LETTER TO W. SWAINSON, ESQ. 201 



ture." Poetic — most assuredly. The whole group is 

 a mockery of any thing that ought to represent a correct 

 and faithful zoological fact. The snake is a fabulous 

 Hydra, with its eyes starting out of their sockets ; and 

 only think! the fangs are actually turned upwards, 

 instead of downwards. 



Mr. Audubon tells us that he. confined a rattle-snake 

 for three years in a cage; that he was in the habit of 

 feeding it; and that he measured it with accuracy. 

 Hence we must deem him eminently qualified to de- 

 scribe correctly this well-known reptile. Mr. Swainson 

 too, a learned doctor in zoology, who constantly refers 

 us to his own works, has no slight pretensions, one 

 would suppose, to speak authoritatively on such a 

 subject. 



But with this chimerical rattle- snake before us, what 

 must we think of the artist who figured it ? or of the 

 critic who lauds it to the skies ? With this thing of 

 phantasy staring us in the face, what guarantee have we 

 for the correctness of one single production from the 

 crayon of John James Audubon, F. K. SS. L. & E. ? 

 er what pledge for the soundness of one line of cri- 

 ticism, from the pen of William Swainson, Esq. A. C. G, 

 F. R. S. L. S. ? 



When you meet Mr. Audubon, you might just ask 

 him whether this outrageous group of his was the effect 

 of sheer ignorance, or whether he manufactured it 

 through a mischievous inclination to play upon the inex- 

 perience of his customers ? But no, that won't do ; for 

 your. friend is acute enough in some things; and he may 

 possibly put a similar question to yourself, on the score 

 of ignorance, or of delinquency in criticism. This, you 

 know, would throw you into a quandary. Ah, well-a- 

 day, how cruelly has this American snake of Audu- 



