work, and he had many to select from. The person he did select was
probably the best man that could be found in the world, and no other
than William MacGillivray — a scholar, an ornithologist, an especially good
anatomist for the time, and an entertaining writer; a writer that was
good and truthful about all. He secured the assistance of William Mac-
Gillivray for the technical portions of his work.
"I wonder how many ornithologists then and now know that his co-
operation with Audubon was secured after the failure of certain nego-
tiations with a different individual. What would have been the effect
had Audubon's first attempt to supply the technicalities of his subject
been successful? It makes me tremble to think of it.
"He first applied for such assistance to an excellent ornithologist
named William Swainson. He was a good ornithologist, there hardly
being a better one for the time. He was one of the most accurate
ornithological artists; but he had a wheel in his head; he was a crank
on one subject, and any one who has ever read his work knows that he
there set this wheel to spinning. He was associated with two others,
composing a trinity of cranks in England at that time.
"If he had not succeeded with MacGillivray and had succeeded with
Swainson North American ornithology would be — I do not know a word
to characterize it if it had fallen into the clutches of these cranks.
"How did we escape this infliction? How did it happen that Audu-
bon's ornithological biographies, in all their technicalities, were not com-
piled under their system? I will show you how it happened that they
were not, for I hold in my hand a copy I have made of Mr. Swainson's
letter of declination. He declined to accede to the negotiations then
pending, as you will see. The original is in possession at present of the
family in Salem. The letter will be printed in the next number of ' The
Auk.'*
"This letter is dated the 20th of October, 1830. I do not know that
it is necessary to read all of it, but the point of my remarks is to show
you that Swainson was applied to, to do the technical part of Audubon's
work, before MacGillivray was applied to, and he declined to do so be-
cause his name was not to appear upon the title page.
"Among the contents of this portfolio I have a number of pictures,
to which I will now call your special attention. Those of us who are
familiar with the beautiful products of his pencil and those of us who
are not ornithologists may look and see one of Audubon's plates in process
of construction. There is an original of Audubon's [holding up the cut-
out figure of a bird] . In examining a great quantity of the contents of
the portfolio I found that it was a very frequent custom in preparing his
bird figures to have one of his sons prepare the background. You can
- ■ The Auk," xv, iS<>S, pp. i i-i ;.
