not long 

 before he had conceived the idea of producing a work which should furnish 

 a complete account of all the birds of America. 



Illustrations were, of course, a necessity, but, nothing daunted, he im- 

 mediately set about- learning to draw. He had no artistic talent, but after 



"«^v 



ALEXANDER WILSON 



From a drawing in the possession of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, formerly 



the property of George Ord. Courtesy of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club 



school hours and until far into the night he worked with pencil and brush 

 until, after many attempts, he was actually able to produce excellent repre- 

 sentations of the birds, though his few attempts at backgrounds were 

 almost ludicrous. In 1805, his varied studies gained recognition in his ap- 

 pointment as assistant editor of Rees' Encyclopaedia, then being published 



