6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



your community of no ordinary kind but whether it be for good 

 or evil only time can determine." 



Ord was a great friend of Charles Waterton, the English nat- 

 uralist, South American traveler and author. This gifted and 

 rather erratic enthusiast, so much Ord's reverse in many char- 

 acteristics, was born one year later and died one year earlier than 

 his comrade. They traveled together in England and Europe,* 

 and kept up a lively correspondence, some of which is in the 

 archives of the Academy. 



One of the most famous international bird-controversies arose 

 in 1833-'34 between Waterton and Audubon regarding Audu- 

 bon's disbelief in the use of the sense of smell by the Turkey 

 Vulture in the discovery of its food. Audubon' s views were 

 embodied in a paper presented to the Wernerian Society of 

 Edinburgh soon after his arrival in Scotland and which consti- 

 tuted his first publication. It was promptly attacked by Water- 

 ton and vigorously sustained by Audubon's admirers in both 

 continents. Swainson, Bachman and a half-dozen more kept 

 the magazines busy in this quarrel. It is supposed that Ord 

 may have instigated this trouble and retired behind the scenes 

 as Waterton' s second. A letter from the latter to Ord, dated 

 March 4, 1834, says : "You will see that the Charleston parson 

 [Bachman], Doctors, Surgeons and Professors are up in arms 

 against me and are determined to cut off the Vulture's nose. 

 But do not be alarmed for me, I promise you that I will answer 

 them to your heart's content and tomorrow I shall send up a 

 paper to Loudon for his May number which will make your 

 Philosophers appear very small and put Audubon's claim to 

 literature and ornithology in so clear a light that no one will be 

 in doubt hereafter * * ^k Audubon's gulled friends and sup- 

 porters in London are in the highest spirits and feel sure that I 

 cannot answer the Charleston letter. By the first of May next 

 their crowing will cease." Time has proved that Ord and 

 Waterton were on the winning side in this debate. 



The following extract from a letter of introduction given by 

 Waterton to Ord, and found among the latter' s papers, gives us 



*Ord was in Italy in 1823 and in England and France in 1851. 



