44 



at least leave a beacon to show where I pe- 

 rished." 



Wilson was not, strictly speaking, a sys- 

 tematic naturalist; but he evinced great 

 acuteness in the determination of species. 

 He was an enthusiastic observer of the man- 

 ners and habits of the feathered tribe ; which 

 he describes in the most vivid and appro- 

 priate language, and his almost living figures 

 in this particular have never been surpassed. 

 His friend Mr. Ord, has recently published a 

 new edition of the three last volumes, in 

 which the errors of nomenclature are cor- 

 rected, and those improvements introduced 

 which were rendered necessary by the ad- 

 vances made in this science, since the first 

 publication. The ninth volume, entitled a 

 Supplement to Wilson's American Ornithology^ 

 Contains an enlarged biography of Wilson, 

 which gives much additional interest to the 

 work. 



The American ornithologist will feel grate- 

 ful to the Prince of Musignano for the very 

 thorough manner in which he has corrected 

 errors and settled synonymes in his Observa- 

 tions on the nomenclature of Wilson^ as con- 



