Bird Day Book 



resorted." For a time he found successful occupation in drawing 

 portraits in black chalk, but never lost an opportunity to add to 

 his collection of drawings of birds, which he now began to think 

 of publishing. 



In 1821 he took a position as tutor in a family near New 

 Orleans. His wife also taught, and by their united exertions their 

 boys, Victor and John, were put to school and a happy home life 

 secured for a few years. In 1826 the proceeds of a successful 

 dancing class, $2,000, with his own and his wife's savings, enabled 

 him to sail with his beloved drawings for England, the goal of 

 his hopes for many years. Letters from friends in America brought 

 him new friends in England and Scotland "who praised my Birds, 

 and I felt the praise to be honest." All praise for his drawings 

 delighted him, but the social attentions showered on him and the 

 demands for papers on many subjects, Birds, Quadrupeds, Indians, 

 tried him not a little. "A man who never looked into an English 

 grammar and who has forgotten most of what he learned in 

 French and Spanish ones — a man who has always felt awkward 

 and shy in the presence of a stranger — a man habituated to ramble 

 alone, with his thoughts usually bent on the beauties of nature 

 herself — this man, me, to be seated opposite Dr. Brewster in Edin- 

 burgh reading one of my puny efforts at describing habits of birds 

 that none but an Almighty Creater can ever know, was ridicuously 

 absurd.'' He naively writes: "The Captain (Basil Hall) wishes 

 to write a book, and he spoke of it with as little concern as I 

 should say, 'I will draw a duck;' is it not surprising?" His pic- 

 tures were exhibited, he was made a member of the leading scien- 

 tific societies, and, best of all his plans for publication took definite 

 shape; the methods and cost of printing were agreed upon, and 

 subscribers began to enroll themselves. He returned to Ameri- 

 ica, and to procure further material for his great undertaking 

 he journeyed from Labrador to the Florida Keys. "In all climates 

 and all weathers, scorched by burning suns, drenched by piercing 

 rains, frozen by the fiercest colds ; now diving fearlessly into the 

 densest forest, now wandering alone over the most savage regions ; 

 in perils, in difficulties, in doubts, with no companions to cheer 

 his way — listening only to the sweet music of birds or to the 

 sweeter music of his own thoughts, he faithfully kept his path. 

 The records of man's life contains few nobler examples of strength 

 of purpose and indefatigable energy." 



