100 Eminent Naturalists. 



He chanced to turn over the drawing of a plant quite new 

 to him. After inspecting it closely, he shook his head, and 

 told me no such plant existed in nature. I told my guest 

 that the plant was common in the immediate neighborhood, 

 and that I would show it to him on the morrow. 



"And why, to-morrow, Mr. Audubon? Let us go now!" 



We did so; and on reaching the bank of the river, [Mr. 

 Audubon lived in Kentucky, on the bank of the Ohio river,] 

 I pointed to the plant. I thought M. de T. had gone mad. 

 He plucked the plants one after another, danced, hugged me 

 in his arms, and exultingly told me that he had got, not 

 merely a new species, but a new genus! 



When it waxed late, I showed him to the apartment in- 

 tended for him during his stay, and endeavored to render him 

 comfortable, leaving him writing materials in abundance. I 

 was indeed heartily glad to have a naturalist under my roof. 



We had all retired to rest. Every person, I imagined, was 

 in deep slumber, save myself, when of a sudden, I heard a 

 great uproar in the naturalist's room. I got up, reached the 

 place in a few moments, and opened the door, when to my 

 astonishment I saw my guest running about the room naked, 

 holding the handle of my favorite violin, the body of which 

 he had battered to pieces against the walls, in attempting to 

 kill the bats, which had entered by the. open window, proba- 

 bly attracted by the insects flying around his candle. I stood 

 amazed, but he continued running round and round, until he 

 was fairly exhausted ; when he begged me to procure one of 

 the animals for him, as he felt convinced they belonged to a 

 new species! 



M. de T. remained with us for three weeks, and collected 

 multitudes of plants, shells, bats, and fishes. We were per- 

 fectly reconciled to his oddities, and finding him a most 

 agreeable and intelligent companion, hoped that his sojourn 

 might be of long duration. But one evening, when tea was 

 prepared, and we expected him to join the family, he was no- 

 where to be found. His grasses and other valuables were all 

 removed from his room. The night was spent in searching 

 for him in the neighborhood. No eccentric naturalist could 

 be discovered. Whether he had perished in a swamp, or had 

 been devoured by a bear or a gar-fish, or had taken to his 

 heels, were matters of conjecture ; nor was it until some weeks 

 after, that a letter from him, thanking us for our attention, as- 

 sured me of his safety. 



Thus wrote Mr. Audubon, in his " Ornithological Biogra- 



