

158 KIDD’S OWN JOURNAL. 

exceedingly remarkable. A long loose coat 
of yellow nankeen, much the worse for the 
many rubs it had got in its time, and stained 
all over with the juice of plants, hung loosely 
about him, like a sack; a waistcoat of the 
same, with enormous pockets, and buttoned 
up to the chin, reached below over a pair of 
tight pantaloons, the lower parts of which 
were buttoned down to the ankles. His 
beard was as long as 1 have known my own 
to be during some of my peregrinations, and 
his lank black hair hung loosely over his 
shoulders. His forehead was so broad and 
prominent, that any tyro in phrenology would 
instantly have pronounced it the residence of 
amind of strong powers; his word impressed 
an assurance of rigid truth, and, as he directed 
the conyersation to the study of the natural 
sciences, I listened to him with as much 
delight as Telemachus could have listened to 
Mentor. 
“ We had come to visit me, he said, ex- 
pressly for the purpose of seeing my drawings; 
having been told that my representations of 
birds were accompanied with those of shrubs 
and plants, and he was desirous of knowing 
whether I might chance to have in my collec- 
tion any with which he was unacquainted. I 
observed some degree of impatience in his 
request to be allowed to see what I had. We 
returned to the house, when I opened my 
portfolios, and laid them before him. 
‘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; for, kind reader, 
M. de T., although a highly scientific man, 
was suspicious to a fault, and believed such 
plants only to exist as he had himself seen, or 
such as, having been discovered of old, had, 
according to Father Malebranche’s expres- 
sion, acquired a ‘“‘ venerable beard.”’ 
‘“‘T told my guest that the plant was common 
in the immediate neighborhood, and that I 
should show it him on the morrow. ‘ And 
why to-morrow, Mr. Audubon? let us go 
now. Wedidso; and on reaching the bank 
of the river, I pointed to the plant. M.deT. 
I thought 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 we returned home the naturalist opened 
the bundle which he had brought on his back, 
and took out a journal—rendered waterproof 
by a leather case, together with a small parcel 
of linen, examined the new plant, and wrote 
its description. The examination of my 
drawings then went on. 
“You would be pleased, kind reader, with 
his criticisms, which were of the greatest 
advantage to me, for, being well acquainted 
with books as well as with nature, he was 
well fitted to give meadvice. It was summer, 

and the heat was so great that the windows 
were all open. The light of the candles 
attracted many insects; among which was 
observed a large species of scarabeeus. I 
caught one, and aware of his inclination to 
believe only what he should himself see, I 
showed him the insect, and assured him it was 
so strong that it could crawl on the table 
with the candlestick on its back. ‘I should 
like to see the experiment made, Mr. Au- 
dubon,’ he replied. It was accordingly made, 
and the insect moved about; dragging its bur- 
den, so as to make the candlestick change its 
position as if by magic; until, coming upon 
the edge of the table, it dropped upon the 
floor, took to wing, and made its escape. 
‘When it waxed late, I showed him to the 
apartment intended 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, 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 tke 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— 
probably attracted by the insects flying around 
his candle. 
“T stood amazed; but he continued jumping 
and running round and round, until he was 
fairly exhausted, when he begged me to pro- 
cure one of the animals for him, as he felt 
convinced they belonged to ‘a new species.’ 
Although I was convinced of the contrary, I 
took up the bow of my demolished cremona, 
and administering a smart tap to each of the 
bats, as it came up, soon got specimens 
enough. The war ended, I again bade him 
good night, but could not help observing the 
state of the room; it was strewed with plants, 
which it would seem he had arranged into 
groups, but which were now scattered about 
in confusion. ‘Never mind, Mr. Audubon,’ 
quoth the eccentric naturalist ; ‘never mind, 
Tll soon arrange them again. I have the 
bats, and that’s enough!’ 
“Several days passed, during which we 
followed our several occupations: M, de T. 
searched the woods for plants; and I, for 
birds. He also followed the margin of the 
Ohio, and picked up many shells, which he 
greatly extolled. With us, 1 told hin, they 
were gathered into heaps, to be converted 
into lime. ‘Lime! Mr. Audubon, why they 
are worth a guinea a-piece in any part of 
Europe.’ M. de T. remained with us for three 
weeks, and collected multitudes of plants, 
shells, bats, and fishes. We were perfectly 


