Wilson also supplied most of the text that accompanied the drawings, a feat that seems almost insupportable from our modern vision of a scientist--for Wilson had no formal training, and in fact owned few books of his own. Thus, the writing that supports the drawings is that of a skilled and diligent observer. He notes the habits and habitats of birds as if they were companions rather than objects of study; his affection for his topic is decisively apparent. Decidedly, he is a naturalist rather than a scientist; because of his lack of formal training, he is free to make judgements and advance ideas that might otherwise have been unacceptable in a highly learned format. In April of 1807, Wilson wrote to Bartram:

"The more I read and reflect on the subject, the more dissatisfied I am with the specific names which have been used by almost every writer. A name should, if possible, be expressive of some peculiarity in colour, conformation or habit; if it will equally apply to two different species, it is certainly an improper one. Is migratorius an epithet peculiarly applicable to the robin? Is it not equally to so almost every species of turdis we have? Europea has been applied by Pennant to our large sitta or nuthatch, which is certainly a different species from the European, the latter being destitute of the black head, neck, and shoulders of ours. Latham calls it carolinensis, but it is as much an inhabitant of Pennsylvania and New York as Carolina. The small red-bellied sitta is called canadensis by Latham, a name equally objectionable with the other. Turdus minor seems also improper; in short, I consider this part of the business as peculiarly perplexing; and I beg to have your opinion on the matter, particularly with respect to the birds I have mentioned, whether I shall hazard a new nomenclature, or, by copying, sanction what I do not approve of."

It is worthwhile to note that "what I do not approve of" is almost entirely the work of European naturalists; in renaming the American birds he saw, Wilson claimed a sphere of nature that was neither repetitive nor inferior to Europe's, as had often been claimed by many Europeans, and eagerly refuted by such notables as Thomas Jefferson in his "Notes on the State of Virginia." Wilson saw his publication of the Ornithology as a deeply American venture, an act of patriotism that asserted the greatness and scope of his new country's resources.