“On one occasion he [Audubon] asked me if I had ever seen any black squirrels during my voyages on the upper Missouri River. My answer was that I had often killed them. ‘Do you know what a black squirrel is?’ he asked. I replied that I knew what I called a black squirrel, and would try to get him one at the first opportunity. A few days later we were windbound. Seeing that we would be compelled to remain tied to the bank most of the day I took my gun and started around to look for a black squirrel. I was fortunate. I ran across a very fine one and shot him. He proved to be a fine large buck. I brought him aboard. The first person I met was Mr. Bell, taxidermist of the Audubon party, who remarked, after examining the squirrel, that it was certainly a very fine specimen. He called Mr. Audubon’s attention to it, who examined the animal carefully, and then said to me: ‘_That_ is what you call a black squirrel, is it? I expected as much. It is very strange that people born and raised in a country do not know the names of the animals and birds which it produces.’ After the squirrel had been thus criticised for some time, I remarked that I would take it down to the cook and have it baked for dinner. ‘No, no!’ said Mr. Audubon, ‘Mr. Bell will take care of it’; and then walked off. “Some few days after this one of his assistants called to me to show me a painting that Mr. Audubon had finished that morning. This was after dinner, as Mr. Audubon had always to retire to his stateroom after that meal and have his long afternoon nap. The assistant took advantage of this opportunity to show me some of the drawings which Mr. Audubon was opposed to our seeing. On entering the room I saw the drawing of the squirrel just finished, and certainly I never saw anything representing life so strikingly. The assistant then told me that Mr. Audubon had remarked that it was the best specimen of a black squirrel that he had ever painted.” [Sidenote: THE OVER-WISE BOTANIST.] [Sidenote: A KERNEL OF CORN.]