WILSON, ALEXANDER ( 170),- SI3 . An American ornithologist, born at l'aisley, in Scotland. lIe worked for somne time as a weaver, and then became a peddler. In 1790 he pub lished a volume of poems, the third edition of which appeared in 1791. In the following year he published anonymously Welly and Meg, the authorship of which was by some ascribed to I:0bert limns. A little later he got into trouble by writing a satire upon an individual in Pais ley, and after his release sailed for America. lie arrived at Newcastle, Del., July '14, 1794, and thenee walked to Philadelphia. For several years he worked as a Weaver, peddler. and school teacher; but having made the acquaintance of the naturalist William Bartram, he became inter ested in the drawing of birds, and evolved a plan to illustrate the ornithology of the United States. In 1804, partly to collect material, he and t WO friends walked to Niagara, and he gave an account of the trip in a poem called "The Foresters," published in the Port folio. Two years afterwards he began to assist in editing the American edition of Bees's Cyeloinedia, and was thereby given an opportunity to proceed with his scheme of publiAming his Americium Ornithology, the first volume of which appeared in 1808, and the seeond in 1810. in order to collect material
for the other volumes. lie traveled in various parts of the country. After his return lie com pleted five more volnmes, hut died in August, 1813. Volumes eight and nine of his work were brought out under the editorship of George Ord in 1814, and four supplementary volumes were afterwards published by Prince C'harles Lucien Bonaparte. Editions of their united works were published by Jameson (4 vols., London. 1831), Jardine (3 vols., ib., 1832), and repeatedly after wards. Another, edited' by Sir William Jardine, with a memoir of ilson, was published in the following year in three volumes. Wilson's ili eellaneons Prose Works and Poems, edited by Bev. Alexander Gros art. with a memoir, were published in two volumes at Paisley in 1876. Wilson's scientific work was not systematic, but his deseriptions were good, his pictures were su perior to most of those of his day. and as a pioneer in his chosen field he is deserving of high honor. Consult: Brightwell, Difficulties Over come, Reenes in the Life of Alex-ander Wi/son (London. 1860) : Paton, Alexander Wilson, the (ih- 1863); and his Life by Wil liam Peabody in Sparks's Library of Americium Biography (1834-56), vol. ii.