THE NATURALIST AND THE BIRD, 
499 
his travels. Leaving his sketches in the care of one of 
his relations, he started for the boundless prairies, forests, 
and deserts of his native land, equipped as half painter, 
half sportsman. He pursued his journey courageously, 
under the greatest difficulties and dangers. Often he 
passed the night, exhausted with hunger and fatigue, 
under some monarch of the forest, aye, nearly driven to 
despair; and yet he steadfastly persevered ! He returned 
to his home rich in experiences and sketches. His first 
question was for the chest containing his early drawings. 
Oh! what a terrible misfortune !—mice had taken up 
their abode in the chest, and had almost entirely 
devoured the valuable collection. “ I passed several 
sleepless nights,” he writes; “the days were spent in 
dreadful apathy: at length, strength of mind gained the 
victory. Afresh I shouldered my gun, and wandered out 
again into the forest, as bright and in as good spirits as 
though nothing had happened; and I even began to 
congratulate myself at the prospect of now being able 
to make a series of more perfect drawings. After three 
years’ work I had again refilled my portfolio.” 
These two sketches will suffice to show the toils under¬ 
gone by observing naturalists. I could name many others. 
Wilson, another North-American zoologist, was a weaver 
by trade, and only learned to draw when he was forty years 
of age, so as to enable him to introduce his much-loved 
birds before the public. He battled against poverty to 
the end of his life, working to the last with an energy 
and patience above all praise. Le Yaillant was for Africa 
the same as Wilson and Audubon were for America. And 
there are still many men like them, who have fought 
and striven for their favourite science. 
t 
Still more painful than the bodily and mental struggles 
