LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
REEF
POINT
GARDENS
LIBRARY
The Gift of Beatrix Farrand
to the General Library
University of California, Berkeley
AUDUBON
THE
NATURALIST
AFTER PORTRAIT BY GEORGE P. A. HEALY. UJ8 ; ORIGINAL IN POSSESSION
OF THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY.
AUDUBON
THE
NATURALIST
A HISTORY OF HIS LIFE AND TIME
BY
FRANCIS HOBART HERRICK, Ph.D., Sc.D.
PBOFESSOR OF BIOLOGY IN WESTERN BE8EBVE UNIVEBSITT;
AUTHOR OF "THE HOME LIFE OF WILD BIBDS," ETC.
IN TWO VOLUMES
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME II
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
NEW YORK LONDON
1917
COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY
D, APPLETON AND COMPANY
Printed in the United States of America
latin
LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
Gti-31
CONTENTS OF VOLUME II V,
BmoSCMt ENVIRON
.AR=H." OESIGIi
CHAPTER XXVI
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA AND THE SOUTH ATLANTIC
PAGE
Obituary published in London on day of his arrival in New York — As-
sistance from the Government — John Bachman becomes his friend
—Winter in Charleston— His folios as gifts— To Florida with two
assistants — Letters to Featherstonhaugh — St. Augustine — Misad-
ventures in the mud of East Florida — Audubon on Florida's fu-
ture— At the sources of the St. John's — Aboard the Marion —
Return from Key West — A merchant of Savannah — Disbanding of
party at Charleston . 1
CHAPTER XXVII
EASTERN VISIT AND EXPLORATIONS IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC
Bachman's success as a canvasser — Boston visit — Journey to Portland —
Ascent of the St. John's — Return overland — Victor Audubon be-
comes his father's agent — Winter in Boston — The Golden Eagle —
Stricken with illness — Expedition to Labrador planned — Ameri-
can support — Sails from Eastport with five assistants — Discoveries
and adventures on the Labrador — Safe return — Another winter in
Charleston — Sued for old debts — Experience with vultures — Advice
and instruction to a son — Working habits — Return to England . 26
CHAPTER XXVIII
THORNS ON THE ROSE
Contributions to magazines — Attacked in Philadelphia — Statement to
Sully — The rattlesnake episode — Behavior of a Philadelphia editor
— Mistaken identity in account of the reptile— Lesson of the ser-
pent's tooth — Audubon's long lost lily rediscovered — "Nosarians
and Anti-Nosarians" — Bachman and Audubon on vultures — Aim of
the critics — Authorship in the Biography — His most persistent
heckler — Pitfall of analogy 67
v
277
vi AUDUBON THE NATURALIST
CHAPTER XXIX
SIDELIGHTS ON AUDUBON AND His CONTEMPORARIES
PAGE
What was a Quinarian? — Controversy over the authorship of the Orni-
thological Biography — Audubon's quaint proposal — Swainson's re-
ply— Friendship suffers a check — Species-mongers — Hitting at one
over the shoulders of another — Swainson as a biographer — His ca-
reer— Bonaparte's grievance — A fortune in ornithology — Labors of
John Gould and his relations with Audubon — The freemasonry of
naturalists 93
CHAPTER XXX
AUDUBON AND MACGILLIVRAY
In London once more — MacGillivray's assistance continued — Return to
Edinburgh — MacGillivray's character and accomplishments — Audu-
bon's acknowledgments — Tributes of "Christopher North" — Results
of overwork— Fusillades from "Walton Hall"— Progress of the
large plates 125
CHAPTER XXXI
THIRD AMERICAN TOUR, 1836-1837
In New York harbor — Collections from the Far West — Audubon's ef-
forts to secure them — Return to Boston — Friendship of Daniel
Webster — Renewed efforts to obtain the Nuttall-Townsend collec-
tions— Expedition to the west coast of Florida — Deferred govern-
mental aid — Another winter with Bachman — Overland journey to
New Orleans — On board the Crusader — Mistaken for pirates — With
Harris and his son explores the Gulf coast— The Republic of Texas
— Visit to its capital and president — Meeting in Charleston — Mar-
riage of his son— Their return to England . 146
CHAPTER XXXII
AUDUBON'S GREATEST TRIUMPH
Extension of his work— Financial panic and revolt of patrons— New
western collections — His "book of Nature" completed — Work on the
letterpress in Edinburgh — Vacation in the Highlands — Commissions
CONTENTS vii
PAGE
to Harris — Parting address to the reader — Dissolution of the
Havell engraving establishment — The residuum of The Birds of
America — Robert Havell, engraver, and his family — Lizars' first
edition and the Havell reissues of plates — Brief manual for col-
lectors— Appreciations — Total edition of The Birds of America —
Past and uresent prices — The Rothschild incident (. 168
CHAPTER XXXIII
NEW ENTERPRISES AND LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND"
Settlement in New York — The Birds in miniature, and work on the
Quadrupeds — Marriage of Victor Audubon — Cooperation of Bach-
man in the Quadrupeds secured — Prospectuses — History of the oc-
tavo edition of the Birds — Baird's enthusiasm and efficient aid —
Parkman's Wren— Baird's visit to Audubon in New York— "Look
out for Martens," and wildcats — New home on the Hudson — God-
win's pilgrimage to "Minnie's Land" in 1842 . ... .,. . .
CHAPTER XXXIV
EXPEDITION TO THE UPPER MISSOURI
Ambitions at fifty-seven — Plans his last expedition in the rdle of natu-
ralist— Credentials from public men — Canvassing tour in Canada
described — Baird's plans to accompany Audubon west frustrated —
Western expedition begun — Ascent of the Missouri and Yellowstone
— Discoveries of new birds — A wilderness that howls — Buffalo hunt-
ing— Passing of the great herds — Return from Fort Union — Inci-
dent on the canal boat — Completion of the octavo edition of the
Birds ,. . .
CHAPTER XXXV
FINAL WORK DAYS
Painting the Quadrupeds — Assistance of Bachman and Audubon's sons
—Copper plates of the Birds go through the fire in New York—
Audubon a spectator at the ruins — Bachman's ultimatum — Success
of the illustrations of the Quadrupeds — Bachman's letterpress —
Recommendation of Baird — J. W. Audubon in London — Bachman's
assistants — His life and labors — Decline of Audubon's powers — Dr.
Brewer's visit— Audubon's last letters— His death at "Minnie's
Land" .
viii AUDUBON THE NATURALIST
CHAPTER XXXVI
AFTERWORD : AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA
PAGE
Bachman completes his text on the Quadrupeds — Victor Audubon's suc-
cess in canvassing — John Woodhouse Audubon's family — New
houses at "Minnie's Land" — Second octavo edition of the Birds —
Victor Audubon's illness and death — Attempt to reissue The Birds
of America in America — The residual stock of this imperfect edi-
tion— Death of John Woodhouse Audubon — His career and work as
an artist and field collector — Mrs. Audubon resumes her old voca-
tion—Fate of "Minnie's Land"— Death of Mrs. Audubon— Her
share in her husband's fame — Story written on Audubon's original
drawings — Fate of the original copper plates of the Birds — A boy
comes to the rescue— "Minnie's Land" today— The "Cave"— A real
"Audubon Park" . 291
APPENDIX I
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
1. Copy of the original bill rendered by Doctor Sanson, physician
at Les Cayes, Santo Domingo, to Jean Audubon, containing the
only existing record of the birth of his son, Jean Jacques Fou-
gere Audubon, on April 26, 1785; Les Cayes, December 29, 1783-
October 19, 1785 314
la. Translation of the Sanson Bill 315
2. Copy of the Act of Adoption of Fougere (John James Audu-
bon) and Muguet (Rosa Audubon), Nantes, March 7, 1794- . 328
3. Copy of the Act of Baptism of Jean Jacques Fougere Audubon,
Nantes, October 23, 1800 329
4. Copy of a bill of sale of Negroes rendered by Monsieur Ollivier
to Monsieur Audubon, Les Cayes, Santo Domingo, 1785 . . 330
5. Statement of Accounts of Messrs. Audubon, Lacroix, Formon &
Jacques in the purchase of Negroes from M. Th. Johnston, Les
Cayes, Santo Domingo, 1785 331
6. Copy of bill of sale of Negroes to Monsieur Audubon, and a
statement of his account with Messrs. Lucas Brothers & Con-
stant, Les Cayes, Santo Domingo, August 7, 1785- June 9, 1788 334
7. Accounts of William Bakewell of "Fatland Ford" as prote"g6 of
his future son-in-law, and as attorney or agent for Audubon &
Rozier, giving certain exact indications of the naturalist's early
movements and personal relations, before and after finally leav-
ing "Mill Grove," January 4, 1805-April 9, 1810 . . . .336
8. Concerning a Power of Attorney issued by Lieutenant Audubon
and Anne Moynet Audubon to Ferdinand Rozier and John Au-
CONTENTS ix
PAGE
dubon, the Younger, at Coueron, France, in 1805; parts in
French translated by a Philadelphia notary; signatures of orig-
inal document authenticated by the Mayor of Coueron, October
21, 1805; his attest of the legality of Anne Moynet Audubon's
signature at Coueron, October 27, 1805; authentication of the
signature of the Mayor of Coueron by the Subprefect of Save-
nay, November 27, 1805; attest of the Subprefect's signature by
the Prefect 340
9. Articles of Association of Jean Audubon and Ferdinand Rozier
to govern their partnership in business; drawn up at Nantes,
March 23, 1806 344
9a. Translation of the Articles of Association of Jean Audubon and
Ferdinand Rozier 345
10. Power of Attorney issued by Lieutenant Jean Audubon, Anne
Moynet Audubon and Claude Frangois Rozier, to their respective
sons, Jean Audubon and Ferdinand Rozier, at Nantes, France,
April 4, 1806, eight days before the latter embarked to Amer-
ica to enter upon their partnership in business 350
lOa. Translation of the Power of Attorney issued by Jean Audubon,
Anne Moynet Audubon, and Claude Francois Rozier to Jean
Audubon and Ferdinand Rozier, April 4, 1806 . . . .351
11. Account current of John Audubon and Ferdinand Rozier with
the estate of Benjamin Bakewell, late commission merchant in
New York, showing their dealings and standing with this house
during the first sixteen months of their business experience in the
West. Covers the period August 1, 1807, to December 13, 1808 . 354
lla. Final Account of Francis Dacosta, rendered July 25, 1807, to
Lieutenant Jean Audubon, his partner in the unfortunate mining
enterprise at "Mill Grove"; later contested and settled by arbi-
tration 356
12. Quit Claim or Release given by John James Audubon to Ferdi-
nand Rozier on the Dissolution of their Partnership in Business,
at Sainte Genevieve, Upper Louisiana (Missouri), April 6, 1811 359
13. Copy of a portion of the first Will of Lieutenant Jean Audu-
bon, Coueron, May 20, 1812 360
14. Copy of the second and last Will of Lieutenant Jean Audubon,
March 15, 1816 361
15. Copy of a portion of the first Will of Madame Anne Moynet,
wife of Lieutenant Audubon, December 4, 1814 .... 363
16. Copy of a portion of the second Will of Madame Jean Audubon,
May 10, 1816 364
17. Copy of the third Will, "No. 169, of Madame Anne Moynet,
widow of M. Jean Audubon, living at his house called "La Ger-
betiere," and situated near the village of Port-Launay, not far
from Coueron," December 26, 1819 366
18. Copy of a portion of the fourth and last will of Madame Jean
Audubon, living at the house of "The Turtle Doves" ("Les Tour-
terelles"), at Coueron, July 16, 1821 367
: AUDUBON THE NATURALIST
PAGE
19. Notice of the death of Lieutenant Jean Audubon, from the offi-
cial registry of Nantes, Nantes, February 19, 1818 . . .369
20. Letter of Lieutenant Jean Audubon to Francis Dacosta, his
American agent and attorney, relating to the conduct of his son,
and to the lead mine at "Mill Grove" farm, transliterated from
photographic copy of duplicate (Letter No. 4) in Jean Audu-
bon's letter-book. Nantes, March 10, 1805 370
21. Letters of John James Audubon to Claude Fran£ois Rozier,
father, and to Ferdinand Rozier, son, immediately preceding
and following his active partnership in business with the latter,
1807 and 1812 . 372
APPENDIX II
AUDUBON'S EARLY DATED DRAWINGS MADE IN FRANCE AND
AMERICA
Drawings now in the collections of Mr. Joseph Y. Jeanes of Philadel-
phia, and formerly belonging to Mr. Edward Harris, of Moores-
town, New Jersey; of Mr. John E. Thayer, Lancaster, Massachu-
setts, and of Harvard University .......... 375
APPENDIX III
"THE BIRDS OF AMERICA"
1. Final Lists of Subscribers to The Birds of America, folio edi-
tion, as published by Audubon in 1839 380
2. Prospectus of The Birds of America, as issued in 1828, when
ten Numbers of the original folio were engraved .... 386
3. Prospectus of the Second (partial) Edition of The Birds of
America, issued by John Woodhouse Audubon, through Messrs.
Trubner & Company, London, 1859 ..... , . . 389
APPENDIX IV
Authentic Likenesses of Jean Jacques Fougere Audubon ., M . . 392
APPENDIX V
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Containing a fully annotated list of Audubon's writings, biographies,
criticism, and Auduboniana ....:..»•• 401
INDEX . ... 457
ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME II
Audubon. After a portrait by George P. A. Healy, 1838. Photo-
gravure Frontispiece
"Beechgrove," William Garrett Johnson's plantation house near St.
Francisville, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, where Mrs. Audu-
bon lived and taught from 1827 to 1829 .... Facing 6
John Bachman's house in Charleston, South Carolina . . Facing 6
Early drawing in water color of the Carolina Parrot on branch of the
hickory, 1811, hitherto unpublished Facing 20
John Bachman at thirty-two. After an engraving by Charles C. Wright
of a portrait by A. Fisher Facing 32
Robert Havell at eighty-five. After a photograph taken shortly before
his death in 1878 Facing 32
Letter of Dr. George Parkman to Audubon, May 25, 1833 . .43
Pileated Woodpeckers on the "Raccoon Grape," The Birds of America,
Plate CXI. After the original engraving by Robert Havell, 1831.
Color Facing 46
Letter of Robert Havell to Audubon, June 15, 1833 51
John George Children * ... Facing 64
Edward Harris • • . . . Facing 64
John Bachman , . . Facing 72
George Ord » > « Facing 72
Samuel Latham Mitchell ....»,.. Facing 72
Charles Waterton Facing 72
Dr. Thomas Cooper, President of South Carolina College. After a con-
temporary silhouette 78
Vindication of Audubon's representation of the fangs of the southern
rattlesnake as recurved at their tips. Detail from The Birds of
America, Plate XXI, and photograph of the skull of a recent
Florida specimen Facing 80
Bluebirds on a stalk of the "great Mullein," The Birds of America,
Plate CXIII. After the original engraving by Robert Havell, 1831.
Color , Facing 100
xi
xii AUDUBON THE NATURALIST
PAGE
William Swainson Facing 118
Thomas Nuttall Facing 118
Charles Lucien Bonaparte Facing 118
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Facing 118
Audubon. After an engraving by H. B. Hall of a portrait painted by
Henry Inman in 1833 Facing 126
Letter of William MacGillivray to Audubon, October 22, 1834 . . .131
Part of the original draft of Audubon's manuscript for the Introduc-
tion to Volume II of the Ornithological Biography, giving list of
names of persons to whom Audubon carried credentials on his first
visit to London in 1827 Facing 133
Audubon's inscription in a copy of the Ornithological Biography, which
he presented to William MacGillivray in 1839 138
Early drawings of American birds, 1807-12, hitherto unpublished: the
Whippoorwill and the American Robin, with details . . Facing 144
Bust of Audubon by William Couper, in front and profile views. After
the original in the American Museum of Natural History, New
York . . . Facing 160
Life mask of Audubon, hitherto unpublished, in front and profile views.
After the original made by Robert Havell in London, now in pos-
session of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard Uni-
versity Facing 178
Canvas-backed Ducks, with distant view of the city of Baltimore, Mary-
land, The Birds of America, Plate CCCI. After the original en-
graving by Robert Havell, 1836. Color . . . . Facing 196
Victor Gifford Audubon Facing 210
John Woodhouse Audubon Facing 210
Title page of the paper covers in which parts of the first American
(octavo) edition of The Birds of America were originally issued . 213
Audubon. After a portrait painted by John Woodhouse and Victor
Gifford Audubon about 1841 Facing 226
"Minnie's Land," Audubon's home on the Hudson River, as it appeared
in 1865. After a lithograph in Valentine's Manual . . Facing 236
"Minnie's Land," as it appears to-day from the river front protected by
the retaining wall of Riverside Drive Facing 236
Audubon, with gun, horse, and dog. After a painting by John Wood-
house Audubon about 1841 Facing 244
Letter of Edward Harris to Audubon, January 31, 1843 . . . .251
ILLUSTRATIONS xiii
PAGK
Drawings for The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America: the Amer-
ican or Canada porcupine and rabbits. After the originals in water
color in the American Museum of Natural History, New York
Facing 264
Title page of Volume I of the English edition of the text of The Vivip-
arous Quadrupeds of North America 275
John W. Audubon's inscription in a copy of Volume I of the text of
the Quadrupeds (English edition), presented to John Edward Gray 280
Audubon. After an engraving by Nordheim of a daguerreotype possi-
bly earlier than 1849 Facing 280
Audubon. After his last portrait, a daguerreotype made in New York
about 1850 Facing 280
Letter of John Bachman to George Gates, November 7, 1846 . . . 282
Audubon's last (?) letter to Edward Harris, February 22, 1847 . . 287
House formerly belonging to Victor Gifford Audubon, east front, as it
appears to-day Facing 294
House formerly belonging to John Woodhouse Audubon, south front,
as it appears to-day Facing 294
Lucy Bakewell Audubon. After a miniature painted by Frederick
Cruikshank in London, about 1831 Facing 304
Lucy Bakewell Audubon. After an unpublished photograph of 1871 .
Facing 304
AUDUBON
THE
NATURALIST
SONNET
TO J. J. AUDUBON, ESQ., ON BEHOLDING HIS DRAWINGS.
Is there delight in Nature's solitudes,
Her dark green woods, and fragrant wilderness.
In scenes, where seldom human step intrudes,
And she is in her wildest, loveliest dress?
Is there delight m her uncultured flowers,
Each ripened bloom or bright unfolding dye,
Or in the tribes which animate her bowers,
And through her groves in living beauty fly?
Then, on thy canvas as they move and live,
While taste and genius guide the fair design,
And all the charms which Nature's works can give
With equal radiance in thy colours shine;
Amidst the praise thy country's sons extend,
The stranger's voice its warm applause shall blend.
J. E. R. [JANE ELIZABETH ROSCOE].
The Winter's Wreath, 1832.
AUDUBON
THE
NATURALIST
CHAPTER XXVI
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA AND THE SOUTH
ATLANTIC
Obituary published in London on day of his arrival in New York — As-
sistance from the Government — John Bachman becomes his friend —
Winter in Charleston— His folios as gifts— To Florida with two as-
sistants— Letters to Featherstonhaugh — St. Augustine — Misadventures
in the mud of East Florida — Audubon on Florida's future — At the
sources of the St. John's — Aboard the Marion — Return from Key
West — A merchant of Savannah — Disbanding of party at Charleston.
In the summer of 1831 Audubon felt that he must
again return to America and extend his researches to
the north, south and west, as well as begin a campaign
for subscribers in the United States. His large folio
was now running into its second volume, and the first
installment of his text had been published ; the time was
favorable to his plans, and he hoped to remain in the
country two or three years.
For the second time the publication of his plates
was entrusted to friend Children, and with Mrs. Audu-
bon he set sail for New York on August 2, 1831. From
the American ^metropolis he wrote to Joseph B. Kidd
on September 7 as follows : *
1 Quoted by Captain Thomas Brown (Bibl. No. 163) in the Edin-
burgh Caledonian Mercury, November 3, 1831.
1
2 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
We landed on the 3d ... [of September] after a re-
markably fine passage of 33 days. In two days more I pro-
ceed to the woods, and away from white man's tracks and
manners. I hope you are going on well with your work. . . .
I have a new subscriber here. The papers and scientific
journals (we have not many,) are singing the praises of my
work, and, God willing, I may yet come out at the broad end
of the horn; at all events, I will either break it or make a
spoon! I shot sixteen birds on the passage, which I got through
the kind attention of our commander. I killed fifty more,
when the "Columbia" was going too fast to stop for the pur-
pose of picking them up. My young man is now busily engaged
in skinning, and killed a bag-full of warblers yesterday . . .
prices of peaches, first quality, 75 cents per bushel, — apples,
half that price ; — water melons are dull of sale, as also cante-
lopes and nutmeg melons. Fish alive in the markets, and,
vive la joie, no taxes on shooting or fishing."
What Audubon actually did was to proceed to
Philadelphia, where Mrs. Audubon left him to visit her
sons in Louisville, and where he laid his plans for ex-
ploring the Southern States, especially the islands and
eastern coast of the Florida peninsula. For this expedi-
tion he engaged two assistants, one of whom was Henry
Ward, the "young man" mentioned above, an English-
man who had come with him to America as taxidermist,
while the other was George Lehman, a Swiss landscape
painter whom he seems to have found at Philadelphia.
With them he soon started for Washington to obtain
assistance from the Government.
On the very day that Audubon landed in New York,
there appeared in the London Literary Gazette a serio-
comic notice under the title of "Wilson the Ornitholo-
gist," who, it may be remembered, had died in Phila-
delphia eighteen years before. Said the editor of the
Gazette:
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 3
We observe with sorrow an account of the death and burial
of poor Wilson, somewhere in the state of Philadelphia, even
while the Edinburgh j ournals are anticipating his return, laden
with scientific treasures. We have now before us No. 1 of his
Illustrations of American Ornithology, on a reduced scale, to
sort with Professor Jameson's edition — a pretty and attrac-
tive publication. The coloured prints are extremely correct
and well done.
When on September 8 the Edinburgh Caledonian Mer-
cury had called attention to this egregious blunder re-
garding Wilson, the Gazette explained that his name
had been confused with that of Audubon, whose obit-
uary presently appeared in its issue of October 29, the
editor remarking that this naturalist's death was equally,
if not more, to be deplored than that of Wilson. Cap-
tain Brown then sent to the Caledonian Mercury Audu-
bon's letter to Kidd, quoted above, which was written
from New York four days after the naturalist's death
was announced in England. "What is the editor of the
Literary Gazette about," exclaimed a writer in the Edin-
burgh paper; "he first resuscitates a man who has been
dead 18 years, only to kill him again, and then, by way
of correcting his error, kills another, who is now clearly
proved to have been alive and well several days after
the date of his obituary in London."
As was often the case, Audubon's ambitious hopes
for exploring the continent far outran his means and
powers of accomplishment. Colonel John James
Abert, whose counsel he sought in Washington at this
time, said:2 "His plan is first to examine the peninsula
2 Extract of letter of Colonel Abert. See G. W. Featherstonhaugh
(Bibl. No. 164), Monthly American Journal of Geology and Natural
Science, vol. i, p. 229 (1831).
John James Abert (1788-1863), long associated with the Bureau of
Topographical Engineers of the United States Army, became brevet
4 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
of Florida; then the regions west of the Mississippi,
Mexico, and if possible penetrate into California. He
also contemplates crossing the Rocky Mountains and
pursuing the Columbia River to its mouth, and thinks
that he will be absent from us about two years." In
November G. W. Featherstonhaugh, the geologist, also
made this announcement in his Monthly American Jour-
nal of Geology and Natural Science:
We are authorized to state that information of the progress
of Mr. Audubon will be given, from time to time, to the scien-
tific world, in the pages of this journal.
We are gratified in being able to state, that he was received
in the most cordial manner, at Washington, and that the dis-
tinguished gentlemen in authority there, have given him such
letters to the military posts on the frontiers, as will assure
him the aid and protection his personal safety may require.
We anticipate the most interesting reconnaisances, both geo-
logical and zoological, from this enterprising naturalist, who
is accompanied by Mr. Lehman, as an assistant draftsman, and
by an assistant collector who came with him from Europe.
The "distinguished gentlemen" at Washington who
particularly aided Audubon at this time, besides Colonel
lieutenant-colonel in charge of that office in 1837; according to Ruthven
Deane (see Bibliography, No. 216), he was an organizer of the National
Institute of Science, afterwards merged with the Smithsonian Institution
at Washington; an ardent friend of Audubon, he assisted him in many
ways, and, as Dr. Richard Harlan affirmed, paid dearly for his support
by being rejected for membership in the American Philosophical Society
at Philadelphia. Harlan wrote to Audubon on January 27, 1832, that
out of twenty-five members present on the occasion referred to, five, led
by Mr. George Ord, Mr. Isaac Lea, and Dr. Hays, had voted against
him: in his opinion no possible grounds could be found for opposing
so desirable a member excepting his friendship for Audubon and his
support of the snake "Episode" (see Chapter XXVIII). In 1832 Abert's
paper on the "Habits of Climbing of the Rattlesnake," which was written
in the previous year, had appeared in a Philadelphia journal (see
Bibliography, No. 107). To this friend Abert's Squirrel, Sciurus aberti,
was later dedicated; see Audubon, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North
America (Bibl. No. 6), plate 153.
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 5
Abert, were Edward Everett, Levi Woodbury, Secre-
tary of the Navy, and Lewis McLane, Secretary of the
Treasury. He was particularly anxious to obtain ac-
commodation for his party aboard a government vessel,
but it was some time before a suitable one was available.
They left Washington about October 15, 1831, and went
by steamer to Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia, where
the Governor, John Floyd, whom Audubon had known
in his Kentucky days, gave him numerous letters of
introduction. At Charleston, their next stopping-place,
he had hardly begun work in the field when he was
sought out by the Rev. John Bachman, by inclination
a naturalist of the old school and by profession a Luther-
an minister, who at once took the whole party under
his hospitable roof, where they remained a month. Thus
began a life-long and almost ideal friendship between
these two men, so unlike in character, in temperament
and in training, which was quite as important to the
modest German- American divine as to the impulsive
Franco- American painter and student of birds. It was
Audubon's infectious enthusiasm which kindled to an
ardent flame that love of nature which was innate in
Bachman, and which eventually brought his name and
work to the attention of the scientific world.
Audubon remained at Charleston with the Bachmans
until November 15, when the opportunity which they
had awaited came suddenly, and they sailed for St. Au-
gustine, Florida, on the government schooner Agnes.
On that day Bachman wrote to Mrs. Audubon, in com-
pliance "with a request of your kind and worthy hus-
band, who laid an injunction on me this morning": 3
3C. L. Bachman, John Bachman, D.D., LL.D., Ph.D. (Bibl. No. 191),
to which work I am indebted for numerous extracts from Bachman's
letters to Audubon and for various incidents relating to the different
members of both families.
6 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
The last has been one of the happiest months of my life.
I was an enthusiastic admirer of nature from my boyhood, and
fond of every branch of Natural History. Ornithology is, as
a science, pursued by very few persons — and by none in this
city. How gratifying was it, then, to become acquainted with
a man, who knew more about birds than any man now living —
and who, at the same time, was communicative, intelligent, and
amiable, to an extent seldom found associated in the same in-
dividual. He has convinced me that I was but a novice in the
study ; and besides receiving many lessons from him in Ornithol-
ogy, he has taught me how much can be accomplished by a
single individual, who will unite enthusiasm with industry. For
the short month he remained with my family, we were in-
separable. We were engaged in talking about Ornithology —
in collecting birds — in seeing them prepared, and in laying
plans for the accomplishment of that great work which he has
undertaken. Time passed rapidly away, and it seems but as
yesterday since we met, and now, alas ! he is already separated
from me — and in all human probability we shall never meet
again. ... I need not inform you that Mr. Audubon was
a general favorite in our city. His gentlemanly deportment,
his travels and experience, his information and general tal-
ents, caused him to be sought after by all. But your husband
knew that the great objects before him required his unremitted
attention, and he was obliged to deny himself to his friends,
on many occasions, and devoted to them only his evenings.
There seems quite a blank, in my house, since h.e has gone,
for we looked on him as one of our family. He taught my
sister, Maria, to draw birds; and she has now such a passion
for it, that whilst I am writing, she is drawing a Bittern, put
up for her at daylight by Mr. Audubon.
On December 23 Bachman wrote to Audubon:
"Your visit to me gave me new life, induced me to go
carefully over my favorite study, and made me and my
family happy." His sister-in-law, Miss Maria Martin,
"BEECHGROVE," WILLIAM GARRETT JOHNSON'S PLANTATION HOUSE IN WEST FELI-
CIANA PARISH, LOUISIANA, WHERE MRS. AUDUBON LIVED AND
TAUGHT FOR TWO YEARS, 1827-1829.
After a photograph by Mr. Stanley Clisby Arthur, 1916.
JOHN BACHMAN'S HOUSE IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.
After a photograph in possession of Mr. Ruthven Deane.
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 7
who possessed considerable artistic talent, became one of
Audubon's enthusiastic helpers, and not only drew birds
for him but painted many of the flowers and insects
which were later used for the embellishment of his plates.
John Bachman's serious contributions to natural history
also date from this visit. To repay him and his family
for their hospitality, Audubon presented them with the
first volume of The Birds of America, but the folio was
not received until some time later; he was referring to
this when he wrote to Bachman, just before sailing from
New York, on April 5, 1834, and asked him to accept
"the superbly bound book" from "y°ur old Friend, in
part atonement for the troubles I have given you, and
the leatherings you may yet receive at my hands at
chess." In a letter to Miss Martin, written also from
New York on the following day, he said: "The Great
Volume which Maj. Glassel did fortunately return into
your hands, I give with all my heart to my valued
friends, the Bachmans, and shall try to furnish them
the sequel in like binding." 4
Audubon scattered detached plates and numbers of
his large work freely among his friends, and sometimes
spoke of a gift of the whole. The costly nature of such
a present in most cases, no doubt, led to a change of
mind if not of heart, but not in all, for a number of his
presentation copies still exist. One was given to David
Eckley 5 of Boston, a noted sportsman who had aided
4 This "Great Volume," bound in fine Russia leather, was still in pos-
session of the Bachman family in 1888, and is said to represent one of
the earliest impressions of the plates, which Audubon had selected and
used for exhibition purposes. See C. L. Bachman, op. cit., p. 101.
"This unique copy of The Birds of America bears the inscription:
To my worthy Friend
D d. Eckley, Esq., of [Boston]
this volume is given with
his sincere and good wishes.
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
8 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Audubon in collecting materials for his work. In a
letter written at Charleston, January 1, 1837, to young
Thomas M. Brewer, Audubon said: "Please to call on
my good friend David Eckley, Esq., present to him and
to his family my very best regards, and ask of him
whether he has collected any hawks or owls for me. If
so, take them from him, and place them in the general
receptacle of 'pale-faced rum.' ' Another copy is said
to be in possession of the Public Library of Manchester,
England, and to have been bequeathed to that institu-
tion by the Earl of Crawford. A complete set of the
Birds was also presented to his friends, the Rathbones
of Liverpool, and is still in possession of the family.
We shall now return to our narrative and fulfill our
promise of reproducing Audubon's own account of his
journey from Richmond to Florida:6
Audubon to G. W. FeatherstonhaugJi
I am now seated in earnest to give you an unceremonious
summary of my proceedings up to this time, since we left Rich-
mond, in Virginia. As a geologist, I venture to suppose you
would have been but indifferently amused, if you had been with
us in our journey from this latter place to Charleston, in
South Carolina ; and as an ornithologist, I cannot boast of the
The plates thus dedicated were unbound, and apparently in their
original covers, which consisted of plain brown sheets. They passed
through the hands of Messrs. Burrows Brothers' Company, Cleveland, to
Mr. Robert H. Say re of South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and were
originally received by the American dealers from the Messrs. Sotheran &
Company of London. Possibly this was the set mentioned by Coues, who
says "Triibner . . . quotes the work with plain plates. I have never
seen one in that condition" (Birds of the Colorado Valley, p. 612; Bibl. No.
181). After Mr. Sayre's death, his library was dispersed by public auction
at Philadelphia, when this complete set of Audubon plates, though in an
uncolored state, brought $3,200; see Public Ledger, November 9, 1907, and
"Bohemian"* (Bibl. No. 207a), Black Diamond Express, vol. iv, p. 3.
"Letter (No. 1) from Audubon to the editor of the Monthly Ameri-
can Journal of Geology and Natural Science (Bibl. No. 34), published in
vol. i, p. 358 (1832); dated "St. Augustine, East Florida, Dec. 7, 1831."
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 9
enjoyment I found; poor coaches, dragged through immense,
deserted pine forests, miserable fare, and neither birds nor
quadrupeds to be seen. We at length approached Charleston,
and the view of that city from across the bay was hailed by
our party with unfeigned delight. Charmed, as we were, with
having terminated our dreary journey, it did not occur to us
to anticipate the extraordinary hospitality which awaited us
there, and which led to a residence of a few of the happiest
weeks I ever passed.
I had passed but one night in the city, when I was pre-
sented to the Rev. Mr. . This benevolent man, whom I am
proud to call my friend would not suffer the "American Woods-
man" to repose any where but under his roof; and not him
alone — all his assistants too. When I tell you that he was
an old friend of Alexander Wilson, that he shoots well, is an
ornithologist, a philosophical naturalist, and that during the
time we enjoyed his hospitality, he took us all over the country
with his carriages and servants, in search of specimens, and
that he was every thing a kind brother could be to me, you
may suppose that it is with great sincerity I say, and ever
shall say, God bless him ! When I first saw this excellent man,
he was on horseback, but upon my being named to him, he
leaped from his saddle, suffered his horse to stand at liberty,
and gave me his hand with a pressure of cordiality that elec-
trified me. I saw in his eyes that all he said was good and
true; and although he spoke of my labours in terms far ex-
ceeding what is due to them, I listened to him pretty well as-
sured that he did not intend me to play the part of Gil Bias
over again ; for myself, my assistants, George Lehman and
Henry Ward, were removed in a jiffy to his own mansion, in-
troduced to the family, and at work the very next morning.
Although the weather was "shockingly hot," they
prepared three hundred specimens, embracing about
These letters, which were hurriedly written in the field, appeared in
a short-lived and forgotten publication; they are here given in part on
account of the general interest of the narrative.
10 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
sixty land and water birds, and sent all the "pickled
specimens to our mutual friend H— " [Dr. Harlan, of
Philadelphia] for safe keeping until their return.
I jumped at once into my wood-hunting habits. All hands
of us were up before day-break, and soon at work, either in
the way of shooting, taking views, or drawing birds; after
sunset — scribbling in our journals. ... In the early part of
November the alligators had gone into their winter quarters;
the migratory birds were passing swiftly on towards the south,
although we had had no frost. The planters considered the
country as still unhealthy, and resorted to the city at night.
If I had been governed by the practice and advice of many, I
should not have put a foot in the mud, either salted or fresh ; but
difficulties of this character must be disregarded by the Ameri-
can woodsman, while success, or the hope of it, is before him.
It is impossible to do justice to the generous feelings of
the Charlestonians, or to their extreme kindness towards me.
Many of the gentlemen took the greatest interest in my pur-
suits ; one, Dr. , presented me with an excellent New
Foundland dog, and other valuable memorials of his regard.
Another, Dr. , gave me a collection of shells, from the adja-
cent waters. The ladies presented me with a capital supply of
snuff.7 Desirous of godng to Cole's Island, distant about 25 or
30 miles, to look after some marine birds, a boat, four hands
and a pilot, were immediately offered to me, free of all ex-
pense, with the liberty to detain them as long as was agree-
able to me. It is not possible for me to express properly the
sense I feel of the kindness I received from that warm-hearted
and intelligent people.
And now, as you have good naturedly listened to what I
have felt bound to say on the score of gratitude, I will tell you
what I know you are impatient to come to — something about
my proceedings at Cole's Island. It lies south from Charleston
about 25 or 30 miles ; there we arrived and encamped for the
'See Audubon's New Year's resolution against snuff, Vol. I, p. 396.
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 11
night : certain beef-steaks we brought with us we roasted upon
sticks, and the adjacent shore provided us with excellent
oysters : gaiety, good appetites, and our hearts all right, maide
the time pass pleasantly, and it was with some reluctance we
spread our blankets, and arranged the fire preparatory to go-
ing to rest. Nothing is more valuable to a naturalist, and
particularly to an ornithologist, than the first hours of the
day; therefore, long ere the sun had glowed over the broad
sea that lay before our camp, we had reached another island
where birds resort to roost by thousands ; but, notwithstanding
these multitudes, not a new species did we procure. We, how-
ever, had the pleasure of observing two noble "birds of Wash-
ington," 8 sailing majestically over the broad watery face.
But it was necessary to bring my stay in Charleston to a
close, and it was somewhat difficult too. My friends had in-
creased in number; they were in the habit of accompanying
me in my shooting excursions ; I was becoming very much at-
tached to them ; invitations poured in from various parts of the
country ; and I really believe that had I been willing, we might
have remained there and in the neighborhood, if not all our
lives, at least as long as would have caused a rare scarcity of
the feathered tribes, in that portion of the Carolinas. But
my mind was among the birds farther south, — the Floridas,
Red River, the Arkansas, that almost unknown country, Cali-
fornia, and the Pacific ocean. I felt myself drawn to the un-
tried scenes of those countries, and it was necessary to tear my-
self away from the kindest friends.
We embarked on the schooner Agnes ; the wind was fair,
and we hoisted all sails for the Floridas. Our passage was
not short ; the wind changed, and we put back into St. Simon's
Island Bay. This was one of the few put backs in life of a
fortunate kind for me. I made for the shore, met a gentleman
on the beach, presented him my card, and was immediately
invited to dinner. I visited his gardens, got into such agree-
able conversation and quarters, that I was fain to think that
8 See Vol. I, p. 400.
12 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
I had landed on some one of those fairy islands said to
have existed in the golden age. But this was not all ; the owner
of this hospitable mansion pressed me to stay a month with him,
and subscribed to my Birds of America in the most gentle-
manly manner. This was T. B. K., Esq.9 But the wind
shifted ; I was sent for, and our voyage to St. Augustine re-
sumed.
St. Augustine, whatever it may have been, is far from be-
ing a flourishing place now. It lies at the bottom of a bay,
extremely difficult of access, even for vessels of light draft,
which seldom reach the "city" in less than a day. I cannot say
much for the market, nor for the circumjacent country.
Oranges and plenty of good fish seem to contribute the wealth
of the place. Sands, poor pine forests, and impenetrable thick-
ets of cactus and palmettos form the undergrowth. Birds are
rare, and very shy; and with all our exertions, we have not
collected one hundred skins in a fortnight that we have been
here. I have received many kind attentions, and numerous
invitations to visit plantations, on our way to the south, where I
shall direct my steps in a few days. I have drawn seventeen
species, among which one mongrel vulture, which I think will
prove new. You will see it, I hope, very soon.
I will give you a sketch of our manner of passing the time.
We are up before day, and our toilette is soon made. If
the day is to be spent at drawing, Lehman and I take a walk,
and Ward, his gun, dog, and basket, returning when hungry
or fatigued, or both. We draw uninterruptedly till dusk,
after which, another walk, then write up journals, and retire to
rest early. When we have nothing on hand to draw, the guns
are cleaned over night, a basket of bread and cheese, a bottle
with old whiskey, and some water, is prepared. We get into
a boat, and after an hour of hard rowing, we find ourselves in
the middle of most extensive marshes, as far as the eye can
reach. The boat is anchored, and we go wading through
mud and water, amid myriads of sand-flies and mosquitoes,
8 Thomas Butler King, of St. Simon's Island, Georgia.
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 13
shooting here and there a bird, or squatting down on our hams
for half an hour, to observe the ways of the beautiful beings
we are in pursuit of. This is the way in which we spend the
day. At the approach of evening, the cranes, herons, pelicans,
curlews, and the trains of blackbirds are passing high over our
heads, to their roosting places ; then we also return to ours.
If some species are to draw the next day, and the weather is
warm, they are outlined that same evening, to save them from
incipient putridity. I have ascertained that feathers lose their
brilliancy almost as rapidly as flesh or skin itself, and am of
opinion that a bird alive is 75 per cent more rich in colours
than twenty-four hours after its death; we therefore skin
those first which have been first killed, and the same evening.
All this, added to our other avocations, brings us into the night
pretty well fatigued. Such, my dear friend, is the life of an
active naturalist; and such, in my opinion, it ought to be. It
is nonsense ever to hope to see in the closet what is only to
be perceived — as far as the laws, arrangements and beauties of
ornithological nature is concerned, — by that devotion of time,
opportunities, and action, to which I have consecrated my
life, not without hope that science may benefit by my labours.
As to geology, my dear Friend, you know as well as my-
self, that I am not in the country for that. The instructions
you gave me are very valuable, and I shall be vigilant. The
aspect of the country will soon begin to change, and as I pro-
ceed, I will write to you about all we see and do. . . . Do not
be afraid of my safety ; I take a reasonable care of my health
and life. I know how to guard against real difficulties, and
I have no time to attend to that worst of all kinds of diffi-
culties,— imaginary ones. Circumstances never within my con-
trol, threw me upon my own resources, at a very early period
of my life. I have grown up in the school of adversity, and
am not an unprofitable scholar there, having learnt to be satis-
fied with providing for my family and myself by my own exer-
tions. The life I lead is my vocation, full of smooth and rough
paths, like every vocation which men variously try. My physi-
cal constitution has always been good, and the fine flow of
14 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
spirits I have, has often greatly assisted me in some of the most
trying passages of my life. I know I am engaged in an arduous
undertaking; but if I live to complete it, I will offer to my
country a beautiful monument of the varied splendour of Ameri-
can nature, and of my devotion to American ornithology.
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON.
Ther., this day, at 2 p. m.,
78° Fahr.
On the following day, December 8, 1831, Audubon
sent the following request to Dr. Harlan of Philadel-
phia : "I wish you also to send me — to Key West — , 20
more pounds of powdered arsenic from Friend Weth-
erell's shop,10 and also a double barelled gun of usual
length, as good as you can procure for 30 dollars ; prob-
ably a second hand one may be procured; it must be
percussion and, if possible, back action." Dr. Richard
Harlan, who often transmitted to Mrs. Audubon any
news which came direct from her husband, wrote to her
on December 10, 1831, as follows: u
I have just recd a letter from Mr Aud — dated St. Augus-
tine Nov. 24th they enjoy health amidst their fatiguing avoca-
tions— has obtained another subscriber, living on S*' Simons
island named Th°- Butler King — to whom I am to send the
work as soon as the Copies exported arrive from London — he
has good expectations of adding some new birds to his list —
have you seen the Sonnet addressed to Mr Aud. in the "Wreath"
a London annual for 1832? — under the signature of J. E. R?
— our newspapers announce the arrival, departure & progress
of Mr Audubon, as if he was an Embassador — and so he is,
one of Natures
"Then belonging to the four sons of Samuel Wetherill, who suc-
ceeded to the white lead and drugs industry after his death in 1829.
"For the favor of reproducing this and another letter by Dr. Harlan
given in Chapter XXVII, as well as the sonnet referred to, which will be
found facing page 1 of this volume, I am indebted to Mr. Ruthven Deane.
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 15
The winter season at St. Augustine proved unfavor-
able for the naturalist's work, and he anxiously awaited
the coming of the government vessel, the Spark, to the
commander of which he bore letters from Washington.
After spending about three weeks in the neighborhood
of the city, the party proceeded through the inlet which
divides Anastasia Island from the mainland, to the
plantation of General Hernandez, thirty-five miles dis-
tant, where they were entertained for ten days. On
Christmas morning they set out afoot for the plantation
of John Bulow, of Bulowville, fifteen miles away. To
follow the naturalist's account:
A wagon was sent for our baggage and horses for our-
selves were offered at the same time, but it was not my desire
to give unnecessary trouble, and above all upon an occasion
when I was glad to see the country in as much detail as pos-
sible, and anxious to avail myself of every occasion to get new
birds.
During the whole long stay with Mr. Bulow, there was no
abatement of his kindness, or his unremitted efforts to make me
comfortable, and to promote my researches. I shall ever feel
grateful to one of the most deserving and generous of men.
On December 28 their host proposed that they should
descend the Halifax River in search of new and valu-
able birds to a point about forty miles from that place
and eighty miles from St. Augustine.12
Accordingly, the boat, six hands, and "three white men,"
with some provisions, put off with a fair wind, and a pure sky.
. . . We meandered down a creek for about eleven miles — the
water torpid yet clear — the shore lined with thousands of
acres covered by fall grapes, marshes, and high palm trees,
"The following account is quoted from Audubon's second letter
to G. W. Featherstonhaugh (Bibl. No. 35), dated "Bulowville, East Florida,
December 31, 1831 j" published, loc. cit.f vol. i, p. 407 (1832).
16 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
rendering the shore quite novel to my anxious eye. Some birds
were shot, and secured so as to be brought back, in order to
undergo the skinning operation. Before long we entered the
Halifax river, an inland arm of the sea, measuring in breadth
from a quarter to nearly a mile.
They reached a spot, called "Live Oak Landing,"
where a schooner from New York was then anchored,
and there passed the night.
At sunrise the next morning, I and four negro servants
proceeded in search of birds and adventures. The fact is,
that I was anxious to kill some 25 brown Pelicans ... to
enable me to make a new drawing of an adult male bird, and
to procure the dresses of the others. I proceeded along a
narrow, shallow bay, where the fish were truly abundant. Would
you believe it, if I were to say, that the fish nearly obstructed
our head-way? Believe it, or not, so it was; the waters were
filled with them, large and small. I shot some rare birds, and
putting along the shore, passed a point, when lo, I came in
sight of several hundred pelicans, perched on the branches
of mangrove trees, seated in comfortable harmony, as near each
other as the strength of the boughs would allow. I ordered to
back water gently; the hands backed water. I waded to the
shore under cover of the rushes along it, saw the pelecans fast
asleep, examined their countenances and deportment well and
leisurely, and after all, levelled, fired my piece, and dropped
two of the finest specimens I ever saw. I really believe I would
have shot one hundred of these reverend sirs, had not a mis-
take taken place in the reloading of my gun. A mistake, how-
ever, did take place, and to my utmost disappointment, I saw
each pelecan, old and young, leave his perch, and take to
wing, soaring off, well pleased, I dare say, at making so good
an escape from so dangerous a foe.
After shooting more birds, and pushing or pulling
their boat "over oyster banks sharp as razors," they
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 17
made the schooner at the landing again. "The birds,
generally speaking," he continues, "appeared wild and
few — you must be aware that I call birds few, when I
shoot less than one hundred per day."
Such remarks as we have just quoted might convey
the impression that the American woodsman, with whose
name the cause of bird protection is now associated in
this country, was a reckless destroyer of all bird life,
but this was far from the case. It must be remembered
that this was over eighty years ago, when the unrivaled
abundance of our birds was such that the necessity of
their conservation had hardly entered the dreams of the
most discerning. Audubon no doubt had gradually
yielded to the prevalent mania for describing and figur-
ing new species, and to make out all the minute specific
differences a large series of specimens was necessary;
still more were needed for the detection of individual
variation, which did not escape him, and much less his
assistant, William MacGillivray, who demanded large
numbers for his anatomical studies. Furthermore,
Audubon counted upon defraying a part of his expenses
by collections of skins of American birds, which were
then desiderata among the museums of Europe.13
When it was proposed that they should return,
preparations were accordingly made, and we left the schooner,
with tide and wind in our teeth, and with the prospect of a
severe, cold night. Our hands pulled well, and our bark was
as light as our hearts. All went on merrily until dark night
came on. The wind freshening, the cold augmenting, the pro-
visions diminishing, the waters lowering, all — all depreciating
except our enterprising dispositions. We found ourselves fast
in the mud about 300 yards from a marshy shore, without the
least hope of being able to raise a fire, for no trees except palm
18 See Vol. II, p. 129.
18 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
trees were near, and the grand diable himself could not burn
one of them. Our minds were soon made up to do — what?
Why, to roll ourselves in our cloaks, and lay down, the best way
we could, at the bottom of our light and beautiful barque.
Good God, what a night ! To sleep was impossible ; the cold in-
creased with the breeze, and every moment seemed an hour,
from the time we stretched ourselves down until the first glimpse
of the morn ; but the morn came, clear as ever morn was, and
the north-easter as cold as ever wind blew in this latitude. All
hands half dead, and masters as nearly exhausted as the hands
— stiffened with cold, light-clothed, and but slight hope of our
nearing any shore; our only resort was, to leap into the mire,
waste-deep, and to push the barque to a point, some five hun-
dred or six hundred yards, where a few scrubby trees seem to
have grown to save our lives on this occasion. "Push, boys,
push ! Push for your lives !", cry the generous Bulow, and the
poor Audubon. — "All hands push!" Aye and well might we
push: the mire was up to our breasts, our limbs becoming
stiffened at every step we took. Our progress was slowly per-
formed as if we had been clogged with heavy chains. It took
us two and a half hours to reach the point, where the few
trees of which I have spoken were ; but, thank God, we did get
there.
We landed . . . and well it was that we did ; for on reach-
ing the margin of the marsh, two of the negroes fell down in
the marsh, as senseless as torpidity ever rendered an alligator,
or a snake; and had we, the white men, not been there, they
certainly would have died. We had carried them into the little
grove, to which, I believe, all of us owe our lives. I struck a
fire in a crack; and, in five minutes, I saw, with indescribable
pleasure, the bright, warming blaze in a log pile in the center
of our shivering party. We wrapped the negroes in their blan-
kets— boiled some water, and soon had some tea — made them
swallow it, and with care revived them into animation. May
God preserve you from being ever in the condition of our
party at this juncture; scarcely a man able to stand, and the
cold wind blowing as keenly as ever. Our men, however, gradu-
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 19
ally revived — the trees, one after another, fell under the
hatchet, and increased our fire — and in two hours I had the
pleasure of seeing cheerful faces again.
Their predicament, however, was still serious, for, to
continue the narrative, they were
confined in a large salt marsh, with rushes head high, and
miry; no provisions left, and fifteen miles from the house of
their host.
Not a moment was to be lost, for I foresaw that the next
night would prove much colder still. The boat was manned
once more, and off through the mud we moved to double the
point, and enter the creek, of which I have spoken, with the
hope that in it we should find water enough to float her. It did
happen so, thank God ! As we once more saw our barque afloat,
our spirits rose, — and rose to such a pitch that we in fun set
fire to the whole marsh: crack, crack, crack! went the reeds,
with a rapid blaze. We saw the marsh rabbits, scampering
from the fire by the thousands, as we pulled our oars.
Their pleasure in being afloat was short-lived, for
"the northeaster had well nigh emptied the creek of its
usual quantum of water," and they were again obliged
to wade to effect a landing, their object being to gain
the east Florida coast and thus make their escape. This
was finally attained after abandoning their boat, when
began a long tramp on the beach, in the teeth of the
wind,
through sand that sent our feet back six inches at every step
of two feet that we made. Well, through this sand we all
waded, for many a long mile, picking up here and there a shell
that is nowhere else to be found, until we reached the landing
place of J. J. Bulow. Now, my heart, cheer up once more, for
the sake of my most kind host. ... I assure you, I was glad
to see him nearing his own comfortable roof; and as we saw
20 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
the large house opening to view, across his immense plantation,
I anticipated a good dinner with as much pleasure as I ever
experienced.
All hands returned alive; refreshments and good care have
made us all well again, unless it be the stiffness occasioned in
my left leg, by nearly six weeks of daily wading through
swamps and salt marshes, or scrambling through the vilest
thickets of scrubly live oaks and palmitoes that appear to have
been created for no other purpose but to punish us for our
sins.
Readers of the following account who have visited
eastern Florida may conclude that Audubon was not a
good prophet, but probably at that early day no one
could have made a better forecast of the future :
The land, if land it can be called, is generally so very sandy
that nothing can be raised upon it. The swamps are the only
spots that afford a fair chance for cultivation; the swamps,
then, are positively the only places where plantations are to
be found. These plantations are even few in number; along
the coast from St. Augustine to Cape Carnaveral, there are
about a dozen. These, with the exception of two or three, are
yet young plantations. General Hernandez's, J. J. Bulow's,
and Mr. Durham's are the strongest, and perhaps the best.
Sugar cane will prosper, and doubtless do well; but the labour
necessary to produce a good crop, is great! great!! great!!!
Between the swamps of which I now speak, and which are found
along the margin laying west of the sea inlet, that divides the
mam land from the Atlantic, to the river St. John of the in-
terior of the peninsula, nothing exists but barren pine lands
of poor timber, and immense savannas, mostly overflowed, and
all unfit for cultivation. That growth, which in any other
country is called underwood, scarcely exists; the land being
covered with low palmitoes, or very low, thickly branched
dwarf oaks, almost impenetrable to man. The climate is of
a most unsettled nature, at least at this season. The thermom-
EARLY UNPUBLISHED DRAWING IX WATER-COLOR OF THE CAROLINA PARROT, ON
BRANCH OF THE HICKORY, DATED "HENDERSON, JUNE 9TH, 1811."
THE ORIGINAL BEARS THE NOTE: "POOR IMITATION OF COLOR,
THE NATURAL BIRD BEING EXTREMELY GLOSSY
AND RICH."
Published by courtesy of Mr. Joseph Y. Jeanes.
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 21
eter has made leaps from 30 to 89 degrees in 24 hours, cold,
warm, sandy, muddy, watery, — all these varieties may be seen
in one day's travelling. . . . Game and fish, it is true, are
abundant ; but the body of valuable tillable land is too small to
enable the peninsula ever to become a rich state.
On January 6, 1832, the party started to visit a
famous spring near the sources of the St. John's River,
which was described in his third letter to Featherston-
haugh as well as in a later "Episode." 14 There his host,
Colonel Rees, who utilized the abundant flow from this
curious spring for grinding the whole of his sugar cane,
took them down the Spring Garden Creek to a series
of muddy lakes which emptied into the St. John's. The
mud on this occasion was the cause of great disappoint-
ment to the naturalist, for it made it impossible for him
to recover what he believed to represent a new species of
Ibis, which was shot in one of those bottomless pits.
"Being only a few yards distant from us," to quote from
Audubon's third letter,15 "and quite near enough to
ascertain the extent of my loss, I submitted to lose a
fine pair of a new species, the which if I ever fall in
with it again, I shall call Tantalus fuscus"
When they had reached the borders of Woodruff's
Lake, after noon, fatigued and hungry, he continued :
We landed on a small island of a few acres, covered with a
grove of sour orange trees, intermixed with not a few live
oaks. The oranges were in great profusion on the trees — every-
thing about us was calm and beautiful and motionless, as if
it had just come from the hand of the Creator. It would have
been a perfect Paradise for a poet, but I was not fit to be in
"See following Note; and "Spring Garden," Ornithological Biography
(Bibl. No. 2), vol. ii, p. 263.
"See Bibliography, No. 36; undated; published, loc. cit., vol. i, p. 529
(1832).
22 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Paradise; the loss of my ibis made me as sour as the oranges
that hung about me. I felt unquiet, too, in this singular scene,
as if I were almost upon the verge of creation, where realities
were tapering off into nothing. The general wildness the eternal
labyrinths of waters and marshes, interlocked, and apparently
never ending; the whole surrounded by interminable swamps —
all these things had a tendency to depress my spirits, notwith-
standing some beautiful flowers, rich looking fruits, a pure sky,
and ample sheets of water at my feet. Here I am in the Floridas,
thought I, a country that received its name from the odours
wafted from the orange groves, to the boats of the first dis-
coverers, and which from my childhood I have consecrated in
my imagination as the garden of the United States. A gar-
den, where all that is not mud, mud, mud, is sand, sand, sand;
where the fruit is so sour that it is not eatable, and where
in place of singing birds and golden fishes, you have a species
of ibis that you cannot get when you have shot it, and alliga-
tors, snakes, and scorpions.
Mr. Bartram was the first to call this a garden, but he is
to be forgiven ; he was an enthusiastic botanist, and rare plants,
in the eyes of such a man, convert a wilderness at once into a
garden.
When we had eaten our humble repast at the sweet little
Orange Grove Island, we left it "alone with its glory," but not
without a name. It was determined, nolens volens, that it
should be called Audubon's Island, on the St. John's river.
Lat. 29° 42'.
Early in February, 1832, Lieutenant Piercy took
Audubon and his assistants aboard the government
schooner Spark at St. Augustine, and sailed for the
mouth of the St. John's River, which he had orders to
ascend in the interests of the Revenue Service. On Feb-
ruary 12, when they had reached a point one hundred
miles from the mouth of the river, the vessel, being in
need of repairs, was suddenly recalled. Audubon, with
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 23
two men, thereupon engaged a boat and attempted to
return to St. Augustine across country, by a short cut
to the eastward. They were soon stranded and the party
divided. Audubon with his dog and one companion then
endeavored to make their way by land to the town,
eighteen miles distant, but they were overtaken by a
terrific gale and thunder-storm, and in order to keep to
the trails were often obliged to grope their way on hands
and knees.16
At about this time the publishers of the Journal of
Geology and Natural Science, from which we have
quoted, failed, and Featherstonhaugh, who assumed
their debts to all subscribers, was obliged to bring it to a
close with the completion of the first volume; Audu-
bon's third and last letter appeared in the valedictory
number for June, 1832.
Again the naturalist applied to the government offi-
cials at Washington for assistance, and, as the following
letter shows, Edward Everett again came to his aid, as
did also Levi Woodbury, Secretary of the Navy, to
whom Audubon later received a personal introduction
from Chief Justice Taney of the Supreme Court:
Levi Woodbury to Louis McLane
NAVY DEPARTMENT
February % 1832
SIR,
The letter of the Honorable Mr. Everett of the 18 th. inst.
relating to Mr. Audubon &c and referred by you to this De-
partment, has been received.
I regret that the impaired condition of the Spark made it
necessary some weeks ago, to order that vessel to Norfolk to
be refitted.
MSee "St. John's River in Florida," Ornithological Biography, vol.
ii, p. 291.
24 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
I have heretofore taken much pleasure in furnishing Mr.
Audubon with credentials to the officers of the Navy, and re-
questing [them] to furnish every aid, in the prosecution of
[his] scientific researches: and shall be happy to afford any
further facilities within the power of the Department.
I am very respectfully
&c &c
LEVI WOODBUEY
HONORABLE. L. Me LANE
Secy of the Treasury
Finally, on April 15, 1832, Audubon and his party
were able to board the revenue cutter Marion, com-
manded by Robert Day, and the opportunity thus af-
forded for exploring the dangerous east Florida coast
amply repaid them for their long and vexatious delays.
They visited the islands from St. Augustine to Key
West, and examined every part of the shore which it was
the duty of the Marion to approach. At Indian Key
the deputy collector, Mr. Thurston, gave Audubon the
services of his pilot, a veteran sailor and hunter, who
accompanied him on the Marion for a number of weeks
and led many boat journeys to lonely islands, where
vast colonies of sea fowl then dwelt in undisputed pos-
session. The leisurely movements of the vessel also en-
abled the naturalist to produce many finished drawings,
and to obtain materials for fresh "Episodes." 17 At Key
West Audubon was hospitably received by Major Clas-
sel,18 and by Dr. Strobel, who was of great assistance
both to him and to Bachman in procuring new birds
from that little known point.
The unexpected delays experienced in Florida, and
the expense which the presence of his assistants neces-
"See "The Florida Keys," Ornithological Biography, vol. i, pp. 312
and 345, and "The Turtlers," ibid., vol. ii, p. 370.
18 See Vol. II, p. 7.
EXPLORATIONS IN FLORIDA 25
sarily entailed, in all probability, deterred the naturalist
from the more hazardous and uncertain enterprise of
attempting to reach the Rocky Mountains and the Pa-
cific Coast, which for years had been the great object of
his ambition. At all events, after their work was fin-
ished at Key West, the party returned to St. Augustine,
and on the fifth day of March again boarded the packet
schooner Agnes, which was to bear them with their col-
lections to Charleston. Audubon, however, left the ves-
sel at Savannah, in order to deliver letters from the
Rathbones of Liverpool to a number of their rich mer-
chant friends in the former city. One of these, named
William Gaston,19 at first declined to subscribe to The
Birds of America, on the ground of its great expense
and the demands made upon his purse by charity, but
his indifference was quickly overcome: not only did -he
write his name on Audubon's list, but he immediately
went out and obtained three other subscribers; he even
insisted on becoming Audubon's agent at Savannah, and
saw to it that none of those subscriptions was ever al-
lowed to lapse in after years. Savannah eventually
gave him six subscribers, which was more than were
credited to either Philadelphia or Baltimore.
At Charleston the party disbanded. Lehman re-
turned to Philadelphia, whither Audubon later followed
him, but Henry Ward obtained a position with the
Museum of Natural History, in which Bachman was
interested, and he appears to have been of much assist-
ance both to Bachman and to his friend in procuring for
them specimens of new or desirable birds and mammals ;
at a later day, however, he seems to have fallen into dis-
esteem on account of unpaid debts.
M See "A Merchant of Savannah," Ornithological Biography (Bibl. No.
2), vol. ii, p. 549.
CHAPTER XXVII
EASTERN VISIT AND EXPLORATIONS IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC
Bachman's success as a canvasser — Boston visit — Journey to Portland —
Ascent of the St. John's — Return overland — Victor Audubon becomes
his father's agent — Winter in Boston — The Golden Eagle — Stricken
with illness — Expedition to Labrador planned — American support —
Sails from Eastport with five assistants — Discoveries and adventures
on the Labrador — Safe return — Another winter at Charleston — Sued
for old debts — Experience with vultures — Advice and instruction to
a son — Working habits — Return to England.
Foiled in his attempt to see the Florida coast at the
season best suited to his purposes, and disappointed in
his ambition to penetrate to the Far West, Audubon now
turned his attention to the East and determined to follow
the migratory birds to their summer homes in the North
Atlantic. He left Charleston in early June, 1832, and
went to Philadelphia,1 where he remained about a month,
waiting, it seems, for his wife and two sons to join him.
In a letter to Edward Harris, dated at Philadelphia,
June 9, 1832, he said that he had left the "National
hotel, on account of the too high price, I found I would
have to pay there, and removed to Camden, at a Mr.
*It was possibly during his visit to this city that an experiment was
made in bringing out some of his plates by lithography. Two copies of
a large plate, possibly the only one produced, lithographed without colors,
were shown to me by Mr. Goodspeed, of Boston, in the summer of 1910;
these represented the "Rallus crepitans — Marsh Hen," and bore the follow-
ing legends: "By John J. Audubon, F.R.S., &c., &c.," and "Drawn &
Printed by Childs & Inman, Philadelphia, 1832." Three birds are here
figured in place of the two which appear in the plate of this species which
Havell later engraved, and in composition the two publications are quite
distinct.
26
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 27
Armstrong's, where I formerly boarded"; he asked
Harris to send him "a pair of fine woodchucks," as he
wished to secure a drawing of those animals.
It is interesting to notice that while Audubon had
been absent in Florida, his friend Bachman had busied
himself in his behalf and eventually succeeded in placing
three copies of The Birds of America in public institu-
tions in Charleston. On December 23, 1831, he wrote
to Audubon, who was then at St. Augustine:
I arrived in Columbia, S. C., almost too late, for the
"House" had just resolved that the State was too poor to
subscribe for Audubon's work. I felt that it would be a dis-
grace to the State ; and, for the first time in my life, I turned
to electioneering. And now, behold me among the back coun-
trymen, spinning long yarns. The thing however, took, and
your book is subscribed for. ... I read what was said in
your favor with regard to the "Rattlesnake Story," and thus
far, they have not found a wrong twist in your yarn; but be
careful in describing the wonders of the South and West.
Audubon wrote to Bachman from Philadelphia, July
1, 1832: "G. Ord has caused a most violent attack on
my veracity to be inserted in a London journal; how
will he stand mine eye, on Tuesday next at the Society,
is more than I can at present tell. . . . Mr. Berthoud
will ship you 3 volumes of the Birds of America, and
the succeeding "numbers ; he will send a bill of sale of
those."
His plan was now to visit Boston and Maine, and
he left Philadelphia with his family in early August;
they traveled by stage to New York, but upon finding
that the city was then suffering from a periodic scourge
of the cholera, tarried but a day and hastened on. The
following letter which Richard Harlan sent after his
28 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
friend in August of this year shows that his own city did
not escape the pest:
Richard Harlan to Audubon
[Addressed] J. J. AUDUBON Esqr.
N° Pearle st.
Boston
[PHILADELPHIA, August, 1832.]
DEAR SIR, —
I have just recd- your favour of the 5th inst — by which I
perceive you are not in possession of the letter I addressed
you to the care of Mr Berthoud, the day after your departure.
I have since forwarded two others one from N. Orleans, also to
care of Mr- Berthoud — The Cholera has raged dreadfully in
some localities here — I was engaged on Monday superintending
the removal of the sick prisoners from the jail in arch St§ at the
request of the City authorities — I was there three times dur-
ing the day — 60 were sick at one time, the suffering, and agony
of the dying wretches, was an awful sight to witness, 26 died
there that day, and about as many more who were removed
to the various local Hospitals — I have treated altogether up
to present date 35 — of whom 18 from prison. 16 have died—
and only one remains today — my success is rather encouraging
considering the habits of the poor wretches whose cases fell
under my care — most of the fatal cases were in a dying state
when admitted — I would not have recd- them, but for the wish
to alleviate suffering and scatter the tenants of the infected
rooms of the jail — The Newspapers do not give an accurate
account, because numbers are cured in the early stages whose
cases are never reported — the statements of deaths are more
accurate — and I suppose the greatest mortality has not ex-
ceeded 100 per diem — today only 26 deaths reported, there
will probably be more tomorrow — I am happy to hear of yr.
safe arrival and reception in Boston, in Mr Perkins you will
find an aimable, liberal, and efficient patron, Mr Featherston
[Featherstonhaugh] has been in town, but is at present at
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 29
Braddywine springs — his may N° has just appeared — he told
me it would be in time to strike out Vignolas name — in the next
N° My term of duty as Surgeon to the alms House commenced
at the 1st of August — the sik for the surgical wards have also
suffered, but not so much as the poor 'tenants of the cells, it
has nearly cleaned them out — some respectable, but weakly
families in the city have already suffered — My time is use-
fully, at least, if not profitably employed, night and day.
cholera, cholera, cholera! ! ! ! — Tho' I may have no time to
write much — I always think of absent frd — Remember to
Nuttall, and all yr. family, Most truly yrs
R HAELAN
Audubon's visit to Boston in the summer of 1832
was a red-letter period in his career. So warmly was he
then welcomed by the leading public and professional
men of the city that he could never say enough in praise
of the Bostonians. Dr. George Parkman, Dr. George
C. Shattuck, and Col. Thomas H. Perkins,2 who was
already one of his subscribers, were among his most en-
thusiastic supporters. Of Parkman Audubon said : "He
it is, whose memory is most dear to me." It was doubt-
less Parkman, then a professor in the Medical School,
who introduced Audubon to the president of Harvard
University, Josiah Quincy, whose name was added to
his list.
On August 14, shortly after reaching Boston, Audu-
bon wrote to his friend Harris :
3 In a letter written to Audubon by his engraver, January 20, 1831,
Havell said: "Since writing my last, I have a new subscriber from America,
the Honble. T. H. Perkins, Boston Athenaeum. I packed it in a tin case,
and a wooden one; for the whole I am paid thro, the banking house
of the Baring Brothers, & Co., Bishopsgate St."
The copy of The Birds of America in possession of the Boston Society
of Natural History bears the following in autographic inscription on the
fly-leaf of the first volume: Cost $1125—
T. H. PERKINS
1837.
30 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
We left Camden, pushed by the season, and the desire I
have to fulfil towards my subscribers, the world, and indeed
myself, the task allotted me by nature, — the completion of
my work. . . . Allow me to say that with my work, as in the
days of '76, the Bostonians have proved themselves the best
supporters of a good cause in the country. We expect the
support of the Cambridge University, that of the Natural His-
tory Society, & again of the State! (Pray remember how
anxious we are to have all the States.)
I made drawings of 3 rare species ; one is the Marsh Wren,
for which I searched in vain when near Salem ; the 2 d. is a Fly-
catcher, described by Mr. Nuttall, and the last a Thrush.
We leave tomorrow for Portland, in Maine, through which
we will merely pass, and ere one week expires, expect to be
at the Bay of Fundy.
The Audubon family now traveled by carriage and
mail-coach along the entire coast of Maine, but made no
prolonged stay until they reached Eastport, where ex-
cursions were taken into the surrounding country, and
the woods and shores were thoroughly ransacked. At
Dennisville they made the acquaintance of Judge Lin-
coln's family, which rendered their stay of a number of
weeks "exceedingly agreeable"; as will appear later,3
it was this agreeable family that furnished Audubon
with a valuable recruit for his expedition to Labrador.
Towards the end of September they entered New
Brunswick and began to ascend the St. John's River.
A week was passed at Fredericton, where they were
hospitably received by Sir Archibald Campbell. Thence
they continued in a small boat, which was towed up-
stream by mules, to Woodstock, Maine. There a cart
was procured, in which they proceeded overland to
Houlton, in Aroostook County, then "A neat village,
3 See Vol. II, p. 43.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 31
consisting of some fifty houses," and after a few days
passed at this garrison town in looking for new birds,
they started for Bangor, following the old military road
which led along the Penobscot River to Old Town. Said
the ornithologist of this journey:
Autumn, with her mellow tints, her glowing fruits, and her
rich fields of corn, smiled in placid beauty. Many of the fields
had not been reaped; the fruits of the forests and orchards
hung clustering around us, and as we came in view of the
Penebscot river, our hearts thrilled with joy. . . .
The road which we followed from Old Town to Bangor was
literally covered with Penobscot Indians, returning from mar-
ket. On reaching the latter beautiful town, we found very
comfortable lodgings in an excellent hotel; and the next day
we proceeded by the mail to Boston.4
Audubon felt that he ought to remain in America
for at least another year, and decided to send his son,
Victor, to England to take charge of his publication.
This work had now become a paramount family interest,
and for the nineteen years of life that remained to the
elder Audubon, his two sons virtually became his assist-
ants, John as an active collector and companion in the
field, and Victor as his business agent and secretary. In
writing again to Edward Harris, from Boston, Novem-
ber 1, 1832, Audubon noted that they had found the
Canada Grouse in abundance, and that he was assured of
its breeding commonly within the Union; Victor, he
added, had sailed to England, "on the tenth of last
month" on the packet ship South America.
The autumn of 1832 and the following winter were
spent in Boston, where the naturalist was busily engaged
in drawing and in laying plans for the now famous ex-
4 See "Journey in New Brunswick and Maine," Ornithological Biography
(Bibl. No. 2), vol. ii, p. 467.
32 AUDUBOJST, THE NATURALIST
pedition to the coast of Labrador. Meantime Bachman,
who was keenly interested in his success, was urging him
to return to Charleston; on October 20, 1832, he wrote:
"A month in your society would afford me greater pleas-
ure than the highest prize in a lottery. I cannot, I find,
feel myself at home with new birds without having the
skins to refer to. My cabinet is enlarging every day.
Henry Ward now prepares the skins — a pair of each.
. . . What ducks, that are not likely to be obtained for
you in Boston, would you like Maria to draw for you?"
Writing again on the 26th of October, he said: 5
I wish to know what you are doing — what progress your
work is making; and, whilst I feel deeply interested for your
fame. ... I feel also a particular interest in your personal
welfare, and that of all that belongs to you; . . . Besides, I
want to see you once more to ascertain whether you have stuck
to your good resolutions, viz., never to swear (which is a vul-
gar practice for one who is conversant with the most beauti-
ful of God's works, the feathered race), and never to work on
Sundays. However, you are now under the tutorage of your
good wife, and, I doubt not, you are as obedient to her in
these things, as you ought to be. ... You say new birds are
scarce. So they are, and yet, in my opinion, we will occasion-
ally find them for half a century to come. (November 11)
Maria has figured for you the "White Hibiscus," and, also, a
red one, both natives and beautiful; a Euonymus in seed, in
which our Sylvia is placed; the white Nondescript Rose; the
Gordonica, a Begonia. . . . She is prepared to send them to
you; shall she ship them at once to Boston? . . . Your resolu-
tion to publish the 3 rd. Vol. of Water Birds, you will recol-
lect was partly entered into here, and from that moment, my
mind was at ease. It will give you four or five years in ad-
vance, and will enable you, in a 5th. Vol., to add all recent
«C. L. Bachman, John Bachman, D.D., LL.D., Ph.D. (Bibl. No. 191).
, 3£
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 33
discoveries of Land and Water Birds. Should you, yet be
able to go to Florida and the Pacific, I apprehend that you will
extend our American Ornithology to 460 or 470 species, per-
haps more. Your sons being able to skin birds and paint them,
is a great desideratum; it should be mentioned in the preface
to your next volume. The talents of the family combined. . . .
will now place the work beyond the fear of falling through, even
in case of your death, and the public ought to know it. But
you must push for subscribers. If your son Victor can do
nothing in Europe, you must go there yourself, and sooner
than let the work suffer, you must go on a pilgrimage through-
out all the great cities of our Union. Should God spare your
life, I want to hear of you enjoying, in your old age "Otium
cum dignitate" and to see your children reaping some of your
recompense.
Under date of December 20, 1832, his friend "had
nothing to write but bad news," and hoped "to see our
political atmosphere a little brighter. Do not ask me
about birds ; I do not know a Buzzard from a King Bird.
. . . Oh, what an enjoyment it would be for me to
escape, just for one week, from the hydra-headed 'Nulli-
fication,' and sit by your side and talk birds!"
Audubon was anticipating his third volume of plates,
devoted mainly to water birds, which was begun with
Number 45, in 1834, when the following letter was sent
to his son in London:
Audubon to his Son, Victor
BOSTON, /any, 17 th, 1833—.
MY DEAR VICTOR —
The Columbia arrived yesterday at New York, and
N [icholas]. B [erthoud]. has forwarded us Mr. HavelPs let-
ter and yours, both dated 30 th. of November last — . I hope
soon to see the drawings to work on them — . You give no
34 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
account of that of The Bartram Sandpiper and of The Spotted
Sandpiper — ; probably they have escaped you — let me know
so that I may renew these should they be missing — , but I
think my Friend Children has them — enquire —
The Charlotte is not yet in. She had not left Deal on the
27th of Nov r.-
Your Dear Mother & John wrote to you this morning and
you will probably receive this, and that letter at the same
moment — .
We will keep all the half Bound Copies of Volume 1st. in
America where I hope soon to dispose of them — go on and
push the Work with care and all will be well — give our best
regards to Havell & his wife & family — I had expected the
Death of his Father 6 sometimes — remembrances to our good
friend Children, Cuthbutton &c., &c. I will be able to arrange
100 Drawings of Water Birds, ready, and in that finest of
style for Publication — Tell Havell I will write to him in a very
few Days, and to keep up a good Heart — I hope we will all
meet early in the Spring of 1834 —
God bless you my Dear Victor: employ your time well and
[you] cannot fail being as Happy, at least as it is possible to
be, far away from your Dear Mother, John & Your ever
affectionate Father & Friend,
JOHN J. AUDUBON
Send the Gun & Drawing Paper of N — Largest & Middle Size
as quick as possible —
[Addressed] VICTOR G. AUDUBON Esqr.,
Care of
ROBT. HAVELL, Esqr.,
Engraver,
77 Oxford Street,
London.
While at Boston in the winter of 1833, Audubon
obtained from the proprietor of the New England Mu-
8 For notice of Robert Havell, Senior, who died in 1832, see Vol. I, p. 382.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 35
seum, in Court Street, a superb specimen of the Golden
Eagle, which had been caught in the White Mountains
in a trap set for foxes. Possessed with a desire to depict
this noble bird, he worked so hard at the drawing that,
as he said, it nearly cost him his life; he was suddenly
seized with "a spasmodic affection," which prostrated
him for a time and greatly alarmed his family, but
thanks to a strong constitution and to the aid of his
medical friends, Doctors Parkman, Warren and Shat-
tuck, the crisis was averted, and he was soon able to
continue his labors. "The drawing of this Eagle," said
the naturalist, "took me fourteen days, and I had never
before laboured so incessantly excepting at that of the
Wild Turkey." He was at work on this painting when
the following letter 7 was dispatched to his eldest son:
Audubon to his Son, Victor
BOSTON.
Feb. 5 th 1833.
Mlr DEAR FRIENDS
I am just now quite fatigued by the drawing of a Golden
Eagle which although it will make a splendid plate has cost me
sixty hours of the severest labor I have experienced since I
drew the Wild Turkey. You shall I hope see it through the
care of Mr. Gordon.8 Do not ever ship any more Nos. to
this port unless on vessels that are intended as packets. The
Charlotte has not come and it will be a rubber if I can get
enough cash to establish our going to Labrador until she does.
Push Jos. B. Kidd of Edinburgh if he can be pushed to paint
copies of our drawings. I look on that series as of great
importance to us all. Havell's blunder in not having the num-
7 Originally published by Ruthven Deane (Bibl. No. 48), The Auk,
vol. xxii, 1905.
'Alexander Gordon, who married Ann Bakewell, youngest sister of
Mrs. Audubon. For notice of Jos. B. Kidd, mentioned below, see Vol. I,
p. 446.
36 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
bers and paper on board the New York in time, is one which,
with him I can never correct. If you can do more than I on
this score of punctuality I will be gratified. I shall proceed to
New York as soon as the weather moderates, on Sunday last
the thermom. was 1£ below zero. The work is now I am as-
sured free of duty. When you write give a word of recollection
to Dr. Parkman who is a most desirable and worthy friend.
God bless you, forever yours
J. J. AUDUBON.
In the spring of 1833 Audubon was determined to
carry out a long cherished desire to explore the coast of
Labrador, where he hoped not only to discover many
new birds, but to ascertain the summer plumages and
breeding habits of a host of water fowl that were known
to resort in the milder season to that stern and rock-
bound shore. Accordingly, he set about with charac-
teristic energy to organize and finance an expedition
upon his own responsibility. The number of his Ameri-
can subscribers was steadily increasing, and at that mo-
ment he felt a degree of confidence in the future of his
work to hazard almost any undertaking. In April, when
his plans were fixed, he went to New York to consult
with his wife's brother-in-law and agent, Nicholas A.
Berthoud, and to settle his business affairs before leaving
the country. While there he wrote the following long
letter9 to his son, Victor, filled, as usual, with careful
instructions and interesting personal details. It will be
noticed that when he took pen in hand the number of
his American subscribers stood at 51, but before he laid
it down it had risen to 54 ; his belief that his efforts in the
cause of natural science would receive a hearty response
in his own country was fully justified.
9 Originally published by George Bird Grinnell (Bibl. No. 54), The
Auk, vol. xxxiii, 1916.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 37
Audubon to Ms Son, Victor
NEW YORK April 38th 1833—
MY DEAR VICTOR —
On opening the box containing the numbers last sent to this
place for distribution, we found the contents Wet and of course
some of them damaged. We have however dried them and
made of them that could be done and they will all go on Mon-
day (tomorrow) to their Several destinations — In future I
recommend that Each parcel of numbers for the different in-
dividuals are rolled up in separate Parcel, inclosed in good
stout brown Paper, and each directed outside, enumerating the
numbers therein contained — then put all the Rolls in a Box-
in this manner they all will be less liable to Injury, will not
need to be undone here for we have no trouble at all at the Cus-
tom House, and it will Save the handling of the Plates at the
Compting House. —
N. Berthoud rendered me his account yesterday I send
you inclose a Copy of it — and I also send you a Copy of a
general & particular memorandum left with him, by the assist-
ance of which the Business is clearly exhibited, so that each
Subscriber's Standing with the Work Shows at once. —
The Balance in our favor in N. Berthoud's hands is
$ 1358.91 — We have due South of this $ 1834.48. and at Bos-
ton $ 1220.00 — altogether $ 4413.39. — The Boston amount
will be ready for me when I reach there on Thursday next. — I
take from N. B's hands here $ 800 :00.— 300 $ of which I give
to your Dear Mother — when at Boston I will take 500 $ more
and send the Balance to N. Berthoud — he will then have about
$ 1278.91 of cash out of which he will send you 100 £ say 480 $
leaving still with him about $ 798.91. besides what he will col-
lect from the South the amount which is mentioned above, all
of which I hope will be collected ere I return to this Place, as
early as I can without losing the opportunity of doing all that
can be done.
You will easily perceive by all this that we have been ex-
tremely fortunate of late on this Side of the Water, and the
38 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
400 £ forwarded to you will fully enable you to meet the de-
mands of Havell &c for the 20 Volumes you have to send here &
other emergencies. — We have at Present 51 Subscribers in the
U. States, without the name of Docr Croghan from whom not a
word has been heard, and also without that of Baron Krudener
who is now at Washington City, but who has not taken any
cognisance of the letter I sent him. N. Berthoud is going to
write to him and I hope the Baron will take the work. — he cer-
tainly ought.
I found the Plates sent here better coloured than usual and
with your present assistance I greatly hope the goodness of
the Work will still improve. — Nicholas will forward you Two
very beautiful Numbers — the Plates are as follows,
N° 37. Plate 181. Golden Eagle Figures 1
" —182. Ground Doves " 5
"—183. Golden crested Wren " 2
" — 184. Mangrove Humming Bird. " 5
" —185. Bachman's Warbler . 2
N° 38.— " —186. Pinnated Grous " 3
" —187. Boat Tail Grackle " 2
« —188. Tree Sparrow " 2
" — 189. Snow Bunting " 3
« —189. Yellow bellied Woodpecker. " 2
I should have sent you 2 more Numbers had I The Two large
Plates for them, but hoping that I may meet with something
Large & perhaps New I Shall not do so, until I return which
will be Still time enough. — I am very anxious to See the 2 d
Volume finished and for this reason invite you to push the
Work, as much as you can & have it very well executed mean-
time.
The State of Maryland is subscribed to by D. Ridgely M.D.
Librarian of that State, he desires the 1st Volume and the
following numbers forwarded as soon as can be. — Send it here
— as he has authorized N. B. to draw on him for Payment. —
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 39
Miss Harriet Douglass also desires to have her Number sent
here for the Future. I hope the Copies for Co1 Perkins &
others at Boston & vicinity, as well as for Wm Oakes, & John
Neale will soon arrive. —
April 30th — Since the above, I have obtained Two more
Subscribers — the names of whom are
1. Richd F. Carman. New York
1. L. Reed— — Do Do.—
I was told last night that the State has also Subscribed,
but cannot tell until I see this day's Paper — Whilst at the
Lyceum of Natural History last evening, I was promised their
Subscription on Monday next — being the Society's day of
business.
I have concluded to send the 2 Numbers of Drawings by the
Packett — The Tin case containing them, will be given to the
special care of the Capn on whom you will do well to call im-
mediately.— I have given a 1st Volume to Nicholas Berthoud;
there are many enquiries made to see the Work and it answers
that purpose well.
John & I leave for Boston either this afternoon or to-
morrow— perhaps tomorrow as we have much to do. — It is not
probable that Edd Harriss will join us at East Port and go to
Labrador with us — I shall write to you at every opportunity
as these may occur, and doubtless from Halifax.
Mr Inman has painted my Portrait in Oil, and / say that
it is a truer portrait of me than even the Miniature. — Now my
Dear Victor exert yourself in the having all the Volumes com-
pleated which I have written for — See that they are carefully
packed with Paper between each &c &c &c I shall not close
this until I have given the Box to the Capn and when I hope to
add the Subscription of this State. —
&, o'clock — I have just returned from the bustle of the
Lower part of the City — the State has Subscribed! There-
fore add that valuable one. There is no Packet for London
Tomorrow, therefore the Drawings will go off on the 10th of
May by the Capn in whose particular care they
40 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
will be given. — These 10 Drawings have been insured this morn-
ing against all Risk, for 2,000 $ at % per Centum — I hope you
will receive them in perfect order; they are carefully packed
by myself in a Tin Box securely sodered &c &°.
We have now 54. Subscribers in America.
Mr Inman is going to Paint the Portrait of your Dear Mother,
and I have not a doubt that it will be "good & true." The
Weather is extremely Warm — The Thermometer ranges at
nearly 72. The Martins are flying over the City and To-
morrow I shall fly toward the Coast of Labrador — If fortunate
I shall bring a load of Knowledge of the Water Birds which
spend the Winter in our Country and May hope to Compete
in the study of their Habits with any Man in the World.
My Good Friend Charles Bonaparte as (I am told) taken
umbrage at a Passage in My Introduction (first Volume)10
Which proves how difficult it is to please every one — I am going
to write to him by Duplicate to try to correct that Error of
his — God ever bless You my Dear Son, and May We all meet
Well & Happy
Yours ever affectionately,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
Audubon was particularly anxious to enlist a number
of enthusiastic young men in the Labrador enterprise,
and had hoped that his friend, Edward Harris, would
join the party. Upon his return to Boston he started
at once for Eastport, Maine, where he expected to char-
ter a vessel and complete his preparations. On May 9,
1833, he wrote to Harris from that point:
The more I approach the desired object of this voyage,
the more bouyant my spirits, and the greater my hopes that
when I return I will bring a cargo (not of codfish) but of most
valuable information. Make up your mind ; shoulder your fire-
lock, and away to the fields where science awaits us with ample
10 See Chapter XXIX, p. 118, and the letter which Audubon wrote
to Bonaparte at this time.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 41
stores, the contents of which are the rarest materials ever em-
ployed by nature.
To this friend he wrote again from Eastport on the
14th of the same month : »
As to my making use of your name in my letterpress, I shall
act as you desire, and yet I hope and fully expect no denial on
your part, on such occasions as will grant me the pleasure of
giving public notice of the treatment I have received from you.
I owe such a thing to you as a trifling, very trifling, mark of my
gratitude towards one, whom I shall never cease to admire and
esteem.
The National Gazette of Philadelphia for May 2,
1833, devoted an editorial to Audubon and his prospec-
tive Labrador journey, in which the writer said: "We
wish him a degree of success and prolongation of vigor
equal to his great merits: indeed, for the past at least,
success is fully assured." He added that between fifty
and sixty subscribers to The Birds of America had then
been obtained in the United States; Boston had fur-
nished eighteen; New York, eleven; Philadelphia, four;
Baltimore, eight; Savannah, seven; Louisville, two, and
New Orleans, three ; moreover, the legislatures of Mas-
sachusetts, New York, Maryland and South Carolina
and the Congressional Library were subscribers for one
copy each. The writer continued :
A contribution to Mr. Audubon equal at least to that of
Boston or New York, would seem due from Philadelphia. The
subscription price may be considered as large ($ 1,000), but
how rich, ornamental, instructive, and entertaining is the work,
and how much preferable to the merely personal gewgaws or
transitory gratifications, upon which greater sums are as fre-
quently expended! There are few minds of any refinement or
42 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
elevation, to which an act that rewards genius and fosters
science, would not yield higher and more durable pleasure than
any ordinary luxury.
We learn that Mr. Audubon will return to the United
States next autumn, and make a short sojourn before his em-
barkation for Europe. Eight or nine more years, it is sup-
posed, will yet be necessary for the consummation of his grand
design. His constitution appears to be still vigorous ; his zeal
is unabated ; his powers of graphic delineation have suffered no
decay; we may, therefore, expect that he will realize all his
own laudatory hopes and projects, and in so doing confer new
obligations on the votaries of natural history, and reflect ad-
ditional honor on his country.
While Audubon was still at Eastport, and looking
anxiously for young recruits, the following letter
was received from Dr. George Parkman: 1]
Dr. George Parkman to Audubon
BOSTON, May 25 th. 1833.
J. J. AUDUBON Esqr.
DEAR SIR
Through the unceasing & active good-will of our Friend,
Dr. Shattuck, I present to you Mr. Ingalls, son of Dr. Ingalls,
one of our senior physicians & an experienced public teacher
of Anat.y & Surg y —
The son is the father's pupil; & we have reason to expect
that he will prove a satisfactory disciple to you.
The enclosed I claim for you the right to read, & for myself
to repossess, when we meet again.
respectfully
G. PARKMAN.
"Most readers will doubtless recall that Dr. George Parkman was
the victim of an almost unbelievable tragedy in 1849, when he met his
death at the hands of a colleague; the entire country was then aroused
as it seldom had been by an event in the annals of crime.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 43
Edward Harris was unable to accompany his friend,
and the four young men eventually chosen were Joseph
Coolidge,12 William Ingalls, of Boston, Thomas Lin-
coln, of Dennisville, Maine, and George Cheyne Shat-
tuck,13 the son of Dr. George C. Shattuck of Boston;
these, with John Woodhouse Audubon and the natural-
/'^t /*
^ />
^ A/t
-f C~
^lX. /<3j Jt't
4-
/•
LETTER OF DR. GEORGE PARKMAN TO AUDUBOK, MAY 25, 1833.
From the Rowland MSS.
ist, made up the party. The schooner Jlipley, a staunch
new vessel of 106 tons, was chartered at Eastport, and
the expedition was ready to start by the latter part of
May. During his stay at Eastport Audubon visited
Grand Manan Island, a favorite resort for sea birds in
the Bay of Fundy, and cruised about the coast in a
revenue cutter. On May 31, he wrote to Victor:
14
"In 1897 Mr. Joseph Coolidge, who was then living in San Francisco,
was the sole survivor of this expedition; see Maria R. Audubon, Audubon
and his Journals (Bibl. No. 86), vol. i, p. 347.
13 Dr. George Cheyne Shattuck, like his father a philanthropist, and an
ardent patron of all good works, in 1855 planted a seed on the rocky soil of
New Hampshire which has since shown a marvelous vitality; to him
primarily, and to the revered schoolmasters, the Reverend Dr. Henry Augus-
tus Coit and the Reverend Dr. Joseph Howlana Coit, the world owes that
great foundation, St. Paul's School.
"Maria R. Audubon, op. cit., vol. i, p. 346.
44 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
I have been working hard at the Birds from Grand Menan,
as well as John, who is overcoming his habit of sleeping late,
as I call him every morning at four, and we have famous long
days. . . .
The hull of the vessel has been floored, and our great table
solidly fixed in a tolerably good light under the main hatch;
it is my intention to draw whenever possible, and that will be
many hours, for the daylight is with us nearly all the time in
those latitudes, and the fishermen say you can do with little
sleep, the air is so pure.
After repeated delays the Eipley sailed from East-
port for Labrador on June 6, 1833, and the journey
proved arduous and hazardous enough. Although dis-
appointing in respect to the number of new species of
birds discovered, Audubon's visit was well timed ; he was
aided by a band of devoted and energetic youth, and
they spent two months on the coast of a wild country,
then but little known save to a nefarious crew of egg
robbers and a few enterprising fishermen. His pub-
lished journal of the voyage shows that he worked to
the full limit of his physical powers in studying and
portraying the wonderful bird life which the party en-
countered. Despite the miseries of seasickness, an in-
competent pilot, tempestuous weather, and the cramped
quarters of a small schooner, where all his drawings had
to be done under an open hatch, he accomplished won-
ders, considering the shortness of his stay. By rising at
three o'clock in the morning and working for seventeen
hours, he succeeded in completing many large drawings
of birds, as well as studies of characteristic flowers; he
also journalized voluminously and saw much of the coast
and its adjacent islands.
From Eastport they passed through the Gut of
Canso and steered for the Magdalen Islands, where they
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 45
landed and made collections. On June 14 they ap-
proached the famous Bird Rock, which at a distance
seemed to be covered with a mantle of new-fallen snow,
an illusion soon dispelled as their vessel bore them nearer
and a vast concourse of Gannets rose in great clouds
from the rock; "all stood astonished and amazed," said
Audubon, and he felt that such a sight had of itself fully
repaid them for their journey. On June 17, the twelfth
day out from Eastport, they passed Anticosti Island,
and soon began to see what appeared like white sails on
the horizon ; these proved to be snow drifts on the Lab-
rador, and on the 18th they landed at the mouth of the
Natashquan River. Ducks, Geese, Auks and Guille-
mots were there in great multitudes, as well as Gulls
and Terns ; many were breeding, and all seemed wilder
than at points farther south, a circumstance which was
explained as soon as they discovered the astounding pro-
portions which the traffic in eggs of sea fowl had at-
tained even at that time.15
On June 27 they procured a new bird 16 which Audu-
bon named after his young companion, Thomas Lincoln
of Dennisville, Maine, and which is still known as "Lin-
coln's Finch." This reference is found in his journal for
the 4th of July: "I have drawn all day, and have fin-
ished the plate of the Fringilla lincolnii, to which I have
put three plants of the country; to us they are very
fitting to the purpose, for Lincoln gathered them."
The Ripley left its anchorage at American Harbor
or Natashquan on June 28, and stood out to sea, their
usual recourse to avoid the intricacies of the coast. After
proceeding fifty miles or more they touched at numerous
15 See "The Eggers of Labrador," Ornithological Biography (Bibl. No.
2), vol. iii, p. 82.
"Lincoln's Finch, Fringella lincolnii, now Melospiza lincolni.
46 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
islands, where Guillemots, Puffins, and Black-backed
Gulls were breeding in vast numbers, and managed to
anchor safely, in spite of that "ignorant ass" of a pilot,
at a wild and desolate point which a recent traveler has
identified as the harbor of Wapitagun.17 July the sec-
ond was such a beautiful day for Labrador that Audu-
bon went on shore, where he drew this vivid picture of
that desolate land in sunshine:18
The country^ so wild and grand, is of itself enough to in-
'terest any one in its wonderful dreariness. Its mossy, gray-
clothed rocks, heaped and thrown together as if by chance,
in the most fantastical groups imaginable, huge masses hang-
ing on minor ones as if about to roll themselves down from
their doubtful-looking situations, into the depths of the sea
beneath. Bays without end, sprinkled with rocky islands of
all shapes and sizes, where in every fissure a Guillemot, a
Cormorant, or some other wild bird retreats to secure its egg,
and raise its young, or save itself from the hunter's pursuit.
The peculiar cast of the sky, which never seems to be certain,
butterflies flitting over snow-banks, probing beautiful dwarf
flowerets of many hues [that are] pushing their tender stems
from the thick bed of moss which everywhere covers the gran-
ite rocks. Then the morasses, wherein you plunge up to your
knees, or the walking over the stubborn, dwarfish shrubbery,
making one think that as he goes he treads down the -forests
of Labrador. The unexpected Bunting, or perhaps Sylvia,
which perchance, and indeed as if by chance alone, you now
and then see flying before you, or hear singing from the creep-
ing plants of the ground. The beautiful fresh water lakes, on
the ragged crests of greatly elevated islands, wherein the Red
and Black-necked Divers swim as proudly as swans do in other
latitudes, and where the fish appear to have been cast as
"See Charles W. Townsend (Bibl. No. 234), The Auk, vol. xxxiv, p.
133 (1917).
18 Maria R. Audubon, op. cit., vol. i, p. 386.
PLATE cxi
f Enjraved.Printed,* Coloured by R.HavelJ.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 47
strayed beings from the surplus food of the ocean. All — all is
wonderfully grand, wild — aye, and terrific. And yet how beau-
tiful it is now, when one sees the wild bee, moving from one
flower to another in search of food, which doubtless is as sweet
to it, as the essence of the magnolia is to those of favored
Louisiana. The little Ring Plover rearing its delicate and ten-
der young, the Eider Duck swimming man-of-war-like amid
her floating brood, like the guardship of a most valuable con-
voy ; the White-crowned Bunting's sonorous note reaching the
ear ever and anon; the crowds of sea-birds in search of places
wherein to repose or to feed: how beautiful is all this in this
wonderful rocky desert at this season, the beginning of July,
compared with the horrid blasts of winter which here pre-
dominate by the will of God, when every rock is rendered smooth
with snows so deep that every step the traveller takes is as
if entering into his grave; for even should he escape an ava-
lanche, his eye dreads to search the horizon, for full well does
he know that snow, — snow, is all that can be seen. I watched
the Ring Plover for some time; the parents were so intent on
saving their young that they both lay on the rocks as if shot,
quivering their wings and dragging their bodies as if quite
disabled. We left them and their young to the care of the
Creator. I would not have shot one of the old ones, or taken
one of the young for any consideration, and I was glad my
young men were as forbearing.
On the 6th of July he wrote: 19
By dint of hard work and rising at three, I have idrawn a
Colymbus septemtrionalls [Great Northern Diver] and a
young one, and nearly finished a Ptarmigan; this afternoon,
however, at half-past five, my fingers could no longer hold my
pencil, and I was forced to abandon my work and go ashore
for exercise. The fact is that I am growing old too fast ; alas !
I feel it, — and yet work I will, and may God grant me life to
see the last plate of my mammoth work finished.
19 Ibid., p. 390.
48 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
On the seventh there is this note:
Drawing all day ; finished the female Grouse and five young,
and prepared the male bird. The captain, John, and Lincoln,
went off this afternoon with a view to camp on a bay about
ten miles distant. Soon after, we had a change of weather,
and, for a wonder, bright lightning and something like summer
clouds. When fatigued with drawing I went on shore for exer-
cise, and saw many pretty flowers, amongst them a flowering
Sea-pea, quite rich in color. . . . The mosquitoes quite as
numerous as in Louisiana.
On July 14 the Ripley took the party forty-three
miles farther east to Little Maccatina, or Hare Harbor,
as it is called today, where they remained until July 21,
proceeding thence to Baie de Portage. Here they were
able to enter their small boats, and visited the captain
of a whaling schooner from New Brunswick, a Canadian
trapper, and a Scotchman, Samuel Robertson by name,
who was engaged in the sealing industry at Sparr Point,
all of whom Audubon pumped for information on the
country and its products. On July 25, they started for
"Chevalier's Settlement," but were caught in a storm,
and came to in Bras d'Or (Bradore) Bay; there they
found the Labrador Duck, which in 1875, but forty-two
years later, had become totally extinct.
At the approach of August the brief Labrador sum-
mer, of barely one month, was drawing to a close, and
Audubon was exerting his utmost efforts to accomplish
his purposes. Under date of August 10 he wrote :2(
My reason for not writing at night is that I have been
drawing so constantly, often seventeen hours a day, that the
weariness of my body at night has been unprecedented, by
such work at least. At times I felt as if my physical powers
*>Ibid.,p. 425.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 49
would abandon me ; my neck, my shoulders, and, more than all,
my fingers, were almost useless through actual fatigue at draw-
ing. Who would believe this? Yet, nothing is more true.
When at the return of dawn my spirits called me out of my
berth, my body seemed to beg my mind to suffer it to rest a
while longer; and as dark forced me to lay aside my brushes
I immediately went to rest as if I had walked sixty-five miles
that day, as I have done a -few times in my stronger days. Yes-
ternight, when I rose from my little seat to contemplate my
work and to judge of the effect of it compared with the nature
which I had been attempting to copy, it was the affair of a
moment; instead of waiting, as I always like to do, until the
hazy darkness which is to me the best time to judge of the
strength of light and shade, I went at once to rest as if delivered
from the heaviest task I ever performed. The young men think
my fatigue is added to by the fact that I often work in wet
clothes, but I have done that all my life with no ill effects. No !
no ! it is that I am no longer young. But I thank God that I
did accomplish my task ; my drawings are finished to the best of
my ability, (and) the skins well prepared by John.
On the llth of August all hands parted with Labra-
dor without regret, and the captain of the Ripley steered
for Newfoundland, where they landed in St. George's
Harbor on the 13th. That region was searched for five
days, when a fresh start was made for Pictou, Nova
Scotia, but when they encountered head winds, Audu-
bon and his party were landed on the nearest shore
and made their way overland to the town. Thence they
proceeded to Truro and Halifax, and after three days
went on to Windsor, where they watched the famous
tides in the Bay of Fundy — emptying and filling a
broad river, and rising, in course, to a height of sixty-five
feet. From that point a steamboat was taken to St.
Johns, New Brunswick, where the faithful Harris
awaited the naturalist with tidings of his wife and elder
50 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
son; 21 this intelligence induced him to abandon his con-
templated course through the woods of Quebec and
hasten back to the United States. The party finally
reached Eastport on August 31, after being out nearly
twelve weeks. When the Ripley had docked and their
collections were securely packed, all but Coolidge and
Lincoln returned to Boston, and on September 7 Audu-
bon was again in New York.
The Labrador experience was in a measure disap-
pointing, but the naturalist brought back twenty- three
large drawings of birds, complete or nearly so, and sev-
enty-three bird skins, as well as considerable collections
of marine animals and plants. The expenses of the
journey had been heavy, amounting, as he told his son,
to "about $2,000," but one fine morning when they
had flushed a Black Poll Warbler from its nest, Audu-
bon felt that he was amply "refunded in the sight,"
though this bird was later found to have a much wider
breeding range than he then supposed.
The National Gazette of Philadelphia 22 published
a long editorial upon Audubon's return, as well as an
extended account of his journey, extracted from the
Boston Patriot. To quote the editor's comment:
The distinguished naturalist returned from his north-
eastern excursion to Boston Wednesday last. We believe that
there is no one who will not be gratified to learn the progress
of his arduous and unremitted labors in a branch of science,
which he has made peculiarly his own; and he has kindly fa-
21 As a memento of the Labrador experience, Audubon presented
Harris with his pocket companion, The Genera of North American Birds
and a Synopsis of the Species, by Charles Lucien Bonaparte (New York,
1828), and inscribed it as presented to his friend at "Eastport, Sept. 1, 1833."
This volume, which saw much hard usage on this voyage and is filled with
Audubon's manuscript notes, is now in possession of Mr. Joseph Y. Jeanes.
MFor Tuesday, September 10, 1833.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC
51
vored us with information on the subject of his recent tour,
which we are glad to lay before our readers; regretting only
that we are unable to present it in his own rich and animated
language, and to invest it with the attractions which it would
derive from his own descriptive powers.
LETTER OF ROBERT HAVELL TO AUDUBON, JUNE 15, 1833.
From the Deane MSS.
While at Halifax Audubon received a congratula-
tory letter from Bachman, who urged him to visit
Charleston and to bring his family. The invitation was
accepted, and early in September Audubon returned to
New York, where he immediately prepared the new
drawings for dispatch to London; thirteen of the land
52 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
birds were for the completion of his second volume,
and seventeen, representing water fowl, were to form
the initial series of the third ; all, as usual, were heavily
insured.
Audubon left New York with his wife on September
25 and spent nearly a month en route to Charleston,
while John, who intended to accompany his father to
Florida, went direct by water. Dr. Thomas L. Mc-
Kenney, of Philadelphia, in a letter to Lewis Cass, Sec-
retary of War, said: 23
Mr. Audubon makes no more of tracking it in all directions
over this, and I may add other countries, than a shot star does
in crossing the heavens. He goes after winged things, but
sometimes needs the aid of — at least a few feathers, to assist
him better to fly. He means to coast it again round Florida —
make a track through Arkansas — go up the Missouri — pass on
to the Rocky Mountains, and thence to the Pacific. He will
require some of your official aid.
As a contrast to the warmth of Audubon's greeting
in Philadelphia, while in that city he was arrested for
debt, and was on the point of being taken to jail when
he was offered bail by a friend. "This event," he said,
"brings to my mind so many disagreeable thoughts con-
nected with my former business transactions, in which I
was always the single loser, that I will only add I made
all necessary arrangements to have it paid."
Four new subscribers were obtained at Baltimore,
but when the naturalist applied to Secretary Cass at
Washington for the privilege of accompanying an ex-
pedition to the Rocky Mountains under the patronage
of the Government, he met with a cool reception, and
28 Lucy Audubon, ed., Life of John James Audubon, the Naturalist
(Bibl. No. 73), p. 377.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 53
though he had forgotten his letter from Dr. McKen-
ney, he was resolved not to trouble that official further.
At this juncture he met Washington Irving, who did
his best to save the situation, and thought that Audubon
had been mistaken in his judgment of the Secretary;
"I might have been," he said, "but those eyes of mine
have discovered more truth in men's eyes than their
mouths were willing to acknowledge." Irving accom-
panied him to the offices of Mr. Taney, the Secretary
of the Treasury, who at once gave the naturalist the
privileges of the revenue cutter service on the southern
coast.
At Richmond Audubon met Governor Floyd, who
promised to try to induce the legislature of his State to
subscribe for a copy of the Birds. From that point to
Charleston we shall follow their itinerary as given in
his journal under date of October 16: 24
We left Richmond this morning in a stage well crammed
with Italian musicians and southern merchants, arrived at
Petersburg at a late hour, dined, and were again crammed in
a car drawn by a locomotive, which dragged us twelve miles
an hour, and sent out sparks of fire enough to keep us con-
stantly busy in extinguishing them on our clothes. At Blakely
we were again crammed into a stage, and dragged two miles an
hour. We crossed the Roanoke River by torchlight in a flat-
boat, passed through Halifax, Raleigh, Fayetteville, and
Columbia, where we spent the night. Here I met Dr. Gibbs,
at whose house. we passed the evening, and who assisted me
greatly; at his house I met President Thomas Cooper, who
assured me he had seen a rattlesnake climb a five-rail fence on
his land. I received from the treasury of the State four hun-
dred and fifty dollars on account of its subscription for one
copy of the "Birds of America."
"Ibid., p. 379.
54 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
For a number of years Audubon's snake stories had
subjected him to no little ridicule in certain quarters,
and this notice of a climbing rattlesnake pleased him
so much that he asked the venerable president to put
his statement in writing; he willingly complied, and his
interesting letter on the subject will be given in a later
chapter. 25
When Audubon and his wife reached the Bachman
home on October 24, he was prepared to push on to the
South, but changed his plans, on account, he said, "of
the removal of my good friend Captain Robert Day
from his former station to New York, and I did not
like to launch on the Florida reefs in the care of a young
officer unknown to me." The winter of 1833-4 was
passed under the hospitable roof tree of his friend, in the
usual occupations of painting, writing and hunting
birds. At this time an attachment sprang up between
his younger son, John Woodhouse Audubon, and Maria
Rebecca, the eldest daughter of the Bachman household.
Here Audubon wrote the first drafts of many of the
bird biographies contained in the second volume of his
letterpress, and with Bachman conducted a series of
careful experiments on the power of smell in vultures,
in order to settle a question which had then become acute
among naturalists.26 This subject is referred to in the
following intimate letter,27 which reveals the confidence
which Audubon felt in his sons and in their united abil-
ity to bring his great undertaking to a successful issue,
as well as the infinite pains which he bestowed upon
every part of it. Audubon, who was now in his forty-
ninth year, felt that he was aging very fast, and de-
25 See Chapter XXVIII, p. 78.
26 See ibid., p. 81.
27 Which I am able to reproduce through the kindness of Miss Maria R.
Audubon.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 55
clared that one year then would be equal to three, three
years from that time.
Audubon to his Son, Victor
CHARLESTON, DC., 2/j, 1833.
MY DEAR BELOVED VlCTOR :
Your last letter to us is dated at London, 7 th. Octbr. It
has given us all ample and sincere pleasure. The copy of your
reply28 to Mons. Waterton is excellent; that from Swainson
ought to prove a death-blow to the Demerara Gent! I hope
that these letters are now before the world, for my mortifica-
tion has been great enough respecting the blackguardism of
G. Ord and others, and yet I am heartily glad that I never paid
personally any attention to them through the press or other-
wise. Here my friends are as much shocked as myself, and
the moment is at hand when these T. . will be glad to find some
hiding place to resort to, and wait for time to obliterate their
obvious jealousy and falsehood.
John Bachman and myself have begun a second series of
experiments, such as I made before, connected with the nose-
smelling of Turkey Buzzards ; as far as we have gone through
them, these experiments have proved perfectly satisfactory to
my good friend and myself, and depend [upon] it, from next
Wednesday, the American World will know that Turkey Buz-
zards are first, Gregarious, as well as the Carrion Crow [Black
Vulture], that they eat fresh meat in preference to putrid
stuff; that they eat birds, fresh killed, either plucked or not,
even of their own species; that they suck birds' eggs, and de-
vour their callow young; that they come to their food by
their sense of sight, and not that of smell, and lastly that
they cannot discover by any sense of smell the most putrid
matter, even when this putrid stuff is within a few feet of them,
out of sight of their eyes. Were Snakes as abundant near
38 The reference is to Victor G. Audubon's second article in defense
of his father, which appeared in London's Magazine of Natural History
(see Bibliography, No. 118). Swainson's paper, under the same title
(see Bibliography, No. 117), was published in the same number.
56 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Charleston as Buzzards, that business would soon be also set
at rest, but for this, however, time is required, and the time
I think will come. The experiments we are making* will be
repeated in the presence of the faculty of this city,29 and their
Certificates attached to the whole, and immediately published
in the Annals of the Philosophical Society of Phila.30 those
of the Lyceum of New York. A copy will be sent to be read at
the Linnean, or Royal Society of London, and Royal Insti-
tute of France; then let those laugh who win. We have at-
tracted Turkey Buzzards with pieces of fresh beef, not more
than an inch square, and we have seen others pass unnoticed
the body of a hare or fowl within 20 steps. We have now 3 fine
birds of this species to experiment upon, and their olfactory
nerves will be examined by the faculty here, where there are
some highly talented men.
Our friend Bachman has written a very fine paper for
London's Mag.31 which will be forwarded to you in a few days
by duplicate, and which I wish you to give to our friend J. G.
Children, and ask him to have it read at the R. and L. Socie-
ties, and inserted in the above mentioned Mag. afterwards.
We hope all this will be accomplished by the 1 st. March next.
Now to other subjects. We are deeply at work. John has
drawn a few Birds, as good as any I ever made, and in a few
months I hope to give this department of my duty up to him
29 For an account of this discussion see Chapter XXVIII, where the
memorial drawn up and signed by the faculty of the Medical College of
South Carolina is reproduced.
80 When in New York, awaiting the sailing of his vessel, in April,
1834, Audubon referred to Bachman's paper on the Turkey Buzzard in
writing to Miss Maria Martin, as follows: "At Phila., Mr. Lee and Doer.
Hays managed to have it not read at Philosoph. Socy, but the Lyceum
of New York, after reading it, have sent it to Professor Silliman, in whose
Journal it will appear. John Bachman may .consider himself a member
of the Lyceum of New York, and 'mayhap,' a fellow of the Linnean
Society of London." Bachman's paper was actually published in the
Journal of the Boston Society of Natural History for 1834; see Bibliog-
raphy, No. 125.
"This paper, entitled "Remarks in Defense of [Mr. Audubon] the
author of the Birds of America," was published in volume vii of London's
Magazine of Natural History for 1834, and is dated "Charleston, Dec. 31,
1833"; see Bibliography, No. 124.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 57
altogether; his improvements on other subjects are equally
pleasing. I write a [biography of a] Bird or so every evening,
and our friend grants me all his knowledge of the habits of
those with which he has become well acquainted, belonging to
this part of the Union. I have nearly one 100 drawings of
Water Birds ready for publication & I pronounce them equal
to any previous ones. I am much pleased at the news you give
me respecting Havell; I hope he will continue with hand and
heart to do all in his power for the fame of our work, and for
himself. We have not seen Nos. 34, 35, tho. from your letter
we suppose them to be in New York. Wm. Oakes, I have writ-
ten you, has paid all, up to No. 33 ; Arnold, of New Bedford,
for all he has had ; John Neal has his copy, but I do not know
if he has yet paid Dr. Parkman, who is our kind friend and
agent in that part of the Country. I wish you had forwarded
first volumes bound, as you had those on hand, as several would
have been disposed of and paid for by this time; do send all,
or whatever of them you have ready, as soon as possible. It
will be well for you to have friend Bachm's. paper published
in toiOj in some good circulating paper in London & Edinboro.
Brushes ! Brushes ! Brushes ! I am glad to hear of Kidd & Co.'s
publication of Parrots, but I regret that my face should have
been there from Syme's picture, which in my estimation is none
of the best. Push Kidd with the pictures ; have them, and take
care of them. Sell all the Shells you please; write to John
Adamson, of New Castle, about them, but keep smug all the
Bird Skins. I cannot do without them when I write my Synop-
sis, which will be when I am with you. Our voyage round the
Floridas, Gulph Mexico &c. will begin about the 1st. February.
This will be my last journey, after which John and I will hunt
for Subscribers, procure a round number, and join you as soon
as possible. Your dear Mama will in all probability join you
in May or June next. In about a fortnight I shall send you
more land Birds for the end of the 2 d. volume, extra small
plates, and several numbers of Water Birds. I am anxious to
hear something about the little edition. Do not omit to let me
know when you want money, for tho. our expenses are always
58 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
great, the Work must not, and shall not suffer, as long as my
eyes and hands can work.
Dec. 23 d., last evening, we had the pleasure of yours of
the 28 Oct, and one from Havell of the 9 th. Regarding Havell,
we are glad that all is well with him, and hope he will not
trouble us about extra prices, not even for the Water Birds.
The safe arrival of my last drawings has relieved me of that
anxiety. You are quite right on the score of advice. You in
England, will do best to act as you may think proper. We,
in America, are trying to do equally well, and our little
Alliance is as efficient as the Holy one at least. That Sub-
scribers should die is an event we cannot help; that such fel-
lows as V. should act so cannot be controlled, but depend upon
our industry, our truth, and the regular manner in which we
publish our work; this will always prove to the world and to
our Patrons that nothing more can be done than what we do ;
nay, I doubt if any family, with our pecuniary means, ever
will raise for themselves such a monument as the "Birds of
America" is, over their tomb.
How comes it that Harlan has not money enough to pay
his expenses in Europe? I shall remember the 20 £, and the
exchange. Chamley, of New Castle, was never prompt pay;
indeed, my dear Victor, were you fully acquainted with the
great difficulties which I had to surmount and did surmount,
it would give you less fear than you now feel or experience.
We shall be glad to receive the Brushes that are, I hope, now
under way for us. Mr. Miesson resides [at] No. 2 Rue
Pigalle, on the east side of the grand Boulevards. Present my
regards to Mr. Yarrell, and thank him in my name for his kind
offer of eggs, and add that I shall have it in my power to
present him with many which I think he has not found, that
our two collections will most likely comprise the whole of those
published in my 4 volumes. I fear that to give the eggs in
the 2 d. of Biography would render that volume too large,
and again too costly, and that a few plates of eggs at the end
of the large work will answer better.32 The plates ought to
33 See Note, Vol. I, p. 426.
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 59
be insured for at least 4 or 5 times the cost, for should they by
an accident be destroyed, the amount of their cost would prove
a poor remuneration, when compared with the time it would
require to have them renewed. Attend to this as soon as you
can. Henry Ward has rendered himself very obnoxious here.
a letter came to Mr. B. on last evening from St. Augustine, to
inquire how a certain amount left by him unpaid was to be set-
tled. Mr. Bachman will inform you of the particulars.
Do forward the bound volumes as soon as possible, for with
them I could at once make you a considerable remittance,
which would enable you to prepare the Nos. of the £d. Vol. for
those who do not wish to have it complete. I am trying to
receive some money on Act. of the 2 d. Vol. through the me-
diums of Dr. Parkman, N. Berthoud, John Bellonis, Wm. Gas-
ton, and will let you know the result. The Plate .... which
you sent me is extremely well engraved, but let us keep to
Havell as long as he behaves with propriety, and does good
work.
I have now replied to your letter fully, except on what you
say about my immediate return. The following are my views,
but if after all, you say — come on, I shall do so. Our country
is becoming more wealthy every day. Science is looked upon
with more congeniality every year. Subscribers in this Dear
Country of ours do not drop off unless they die. They pay
punctually on demand, and to have more of them in this land
than in Europe is a thing that may prove of the greatest
importance to us. When I visited our woods on my first re-
turn from England, I was absent about 12 months. The Rath-
bones and Mr. Children wrote to me many times to return, or
expect the work to fall. I went back to Europe before I was
ready to go, and on my arrival there, to my surprise and joy,
I found everything going on as well as usual ; but I was again
obliged to come to our Country to renew my researches, and
improve my head, as well as my collection of drawings. I had
then left no one like you in England. Now you, my Dear Son,
are there; thank God for it! You prove to be a better man
at carrying on the publication than myself, and to tell you
60 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
more, I doubt if I could procure more subscribers there than
yourself. I am truly desirous for your sake, and that of your
dear Mother and Brother, to do all in my power for the com-
pletion of this great work. I wish to finish here all that is to be
done both in the way of drawing, and increase of knowledge, in
black and white, and also in Patrons, as much as possible, ere
I return to Europe, where, when I do go, I must remain sev-
eral years, if not until the completion of the engraving. I am
growing old very fast; in 3 or 4 years my career as a travel-
ler will be ended, and should I be obliged to renew my field-
labours, it is doubtful if my constitution could bear it. One
year now is equal to 3, 3 years hence. I receive much assist-
ance from the Government, and have John to accompany me.
I am still able to undergo some fatigue, and, as I have said, I
am anxious, very anxious, to do all that can be done ere I
return to Europe. Now the whole time which I conceive neces-
sary to enable me to perform these desideratums cannot ex-
ceed 12 or 15 months. What pleasure it would be to us all,
when I take your hand and press you to my heart, I should
also have a list of 100 new names from America!; all the draw-
ings and the manuscripts ready for the completion of this our
wonderful undertaking. I would advise you to address a cir-
cular letter to all those who may be concerned in Europe, to
acquaint them with what I call the necessity of my being in
America, for the sole purpose of increasing the value of our
publications, either Illustrative or graphical. This, and the
constant improvement now exhibited to them with each new
number of the work, could not fail, I think, to render them
quiet, if not pleased, that I am now doing all I can for the
advantage of the work. Tell them the facts, that I have greatly
added to the Ornithology of the United States since my absence
from Europe, that the number of species which I now have,
and that are not given by Wilson or Bonaparte, combined,
amounts to nearly one hundred, and that the Water Birds will
be fully equal in point of interest and beauty, to any of the
land Birds that are published. And, not the least part of this,
my remaining in America has already [given], and will con-
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 61
tinue, to give me the power of portraying the habits of the
Water Birds with more truth and completeness than has ever
yet been done. Next, have extracts of my letter to you, be-
fore the world's eye, through the medium of Papers. Visit
such of our friends, and ask them to say those things to their
acquaintance; go on yourself, as you have done, and depend
upon it, we shall all be greatly benefited. In your most kind
letter to John you mention with unexampled modesty what you
are attempting to do in the way of self -improvement, but my
Dear Victor, you cannot convey more thoroughly to us the
march of your improvement than you have done by sending
your letters, and the result of your actions, so well delineated
as this is, and we all feel deeply gratified and most happy.
Cruickshank is right; by drawing you are enabled to study the
lights and shadows of bodies, again the beautiful mellowness
with which, altho. all powerful in the effect, these blend them-
selves with each other. The reflective power of bodies will
also strike your discerning attention, and when these com-
binations of the true Materia are well understood, the artist
is a Master ! Nature after all, has done all for us ; she groups,
and most beautifully, every thing that is presented to our eye
or mind, so completely also, that if one observes a number of
bodies, no matter what these bodies are, whether horses or apes,
he sees at once the general elegance of their arrangement in
contour, the force of the light and shadows, the mellowness
existing between these, and as the eye passes on to the finish-
ing of that natural picture, it at once pronounces it com-
plete.
Do not forget to take from Kidd whatever pictures of ours
he may have finished, and take good care of them. We have
pretty nearly kilt G. Ord and Waterton with our Buzzard
experiments. You say you wish you could see us at friend
Bachman's ; I assure you my pleasure at such an event would be
equal to yours. We are indeed happy in having such a friend.
Miss Martin, with her superior talents, assists us greatly in
the way of drawing; the insects she has drawn are, perhaps,
the best I've seen; at night we have some music and reading.
62 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
When you receive Bird Skins, perhaps it would be as well to
form a collection of each species in pairs, and variety of age
or color.
24 Dec. We have just received yours of 18 th. October.
You are, my Dear Son, too low spirited respecting my immedi-
ate appearance in England. Cheer up, my beloved Victor!
Believe me, when I repeat that our own Dear Country will
support the efforts of us all, and will grant us more Patrons
than the whole of Europe together ; by the way of a nightcap,
let me give you the name of Wm. J. Rees, of Sumpter district,
Statesbury, South Carolina, who put his name to my list this
afternoon at the moment when the Vultures lost their olfactory
powers, for I daubed the imitation of a sheep, and the very
first one that passed over the picture rounded and came to it.
Respecting Kidd, and his prospectus, depend upon it, noth-
ing is to be feared from that quarter; that work is dead at the
moment I write, and as to his publishing the intention of the
pictures, it signifies nothing. All you have to do is to take all
the pictures from him, by goodwill or otherwise, and give him
no more originals to copy.
If I regret anything at this moment, it is that you should
have kept the 20 volumes in London, when, if I had them in
America, I should at once be enabled to make you a valuable
remittance. Ship them, ensured, as fast as possible, and doubt
not my disposing of them. Lewis Atterbury writes me to night
that all the numbers 34, 35, which Havell has shipped, are
injured greatly by salt water. I do not know yet if they were
insured or not. I write to him this evening. Do not ship
anything without insurance; it is better to lose time in this
case than money. I will write again in a few days, and I shall
forward you Water Birds in good time. God bless you, my
dear fellow; keep up your spirits, and again may God bless
you.
Ever your affectionate father,
J. J. AuDUBONT.
Honest John Bachman, who had lived and worked
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 63
with Audubon for months at a time, and who probably
knew him better than did any one in America outside of
the naturalist's own family, gave this account of his
habits in 1834, when, at the age of forty-nine, he was
still working at his best:
He rises at the earliest dawn, and devotes the whole of
the day, in intense industry, to his favourite pursuit. The
specimens from which he makes his drawings are all from
nature; carefully noting the colors of the eye, bill, and legs;
measuring, with great accuracy, every part of the bird. When
differences exist, either in the sexes or young, several figures
are given on the same plate ; sparing no labour in retouching
old drawings or in making new ones, in all cases where he
conceives there may be a possibility of making an improve-
ment. In this way, he has already succeeded in figuring nearly
the whole of the birds necessary to complete his splendid and
important work.
He keeps a journal, and regularly notes down every thing
connected with natural history. This journal is always kept
in English: a language which, it must be acknowledged he
writes very correctly, when it is taken into consideration that
he spent nearly the first seventeen years of his life in France.
Besides this, he keeps separate journals, in which he notes
every thing that he learns each day on the habits of every bird.
In all his travels, he carries these journals with him; and he
never suffers business, fatigue, or pleasure to prevent him each
evening from noting down every interesting observation. In
this way, a mass of information has been accumulated from
year to year. When he sits down to write the history of a
bird (which is usually in the evening), he first reads over all
the memoranda which he has made with regard to its habits
and he is generally able to write an interesting paper on the
subject in the course of an evening. At some leisure moment
this is again revised and corrected: the scientific details he
leaves to the last.
64 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Early in March, 1834, Audubon left his friends in
Charleston, and with his wife and son passed northward
to Washington and Baltimore. From the latter city,
on March 9, he wrote to Edward Harris, in part as fol-
lows:
Friends such as you have been, and are still, are the only
recompense such poor individuals such as I am can enjoy in
this world, and the more valued as they are so very rare.
We came from Charleston by land to Norfolk; thence to
Washington City by steamer in 20 hours, and in 8 to the city
here, well fatigued but safely. ... At Washington, where we
remained only an hour, Col. J. Abert told me something con-
nected with the climbing of Rattlesnakes upon trees &c. that
will make your mouth water, and your generous heart leap with
joy, when you read [about] them, which you shall do ere long,
I give you my word for it.
Audubon was still in Baltimore on March 15, for on
that day he gave Harris a letter of introduction to
Edward Everett. New York was reached in April,
when he wrote to Bachman that they had secured berths
in "that fine packet ship the North America/' which was
to sail on the tenth of that month.
Toward the close of Audubon's Charleston visit he
had an unpleasant experience; he was sued for an old
debt, which no doubt dated from his Henderson period
and the failure of his mill in 1819. 33 Apparently the
case was carried into court, where the naturalist was de-
fended by a lawyer named Dunkin, who, if my infer-
ence is correct, later became a distinguished judge
and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 34 of South
Carolina. The incident was referred to by Audubon
in letters written from New York at this time; on
88 See Vol. I, p. 260.
84 See Audubon's statement of the case, given in Note 18, Vol. I, p. 260.
i&
IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 65
April 6, he wrote to Miss Maria Martin as follows:
I told friend Bach, in my letter of yesterday that I knew
nothing of Mr. Pettigrue, connected with my business at
Charleston, and that if that gentleman had presented himself
before the court, it must have been for charity's sake; indeed,
from the conversations that passed between Friend B. & I re-
specting Mr. Dunker [Dunkin], it would have been absurd in
me to think for a moment of employing any other person
than Mr. D.
In the letter just quoted Audubon said also that
he had spent all of the morning of the previous day
in going from shop to shop with friend Harris to pro-
cure some models for "the dear girls," but in vain; New
York with its two hundred and fifty thousand souls,
possessed but two drawing masters; "these instruct in
3 months" he added, "and starve for the nine of the
year." In reference to financial matters, he said that
he had managed to collect about £600 sterling, and had
sent 500 to Victor in bills of exchange, so that when they
reached London, they would be tolerably well off, con-
sidering that they were "naturalists from the wilds of
America." "Nothing starts the blues so effectually," he
continued, as "constant unemployment; for myself who
have done next to nothing since I left you, have had
horrors all around me; dreams of sinking and burning
ships at night, fears of lost drawings, & failures of sub-
scribers by day, have ever and anon been my compan-
ions." "Victor," he added, "has sent 6 boxes of pills,
which will be divided into 3 parts, the largest for G.
Ord."
The Audubons finally sailed from New York on
April 16, 1834. On the preceding day the naturalist
sent his friend, Edward Harris, a parting letter, in
which he said:
66 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
To tell you that I am surprised at your generous conduct
in remitting to me Four hundred, Ninety dollars in advance,
for all the numbers of my book, would be a poor gratification
to me. I feel your generosity, and I cannot say any more.
God bless you.
Nos. 36 & 37 have reached this place ; my drawings shipped
from Charleston are safely in the hands of Victor at London.
I have been able to forward him 650 £, and I have 30 sovereigns
to defray our expenses from Liverpool to the Great Metropolis.
In 1824, poor J. had dreams, but how far was I then from be-
lieving that I should ever have succeeded as I have ; who will
believe my story? Only one or two besides yourself, have
an Idea of what I have undergone, but, if God grants me life,
I shall publish that story, and send you the sheets thereof, as
they are struck by the printer.
Audubon took with him to England all the collec-
tions which he had accumulated during nearly three
years of travel and search in different parts of the
United States and the British possessions. During this
eventful period he had renewed one hundred of his
older drawings, executed many new ones, discovered new
birds, extended his acquaintance, and added sixty-two
names to his list of patrons.
After they had reached Liverpool, he wrote to Bach-
man, May 8, 1834, that they had returned on the "su-
perb packet of 650 tons, called the North America, com-
manded by an admirable gentleman, named Dixie of
Philadelphia" ; the voyage was made in not quite twenty
days. A little later they joined their son, Victor, in
London.
CHAPTER XXVIII
THORNS ON THE ROSE
Contributions to magazines — Attacked in Philadelphia — Statement to
Sully — The rattlesnake episode — Behavior of a Philadelphia editor —
Mistaken identity in account of the reptile — Lesson of the serpent's
tooth — Audubon's long lost lily rediscovered — "Nosarians and Anti-
Nosarians" — Bachman and Audubon on vultures — Aim of the critics —
Authorship in the Biography — His most persistent heckler — Pitfall of
analogy.
We have seen that John James Audubon had at-
tended the school of adversity many years before he was
known to the public in either America or Europe. The
difficulties inseparable from such colossal undertakings
as that in which he engaged were well nigh insuperable ;
but to these were added others which perhaps might
have been avoided but which could hardly have been
foreseen. From the moment he began to write for pub-
lication, he was bitterly and persistently assailed by a
number of detractors, who seemed bent upon ruining
his reputation and thus undermining the work to which
he was devoting his life and upon which he depended
as a means of support.
Were no worthy purpose to be served, it would be
folly to resurrect the animosities of a past generation,
but since a few "fed fat the ancient grudge they bore
him," and since this hostility, handed down through the
years, is occasionally echoed at the present day, the im-
partial historian is left no choice; he must weigh the
merits of the case to the best of his ability. The reader,
I think, will find that the law of compensation has
67
68 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
worked fairly well in respect to all these matters, for
if Audubon possessed faults, he was not lacking in mer-
its ; if he was assailed by a few bitter enemies, he was
supported by a host of judicious friends.
As soon as Audubon became known in England, he
was importuned to contribute to the scientific maga-
zines, and in response to this demand wrote five articles,
which were published in Edinburgh and London in 1827.
Some of these papers, which dealt with the habits of the
Turkey Vulture, the Alligator, the Carrion Crow or
Black Vulture, the Wild Pigeon, and the Rattlesnake,1
were roundly scored in the Philadelphia press, and Au-
dubon was called a romancer of the first order. Thomas
Sully, the artist, who was then living in that city and
who had taken a deep interest in the naturalist since their
meeting in 1824, wrote in November, 1827, and told him
what had occurred. Since Audubon's reply was practi-
cally the only answer which he ever made to attacks of
this sort, and since his friend was given permission to
make such use of it as he saw fit, we shall reproduce
this letter nearly entire.2 In writing to his wife on the
same day Audubon said: "Now my Lucy, I am going
to answer Sully's letter; it is no difficult task, so far as
truth be connected with my answer, but as regards my
feelings it is perhaps the severest one I have had to
encounter for many years."
Audubon to Thomas Svlly
LIVERPOOL, Dec* 22, 1827.
My dear Mr. Sully : —
I received from your truly friendly letter of the 7 th. of
November the long wished for intelligence that you and your
1See Bibliography, Nos. 17-21.
'For this privilege I am indebted to Miss Maria R. Audubon.
THORNS ON THE ROSE 69
family were well. I am not much astonished that in Phila-
delphia, remarks such as you allude to, should have been made
respecting some papers on the habits of objects of Natural
History, read by me to different institutions in this country,
but I am grieved at it.
The greatest portion of my life has been devotedly spent
in the active investigation of Nature, her beauties & her
objects in granting to different individuals, classes, or species,
such privileges as best suit their form, situation, or habits.
This arduous task I have followed with unremitting diligence,
and with a degree of industry that has caused to my family
and to myself more troubles than any person in Philadelphia
can be aware of. For more than 20 years I have been in the
regular habit of writing down every day all the incidents of
which I have been an eye-witness, on the spot, & without con-
fiding to my memory, as many travellers have done and still
do. You have read some portion of this journal, and have also
been an eye-witness of many of the occurrences, and to this I
now owe the gratification of possessing your esteem, but, My
dear Mr. Sully, you are not the only evidence. Mr. Joseph
Mason, who is now, I believe, an artist in your city, accom-
panied me on a hunting excursion, beginning at Cincinati, and
ending in the State of Louisiana, which lasted 18 months. He
drew with me ; he was my daily companion, and we both rolled
ourselves together on bufaloe robes at night. James Cum-
mings, Esq., past captain, the author of a treatise on the
navigation of the rivers Ohio and Mississippi, was one of the
party, and he saw me write in my Journal, and read it fre-
quently. Every member of my family has seen the whole of those
Diaries and could readily assert the truth of the whole of their
contents, to many of which they were party, present and acting.
The papers alluded to in your estimable letter, are merely
copies from those journals; they were transcribed in Edin-
burgh, and the style corrected by patrons, who saw the orig-
inals, nearly worn out by time and the casual dampness, which
journals like mine must often be exposed to. I read these
papers to the different societies, of which I have the honor to
70 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
be a member, and read them with a sensation of pleasure that
nothing but a full persuasion of their truth could bestow.
Those persons in Philadelphia that have felt a desire to
contradict my assertions cannot, without lowering themselves
very much indeed affect to conceive that the members of the
Wernerian Society would have listened to my "say so," without
investigating the subject, even if they had not been well versed
in the habits of the objects I treated of. Neither can they
believe that all my acquaintance and particular friends would
permit me to proceed in relating Tales of Wonder, which if
untrue, would load me with disgrace, ruin my family, nay,
prove me devoid of all honor! Could I suffer myself to be so
blinded at the very moment when I am engaged in the publica-
tion of a work of unpar ailed magnitude, of which the greatest
naturalists and best judges both in America and in Europe have
given the fullest praise and firmest support, & from which my
very means of pecuniary comfort are to be drawn? It would
certainly be highly unfair to conceive & assert that at the time
whilst I was portraying individuals, animal and vegetable, I
should have rambled so wide and so far from facts in a portion
of science so intimately connected with & necessary to the sup-
port of those delineations, as well as to the general standing of
my reputation! Mere interest would suggest a very con-
trary line of conduct, and I hope I am not so devoid of common
sense as to lose sight of all that can render life desirable in
this world or the world hereafter.
No, my dear Mr. Sully, I have written with care what I
have seen, and have felt a great desire to spread the knowledge
I have obtained in the great field of Science for the benefit of
the world at large, and I rest content with this motto: "Le
temps decouvrira la verite." To whom then, my dear Mr.
Sully, can I ascribe the birth of the animadversions expressed
in the papers of Philadelphia! Is their author one [who]
comes avowedly forward with a life spent in the woods, loaded
with facts differing in every respect from mine, one who like
me can bring forth vouchers, and who can by respectable wit-
nesses support what he says? Or, is he one, who, writing at
THORNS ON THE ROSE 71
random and without any knowledge of his subject, merely
wishes to push himself into notice by a blunt denial of my
veracity, and would edify & please some of his friends, at the
price of my reputation. I think, my dear Mr. Sully, the latter
much more applicable, and must belong to the author of the
report current in your city.
I have not read any of the Philadelphia papers since I came
to England, and do not know the tone of the attacks upon me,
but judging from your friendly letter, I feel assured that the
pen that traced them must have been dipped in venom more
noxious than that which flows from the j aws of the rattlesnake !
To you, my dear Friend, I solemly affirm that however
unnatural my observations may appear, they are all facts,
without a word of exaggeration. My fate in this instance
differs not from that of many others, but believe me, will differ
widely from that of the illustrious Bruce; those attacks will
not make me die of sorrow!
With this, my dear Friend, I will close the subject, giving
you meanwhile full liberty to use this letter in any manner
that may best suit your feelings, and I will now pass on to other
things.
My success in the mother country continues to augment
apace. I have many most valuable friends and patrons, and
discovered soon after my landing that Science has no par-
ticular country. The 5 th. number of my work is now pub-
lished, & completes my labor for 1827. During my progress
I have often received letters from highly distinguished char-
acters, expressive of the highest approbation, & I hope by
regular industry to be able to go on with the performance,
with credit to myself & benefit to my family.
I shall leave this town for London in a few days, when I
will convey your wishes to Robert Sully, & [when] there I hope
to see the picture which you have sent to the Marquis of
Wellesley. . . .
The attack referred to in the letter just quoted was
called forth by Audubon's unfortunate paper on the
72 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Rattlesnake,3 which was read before the Wernerian So-
ciety of Edinburgh in the winter of 1827 and published
by Robert Jameson in the New Philosophical Journal
in April of that year. The controversy then started
was long and bitter, while the merits of neither side
were ever fully established ; in the history which follows
we shall see that the naturalist was, on the whole, more
sinned against than sinning.
In July, 1828, Dr. Thomas P. Jones4 appropriated
Audubon's Rattlesnake article, and published it without
acknowledgment in the Franklin Journal and American
Mechanics3 Magazine at Philadelphia. It should be no-
ticed that at the close of 1827 Audubon's famous plate
of the Mocking Birds defending their nest against the
sinister designs of this formidable reptile had also been
published in London. In this remarkable picture the
rattlesnake was represented coiled about the nest, at the
fatal moment when ready to strike its bold defenders,
and in a tree. The anomaly was apparent, for the climb-
ing habits of rattlesnakes were not then generally un-
derstood. This circumstance, together with some of Au-
dubon's notes, repeated in certain cases from stories cur-
rent in rural communities, furnished his detractors with
a powerful lever, which they seized with avidity; snakes
coiled in trees seemed suddenly to have produced a brood
of another order which lurked in the grass, and it was
many years before Audubon heard the last of his snake
stories. The attack in the American press was laid to
the door of George Ord, and it was not long before it
was renewed with great vigor by his friend and corre-
3 See Bibliography, No. 21.
4 At one time superintendent of the Patent Office at Washington, and
professor in the medical department of Columbia College; he was later
professor of mathematics in the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia and
editor of the Franklin Journal, and American Mechanics' Magazine.
JOHN BACHMAN
SAMUEL LATHAM MITCHELL
GEORGE ORD
CHARLES WATERTON
BACHMAN FROM C. L. BACHMAN, "JOHN BACHMAN, D.D., LL.D." ; ORD FROM "CAS-
SINIA" FOR 1908; MITCHELL AFTER AN ENGRAVING BY GAMBER AND DICK
OF A PORTRAIT BY HENRY INMAN ; WATERTON FROM MOORE'S
EDITION OF WATERTON'S "ESSAYS,"
THORNS ON THE ROSE 73
spondent in England, Charles Waterton, who pro-
claimed Audubon as a new and greater Miinchhausen.5
Dr. Jones immediately repudiated the article which
he had unceremoniously appropriated, and under the
title of "The Romance of the Rattlesnake" inserted the
following notice in the August number of his maga-
zine:6
Just as the Editor was leaving Philadelphia for Washing-
ton, he was pressed for "more copy" by his printer, and has-
tily marked some articles for insertion, among which were
"Notes on the Rattlesnake," by John James Audubon, F.R.S.
E., M.W.S., &c. Time did not admit of reading the article,
but it was seen that the writer professed to offer the "fruits
of many years' observation, in countries where snakes abound."
This with his titles, and the bold and splendid assurances which
we had seen respecting the publication of his works, served as
a password to his tissues of falsehoods, which would have been
expunged from the proof, but for absence from the press.
We had determined to publish a notice like the foregoing,
when we received a note from a scientific friend, whose re-
marks are, at once, so pointed and correct, and so fully ex-
press our own ideas upon the subject, that we gladly adopt
and insert them.
It is a tissue of the grossest falsehoods ever attempted to
be palmed upon the credulity of mankind, and it is a pity that
any thing like countenance should be given to it, by reproduc-
ing it in a respectable Journal. The romances of Audubon
rival those of Miinchausen, Mandeville, or even Mendez de
Pinto, in the total want of truth, however short they may fall
of them in the amusement they afford.
This was rather a stiff charge to be made flatly
against the reputation of any one without the most
BSee Bibliography, No. 115.
6 See Bibliography, No. 93.
74 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
careful investigation, even upon the authority of "a
scientific friend." Let us see, then, what basis, if any,
really existed for such sweeping charges. In the paper
which caused the trouble Audubon had described in
great detail how he had seen a large rattlesnake pursue,
capture, kill by constriction, and devour a gray squirrel.
Before quoting his description of this singular encoun-
ter, we shall recall a passage which Audubon wrote in his
journal at the time when it occurred,7 when he was at
"Oakley," the plantation of James Pirrie at St. Fran-
cisville, Bayou Sara, in the summer of 1821: "August
25. Finished drawing a very fine specimen of a rattle-
snake, which measured five feet and seven inches,
weighed six and a quarter pounds, and had ten rattles.
Anxious to give it a position most interesting to a
naturalist, I put it in that which the reptile commonly
takes when on the point of striking madly with its
fangs." After describing a rough dissection which he
made of the rattlesnake's dental arsenal and poison ap-
paratus, he added: "The heat of the weather was such
that I could devote only sixteen hours to the drawing."
The drawing thus referred to was undoubtedly used in
the composition of his celebrated plate.
To revert now to a mooted passage in Audubon's
published paper:
Rattlesnakes hunt and secure for their prey, with ease,
grey squirrels that abound in our woods ; therefore they must
be possessed of swiftness to obtain them. Having enjoyed the
pleasure of beholding such a chase in full view in the year
1821, I shall detail its circumstances. Whilst lying on the
ground to watch the habits of a bird that was new to me, previ-
ous to shooting it, I heard a smart rustling not far from me,
and turning my head that way, saw, at the same moment, a
7 This episode was referred to in Chapter XX, p. 316.
THORNS ON THE ROSE 75
grey squirrel full grown, issuing from a thicket, and bouncing
off in a straight direction, in leaps of several feet at a time,
and, not more than twenty feet behind, a rattlesnake of ordi-
nary size, pursuing, drawn apparently out to its full length,
and sliding over the ground so rapidly that, as they both moved
away from me, I was at no loss to observe the snake gain upon
the squirrel. The squirrel made for a tree, and ascended to
its topmost branches as nimbly as squirrels are known to do.
The snake performed the same task considerably more slowly,
yet so fast that the squirrel never raised its tail nor barked,
but eyed the enemy attentively as he mounted and approached.
When within a few yards the squirrel leaped to another branch,
and the snake followed by stretching full two-thirds of its body,
whilst the remainder held it securely from falling. Passing
thus from branch to branch, with a rapidity that astonished
me, the squirrel went in and out of several holes, but remained
in none, knowing well that, wherever its head could enter, the
body of its antagonist would follow; and, at last, much ex-
hausted and terrified, took a desperate leap, and came to the
earth with legs and tail spread to the utmost to ease the fall.
That instant the snake dropt also, and was within a few yards
of the squirrel before it began making off. The chase on land
again took place, and ere the squirrel could reach another
tree, the snake had seized it by the back near the occiput,
and soon rolled itself about it in such a way that, although I
heard the cries of the victim, I scarcely saw any portion of its
body. So full of its ultimate object was the snake, that it paid
no attention to me, and I approached it to see in what manner
it would dispose of its prey. A few minutes elapsed, and I
saw the reptile loosening gradually and opening its folded
coils, until the squirrel was left entirely disengaged, having
been killed by suffocation. The snake then raised a few inches
of its body from the ground, and passed its head over the dead
animal in various ways to assure itself that life had departed ;
it then took the end of the squirrel's tail, swallowed it grad-
ually, bringing first one and then the other of the hind legs
parallel with it, and sucked with difficulty, and for some time,
76 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
at them and the rump of the animal, until its jaws became so
expanded, that, after this, it swallowed the whole remaining
parts with apparent ease.
Audubon then described the appearance that the
snake presently assumed, which suggested "a rouleau
of money, brought from both ends of a purse towards
its centre," and its ineffectual attempts to move off;
"when having cut a twig," he continued, "I went up to
it, and tapped it on the head, which it raised, as well as
its tail, and began for the first time to rattle."
Now every careful reader of this remarkable story,
provided he is at all conversant with the habits of snakes,
will perceive that it could not possibly have been invent-
ed, for it is strictly and minutely in accord with facts,
except in one important particular ; the snake whose be-
havior Audubon watched and so accurately described
was not the rattlesnake, but the blue racer or black snake
(Eascanion constrictor] ; substitute "blue racer," for
"rattlesnake," and this record is photographically cor-
rect.8 The black snake does all the things which are
here so minutely described — pursuing its prey with as-
tounding agility, constricting about it as a prelude to
swallowing it, ascending trees readily, coiling when
brought to bay as if about to strike, and even vibrating
the tip of its tail on the ground or leaves, as if in emu-
lation of the genuine rattler, a kind of behavior which
was looked upon by Darwin as a case of protective mim-
icry. No one could have known the rattlesnake better
than Audubon from his constant encounters with it in
the field; he made drawings of it, dissected its poison
apparatus, and had kept it for months in confinement in
8 This was very clearly pointed out in 1908 in an excellent article by
Mr. George W. Colles, entitled "A Defence of Audubon" (Bibl. No. 160),
in Scientific American, vol. xcviii, p. 311.
THORNS ON THE ROSE 77
order to study its habits; but by some curious twist of
his notes or his memory, or led astray by the record
made of the rattling habit, the species became confused
in his published account. His error was gross and he
paid dearly for it, but it certainly does not prove him to
be the king of nature fakirs.
Audubon's critics were probably right in affirming
that the rattlesnake never ascends trees for the purpose
of destroying birds, but some overshot the mark by deny-
ing that the reptile was able to climb at all. Nor could
it have been said with greater justice that the
brilliant but sluggish coral snake (Elaps fulvius) , which
Audubon had also placed in a tree,9 really never aspires
to this distinction. When the snake controversy was
waxing warm in America, a number of Audubon's
friends, including Colonel John J. Abert 10 and Richard
C. Taylor,11 investigated the question and proved that
the rattlesnake was a ready climber at certain times
of the year and under certain conditions, a fact which
is now better known. Mr. Taylor's party in the course
of explorations in the Alleghanies killed forty-one large
rattlesnakes during the month of August on a single
ridge bordering the Lycoming Valley, and in rendering
his report, this geologist said: "I have repeatedly en-
deavored to verify Mr. Audubon's account of the rattle-
snake ascending trees, which has been confirmed."
We have already referred to Audubon's meeting
with Thomas Cooper at Columbia, South Carolina, in
October, 1833. This versatile man, sometime English
lawyer, revolutionist in France, friend of Priestley,
judge in the Court of Common Pleas of Pennsylvania,
"See Plate Hi, of the Chuck-wilPs-widow.
10 See Vol. II, p. 3; and Bibliography, No. 107.
"An English geologist, who made a survey of the bituminous coal-
deposits of the Alleghany mountains in 1834. See Bibliography, No. 129.
78 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
professor of chemistry in Dickinson College as well as
in the University of Pennsylvania, and at this time
president of South Carolina College at Columbia, was
able to confirm Audubon's account of the climbing habit
of the rattlesnake, and probably wrote this statement
at his request:
DR. THOMAS COOPER.
After a contemporary silhouette.
Thomas Cooper to Audubon
COLUMBIA S. CAROLINA
Octr 21. 1833
MR AUDUBON
DEAR SIR
About three weeks ago, my son and two of my black ser-
vants, observed a very large rattle snake climbing up the fence
that separates my garden from the road, at my country house.
The snake put himself in the attitude of striking; whereupon
one of the men ran for a gun, and shot the snake on the last
rail but one of the fence. The snake was 4.3 long ; as thick as
my wrist, and had seven rattles.
I am Dear Sir
Your obedient servant
THOMAS COOPER
THORNS ON THE ROSE 79
Waterton maintained that Audubon's drawing of
the rattlesnake, to which we have referred, was a mon-
strosity, "a fabulous Hydra, with its eyes starting out
of their sockets," and a point repeatedly ridiculed was
his representation of the fangs as slightly recurved, or
bent up at their tips. Who had ever heard of such an
anomaly? Certainly not the doughty lord of "Walton
Hall," who declared that the fangs of poisonous snakes
were always curved like a scythe, with their points bent
downwards. Waterton prided himself on his knowledge
of these reptiles, and certainly was not lacking in self-
confidence. According to his own account, he went
eleven months in the forests of Brazil without shoe or
stocking to his foot, and on a certain occasion in London
secured with his hands and removed from its cage a live
rattlesnake; but, like so many sophisticated writers on
natural history, he took to analogy like a duck to water.
Waterton's statement sounds plausible enough, but
obviously could be proved only by extensive observa-
tions and comparisons. When Audubon was proceed-
ing up Galveston Bay to Houston, Texas, in the spring
of 1837, with his son, John, and Edward Harris, they
stopped at the plantation of Colonel James Morgan,
near Red Fish Bar. "There, among other rarities," said
he, "we procured a fine specimen of the climbing rattle-
snake with recurved fangs, which with several others
of the same kind, is now in my possession." 12 In writ-
ing to Thomas M. Brewer, from Charleston, on June
12 of this year, he alluded to this subject as follows : "I
must not forget to say to you that I had the good for-
tune to procure specimens of my 'Climbing Rat-
tlesnake with DOUBLE recurved fangs' which, I
am told, will prove a new genus! and therefore the
13 Ornithological Biography (Bibl. No. 2), vol. iv, p. xviii.
80 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Messrs. Ord and Waterton — good souls! — will be per-
fectly delighted at the sight of this strange reptile."13
Unfortunately a large part of Audubon's collections
made upon this expedition were lost. I have seen no
other reference to this extraordinary peculiarity, and
there the matter seems to have rested until the present
time.
Audubon's judgment or memory might play him
false, but his pencil, in such a matter, could be relied
upon to tell the truth. It is therefore a pleasure to be
able to confirm his accuracy in reference to the serpent's
tooth, for the true representation of which he was round-
ly abused during his lifetime. The reader will perceive
the point by examining the accompanying photograph,
which represents the skull of a large diamond-backed
specimen from Florida.14 In the prairie rattlesnake,
and probably in some others, the fangs are sickle-shaped,
as Waterton maintained, but upwards of eleven species
of rattlesnakes have been found on the continent of
North America, and, true to Audubon's disputed draw-
ing and account, in this Florida specimen the fangs are
slightly, but very distinctly, bent upwards at their tips!
Let nature writers, inclined to the easy path of analogy,
remember the rattlesnake's fang, for it teaches a salu-
tary lesson.
As I have not hesitated to speak of Audubon's real
or supposed mistakes, I will give another and more strik-
ing instance of his tardy vindication. In his plate of the
American Swan (No. ccccxi), which was published in
"See Thomas M. Brewer, (Bibl. No. 79), Harper's New Monthly
Magazine, vol. Ixi, p. 666 (1880).
14 This specimen, which was presented to me by the late Dr. X. C.
Scott of Cleveland, measured 6 feet, and showed eight rattles and a button;
the skin and skeleton are preserved in the Biological Laboratory of Western
Reserve University.
A VINDICATION OF AUDUBON's REPRESENTATION OF THE FANGS OF THE
SOUTHERN RATTLESNAKE: ABOVE, DETAIL OF THE "MOCKING BIRDS,"
PLATE xxi (UNCOLORED) OF "THE BIRDS OF AMERICA";
BELOW, THE SKULL OF A RECENT FLORIDA SPECI-
MEN, SHOWING THE SAME RECURVATURE
OF FANG.
THORNS ON THE ROSE 81
1838, there is represented a yellow water lily, under the
name of Nymphaea lutea. Since this lily was then quite
unknown to botanists, it was ignored and treated as a
fable, or as an extravagant vagary of the naturalist's
imagination, until the summer of 1876, when it was re-
discovered in Florida by Mrs. Mary Treat. Audubon's
long lost lily was then identified and acknowledged by
Professor Asa Gray, the botanist, who, with poetic jus-
tice, proposed to rename it after the discredited enthusi-
ast, in viewr of the fact that it had been originally dis-
covered and faithfully depicted by him a generation
before.
While the snake controversy was acute in America,
another of a purely academic character, which assumed
even wider proportions, was started on the smelling
powers of the vulture. We have already seen a reference
to this in the naturalist's letter to his son, Victor, written
at Charleston, where he was conducting with Bachman
a new series of experiments to settle the question.15 The
idea, commonly accepted, that the scavengers of the
Southern States were possessed of a keenness of scent
comparable with that of a beagle hound, had been vig-
orously combated by Audubon, who showed by numer-
ous experiments 16 that they were guided to their prey
"See Vol. II, p. 55.
"Bachman's account of these experiments is interesting: "A coarse
painting," he said, was made on canvas, "representing a sheep skinned and
cut open. This proved very amusing — no sooner was this picture placed
on the ground than the Vultures observed it, alighted near, walked over
it, and some of them commenced tugging at the painting. They seemed
much disappointed and surprised, and after having satisfied their curiosity,
flew away. This experiment was repeated more than fifty times, with
the same result. The painting was then placed within two feet of the
place where the offal was deposited — they came as usual, walked around
it, but in no instance evinced the slightest symptoms of their having
scented the offal which was so near them.
"The most offensive portions of the offal were now placed on the earth;
these were covered over by a canvass cloth — on this were strewn several
pieces of fresh beef. The Vultures came, ate the flesh that was in sight,
82 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
by the sense of sight only; thus it was found that they
would come readily to the effigy of a calf or sheep painted
on canvas and set up in plain view, or to a skin stuffed
with straw, but failed to detect their quarry when the
dead bodies of these animals were placed on the ground
and screened from their eyes, if only by the thinnest
cover, though the carrion was calling loudly to the nose
but a fraction of an inch away. An attack by Water-
ton,17 who hurried to the fray whenever a statement in
his jealously guarded Wanderings was called in ques-
tion, led to a lively tilt, in which the advocates of the
nose and the eyes were sometimes humorously referred
to as the "Nosarians" and the "Anti-Nosarians," some
of the most eminent anatomists of the day eventually
taking part.
Bachman felt keenly the aspersions which were cast
upon his friend, and in the winter of 1833 he undertook
with Audubon the series of experiments to which we
have referred. The tests which were then made sup-
ported Audubon's statements in every particular, and
the faculty of the Medical College of South Carolina
were invited as a body to witness them; this they did
and although they were standing on a quantity beneath them, and although
their bills were frequently within the eighth of an inch of the putrid
matter, they did not discover it. We made a small rent in the canvass,
and they at once discovered the flesh and began to devour it. We drove
them away, replaced the canvass with a piece that was entire; again they
commenced eating the flesh exhibited to their view, without discovering
the hidden food they were trampling upon.
"As it [the organ of smell] does however exist, (although in an
inferior degree,) I am not disposed to deny to birds the power of smell
altogether, nor would I wish to advance the opinion that the Vulture does
not possess the power of smelling in the slightest degree, (although it has
not been discovered by our experiments). All that I contend for is, that
he is not assisted by this faculty in procuring his food — that he cannot
smell better for instance, than Hawks or Owls, who it is known are
indebted altogether to their sight, in discovering their prey."
"See Bibliography, No. 104, and Vol. II, p. 55; also Ornithological
Biography, vol. ii, p. 46.
THORNS ON THE ROSE 83
willingly, and the following memorial signed by all the
witnesses present was published by Bachman in 1834.18
We, the subscribers, having witnessed several of the ex-
periments made on the habits of the vultures of South Caro-
lina (Cathartes aura and C. atratus), commonly called the
turkey buzzard and the carrion crow, feel assured that these
species respectively are gregarious, the individuals of each
species associating and feeding together; that they devour
fresh as well as putrid food of any kind, and that they are
guided to their food altogether through their sense of sight,
and not of smell.
In a letter written to Ord, on March 4, 1834, Water-
ton said :
You will see that the Charleston parson [Bachman], Doc-
tors, Surgeons and Professors are up in arms against me and
are determined to cut off the Vulture's nose. But do not be
alarmed for me, I promise you that I will answer them to your
heart's content and tomorrow I shall send up a paper to Lou-
don for his May number which will make your Philosophers
appear very small and put Audubon's claim to literature and
ornithology in so clear a light that no one will be in doubt
hereafter. . . . Audubon's gulled friends and supporters in
London are in the highest spirits and feel sure that I cannot
answer the Charleston letter. By the first of May next their
crowing will cease.
When anatomists came to consider the question and
found that well developed olfactory lobes and nerves
were present in these birds, they favored the theory of
smell,19 and Edinger has more recently expressed the
opinion that this consideration renders the possession of
18 See Bibliography, No. 125, and for the quotation to follow, Samuel N.
Rhoads, "George Ord," Cassinia, No. xii (Philadelphia, 1908).
"See W. Sells (Bibl. No. 140), Proceedings of the Zoological Society
of London, pt. v, p. 33 (1837).
84 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
an olfactory sense in such birds highly probable. His con-
tention is weakened, however, by the fact that granivo-
rous and insectivorous birds also possess true olfactory
nerves, and yet are proved by experiment to have little
or no effective sense of smell. It is a problem for stu-
dents of behavior to solve, and so far as the American
vultures are concerned, Audubon's and Bachman's ex-
periments, I believe, have never been repeated or ex-
tended with sufficient care to settle the question. The
little that has been done, however, suggests that while
the vulture in its daily and never ending search for food
is mainly guided by its keen eyes, the nose, possibly,
may be a cooperating factor when the wind and other
conditions are favorable.
While critics were driving the pen, Audubon was
hard at work in the field, but his friends did not long
remain silent. Favorable notices of his work, actual or
prospective, had appeared in the scientific and literary
press of England, by David Brewster, Robert Jame-
son, William Swainson, and "Christopher North" of
Blackwood's Magazine. The first American notice ap-
peared in the American Journal of Science for 1829,
and this was followed by G. W. Featherstonhaugh, the
English geologist, in his recently established but short-
lived Monthly American Journal of Geology and Nat-
ural Science, to which we have already referred.20 A
little later the London Athenceum gave the first of
eleven extended articles on Audubon's work; in review-
ing his second volume of letterpress, which appeared in
1834, the writer said: "There is amply sufficient remain-
ing in Audubon's pages for fully a dozen more notices,
were we disposed to follow the exhausting system. We
have admired Audubon's gorgeous drawings, but our
20 See Vol. II, pp. 4 and 23, and Bibliography, No. 106.
THORNS ON THE ROSE 85
interest in them has been increased a thousand fold,
in knowing that they are the spoils of a life's cam-
paign." 21 Again a series of able articles was started by
a just critic, W. B. O. Peabody, in the North Ameri-
can Review for April, 1832.22 Featherstonhaugh de-
serves credit for having given Audubon a fair hearing
at a critical time, when baiting the American Woods-
man was a popular pastime in certain circles at Phila-
delphia; in reviewing the Ornithological Biography in
1832, this plain spokesman gave what he called "a true
history of a conspiracy, got up to utterly break down
and ruin the reputation of one of the most remarkable
men America ever produced." 23
Audubon's silence under fire of hostile criticism
tempted someone in the capacity of a reporter to call on
him in London to obtain, if possible, a personal state-
ment, but his lips were then sealed and he would only
say: "Had I wished to invent marvels, I need not have
stirred from my garret in New York or London."
However, in writing to Featherstonhaugh from Bulow-
ville, East Florida, December 31, 1831, Audubon made
this comment : 24
If I did not believe the day to be gone by when it was
necessary to defend my snake stories, I could send you many
curious accounts of the habits of those reptiles; and I should
do it, if it were not that I might be thought to enjoy — too
much that triumph which the feeble hostility of three or four
selfish individuals has forced upon me. I receive so many acts
of real friendship and disinterested kindness, that, I thank
God, there is no room left in my heart to cherish unkind feel-
ings towards any one. Indeed, I am not now so much sur-
21 See Bibliography, No. 136.
23 See Bibliography, No. 105.
23 See Bibliography, No. 106.
24 See Bibliography, No. 35.
86 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
prised at the incredulity of persons who do not leave cities,
for I occasionally hear of things which even stagger me, who
am so often a denizen of woods and swamps. What do you
think of rattlesnakes taking to the water, and swimming across
inlets and rivers? I have not seen this, but I believe it; since
the most respectable individuals assure me they have fre-
quently been eye-witnesses of this feat. I can conceive of in-
ducements which reptiles may have for traversing sheets of
water to gain dry land, especially in a country much inter-
sected by streams, and subject to inundations, which compel
them to be often in the water. In such countries, it is not an
uncommon occurrence to find snakes afloat and at great dis-
tances from the shore. This appears, no doubt, surprising to
those who live where there is almost nothing but dry land;
still they ought to be good natured, and believe what others
have seen. It has now been made notorious, that numerous
respectable individuals, whom duty, or the love of adventure,
have led into the woods of our country, have often seen snakes
— and the rattlesnake too — in trees ; the good people, there-
fore, who pass their lives in stores and counting houses, ought
not to contradict these facts, because they do not meet with
rattlesnakes, hissing and snapping at them from the paper
mulberries, as they go home to their dinners. . . .
Audubon's most persistent heckler was Charles
Waterton,25 who during two of his most prolific years,
1833 and 1834, published no less than fourteen lucubra-
tions against the "foreigner," and "stranger" as the
American was called ; all were characterized by quizzing
interrogatories, shallow criticism and personal vitupera-
tion, for the most part unworthy of serious considera-
tion. Long noted for his eccentricities, Waterton had
little or no standing among English zoologists, against
many of whom, from time to time, he issued broadsides
or breezy polemics, whenever their statements cast a
25 See Bibliography, No. 104 et seq.
THORNS ON THE ROSE 87
shadow on his Wanderings. Some of these accusing ar-
ticles were answered by Victor Audubon and other
friends of the naturalist, but they never drew his own
fire; probably they benefited him in the end, for when
it appeared that the charges brought against him were
in large measure the work of envious calumniators, a
strong current set in his favor on both sides of the
Atlantic.
When Audubon's name was first proposed for mem-
bership in the Academy of Natural Sciences at Phila-
delphia, it was rejected, according to report, through
the influence of George Ord and a few of his partisans,
while Waterton, who was Mr. Ord's close friend and
correspondent, affirmed that Audubon was rejected by
the Society on the strength of Alexander Wilson's per-
sonal diary,26 a statement which appears to be utterly
incredible.27
In 1833, two years after the first volume of Audu-
bon's "Biography of Birds" had made its appearance,
Waterton raised another controversy, in this instance
with ammunition supplied by his friend, George Ord
of Philadelphia. He boldly proclaimed 28 that Audu-
bon was not the author of the work which bore his name,
a charge similar to that which had been brought to
the door of the French ornithologist, Le Vaillant, whose
history resembled Audubon's in many ways. "I request
the English reader," said Waterton, "to weigh well in
his own mind what I have stated, and I flatter myself
that he will agree with me, when I affirm that the cor-
26 See Vol. I, p. 224.
27 "I myself, with mine own eyes, have seen Wilson's original diary,
written by him at Louisville, and I have just now on the table before me
the account of the Academy of Sciences indignantly rejecting Mr. Audu-
bon as a member, on that diary having been produced to their view."
See Bibliography, No. 119.
28 See Bibliography, No. 119.
88 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
rect and elegant style of composition which appears
through the whole of the Biography of Birds cannot
possibly be that of him whose name it bears." Water-
ton maintained that, while Audubon's earlier papers
were the work of an illiterate person, his Biography
betrayed the hand of a finished scholar from beginning
to end. In a reply to Victor Audubon, written July 6,
1833,29 Waterton declared, upon the authority of
George Ord, whom he quoted, that William Swainson
had been importuned to write Audubon's work for him,
but declined when Audubon insisted upon his own name
being given to the world as author. This direct accusa-
tion called forth an immediate explanation from Swain-
son, who said : 30
In reply to that gentleman (G. Ord, Esq.), regarding the
assistance it was expected I should have given my friend,
Mr. Audubon, in the scientific details of his work, my reply
was, that the negotiation had been broken off from an un-
willingness that my name should be printed on the title-page.
I was not asked to write the work, nor did Mr. Audubon "in-
sist upon his own name being given to the world as the author"
of such parts as he wished me to undertake. ... I have read
Mr. Audubon's original manuscripts, and I have read Mr.
Waterton's original manuscripts. I think the English of one
is as good as the English of the other — but here the compari-
son ends."
The controversy thus started did not reflect much credit
on Audubon's detractors, but reverberations of the
charge were heard at a much later day.
Robert Bakewell, the geologist, who was a relative
of Mrs. Audubon, then living at Hampstead, entered
29 See Bibliography, No. 115.
30 See Bibliography, No. 117.
THORNS ON THE ROSE 89
this controversy, and in June, 1833, replied 31 to one of
Waterton's fulminations, which he attributed to envy
and jealousy, saying that posterity would regard Au-
dubon as "the most distinguished ornithologist of the
present age."
Charles Waterton began his travels at eighteen, but
early settled down to a life of leisurely independence on
his ancestral estate in Yorkshire, where he studied birds
to little purpose and wrote extensively on natural-his-
tory subjects; he is best known for his Wanderings,,32
which has passed through numerous editions and is still
read. From youth Waterton enjoyed exceptional ad-
vantages, and according to one of his biographers, "lived
to extreme old age without having wasted an hour or a
shilling." He was the twenty-seventh "lord of Walton
Hall," the manor house of the family, which stood on
an island in a lake ; the estate of 260 acres was mainly
converted into a preserve for wild birds. His young
wife died in 1829, after having given birth to a son, and
he lived on his paternal acres in semi-retirement ever
after. It was said that Waterton would never don
evening clothes or a black coat, but insisted on wearing
a blue frock with gold buttons until an anxious police-
man in the neighboring village of Wakefield persuaded
him to make a change ; he told the Reverend J. G. Wood
in 1863 that he had been bled 160 times, mostly by his
own hand. When, in his sixty-ninth year, he had the
misfortune to fall from a pear tree and break an elbow
joint, the first remedy tried was the extraction of thirty
ounces of blood; shortly after this a careless servant
withdrew a chair as he was seating himself at table, and
81 See Bibliography, No. 114.
82 Wanderings in South America, the North-West of the United States,
and the Antilles, in the years 1812, 1816, 1820, $ 1824. Originally in 4to.,
London, 1825.
90 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
thirty more ounces were immediately required. The
wage of one of his laborers is said to have sufficed for
his personal needs, and his sleeping apartment had
neither bed, chair, nor carpet; he lay on bare boards,
wrapped in a blanket, with an oaken block for pillow;
and he is said to have never tasted fermented liquor and
to have eaten but sparingly of meat. His daily habit
was to retire at eight and rise at three o'clock in the
morning, and he was always dressed by four ; an ardent
Roman Catholic, he would spend an hour at devotion in
his private chapel ; he then read Latin and Spanish au-
thors, wrote his polemics against Audubon or any others
with whom he came in conflict, and received the re-
ports of his bailiff, all before breakfast, which was at
eight o'clock; the remainder of the day was mostly de-
voted to his birds and other animals, to preserve which
he surrounded his entire estate with a high rampart of
stone, said to have cost, all told, $50,000.
Though a devout Romanist, as someone has re-
marked, Waterton never hesitated to adopt the same
mode of reasoning which Hume had employed in his
argument against miracles. Thus he rejected with scorn
Edward Jenner's account of how the young parasitic
Cuckoo, when but a day old and hardly able to stand,
turned out of their nest its rightful occupants. This
account, which was generally accepted then, and has
been repeatedly verified and recorded by the camera
since, "carries," said Waterton, "its own condemnation,
no matter by whom related, or by whom received."
Trusting to analogy again, he maintained that Audu-
bon's description of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
gluing bits of lichen to the surface of its nest with
saliva was false, because "the saliva of all birds imme-
diately mixes with water," and the first shower of rain
THORNS ON THE ROSE 91
would immediately undo the work of the bird. No ac-
count was taken of the Chimney Swift, which not only
glues together the twigs of its nest but secures the
whole to a support through an abundant salivary secre-
tion, although this habit had long been known. In the
instance of this hummingbird, however, both Audubon
and Waterton were partly right and partly wrong, as
a careful examination of the nests of five species of
hummingbirds, including the Ruby-throat, has clearly
shown.33 It proved that saliva was only casually used
on the surface of the nest, the lichens in the case referred
to being adherent by means of spiders' silk and fine veg-
etable fibers of various sorts; the saliva of the Ruby-
throat, when dry, moreover, was found to be practically
insoluble in cold water, even after an immersion of sev-
eral days ; but more interesting than this is the fact that
the nest itself is glued to its supporting twig by a large
salivary wafer, which represents this hummingbird's first
step in the work of nest construction.
Shortly after his arrival at Edinburgh, and before
he had published anything, Audubon wrote in his jour-
nal on November 5, 1826: "I returned home early and
found a note from Mr. John Gregg, who came himself
later, bringing me a scrubby letter from Charles Water-
ton," so it would appear that the lord of "Walton Hall"
had been warned to keep an eye on the dangerous Amer-
ican, and Waterton's American correspondent was Mr.
Ord, of Philadelphia. Later on Waterton wrote to
Swainson an extraordinary letter of some four thousand
words,34 afterwards published in his Essays on Natural
History, which for petty vanity and personal animosity
33 See "Nests and Nest-Building in Birds," Pt. 2, Journal of Animal Be-
havior, vol. i (1911).
"See Bibliography, No. 138.
92 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
has seldom been surpassed, but with this effort his am-
munition seems to have been exhausted.
Charles Waterton, who lived to his eighty-third year,
and who wrote nineteen polemics against Audubon and
his friends, was probably sincere in his attacks upon the
American Woodsman, whom he seems to have regarded
as a dangerous charlatan. Waterton was a curious
compound of fearless independence, kindness, credulity,
pedantry, vanity, and intolerance. He should be given
credit, however, for having done much to spread abroad
a love of natural history and for his attitude towards
an artificial system of classification, then much in vogue,
which, though only an amateur, he had the good sense
to reject.
CHAPTER XXIX
SIDELIGHTS ON AUDUBON AND HIS
CONTEMPORARIES
What was a Quinarian? — Controversy over the authorship of the
Ornithological Biography — Audubon's quaint proposal — Swainson's
reply — Friendship suffers a check — Species-mongers — Hitting at one
over the shoulders of another — Swainson as a biographer — His career —
Bonaparte's grievance — A fortune in ornithology — Labors of John
Gould and his relations with Audubon — The freemasonry of naturalists.
Few, probably, ever attain marked success in their
chosen field without exciting jealous rivalry or misrep-
resentation on the part of some of their contemporaries.
Audubon was no exception to the rule, but in this respect
he has been subject to so much misunderstanding that
the reader is entitled to know the truth, whenever it can
be ascertained. An instance of this sort was furnished
by the English naturalist, William Swainson, whose
relations with Audubon have been touched upon in
earlier chapters.
In April, 1828, Swainson published an eulogistic ac-
count of some of Audubon's plates, and shortly after
they became good friends, as their familiar letters al-
ready reproduced amply testify ; * in the autumn of that
year, as we have related, they visited Paris together,
and they kept up a correspondence for a number of
years. At this time Swainson was known as a systematic
zoologist of merit and an excellent draughtsman, hav-
1 See Chapter XXIII.
94 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
ing published a series of "Zoological Illustrations" that
seem to have been well received. Moreover, as early as
1824, he had adopted the notorious "Circular System"
of the classification of animals, and at this time was
its most zealous advocate in England. The tenets of
this curious doctrine, often called "Quinarianism" from
the recurrence of the number 5, was confused in a mysti-
cal jargon which conveys little meaning to a reader of
today; it was derived from William Sharp MacLeay,
who had advocated a similar system in his Horae Ento-
mologicae, published in 1821. According to Swainson's
creed, "all things that have life have been created upon
one plan, and this plan is founded on the principle of a
series of affinities returning into themselves; which can
only be represented by a circle." "This sublime discov-
ery," which, as Swainson thought, was sufficient "to im-
mortalize a name," was duly attributed to his "illustri-
ous countryman."2
In the summer of 1830, when Audubon was ready
to prepare the letterpress of his mammoth plates and
needed assistance in its technical details, he applied to
his friend Swainson, who, as we have seen, was then
living at a farmstead in the Hertfordshire country, not
far from St. Albans.3 Some of the letters which passed
between the two naturalists after the return of the for-
mer to England, in the spring of that year, will now
be given, without amelioration or change of any sort. It
should be remembered that Swainson at this time was
in an overwrought state, since he was dependent mainly
2 Swainson expounded the Quinarian or Circular System in the Fauna
Boreali-Americana; or the zoology of the northern parts of British
America, published in collaboration with John Richardson, and the
first zoological publication issued by the British Government; but A
Treatise on the Geography and Classification of Animals contained his
most authoritative thesis upon this grotesque concept.
8 See Vol. I, p. 403.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 95
upon his scientific writings for the support of a family
of five children, oppressed by pecuniary difficulties, and,
no doubt, irritated by lack of success and the rebuffs
which a leading part in the Quinarian movement was
certain to entail. Audubon's letter4 which follows
served to answer that of Swainson, bearing date of
January 30, 1830,5 which had been received in America
but too late for the fulfillment of its commissions.
References to Audubon's "book," which unfortu-
nately proved a stumbling block in the path of friend-
ship, are noticed here and in Swainson's reply for the
first time.
Audubon to William Swainson
LONDON, May 5th 1830.
MY DEAR MR. SWAINSON,
You may be assured that nothing but an over [word un-
decipherable] or [another similar word] has stopt me from
writing to you sooner, Yet I would have had the pleasure of
announcing you my return to good old England had I not been
informed by Mr. Havell that you we apraised of it when last
in town & that more over you were quite well. — I hope that
your kind wife and children are equally so and happy. — I
brought my good wife with me to Liverpool where she is for
a while with her sister Mrs. Gordon & the family Rathbourn
We had a rough voyage of 25 days & glad to be back on this
hospitable shore. I am sorry to say that your last letter to
me (I presume) did not reach me in time to enable me to
procure either squirrels or birds for you. — I have indeed
brought about 150 birds and some of them good singers and
beautifull but all are on Double Elephant Paper — they may
and I hope they will please your eyes, when I have the satis-
faction to shake you by the hand the first time you come to
4 For the history of the Audubon-Swainson correspondence, see Note,
Vol. I, p. 400. Swainson's letter which follows was first published by Ruth-
ven Deane (Bibl. No. 218), The Auk, vol. xxii, p. 248 (1905).
6 Reproduced in Vol. I, p. 430.
96 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
town. — I called on Mr. Lea at Philadelphia, but he told me
that you had countermanded your wishes to me & has given
me a memorandum to that effect — Mr. Gilpin on whom I also
called told me that your travelling boxes had forward*1. I
saw Mr Ward at New York he is doing extremely well if what
he told me is true. I saw M. le Comte also. — I have just
taken the Reins of my Mammoth Publication which by the way
I am glad to find in a good way of process or progress. I am
greatly indebted to Mr. Children and grateful to him — Havell
has done his part I think well and now I will set about pro-
curing subscriptions with new ardour. Now in return of this
packet of information I am very desirous to know what you
are engaged at present in the way of science; I feel as if I
had a world of talk for you. — Bonaparte's 4th volume is print-
ing have you seen the third? I have it at Liverpool by this
time. — I wrote to the author this morning. — I am well pleased
with my voyage I think it will be of material advantage to my
work my health & my comfort — We have left our two sons
quite well and doing well at the Falls of the Ohio where I killed
a fine Turkey about forty days since. Those sent to the Zoo-
logical Gardens alive have had ill luck. They received only one
and 3 Oppossums — The blue Gias [ ?] and Parakets are not yet
arrived, and Mr. Rathbone as well as Mr. Shepherd told me
(to my great sorrow) that the last shipment of 10,000 forest
trees were all dead. How did those sent to you? — I have
commenced the having a complete collection of the Birds of
America in skins & have instituted some agents in the U. S.
to provide for me. So much have I seen of those dear creatures
of the feathered creation that I feel even now as if I heard
their notes and saw their all elegant movements. — I am going to
write a book! but more of this when we meet. — do you know
that the poor woodsman who now is scribling to you will take
his seat at the Royal Society of London tomorrow — the very
words make my head whirl and I will stand it I do not know — I
will indeed be glad when I am seated. — Mrs A and myself had
the pleasure of being very kindly received and treated by our
President Jackson Congress subscribed, I procured there four
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 97
more and an act will be passed to enter my works Paintings etc
free of the customs. — It is past 5 and I have to pay a penny,
I wish I were allowed to write untill time made it a shilling so
much do I think I could still trouble you with, however as time
and tide wait neither for me or others I must conclude by
begging that you will remember me most kindly to your amiable
wife — kiss your little Folk and believe me
sincerely your friend
JOHN J. AUDUBON
William Swainson to Audubon
Saturday, 1[10?] May, 1830.
Welcome once more, my good friend to merry England:
I had indeed heard from Havell, with the greatest pleasure,
that you had safely landed at Liverpool; and I regret very
much that you did not reach London before I had left it ; for
I am now much seldomer in town than formerly, and I know
not when I may have the power to do so again. My old and
most valued friend Mr. Burchell has also, to my great delight,
just returned to England after six years spent in wandering
over the Forests and Andes of South America bringing with
him collections, that will make everything else in this country
sink into utter insignificance, he too, is longing to see me, and
if I possibly can get away for a day next week, with two such
desirable objects I will, but my literary engagements bind me,
hand and foot.
You think that I do not know that you are an F. R. S. —
you are mistaken, furthermore, you will be surprised at know-
ing I have been fighting your battles against a rising opposi-
tion which originated among some of your Ornithological
friends (at least so I strongly suspect) for the purpose of
your name being blackballed. But more of this when we meet,
such matters had better not be committed to paper.
The whole of your bundle of young trees reached me as
withered sticks, not a spark of life in any one of them.
98 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
So you are going to write a book 'tis a thing of little
moment for one who is not known, because they have no repu-
tation to loose, but much will be expected from you, and you
must, therefore, as the saying is, put your best leg -foremost.
I am coming fast round to the prejudice, as you may think it,
against the Americans.
Dr. Richardson's and my own volume on the Arctic Birds,
is now in press. Not being able to refer to your plates, I have
not had the power to quote your work, you know how repeatedly
I have applied on this head, both to you and Mr. Havell in
vain.
Prince C. Bonaparte has long promised me his second &
third volume but they have never come. Ward6 is a regu-
lar Scamp he has taught me a good lesson — fool that he is —
and that is, to steal my heart against distress such as his
was, and to consult, like all the rest of the world, my own
interest only. I am sick of the world and of mankind, and
but for my family would end my days in my beloved forests of
Brazil.
So Mr. Lea7 did not settle my account with you? I have
found him out, also, to be no better than he should be. He
also is one of your friends who would, if he could, cut your
throat. Another -friend of yours has been in England, Mr.
Ord and has been doing you all the good he can: if these are
samples of American Naturalists, defend me from ever com-
ing in contact with any of their whole race.
Mrs. Swainson's health I am grieved to say, has suffered
much the last twelve months, she is now at Birmingham with
the children. I have not failed to mention your kind inquiries
•Possibly Henry Ward, who came to America with Audubon in 1831
as his assistant and taxidermist (see Vol. II, p. 2); a Frederick Ward is
also mentioned in Audubon's letters.
'Isaac Lea, naturalist and Philadelphia publisher; Mr. Lea was a
member of the firm of Messrs. Carey & Lea, at one time the principal
proprietors of Wilson's American Ornithology, and it was thought that
the prejudice which he manifested towards Audubon and his friends was
traceable to his desire to maintain the sales of that work. His attitude
was compared with that of Judge Hall, whose brother, Harrison, was also
«ux interested publisher. See Vol. I, pp. 223 and 281.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 99
after both, whenever Havell has a parcel for me, I hope you
will occasionally accompany it with a few lines.
Yours my dear Sir very faith'ly
W. SWAINSON
JOHN J. AUDUBON
at MR. HAVEI/L'S
79 Newman St.
Oxford St.
As already noticed, Audubon started on a canvass-
ing tour late in July, 1830, as announced in the follow-
ing letter to Swainson, but he changed his plans, and
instead of returning to London, went to Edinburgh, and
again settled there for the winter.
Audubon to Wittiam Swainson
July 26th 1830.
MY DEAE FRIEND,
I was particularly pleased at receiving yours of the 22nd
this morning, I cannot well say where it has rambled since it
was dated, but certainly its migration has not been that of a
Swallow for instance. —
Thank you about the Jay — It has been my misfortune to
have been rather misunderstood by you respecting what you
please to call "Poor Nomenclators" had I not some regard for
you all of that nobler breed I would not borrow names in my
work but would have like some others, made new ones right
out. — // you have a new Woodpecker from the visited states, a
new species, I will feel greatly honoured to have it dedicated to
me, and the more so by you who first dared in good faith to
write respecting an unknown woodsman — one of my case [s]
is come to hand, I gave from it to the British Museum thirty
skins several of which are very rare indeed and 3 of which I
[here a word is apparently omitted by the writer~\ as 3 new
[here another word is omitted} — I have males and females of
the woodpecker you speak of quite at your service for a few
100 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
weeks — and I have also a few duplicates for you altogether as
I promised. — Say how I am to send them — I go to Bristol to-
morrow in search of subscribers for ten days — To Paris on
the 15th of August — have written to queen Adelaide this pleas-
ant morning & am glad to see that you are all well. Mr. A.
joins in respects to you all & I am as ever
your friend most truly
JOHN J. AUDUBON
[The following note is written up the side of the page across
the main letter:]
I cannot at present say When we can avail ourselves of
your kind invitation but will let you know in good time should
we but find it convenient to you when we return. —
It should be noticed that the revolution in France
which upset the Bourbon dynasty occurred just as Au-
dubon was leaving London, and that the House of Or-
leans, in the person of Louis Philippe, was seated on the
throne the day the following letter 8 was written ; very
likely Audubon was not reluctant to change his plan of
visiting Paris after hearing of these events, although he
had enjoyed an interview with the new king, who was
his patron.
William Swalmon to Audubon
Saturday 7 August 1830.
MY DEAR MR. AUDUBON
as you was on the point of leaving London, when you
wrote your last letter, I did not reply to it. This will probably
find you returned from your excursion, and I hope with every
success, on the score of increased subscribers, that you had
anticipated, If you will be so good as send me your specimens
of the Woodpeckers to Havell's, I shall be very glad to see
them, and they shall be returned to you after examination with
8 From the Rowland MSS.
PLATE CXll
<
Brawn from nature by J.J Auaubon F. R,S. f.L.S.
EnSr8VBd,nmted&Cotoure(ibyB.HaveU Umdon l
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 101
the Arctic ones. You will assist me very much by any Dupli-
cates you can spare me, I particularly want a pair of the
Ivory billed Woodpecker, the No Am: Parrots. Summer red
birds and the Painted Buntlings also the Pinecreeping Warbler,
m & fern.
I do not expect that these most wonderful events in France
will deter you from going, seeing that everything is now quiet.
The french are certainly a great nation. I never had such an
opinion of them as I now have.
I suppose you will be at the Dinner to Cuvier on Tuesday,
when you will no doubt hear complements passing about, and
a long speech from Mr Vigors. I have neither time nor health
for such things.
Our united true regards to Mrs Audubon In haste
very faithfully yours
W SWAINSON
J. J. AUDTJBON Esq.
43 Great Russell Street,
Bloomsbury.
From Manchester Audubon sent Swainson this let-
ter, in which he makes a quaint proposal regarding the
text of his projected work, suggesting that they com-
bine their resources and their families, he to provide the
ideas, as well as his own wine or ale, while Swainson
furnished the science.
Audubon to William Swainson
MANCHESTER 22nd August 1830.
MY DEAE ME. SWAINSON, —
At the time that I sent you the Woodpeckers skins, I had
not a moment to spare or be assured I would have answered
your note — When I opened my boxes of skins I had the mor-
tification to find most of them touched by insects — I felt a
desire that those nondescribed specimen [s] which I had should
go to a public institution & I therefore presented them to the
102 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
British Museum through my friend Children — I sent others to
New Castle upon Tyne some to this place and some to our
friends Selby & Sir Wm Jardine. — respecting the Woodpeckers
which you look upon as knew I will merely say that if for in-
stance it differs from all others known by having the top of the
head entirely red that it may be a young bird, I say this be-
cause I do not know if you are acquainted with the fact that
almost all the Woodpecker tribe have this in their youth more
or less extended but after the first moult they assume the red
in the form they are to wear it during life. I sent you a young
of the Downy in that state — and if I recollect well also one of
the Golden Winged — had you sent me your specimen, I thmk
I could assisted you in determining if or no it is a new bird. —
should you become satisfied on that head, and I am honoured
with its being named after me, I will feel gratified and thank-
ful to you. — Mrs. Audubon is with me & we are bound to the
Scotch Lakes & will return in about 2 months. — I am desirous
to hear from you if you can have the time to spare & the in-
clination to Bear a hand in the text of my work. — by my
furnishing you with the ideas & observations which I have and
you to add the science which I have not! — If it would suit you
and Mrs Swainson to take us as borders for few months when
being almost always together I could partake of your obser-
vations & you of mine. — I would like to receive here your ideas
on this subject & if possible what amount you would expect
from us as remuneration. — My first volume will comprise an in-
troduction and one hundred Utters addressed to the Reader
referring to the 100 plates forming the first volume of my
illustrations. — I will enter even on local descriptions of the
country. — Adventures and anecdotes, speak of the trees & the
flowers the reptiles or the fishes or insects as far as I know — I
wish if possible to make a pleasing book as well as an instruc-
tion one. — In the event of my living with you we will furnish
our own wines, porter or ale. —
I hope you know me well enough to write to me your ideas
without fearing any offence done us should you find it either
disagreeable or inconvenient, indeed this is simply to know
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 103
from you if such a thing is at all likely to be advantageous to
all parties. — We leave this on Saturday for Leeds and I will
be glad to hear from you then — I have a confounded steel
pen that scratches abominably. — Present Mrs Audubon's kind
regards to your good Lady & accept Yourself our united good
wishes,
your friend
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
Address to the care of
THOS FOWLER Esq.
Bookseller
Aug 22nd 1830 Manchester.
[Superscribed] WM SWAINSON Esq.
Tittenhanger Green
Nr
St Albans,
Herts.
In Swainson's clear and candid reply,9 which fol-
lowed at once, all was figured "to a nicety"; he would
supply his share of the matter at the rate of three dollars
and seventy-eight cents per printed page, with an extra
charge for corrections; he would follow his own ideas,
but strive to avoid any conflict of opinion, and would
expect his name to stand on the title.
William Swainson to Audubon
[between August 2% and 28, 1830]
Thursday
MY DEAR MR. AUDUBON.
I received your letter yesterday, and hasten to reply to
it. By some mistake or other, of Havell's, he has not sent the
birds to which you allude, and I did not of course know that
you had left them with him, now to your two propositions.
•First published by Ruthven Deane (Bibl. No. 217), The Auk, vol.
xxii, p. 31 (1905).
104 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
First, as to boarding with us, you do not know probably,
that this is never done in England, except as a matter of
necessity or profession, in which case the domestic establish-
ment is framed accordingly. But this consideration would
have no influence with me, in your case did other circumstances
allow of it. It would however be attended with so many
changes in our every-day domestic arrangements, that it be-
comes impossible.
Secondly, as to the proposition I once made to you, I am
fearful you have put it out of my power to do so much as I
might have done, from your having distributed the very birds
which would have been the materials I was to work upon ; and
upon which only, any scientific observations truly original,
(& therefore worth putting into your book), must be founded.
Fortunately, however, my own collection is not poor in North
American Specimens, and these would still furnish a mass of
interesting information to the Scientific. It would be, how-
ever, highly advisable that all these species which I have not,
but which you have brought home, and given away, should be
borrowed back again, without delay.
Next as to plan. I have always told you that the plan you
mention, so far as your own narrative goes, is the very best
which could possibly be chosen. You have to speak of the
birds as they are alive, 7 to speak of their outward form, struc-
ture, and their place in the great System of their Creator, for
the true system, if I have, or anybody else, has discovered is
not a Human System. If my views are correct, every observa-
tion you make, plain, unvarnished, and strictly accurate, will
fully and perfectly harmonize. Our parts are totally distinct,
and we Tiave no occasion to consult with each other what we
should say at every page. Where our views may differ, I shall
not, of course, say anything. My own remarks had better be
kept distinct, in the form of "Scientific Notes" to each letter,
at the end, and in this way you will make the work, the stand-
ard authority on American Ornithology, which without Science,
it certainly would not be, however interesting or valuable in
other respects.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 105
As to time, and remuneration, I shall have completed all
my portion of Dr. Richardson's works in two months. I can
then devote a portion of each day to yours. The terms of my
remuneration will be those which I always receive from the
Booksellers, and which are fixed, worth twelve guineas a sheet
of the same size and Type as the Zoological Journal, each sheet
being 16 pages, and each page averages 390 words, the calcu-
lation is there brought to a nicety, and you may spend as
much as you choose. If I have to revise and correct the proofs,
make alterations etc. that will be something additional, I al-
ways charge this by the time each sheet takes me, and would
come to from 5/ to 7/6 a sheet but the booksellers generally
give me a round sum, which I name after trying the three first
sheets of a work, with Dr. Richardson's the case was different,
I there had 300 £ for my assistance and drawings. It would
of course be understood that my name stands in the title page
as responsible for such portion as concerns me.
Should we arrange this matter, it will be time enough to
fix on other minor points. But I should like to know your
decision soon, as I have been applied to in another quarter.
Indeed I am already so full of business, that I have two years
active employment ahead of me. I go for two days to assist
Burchell10 in the arrangement of his African Birds prior to
publication, at the end of the month, I shall bear in mind what
you say on the Woodpecker but I have peculiar notions on
Species, which, as I believe them correct, so I do not suffer to
be influenced by others, you will see more of this in my Book
of American Birds.11 Our kindest remembrance to Mrs. Audu-
bon, and always look upon me as your sincere, but very plain
spoken friend,
W. SWAINSON.
10 William John Burchell (1782P-1863), an indefatigable collector and
explorer, especially in Africa and Brazil; the zebra, Equus burchelli,
and many animals and plants which he discovered have been dedicated
to him.
11 Referring to the Fauna-Boreali Americana, the second part of which,
on "Birds," published in 1831, was by Swainson; see Vol. I, p. 410.
106 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
P. S. I had a long letter from Chas. Bonaparte the other
day, Vigors is gone to Rome!!
[Addressed] J. J. AUDUBON
c/o Mr. THOMAS FOWLER, Bookseller,
Manchester.
[Endorsed by Audubon:] Answered 29th Aug. 1830. J. J. A.
Audubon's next letter, which was written from Man-
chester on August 29, must have been distinctly pro-
vocative, to judge from the following caustic reply12
which it drew forth; this is dated, "Tittenhanger Green,
2d October, 1830":
William Swainson to Audubon
MY DE SIR
I have refrained from replying to your letter until I
thought you had returned to London.
Either you do not appear to have understood the nature of
my proposition on supplying scientific information for your
work, or you are very erroneously informed on the matter in
which such assistance is usually given. Dr. Richardson, and
a hundred others, similarly situated, might with equal jus-
tice say that no name should appear but their own ; as it would
rob them of their fame, because notes are furnished by one or
two other persons, your friends would tell you, if you enquired
of them, that even my name would add something to the value
of the "The Birds of America" You pay me compliments on
my scientific knowledge, and wished you possessed a portion;
& you liken the acquisition of such a portion to purchasing the
sketch of an eminent painter — the simile is good, but allow
me to ask you, whether, after procuring the sketch, you would
mix it up with your own, and pass it off to your friends as
your production? I cannot possibly suppose that such would
be your duplicity and I therefore must not suppose that you
"First published by Elliott Coues (Bibl. No. 203), The Auk, vol. xv,
p. 11 (1898); reproduced by Theodore Gill (Bibl. No. 205), The Osprey,
vol. v, p. 23 (1900).
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 107
intended that I should give all the scientific information I
have laboured to acquire during twenty years on ornithology —
conceal my name, — and transfer my fame to your pages &
to your reputation.
Few have enjoyed the opportunity of benefiting by the ad-
vice and assistance of a scientific friend so much as yourself;
and no one, I must be allowed to say, has evinced so little in-
clination to profit by it. When I call to mind the repeated
offers I have made you to correct the nomenclature of your
birds, from the first time of our acquaintance, and recollect
the dislike you appeared to have to receiving any such infor-
mation or correction, I cannot but feel perfect surprize at
you now wishing to profit by that aid, you have hitherto been
so indifferent about.
Let me however urge upon you one advise which, for your
own sake, I should be sorry you despised. It is to characterize
yourself, or get some friend to do so for you, all your new
species. The specimens, you tell me, are now in England, & the
task will be comparatively easy. I urge this, because you may
not be aware that a new species, deposited in a museum, is of no
authority whatsoever, until its name and its character are
published. I have repeatedly set my face against such authori-
ties, so has Mr. Vigors, so has Ch. Bonaparte, and on this head
we are all perfectly unanimous. Unless, therefore, this is done,
you will, I am fearful, loose the credit of discovering nearly
all the new species you possess, and this I again repeat, for
your own sake I should be sorry for. To me, individually, your
not doing so, would rather be advantageous.
The more a book is quoted, the more is its merits admitted,
and its authority established, it was on this account I so
repeatedly requested the u$e only, of a copy of your book,
that it might have been cited in "Northern Zoology" 13 not
having it — I could not therefore mention it
I shall always be as thankful to you as formerly for any
information on the habits, economy, and manners of birds;
"See Note, Vol. II, p. 105.
108 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
but, as to species, I want not, nor do I ever ask, the opinions
of any one. that is quite a different matter, and entertaining
peculiar ideas on that subject, you must not feel surprised at
my differing from you in almost every instance. My reasons
will always be laid before the public. In the present case, we
totally differ about species of Woodpeckers. I shall not, how-
ever propitiate a favourable -opinion from you, or any one, by
a compliment and therefore I will wait for some species which
you yourself will admit, which I shall then give your name to,
I am rather glad you did not accept my offer, for I am now
assisting in bringing out an Octavo edition of Wilson, by Sir
W Jardine which will be arranged according to my nomencla-
ture.
Yours my dr Sir
Very faithy
W SWAINSON
The letter just quoted naturally served as a check
to their intimacy, but Audubon did not withdraw his
friendly hand, as shown by his letters to follow later,
though his answer to this has not been preserved.14
Audubon reached Edinburgh early in October, soon
after receiving Swainson's decisive reply, and immedi-
ately made an arrangement with MacGillivray, as al-
ready related.15 It is evident from Swainson's letter
that when Audubon called upon him for editorial aid,
"But three other letters of Audubon to Swainson, after this date, are
noted by Albert Gunther (Bibl. No. 204) in the Proceedings of the Linncean
Society, 112th session (1900): one of "6 June, 1831," announces Audubon's
prospective return to America in August of that year; another, dated
"6 Dec. 1837," asks for the loan of some bird skins; and the last of
"11 Jan. 1838," is reproduced in Chapter XXXII. Swainson is said to have
been negotiating at this time with Charles L. Bonaparte in reference
to a joint compilation for a work on the birds of the world; Bonaparte
estimated that there were then between 7,000 and 8,000 known species
to be characterized, but Swainson's terms were not satisfactory, and
nothing came of the project. To the above list should be added the
letter, evidently misdated, of "April 28 th. 1831," soon to follow.
"See Vol. I, p. 438.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 109
he was by no means ready to defer to him wholly in
the matter of naming his birds, a subject in which Swain-
son regarded himself as the first of living authorities.
Swainson's pride was also wounded at Audubon's appar-
ent lack of appreciation of the weight which his name
would carry if allowed to grace the title pages of his
works, and he speaks of Audubon as if he were ready
to bargain for scientific information but determined to
withhold that credit which is every writer's just due.
It is only fair to say that Swainson's vanity seems to
have outrun his candor, for when the controversy over
the authorship of Audubon's Biography of Birds was
started in 1833, he publicly denied that any such pro-
posal had been made.16 According to Swainson's own
statement, quoted earlier, Audubon was ready to grant
him whatever credit was due, but it is evident that he
was not then disposed to adopt Swainson's peculiar
ideas upon the classification of birds or to enter upon
a thoroughgoing arrangement of joint authorship.
Though no philosopher himself, it seems clear that the
American woodsman was by no means disposed to swal-
low all the vagaries of the "Circular System" to which
his friend was committed, and which was later held up
to ridicule.
The craze for describing new species of animals was
all too common in both England and America at the time
of which we write; the chief aim of many naturalists
seems to have been to attach their names to as many
of nature's forms as possible. Swainson, who "never
went to bed without describing a new species," as Audu-
bon said at a later time, had admonished his friend above
all else to hasten to publish descriptions of every new
bird which he had obtained in America, lest he lose
"See Vol. II, p. 88.
110 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
credit for the discovery; but Audubon, who had not
hesitated to poke fun at the species-mongering Rafi-
nesque, was still inclined to look with disdain upon work
of this sort. He not only rejected Swainson's advice
but answered it rather tartly in the first volume of his
letterpress, which appeared in the following year. A pas-
sage which caused the naturalist no little annoyance on
another score was as follows : 17
Since I became acquainted with Mr. Alexander Wilson, the
celebrated author of the well known and duly appreciated
work on American Birds, and subsequently with my excellent
friend, Charles Lucien Bonaparte, I have been aware of the
keenness with which every student of Natural History presses
forward to describe an object of his discovery, or that may
have occurred to travellers in distant countries. There seems
to be a pride, a glory in doing this, that thrusts aside every
other consideration ; and I really believe that the ties of friend-
ship itself would not prevent some naturalists from even rob-
bing an old acquaintance of the merit of first describing a
previously unknown object. Although I have certainly felt
very great pleasure, when, on picking up a bird, I discovered
it to be new to me, yet I have never known the desire above
alluded to. This feeling I still cherish; and in spite of the
many injunctions which I have received from naturalists far
more eminent than I can ever expect to be, I have kept, and still
keep, unknown to others, the species, which, not finding por-
trayed in any published work, I look upon as new, having only
given in my Illustrations a number of them proportionate to
the drawings of already known species that have been engraved.
Attached to the descriptions of these, you will find the place
and date of their discovery. I do not, however, intend to claim
any merit for these discoveries, and should have liked as well
that the objects of them had been previously known, as this
would have saved some unbelievers the trouble of searching for
17 Ornithological Biography (Bibl. No. 2), vol. i, p. xvii.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 111
them in books, and the disappointment of finding them actually
new. I assure you, good reader, that, even at this moment, I
should have less pleasure in presenting to the scientific world a
new bird, the knowledge of whose habits I do not possess, than
in describing the peculiarities of one long since discovered.
It is a pity that Audubon did not maintain so admir-
able an attitude towards the description of new species
as was here expressed, but at the close of his career in
England, when he desired to make his work on Ameri-
can ornithology as complete as possible, he appeared as
keen to describe and publish new birds as any of his
contemporaries.
Shortly after his return to London in the spring of
1831, Audubon sent Swainson the following letter with
a copy of the first volume of his Biography of Birds, but
his one-time friend was not the author of an extended
and impartial review of the work, which appeared in the
Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal in the same
year.18
"Signed "Ornithophilus" (see Bibliography, No. 97), and attributed by
Coues (see Bibliography, No. 181), with a question mark, to Swainson,
but the internal evidence shows conclusively that he was not its author.
The writer of this article said that it was not enough to state that
Audubon "has invented a new style in the representation of natural
objects; for so true are his pictures, that he who has once seen and
examined them, can never again look with pleasure on the finest produc-
tions of other artists. To paint like Audubon, will henceforth mean to
represent Nature as she is. ... To relieve, as Mr. Audubon says, the
tedium of those who may have imposed upon themselves the task of
following an author through the mazes of descriptive ornithology, he has
interspersed descriptions of American scenery and manners, gloomy forests,
tangled cane-brakes, dismal swamps, majestic rivers, floods, tornadoes, and
earthquakes; the migration of the white man, the retreat of the red;
the character and pursuits of the backwoodsman. . . . Much, therefore,
is it to be wished that Mr. Audubon would undertake the delineation of
the birds of Great Britain, which, with his matchless talents, aided by
those of Mr. Havell, would eclipse, not only all other representations of
these birds, but even the 'Birds of America,' unrivalled as that work
now is."
112 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Audubon to William Swains on
LONDON April 28th 1830 [1831]
MY DEAR MR SWAINSON,
We arrived here last evening & I found your favour of the
17th instant for which I offer you my sincere thanks — I had
began to think that I was erased from your list. — I have now
the pleasure of sending you a copy of my first volume of
ornithological biography which I hope you will accept as a
small memento of the high regard I have for your self & your
talents. — My inserting your name was not a matter merely of
duty but of great pleasure and believe when I say that I
never will be ungrateful to anyone who has been kind to me. —
We are going to Paris on Friday week & will be absent
about a month — on the first day of August next we sail from
Liverpool to America where I intend to beat the bushes once
more — my peregrinations will extend in all probability & God
willing to the Pacific Ocean into California etc — After my
return I wish to settle in England somewhere, but where is yet
undetermined. —
I have felt much grieved at reading the article of yours
respecting French Naturalists. I say grieved, because I am
always so when I see men of superior talents employing their
pen time and mind at sparring instead of peacably giving to
the world those results of their investigations & experience at
all times so desired by everyone bent on studying the wonder-
ful laws & beauties of nature. I do not wish to read a lecture
to you but from my heart I am sorry you should be a la
joute [?] with any one & will conclude by sincerely hoping that
you will have no more of this sort of warfare. —
I am over head in business as you may well suppose after
an absence of 8 months but will be most happy to hear from
you. Have you heard from C. Bonaparte lately? Is he still at
Rome? it is now two months since I heard from him. —
Present our united kind respects to your good Lady, accept
the same yourself & believe me your friend
J. J. AUDTJBON.
77 Oxford Street.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 113
It is interesting to notice that Swainson kept his
promise about the woodpeckers, and in 1831 named one,
which had been obtained from Louisiana, Picus audu-
boni; w although Audubon later repudiated it, saying
that he believed it to represent only an immature state
of the common Downy Woodpecker, he returned the
compliment by dedicating to Swainson one of his war-
blers, Sylvia, now Helmaria, swainsonii.
When William Swainson brought to a close his
labors on the Cabinet Cyclopaedia in 1840, a part of the
eleventh volume was devoted to a biography of natural-
ists.20 In this little work Audubon was accorded a page,
Alexander Wilson received eight, while the author de-
voted fourteen pages to himself. The talented Mac-
Gillivray, whose memorable History of British Birds
had then advanced to its third volume, was studiously
ignored, and was referred to only in a footnote as "Mr.
Gilvray"; but he was of necessity a sharer in the follow-
10 See Ornithological Biography, vol. v, p. 194; and Theodore Gill
(Bibl. No. 206), The Osprey, vol. iv and v. It seems that Dr. James
Trudeau, out of ignorance or disregard for Swainson's designation, later
named a woodpecker, obtained near New Orleans in 1837, Picus auduboni,
and by a strange coincidence, as Dr. Gill has noticed, the same name
was given by two different naturalists to the same bird, now regarded
as a variety and known as Dryobates villosus auduboni.
20 The Cabinet Cyclopedia was published by Messrs. Longman, Orme
& Company, and edited by Rev. Dionysius Lardner. Swainson wrote eleven
of the twelve volumes devoted to natural history. The volume to which
we refer is entitled Taxidermy, Bibliography, and Biography, by William
Swainson, A. C. G. [Assistant Commissary-General], F. R. S. & L. S.,
Hon. F. C. P. S. etc., and of several foreign societies (see Bibliography,
No. 170). The Literary Gazette for August 8, 1840, in noticing this work,
said: "Perhaps the amusing and frequent illustration of his character is
to be found in the autobiographical sketch of himself, which he has
not only included in this portion of his volume, but induced his publishers
to forward on a separate sheet with the subjoined note:
" 'Messrs. Longman, Orme, & Co., will feel particularly obliged if the
Editor of the will permit the above Auto-
biography to appear in his columns at the first suitable opportunity.'
"'39 Paternoster Row, July 29, 1840.'"
Quoted by Theodore Gill (Bibl. No. 206), The Osprey, vol. iv, p. 105
(1900).
114 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
ing criticism of Audubon's Biography of Birds: "a
want of precision in his descriptions, and a general ig-
norance of modern ornithology sadly disappoint the sci-
entific reader." The technical descriptions in that work
were written, as Swainson must have known, by his
young rival, William MacGillivray, then one of the
ablest exponents of the anatomy of birds in Great Brit-
ain; but anatomy, the master key to relationship, Swain-
son affected to regard with contempt, though over-
zealous friends had compared him with Cuvier, one of
the greatest masters of anatomy of all time. To follow
the comment of a later critic,21 Swainson probably re-
garded the title of "the British Cuvier" as rather de-
rogatory, since he had pronounced Cuvier to have been
"totally unacquainted with the very first principles of
the natural system." To Swainson, however, as the same
commentator explains, "the natural system" implied the
concept of a magical number and a circle, ideas which
Cuvier would have been the first to repudiate or ignore.
The ardent MacGillivray was naturally scornful of
Swainson's unscientific attitude, which he had roundly
scored in the introduction to his History of British Birds
that had begun to appear in 1837; he then said that
Swainson could exclaim: "How superficially do we
study nature," while in anatomy his own studies were
a century behind the times and his opinions on the
subject worthy of the Dark Ages.
In his biographical notice of Audubon, Swainson
refers to their Paris experience in the following words :
It is singular how two minds, possessing the same tastes,
can be so diversified, as to differ in toto respecting the very
same objects. During the whole of Mr. Audubon's residence
"Theodore Gill, loc. cit.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 115
in Paris, he only visited the Ornithological Gallery twice,
(where I was studying for hours, almost daily), for the pur-
pose of calling upon me ; and even then he merely bestowed that
sort of passing glance at the magnificent cases of birds, which
a careless observer would do while sauntering in the room.
Audubon, to be sure, was never much of a closet nat-
uralist or an admirer of stuffed specimens ; but in read-
ing this criticism of an estranged friend, one wonders
if the writer had really forgotten that while his own
expressed desire in going to Paris in 1828 was to study
in the Museum, Audubon's sole purpose was to extend
his subscription list; that after innumerable interviews
with ministers of state and running from post to pillar
for two months, his friend was obliged to come away
with but thirteen additional names or orders for his
work. Had Swainson also forgotten that during all
that time Audubon acted as his interpreter, assisting
him in all his visits and purchases, and that but shortly
after, when hard pressed for money, he had called on
Audubon for a considerable sum?
As a parting shot to his former friend, Swainson
also said:
He can shoot a bird, and make it live again, as it were,
upon canvass ; but he cannot describe it in scientific, and there-
fore in perfectly intelligible terms. Hence he found it neces-
sary, in this part of his work, to call in the aid of others ; but
being jealous that any other name should appear on the title
page than his own, he was content with the assistance of some
one who, very good naturedly, would fall in with his humour.
What was here said of Audubon might have been
true in 1830, but it was not true in 1840. Swainson
could never understand that his friend was a man who
116 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
never stood still. Audubon drew heavily upon his more
learned associates, and he could give as well as take.
When working under the influence of a powerful motive,
he improved as rapidly in his use of English words as
he had in the finish and composition of his pictures;
he soon came to write not only with fluency but at
times with eloquence, and the technicalities of his sci-
ence did not remain to him a sealed book, though for
the drudgery of detailed description he had confessedly
no stomach.
We have referred to William Swainson's advocacy
of the "Circular" or "Quinarian" system of the classifi-
cation of animals, with him amounting almost to a
monomania, which was one of the most notorious exam-
ples of reasoning in a circle of which zoologists have
ever been guilty. It was a serious attempt to rational-
ize nature in a wholly irrational manner, and must be
regarded as a curious by-product of minds fixed in the
belief of a special creation, — to whom every form of
evolutionary doctrine was sacrilegious and abhorrent.
Its advocates, nevertheless, were sincere, and Swainson
probably regarded himself as a martyr to the cause. As
a later critic remarked, the system served him well by
investing with a cloak of originality his treatises on those
classes of animals with which he had little first-hand
knowledge. His work on fishes is regarded as "a lit-
erary curiosity, the appearance of which was a misfor-
tune to a man who, by his indefatigable industry under
by no means favorable circumstances, had contributed
as much as any of his contemporaries to the advance-
ment of Zoology and its diffusion among the people." 22
This egregious doctrine, which its disciples called "the
natural system" without grasping the true meaning of
"Albert Gunther, loc. cit.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 117
"affinity," or "homology," to use the more modern word,
vitiated most of their writings ; abler men played with it
for a time, only to cast it aside, and no one but a historian
or a psychologist would now give it a passing thought.
So far as Swainson was concerned, Audubon's con-
duct appears to have been above reproach, and it must
be regarded as fortunate that this ardent "Quinarian"
did not have a hand in the Biography of Birds, for if
it were really true that Audubon could have brought
himself to accept the artificial system then in vogue,
American ornithology, as Elliott Coues remarked, es-
caped a great affliction.
Swainson's early life affords a striking illustration
of nepotism, and his later years reflected some of its dis-
astrous consequences. At fourteen he was appointed as
a junior clerk in the Liverpool Customs House at a
salary of eighty pounds a year, to service under his
father, who had in turn succeeded his grandfather in the
office of Collector. At eighteen he received an appoint-
ment in the commissary department of the English army
and went to Sicily, where he remained eight years, dur-
ing which he worked industriously at natural-history
pursuits. Having attained the rank of Assistant Com-
missary-General, at twenty-six he was retired on half-
pay because of ill health. Upon returning to England
he became a member of the Linnsean Society, in 1816,
before his departure for Brazil, where with Henry Kos-
ter he collected birds for nearly two years. Having
settled again at Liverpool, he entered the Royal Soci-
ety, on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks, in
1820, the year in which he began to publish the results
of his studies. Swainson was married in 1825, but upon
the death of his father in the following year, his income
was so much reduced that he resorted to authorship as
118 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
a profession ; of course he found it a poor crutch, though
he worked with indefatigable industry and produced
from one to two illustrated volumes each year. Eventu-
ally he became embittered against Audubon and towards
the world of men and things in general, especially after
1835, when domestic bereavement and trouble of many
kinds pressed hard upon him. He repeatedly applied
to the Zoological Department of the British Museum
for a position which went to others; he tried to sell his
collections to the Museum and failed; he applied for
an appointment on the Civil List but was denied; then
he decided to give up the struggle of authorship in Eng-
land and leave the country.
In 1840 Swainson emigrated with his family to New
Zealand, where he seems to have met with no better suc-
cess, although his scientific activity did not wholly cease.
Though four years younger than Audubon, he outlived
him five years, dying in 1856. His excellent draughts-
manship, tireless industry, and punctilious habits were
deserving of recognition, but he suffered from the lack
of a liberal education, and was rather too vain, too in-
clined to jealousy and to quarrel with his contempo-
raries, to have achieved great success.
In a paragraph already quoted from the Ornitho-
logical Biography, in which Audubon portrayed the
eagerness with which some naturalists pressed forward
to describe new species of birds, too often forgetting
every propriety in their eagerness to outstrip a rival, the
name of his "excellent friend, Charles Lucien Bona-
parte," 23 had been indiscreetly mentioned. Though
there was no evident intention of giving offense, this
reference was keenly resented. Bonaparte, it may be
recalled, was still engaged upon his American Orni-
wFor notice of Bonaparte see Note, Vol. I, p. 329.
WILLIAM SWAINSON
CHARLES L. BONAPARTE
THOMAS NUTTALL
CONSTANTINE S. RAFINESQUE
SWAINSON FROM HIS "BIOGRAPHY OF ZOOLOGISTS"; NUTTALL FROM AX ENGRAVING
AFTER DERBY, 1825; BONAPARTE FROM A PHOTOGRAPH IN POSSESSION OF MR.
RUTHVEN DEANE, FIRST PUBLISHED IN "CASSINIA" ; AND RAFINESQUE
FROM RICHARD ELLSWORTH CALL, "RAFINESQUE."
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 119
ihology, the last volume of which was not published
until 1833, and was therefore, in a degree, a rival of
Audubon in the ornithological field. Audubon did his
best to smooth over the difficulty but with little success.
In writing to his son, Victor, from New York in 1833,24
he referred to the following letter which he was about to
send "by duplicate, to try to correct that error" of his
early friend:
Audubon to Charles Lucien Bonaparte
To CHARLES BONAPARTE,
Prince of Musignano, &c., &c., &c.
My dear Sir: —
I am sadly grieved to hear through our friend, Wm. Cooper,
of this city, that you have taken umbrage to a passage in the
Introduction to my first volume of Ornithological Biographies.
To tell you that not even a thought of disparagement ever
existed in my mind towards you, would not be enough. I have
always repeated to all my Friends, nay, to all persons who
have ever spoken of you, of the superior talents you possess,
and of the Intrinsic value connected with all your ornithologi-
cal or otherwise scientific productions.
I am a plain sailing man. You know full well that I derive
no knowledge from classical education, and that being the
case, connected with my being honest, I always try to say what
I think truth, at once. Could I have praised you at one place,
and attempted to lower you in the estimation of the Scientific
World at another? If so — I would acknowledge myself un-
worthy the good wishes of any one, much less of the good wishes
of Charles Bonaparte ! the very being who brought me forward
into worldly notice by his kind advice. Nay, Nay ; take me for
what I am in truth
Your Friend & ever your well wisher, as well as your
obt. Sert.
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
34 See Vol. II, p. 40.
120 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Bonaparte was too much of a man of the world to
permit such an incident to cause any sudden break in
their relations. We know that they met in London in
1837, when, as Audubon said in a later letter to Har-
ris 25 he "pumped him sadly too much"; at his request
Bonaparte then drew up a list of American "birds, to
the number of 425.26 Although his subscription to The
Birds of America was permitted to lapse, Bonaparte's
name was retained on the list to the end. When the
business was being closed up in London, however, Au-
dubon wrote to Havell, from Edinburgh, under date
of 15 May, 1839: "As respects my old Friend, C. Bona-
parte, unless he pays the long standing balance which he
owes me of <£8.18.6, and also the price of the set of Nos.
81-87, on the nail, he is not to receive the latter." Again
on the thirtieth of June he wrote : "I have no numbers
for Charles Bonaparte, and no 5 th. vol. of Biog. for
Mr. Gould; let the Gentlemen purchase or procure what
they want where they can."
In 1838 Bonaparte published a paper27 in which
appeared this comment:
Throughout the list I have quoted, as types of the species
28 See Vol. II, p. 184.
26 This manuscript list is preserved with the original drawings of
The Birds of America, in possession of the Historical Society of New
York, where I was permitted to examine it. It bears the following
attests of both naturalists in autograph:
"The above list of the Birds of America was made at London on
the 15 th. of December, 1837, when it was supposed to contain all the
known species.
"JOHN J. AUDUBON,
of Louisiana."
"The above list of North American Birds was drawn up by myself
to please Mr. J. J. Audubon.
"LONDON, 15 December, 1837.
"CHARLES L. BONAPARTE.
"The total number of good species, 460," has been added in pencil.
27 Comparative List of the Birds of Europe and North America,
London, 1838.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 121
under consideration, the figures of the great works of Mr.
John Gould and Mr. Audubon on the Ornithology of the two
regions, as they must be considered the standard works of the
subject. The merit of Mr. Audubon' s work yields only to the
size of his book; while Mr. Gould's work on the Birds of
Europe though inferior in size to that of Mr. Audubon — is the
most beautiful work that has ever appeared in this or any
other country.
A reviewer in America,28 who could not repress
his resentment at the last remark, said: "It would be
invidious to make any comment on this — to even in-
sinuate a wonder that a personage bearing this world
renowned name would consent to resign his reputation
as a man of science, through all time, to the doubtful
association of such an expression of mere professional
spite."
John Gould, to whom Bonaparte referred, was per-
haps the only ornithologist who ever grew rich at his
profession. He was the author of forty large, illustrat-
ed folios, produced at the rate of about one a year, on
the birds of Great Britain, Europe, Asia, and Australia,
as well as those of numerous families of the tropical
Orient. Audubon, in response to Bachman, thus re-
ferred to him when writing in London, April 30, 1835:
"Gould is a man of great industry and has the advan-
tage of the Zoological Society, museums, gardens, &c.,
and is in correspondence with Temminck, Jardine,
Selby, James Wilson and the rest of the scientific
gentry. His wife makes his drawings on stone. She
is a plain, fine woman, and although their works are
not quite up to nature, both deserve great credit."
Acting no doubt upon this expressed belief, Audu-
bon became a subscriber to Gould's Century of Birds,
38 See Note, Vol. II, p. 122.
122 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
published in 1831, and also to his Birds of Europe
(1832-37). In the preface to the latter work, "J. J.
Audubon, Esq.," and twenty others are thanked "for
the warm interest which they have at all times taken in
the present work"; it was also said that the greater part
of the plates of this series, those of his Century of Birds
from the Himalaya Mountains and his Monograph on
the TrogonSj as well as three-quarters of those of the
Monograph on the Toucans, "have been drawn and lith-
ographed by Mrs. Gould, from sketches and designs by
myself always taken from nature." It should be no-
ticed also that Gould appeared as a subscriber to The
Birds of America in 1838, but his name was soon
dropped.
Gould was preeminently a museum naturalist, of
strong commercial instincts, and spent but little time in
the field. His books were mainly composed of illustra-
tions made by artists from stuffed specimens, with a
text of so thin a quality as to possess little scientific
value ; but, as Alfred Newton has remarked, a scientific
character was so adroitly assumed that scientific men
have often been deceived. In his best work, that on
the Humming Birds,29 the plates are enlivened by nu-
merous specimens of tropical flowers and fruits, an ac-
cessory not so noticeable in his early productions. It
has been said that Gould sought and received Audubon' s
aid in the composition of some of his plates, and that
thereafter his figures began to show more vitality. The
over-zealous writer quoted above 30 made the charge that
Gould not only received much unacknowledged aid from
Audubon, but copied his drawings; he mentioned five
29 A Monograph of the Trochilidce, or Family of the Humming-Birds;
5 vols., fol., with Supplement by Bowlder Sharpe, London, 1861.
80 Charles Winter-field, see Bibliography, No. 148.
SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 123
cases of what he called "picking and stealing," in one of
which the Red-headed Pochard is declared to have been
copied from Audubon's Scaup Duck: "here the trick is
so shallow," he adds, "that detection cannot for a mo-
ment be at fault. You see that the Scaup Ducks have
been accurately outlined, then lifted from the original
'grounding,' and let down upon a new one, by Gould,
who found it safer for his pencil to adjust earth and
water differently beneath them, than to tamper in the
slightest degree with the proportions of the figures them-
selves." Suffice it to say that there is little or no sub-
stantial basis for such odious charges.
Gould is said to have possessed a kind heart under
a rather gruff exterior. The following anecdote of his
methods comes at second hand from his friend and col-
laborator, Mr. Bowlder Sharpe. Mr. Gould was invited
to dine at a well known country estate, where were gath-
ered numerous representatives of wealth and aristocracy.
The attention of the ornithologist was soon directed
from the guests to a bird on the lawn, which he was
watching intently when dinner was announced ; abruptly
leaving the table with the remark that dinner was of
no consequence to him when he could study a bird, he
returned to the window and stood there munching a roll
or piece of bread. Of course the seated guests began
to inquire who the peculiar individual was, and were
quietly informed by their host that it was "Mr. Gould,
the famous ornithologist." The meal over, Gould se-
lected a promising looking young nobleman and began
to tell him about the habits of the bird which had so
fascinated him; "that species," he said, "I have described
in my Birds of Europe. Of course, you have seen my
Birds of Europe/' The nobleman was obliged to admit
that he had not. "Why," said Mr. Gould, "you must
124 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
have seen it; every country gentleman has it in his
library. Won't you let me put you down for a copy?"
Naturally he could not refuse a work which every coun-
try gentleman possessed, and down went his name on
the list; later he received the volumes and also a bill
for fifty pounds. John Gould is said to have left a
fortune of eighty thousand pounds.
Probably no class of men with kindred tastes are
bound together with stronger ties of good fellowship
than the naturalists. Their free-masonry extends to
every clime and race, and knows no distinction of lan-
guage, class or station; but, as with all serious workers,
occasional jealousies or disputes occur to ruffle the seren-
ity of their lives. Though we have been obliged to
touch upon some of these incidents, they are nevertheless
quite exceptional.
CHAPTER XXX
AUDUBON AND MACGILLIVRAY
In London once more — MacGillivray's assistance continued — Return to
Edinburgh — MacGillivray's character and accomplishments — Audubon's
acknowledgments — Tributes of "Christopher North" — Results of over-
work— Fusilades from "Walton Hall" — Progress of the large plates.
Audubon's return voyage, begun in mid-April,
lasted twenty days, and was one of the uneventful, "not
unpleasant sort." Liverpool was reached in early May,
and later in the month the Audubons were again settled
in London, where on June 1, 1834, the naturalist wrote
to Edward Harris:
We found Victor at home in the evening of our arrival; I
thought that the very sight of him was a restoration of life to
me, and our happiness was as complete as it may ever be ex-
pected on this Earth.
After all, I long to be in America again, nay, if I can go
home to return no more to Europe, it seems to me that I shall
ever enjoy more peace of mind, & even Physical comfort than
I can meet with in any portion of the world beside.1
While at Charleston in the previous winter, Audu-
bon had worked diligently at his letterpress, and no
doubt, before returning to Europe had his "biographi-
cal" materials well in hand. We have seen that at Edin-
burgh in the autumn of 1830 he entered upon a busi-
nesslike arrangement with William MacGillivray to as-
aFrom letter written at 73 Margaret Street, Cavendish Square, and
sealed with turkey-cock seal. (Jeanes MSS.)
125
126 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
sist him with the technical portions of the Ornithological
Biography. The part which his young assistant played
in this work was long a subject of dispute, until letters
of both which showed the precise character of the rela-
tions between them were finally published.
Immediately upon his return to England Audubon
again applied to his young friend, and received from
him the following letter : 2
William MacGillivray to Audubon
EDINBURGH, 11 GILMORE PLACE.
28 th May 1834.
DEAR SIR,
I am glad to hear of your safe arrival, which I did not
expect so soon, and pleased to find you in good health and
high spirits. As you have the kindness to inquire respecting
myself and family, I am happy to inform you that we are all
very well, contented and busy. My head and hands are quite
full — abundance of work and sufficient pay — time to ramble
now and then for the purpose of hammering rocks, pulling
plants, and shooting birds.
You say you have accumulated a mass of materials which
you are desirous of seeing in print, and propose that I should
revise it as before. I shall be glad to do so, if you please, and
willing that you confer the benefit on another, if you find it
expedient. As to the terms, let them be such as you please
with respect to money ; but as time is valuable to me, I should
like that arrangements be made so as to prevent unnecessary
loss of it, by letting me have manuscripts, books, &c. in due
array.
The skins of which you speak I apprehend cannot be dis-
posed of here to any great extent ; but I believe shells might be
sold to advantage, and bring higher prices than in London.
You ask if I draw Birds yet, with a view to publish. My
'First published by Elliott Coues (Bibl. No. 43) in the Bulletin of
the Nuttall Ornithological Club, vol. v (1880).
AUDUBON
AFTER THE EXGRAVIXG BY H. B. HALL OF THE PORTRAIT
PAIXTED BY HEJTRY ItfMAX IK 1833.
AUDUBON AND MACGILLIVRAY 127!
answer is that I dissect, describe, and draw Birds, Quadrupeds,
whales, reptiles, and fishes, with view of astonishing the world,
and bettering my condition. I have about a hundred drawings,
all the size of life, excepting two dolphins. But I have deter-
mined nothing as yet respecting publication. Some time ago
a friend of mine called on Mr. Havell with a letter in which I
desired that person to engrave for me a few of my drawings,
for the purpose of being exhibited at the meeting of natural-
ists. I had no answer, and so Mr. Havell may go to Jerico,
or elsewhere, as he lists ; but further your correspondent saith
not.
I am decidedly of opinion that, although you should con-
tinue the publication of the Ornithological Biography, you
might bring out various other works which could not fail to
be popular ; for example a biography of yourself, and sketches
of American scenery. But of these matters it is impossible to
speak to purpose unless I had the pleasure of seeing you, a
pleasure which I hope I shall have at the time of the general as-
sembly of the naturalists.
With best respects to Mrs. Audubon, and best wishes for
the prosperity of all that bear that name, I have the honour
to be, Dear Sir, yours in sincerity,
W MAcGlLLIVRAY.
[Superscribed] JOHN J. AUDUBON, Esqr. MR. HAVELL,
77 Oxford St. London.
A satisfactory arrangement was made and MacGil-
livray set to work on Audubon's second volume. On
the 16th of June he wrote from Edinburgh:
If you send me twenty or twenty-five articles, I can revise
them without the books to which you refer, and without your
own presence, provided your descriptions be full, and the draw-
ings or plates sent to me. The skins and books might be con-
sulted afterwards, when we might go over the articles in com-
pany. Should you come here for the purpose, it would not, I
128 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
believe, be necessary for you to stay more than three weeks or
so. ... To be methodical I should like twenty-five birds, that
is description of birds, by your first parcel ; but I cannot state
precisely at what time they might be revised, only I think were
you to send them, you might make a trip to France and be
back before I should be done.3
By the 9th of July MacGillivray had received the
twenty-five descriptions of birds called for, and on the
18th of that month he wrote to report progress as fol-
lows:
I commenced my operations on the 1 st of July, and have
transcribed and corrected eighteen articles, one for each day,
but not one on each, the work of Sunday being transferred to
Monday. This volume will certainly be much richer and more
interesting. . . . You wish to know my opinion as to the
improvement of your style. It seems to me to be much the
same as before, but the information which you give is more
diversified & more satisfactory.
On more than one occasion MacGillivray urged Au-
dubon to reduce the size of his text, and in the letter
just quoted he said: "Had it been of the post 8 vo size,
in two volumes it would have gone off in style; but
your imperial size and regal price do not answer for
radicals, or republicans either. Could you sacrifice the
first volume, reprint it of a small size and continue the
series to the end?" He remarked that if twenty wood-
cuts or engravings were added to each volume, "it would
spread over the land like a flock of migratory pigeons.
Even without the embellishments it would fly, but were
you to give it those additional wings, it would sweep
along in beautiful curves, like the nighthawk or the
8 For this and extracts in the two following paragraphs, see Ruthven
Deane (Bibl. No. 209), The Auk, vol. xviii (1901).
AUDUBON AND MACGILLIVRAY 129
purplebreasted swallow." "I have often thought," he
continued, "that your stories would sell very well by
themselves, and I am sure that with your celebrity,
knowledge, and enthusiasm, you have it in your power
to become more popular than your glorious pictures
can ever make you of themselves, they being too aristo-
cratic and exclusive."
Audubon kept MacGillivray supplied with materials,
while he remained in London during the summer of
1834. On the 25th of August he wrote Bachman that
he had sold bird skins to the British Museum to the
amount of fifty-two pounds sterling, and again for
twenty-five pounds, while Havell had disposed of a
goodly number more, so that "he would not be a loser
in that way"; he added: "My own double collection I
have in drawers at home." Acting evidently upon
Swainson's advice, Audubon began to accumulate a
large and valuable collection of the skins of American
birds, which he brought with him to America in 1839.4
Though rightly criticized for not having deposited in
some museum a complete series of the forms which he
described, Elliott Coues certainly was not justified in
remarking that his interest in a bird ceased from the
moment he had made a drawing of it; on the contrary,
he spent no end of time and lavished large sums of
money on collections to illustrate variation in every de-
scription, as well as for anatomical dissection.
A hint thrown out by MacGillivray seems to have
been well taken, for in the letter just quoted Audubon
said: "This coming winter I will spend at writing my
own Biography, to be published as soon as possible, and
to be continued, as God may be pleased to grant me
life." As already noticed,5 this effort resulted only in
4 See Vol. II, p. 264. BSee Vol. I, p. 16.
130 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
a fragmentary sketch, which was not published for over
half a century.
Audubon started for Edinburgh in September of
1834. He wrote to Edward Harris from Liverpool, on
the 15th of that month, to inquire into the truth of a
report, which had circulated in London, of the failure of
the house in New Orleans "in which our friend N. Ber-
thoud is concerned." "I wish you would have the kind-
ness to inform me," he adds, "if he is a sufferer by this
mishap, and I wish you to keep this quite entre nous"
At a slightly earlier day Audubon had entertained
the idea of illustrating the birds of Great Britain on a
scale commensurate with his work on those of America,
but on May 1, 1828, he wrote Swainson that no one
favored the project, and it was quickly given up. The
subject is referred to by MacGillivray, in a letter writ-
ten from Edinburgh, May 7, 1831 : "As I understand
your proposals respecting the Birds of Britain to have
ended in nothing, and as you do not allude to the sub-
ject, I shall suppose all your ideas to have dispersed,
and shall think of the matter myself." The first volume
of MacGillivray's History of British Birds appeared six
years later.6 It is evident that he wished to obtain Au-
dubon's criticism of some of the drawings subsequently
used in this work when he sent the following formal
note7 to his lodgings at Edinburgh:
William MacGillivray to Audubon
EDINBURGH, %2ndon; Member ol llic Lyocam ofA'ew York, of th«
Natural History Society of FuriJ, the Wonieriau Natural Ilwlory Society of Edinburgh; Honorary
'Member of the Society cf Natural History of Manchester, ami of iho Koyal SroiiWU
Academy or Painting. Sculpture, ami Architecture; Member of tbe American
Philosophical Society, oftlie Academy of Natural Science" at Philadelphia.
of the Natural Ilislory Societies of Bosum, of Charleston in SoutU
Carolina, the Quebec Literary <"«! Historical Society.
the Ornithological Society in London. Uie Sociiti
Fraocaw* de Stttiaiique UniveneU0 As ?<™-
NEW YORK:
J. J. AUDUBON, 86 WHITE STREfiT
PHILADELPHIA!
3. B. CHEVALIER, 70 DOCK STREET.
TITLE PAGE OF PAPER COVERS IK WHICH "PARTS OF THE FIRST AMERICAN" (OCTAVO)
EDITION OF "THE BIRDS OF AMERICA" WERE ORIGINALLY ISSUED.
213
214 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
cuts representing the latter,) and will be furnished to sub-
scribers for one dollar, payable on delivery.
5. The work will be published in accordance with a scientific
arrangement of the genera and species, and will complete the
Ornithology of our country, it is believed, in the most perfect
manner.
The octavo edition of Audubon's Birds began to
appear, in parts, late in 1839, and was in press four
years. It was illustrated with 500 lithographic plates,
which were reduced by John Woodhouse Audubon from
his father's old or new originals, with such changes as
the breaking up of composite plates and other consid-
erations rendered necessary. Many new flowers and
trees made their appearance in these plates, and sev-
enteen new birds were added to the last volume ; the text
was also greatly improved by the process of addition and
subtraction, as well as by the correction of many errors
which it was then possible to effect: as twelve species
were noticed without figures, this brought the total
number of American birds finally recognized by Audu-
bon to 507.3 The first considerable list of American
birds with any pretense to accuracy appeared in Notes
on Virginia, published in 1782, by Thomas Jefferson,
who then named 109 species peculiar to the United
States; William Bartram, in 1791, gave 191 ; Alexander
Wilson, 278; Wilson and Ord, in 1808-14, 320, and
Charles Bonaparte, in 1825-33, is said to have extended
»Of these, according to Mr. Witmer Stone (see Bibliography, No. 221),
474 are sanctioned in the present "Check List'* of the American
Ornithologists' Union; seventeen have proved to be identical with others;
ten are extra-limital ; two are hybrids; and five have never been found
since; of Audubon's suppressed species, two have been resuscitated. Audu-
bon is thought to have been personally acquainted with 385 American
species, others being known to him only through specimens sent by col-
lectors, or discovered in museums.
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 215
the number to 382. The present number of North
American birds, omitting sub-species, admitted to the
third revised edition of the "Check-List," prepared by a
.Committee of the American Ornithologists' Union and
published in New York in 1910, is 768. To this is added
a hypothetical list of 26 names, the validity of which is
still in doubt; these embrace Townsend's Bunting —
Spiza townsendi (Audubon) ; Carbonated Warbler —
Dendroica carbonata (Audubon) , Blue Mountain War-
bler— Dendroica montana (Wilson), known only in the
works of Wilson and Audubon; the mysterious Small-
headed "Flycatcher," or Warbler — Musicapa minuta
(Wilson) or Wilsonia (?) microcephala (Ridgway), an
account of which is given in Chapter XIV and which
is known only in Wilson's and Audubon's works; and
Cuvier's Regulus — Regulus cuvieri (Audubon), which
has never been seen beyond the covers of The Birds of
America, and its descriptive text: "I shot this bird,"
said Audubon, "on my father-in-law's plantation of Fat-
land Ford, on the Skuylkill River in Pennsylvania, on
the 8th June 1812, while on a visit to my honoured rela-
tive Mr. William Bakewell ... I have not seen an-
other since."
Audubon was soon canvassing the principal cities for
this work, with what success is shown by the following
letter 4 to his family:
Audubon to his Family
BALTIMORE, Feb. 21. 1840.
11 o'clock at night.
MY DEAR FRIENDS
So far so good, but alas ! I am now out of numbers to de-
liver to my subscribers here. Here! where I expected to pro-
4 First published by Ruthven Deane (Bibl. No. 48b), The Auk, vol.
xxv (1908).
216 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
cure a good number more. This list is composed of excellent
men and all good pay. I have in my pocket upwards of one
hundred names, whom I am assured are likely to subscribe.
Therefor I will not leave Baltimore for some days to come at
least. I forward a copy of this list to Chevalier by the same
mail and yet you may as well inquire if he has received it. More
numbers I must have as soon as possible as all my subscribers
here are anxious about receiving their copies, unfortunately I
had only 90 No. 2. I look upon this list as a capital list. I
have sent Mr. Ridgley of Annapolis a No. 1 and a prospectus,
and expect some names tomorrow evening from that quarter.
I will remit money to Phila. and let you know how much
as soon as I can. The box has arrived here safely and to-
morrow or Monday I will deliver Biographies &c. D. Potter
is very ill and poor and yet I hope to get his note before I
leave here.
I received a note from dear Jonny dated at Norfolk, all
well and going on. I expect they are at this moment at John
Bachman's. I am fatigued beyond description and had the
misfortune last evening of skinning my shin bones, they bled
profusely however, and I hope will soon get well, though feel
rather sore at this very moment, but I will take care of them.
The amount of attention which I have received here is quite
bewildering, the very streets resound with my name, and I
feel quite alarmed and queer ,as I trudge along. Mess. Meckle,
Oldfield and the Brune family have all assisted me in the most
kind and brotherly manner, indeed I may say that my success
is mostly derived from these excellent persons.
I have written to Mr. Mifflins. I feel that Theodore An-
derson will not live long. Mr. Morris has not yet returned
from Annapolis. See that the notice in the Baltimore Patriot
which I sent you yesterday is inserted in the Albion, the New
York Gazette and if possible in the Courrier and Enquirer.
I have sent one to Chevalier and another to Dr. Parkman.
I ought to have at this moment 300 copies Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, for
Washington City and really I think it would be better to stop
the publication of the work for one month to effect this. There-
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 217
for loose no time in urging Mr. Bowen (write to him) and
Chevalier also on this all important subject.
If ever I was in want of assistance it is at this moment and
you my dear Victor must be on the alert and second my en-
deavors to render you all Happy ! I would be delighted to have
a few lines from Mamma and Eliza at the end of your next
letter, which I hope to receive in immediate answer to this, Here.
I have marked all your items in your last letter. Call from time
to time at the Mercantile Library. I am glad you have re-
mitted to the Rathbone's. Do write to Mr. Hoppenstall and
see the daughter of Capt. Brittan. I was invited last evening
to a great ball, and should have gone had not my accident of
shin bones prevented me. I am told that I would have had some
20 names there.
Recollect that our agents name is Gideon B. Smith and a
most worthy man he is, highly recommended by Robert Gilmor
and others.
[No signature]
To the gratification of Audubon and his friends, the
octavo edition of his Birds of America was an imme-
diate and great success. Only 300 copies of the plates
of the first number, which was ready on December 3,
1839, were printed, but in little more than a month
300 more were demanded, and the number of plates re-
quired rose steadily until January 9, 1841, when it stood
at 1,475 copies.5 The total number of subscribers given
6 See "Original Account Book of J. J. Audubon" (Bibl. No. 223), The
Nation, vol. Ixxxiv, from which the following data regarding issues and
sales of this work are drawn. The total edition of the plates for No. 2
was 1,345, and of No. 3, 1,339. No. 11 of the plates was the first to run
to 1,000 copies in the first printing, and this issue was continued to No.
50, inclusive, excepting Nos. 3, 28, 29, and 30, of which 1,500 seem to have
been printed; the plates of these numbers were done at the lithographic
establishment of Endicotts, New York, all others being the work of J. T.
Bowen, Philadelphia. When subscriptions began to fall off with No. 51,
the edition was reduced to 1,150, and again with No. 57, to 1,050, which
remained constant to No. 84, or as far as this record goes. Of the text,
printed by E. G. Dorsey, 1,200 copies formed the first edition of No. 1,
218 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
in Audubon's published lists was 1,198, of which 198
are credited to Boston, 164 to Baltimore, 141 to New
York, sixty-five to Philadelphia, and forty-three to for-
eign countries, ten of which went to England; Mr.
George Gates of Charleston subscribed for seven copies.
Such a reception for an expensive work on natural his-
tory was unprecedented in the United States, and has
had few parallels in any country.
At the very beginning of this new undertaking, the
hand of disease and bereavement rested heavily on the
Audubon and Bachman families; they were obliged to
see first one and then another of their daughters
swept by the same terrible malady, tuberculosis, to an
early grave. Mrs. John Woodhouse Audubon died at
her old home in Charleston, whither she had gone for
the benefit of her health in the previous winter, on
September 23, 1840, at the age of t wenty- three ; and
Mrs. Victor Audubon, after a long sojourn in Cuba, and
shortly after returning to her home in New York, died
there on May 25, 1841, at the age of twenty-two. Au-
dubon was very fond of his daughters-in-law, and his
"beloved Rosy," as Victor's wife was familiarly called,
is said to have been a particular favorite and the life
of his family circle. If work at this time brought no
pleasure, it at least afforded him relief from painful
thoughts.
In June, 1840, a boy who lived in Carlisle, Pennsyl-
vania, mustered up courage to write to the naturalist
and give him an account of a new bird, the Yellow-
bellied Flycatcher, which he and his brother had dis-
1,000 copies that of No. 2, and of successive numbers to No. 23. With
No. 24, the edition was increased to 2,000, and in February, 1841, the
earlier numbers were reprinted, thus forming a second edition of these
parts, and affording a chance for correction of errors. (See Audubon's
letter quoted above.)
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 219
covered, under the very noses, as it were, of all the orni-
thologists in America. With that fine sense of modesty
which characterized the man in after life, for his name
was Spencer Fullerton Baird, he wrote:6 "You see
Sir that I have taken (after much hesitation) the liberty
of writing you. I am but a boy, and very inexperienced,
as you no doubt will observe from my description of
the Flycatcher."
Audubon, who had just returned from the sick-bed
of his daughter-in-law, replied promptly as follows:
Audubon to Spencer Fullerton Baird
NEW YORK, June 13, 1840.
DEAR SIR,
On my return home from Charleston S. C. yesterday, I
found your kind favor of the 4th inst. in which you have the
goodness to inform me that you have discovered a new species
of fly-catcher, and which, if the bird corresponds to your de-
scription, is, indeed, likely to prove itself hitherto undescribed,
for although you speak of yourself as being a youth, your
style and the descriptions you have sent me prove that an old
head may from time to time be found on young shoulders !
I wish you would send me one of the stuffed specimens as
well as the one preserved in spirits, and wish you also to rest
assured that if the little Muscicapa stands as a nondescript
that I shall feel pleased to name it after your friend.
I have never seen a male of the Cape May warbler with
the upper part of the head pure black. Have you compared
the Regulus with the description of Regulus Cwvieri? Could
you not send me your bird to look at? Being on the eve of
publishing the Quadrupeds of our Country, I have thought
that you might have it in your power to procure several of the
"See Ruthven Deane (Bibl. Nos. 47 and 49-51), The Auk, vols. xxi,
xxiii, and xxiv (1904-7), Passim; and William H. Dall, Spencer Fullerton
Baird, a Biography (Bibl. No. 52) (1915); to these admirable accounts
I am indebted for such abstracts of this correspondence as are here
reproduced.
220 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
smaller species for me, and thereby assist me considerably.
Please write to me again soon, as I must resume my travels in
8 or 10 days. Have you seen a copy of the small edition of
The Birds of America which I am now publishing? Believe
me, dear sir,
With good wishes, your obt. sert.,
JOHN J. AUDUBON
Thus began a correspondence between the youth of
fifteen and the veteran of fifty-five, which led to an
intimate friendship that lasted during Audubon's active
career, and was an undoubted stimulus to young Baird,
whose talents, enthusiasm and industry were quickly ap-
preciated by the older naturalist. Baird answered Au-
dubon's letter on June 20, and proffered his services
in collecting mammals, saying that while they were more
difficult to find than birds, he hoped "by increased exer-
tion to make up the difference"; he also added: "I have
seen some numbers of your work now publishing, and
admire them very much. I have no doubt that it will do
more to spread a love of Natural history, than any work
ever published. For my part I read the description of
birds and the episodes in your Ornithological Biography
with the same motive of pleasure as I used to read a
favorite novel." In Audubon's immediate reply of the
22nd, he said :
It is impossible at present for me to give you any precise
idea of the work on our quadrupeds which I have in con-
templation to publish, any further than to say to you, that it
is my intention, as well as that of my friend, the Revd John
Bachman, of Charleston, S. C., assisted by several others of
our best naturalists, to issue a work on the Mammalia of North
America worthy of the naturalist's attention, both at home and
abroad. — Through our joint efforts, and assisted as we hope
and trust to be, by numerous friends and acquaintances in
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 221
different portions of our Wide Union, we expect to collect,
not only new species, but much of valuable matter connected
with their geographical range, and particular habits. For
instance, in your assistance in this department as well as in
ornithology, you may be able to send us valuable intelligence
respecting the Shrews, Mice, Rats, Squirrels, etc., found in
your immediate vicinity &c. — and by saving and forwarding
specimens to us, be able also, in all probability, to place into
our hands, objects never before known to the World of Science.
Whatever information we thus receive is sacredly published
under the name of the friend from whom we receive the infor-
mation, etc. I have sent you the Zoological report of Docr.
De Kay. His Corvus cocolotle [cacolotl] is really our Raven.
Supposed by some inexperienced European naturalists to be
distinct from the Raven of Europe, which, however, is a gross
error.7 . . .
The thrush which you have described, and which you kindly
offer to send me, may be new, but perhaps you are not ac-
quainted with the Turdus Nanus of my work, to which it ap-
pears, if not the same, probably a new variety! Nous ver-
rons. . . .
Please to collect all the Shrews, Mice, (field or wood), rats,
bats, Squirrels, etc., and put them in a jar in common Rum,
not whiskey, brandy or alcohol. All of the latter spirits are
sure to injure the subjects.
Audubon, who was now "killing two birds with one
stone" — collecting subscribers for one work and mam-
mals for another, had found a strong and willing helper
in the young naturalist of Carlisle. On December 10 of
the same year Baird wrote that he had discovered an-
other Flycatcher, as well as a small Woodpecker, which
was apparently new, and had shot a "Bay Lynx or Wild
Cat a mile & a quarter from Carlisle ; the cat ... was
2 feet long & weighed 12% pounds. ... It was a
7 See Vol. II, p. 169.
222 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
source of great regret," said Baird, "that I was not able
to meet you in Philadelphia when I was there during
the latter part of September. I saw Mr. Chevalier 8
several times, and found him a very agreeable gentle-
man." Audubon replied to this letter on Christmas
Day, as follows :
Audubon to Spencer Fullerton Baird
NEW YORK, December 25, 1840.
MY DEAR SIR,
On my return yesterday from a tour of a month, I found
your kind favor of the 10th inst. at my house. I regret ex-
ceedingly that you and I should not have met at Philadelphia,
as I feel sure by the style and contents of your letters to me
that you are fond of the study of natural objects, as much
as I am.
I have no doubt that your journey during the last sum-
mer and autumn was a pleasing one to you, as I can well con-
ceive from the fresh recollections of my many rambles.
You would oblige me much by sending me (through Mr.
Chevelier) the Muscicapa you obtained Oct. 12th, and also the
small woodpecker "with the very broad bill" I am anxious to
see those birds, and will take especial care of them, and also
return them to you, free of all expense.
I cannot at this moment return to the specimens you have
already sent me, but in my next letter, I will assure you of the
names of the subjects. I wish I could see your Bay Lynx, as I
feel somewhat confident that we have more than two species
within our limits.
Your anecdote connected with the sagacity of the Weasel
is quite pleasing to me, and will appear in my biographies of
quadrupeds bye and bye. I cannot, as yet, give you any esti-
mate of my work on the Quadrupeds of our Country but will
do so as soon as possible. With my best wishes, for your health
•See Note, Vol. II, p. 211.
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 223
and prosperity, I pray you to consider me as your friend and
obt. servant,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
In the following letter by William Yarrell,9 English
naturalist and sportsman, are interesting references to
Audubon's smaller edition of The Birds of America as
well as to the writer's History of British Birds, which
later became the standard work on the ornithology of
Great Britain:
William Yarrell to Audubon
[Addressed] J. J. AUDUBON Esqr
N°- 86 White Street
New York.
[Superscribed by Audubon]
March 10. 1841.
[English postmark] D
Paid
4 MR 4,
1841
MY DEAR SIR,
Your letter, and also that of your son, are now before me,
both received so long ago as the middle of last year — how
time flies with those who are fully occupied — I reproach my-
self for having allowed them to remain so long unanswered —
and hope my numerous avocations, which absorb my whole time,
will be admitted as my excuse. I see Mr> B. Phillips every
now and then, we meet only to talk about you — I have received
from his hands the first 17 Nos of your smaller American Birds
and like them much — as I could not afford to have the large
•William Yarrell (1784-1856) was the author of A History of British
Fishes (1835-36), and A History of British Birds (1839-43) in three
volumes; the latter has passed through several editions, the fourth and
best being by Alfred Newton in four volumes (1871-85). For the favor
of reproducing this letter, and another by Yarrell given in Chapter XXXIV,
I am indebted to Mr. Ruthven Deane.
224 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
work I make myself content with the small one, and shall be
happy to receive the continuation — pray tell me to whom shall
I make payment for them, shall it be to Mr- Phillips if so, let
me or him know, and it shall be done immediately — I am quite
of your opinion that there would be some sale for it here — if
it was advertised and made known, but a commission of 10.
p cent will not tempt any London Bookseller who is sufficiently
known and influential to be of any service to you — I exhibited
my numbers at the meetings of the Linnean and Zoological
Socities and gave the loose plates between them to lay on the
table, but without the name of a London Bookseller on the
cover no one knows where to get the work if Desirous of buy-
ing it.
I will now answer your inquiries for English Friends. Earl
Derby remains much the same — very well in health, but de-
prived of the use of one side entirely, limbs as well as body-
unable to attend to other things, he appears to devote him-
self almost entirely to Zoology — Thomson his Superintendent
of the Aviary is at this time in London buying some new or rare
pheasants lately arrived here from China — and will have a
valuable addition to the stock to take back with him — Lord
Derby came to London by the Rail Road last March (1840)
and Thomson tells me, his Lordship means to come up again
this Spring. The Prince of Musignano now P. of Canino I
hear of by report from others — He is quite well, continually
publishing, and we hear that he means to visit London in the
course of the present year — of Mr> Lear we hear the most
satisfactory accounts — generally through Mr- Hullmandill — he
is greatly improved in health and finances — a favorite with
every body, patronized by all who go there — and he too, we
hear, means to visit England in the course of the present year.
Mr- Gould returned safe to England in August last, after an
absence of two years and 8 months — Two years of the time were
passed on Van Diemans land and various parts of New Holland
— he did not go to New Zealand — He has brought home a very
large collection of Birds, with, in many cases, the eggs and
nests — He has commenced the publication of the Birds on the
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 225
same scale as his Birds of Europe, but improved in execution
—two parts are out: it is to be published every three months.
I sent off a letter this day to your Edinburgh friend Mr- Mac-
Gillivray — he is a candidate for the Professorship of Natural
History in the Marischall College of Aberdeen and wrote to
ask me for a testimonial of recommendation — this was the
object of my letter to him. — My second volume of the British
Birds will be complete in July next, I will send it to you in
one lump. Pray remember me to your good lady and thank
your son Victoire for me for his letter. I hope you are all well,
and with best wishes for a continuance to you of all that is
good — I remain very sincerely yours
Wm- YAEEELL.
J. J. AUDUBON Esqr
New York —
Spencer Baird and his brother, William, were soon
able to announce another discovery, now well known
the country over as the Least Flycatcher, and in some
sections by the onomatopoeic name of Chebec. In refer-
ring to it in his letter of June 21, 1841, Baird wrote:
There is one flycatcher respecting which we are in doubt,
and which was very abundant this spring. It is the one we had
considered M. PusiUa but a thorough examination of the Biog-
raphy, has thrown doubt on this supposition, it agrees pretty
well with the M. Acadica of Nuttall, but not with the Acadica,
of the Synopsis. I will send you one as soon as possible, as
there is no set of Plates in Carlisle to which we might refer.
In conclusion Baird added: "May we not expect to
see you in Carlisle before a great while? It would give
us very great pleasure indeed."
Though Audubon gladly admitted this new-found
species of bird at a later day, he was not at first dis-
226 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
posed to accept its validity, as will appear in the follow-
ing interesting letter which he sent to his young friend:
Audubon to Spencer Fuller ton Baird
NEW YORK, July 29t 1841.
My DEAE SIR, —
I have not had time to answer your interesting favor of
the 21st until this morning, being now constantly engaged in
the figuring, &c., of the Quadrupeds of Our Country ; by which
I mean that I actually work from daylight every day until
I retire to my necessary repose at night.
Your observations upon the birds of passage the last
spring are what they have been almost throughout the U. S.
The very backward spring which we have experienced this year
did no doubt retard the coming into the States the millions of
passenger birds that come to us from beyond our limits. The
Fly-catcher of which you are in doubt is nevertheless the
M. Pusilla, and you must not be surprised to find perhaps
some discrepancy between the specimens you have procured and
the descriptions you may have read, as among mine these
differences are quite obvious and belonging to either sex or age,
as is indeed the case with most of our birds as well as among
many of our quadrupeds. . . .
I cannot at present tell you when I may have the pleasure
of meeting you at your own domicile, and yet this may happen
quite unexpectedly.
Do you pay attention to the quadrupeds around you? If
not, I wish you would! — and moreover I should be highly
pleased to hear of your procuring for us all such as may be
found in your vicinity. You have Bats, Wood Rats, $ Mice,
Weasels, $c., $c., all of which I should like to possess speci-
mens at your hands. Could you not save all that you come
across with in this way, place them in common good Rum, and
forward them to me at once or as soon as you have some %
or three species. I will most cheerfully pay all expenses to
Philadelphia addressed to J. B. Chevalier, No. 70 Dock Street.
AUDUBON
AFTER A PORTRAIT PAINTED BY JOHN WOODHOUSE AND VICTOR GIFFORD AUDUBON
ABOUT 1841, NOW IN POSSESSION OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY, NEW YORK. PUBLISHED BY COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 227
I am now as anxious about the publication of the Quad-
rupeds as I ever was in the procuring of our Birds, indeed my
present interest in Zoology is altogether bent toward the Com-
pletion of this department of Natural Science.
Do please write to me often as I am always glad to hear
from you, and when I am somewhat slow in answering your let-
ters, be assured that it is altogether on a/c of the excess of
Labour that I have to go through.
Believe me with sincere good wishes
Your friend and servant,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
Although Audubon never went to Carlisle, young
Baird, as we shall see, repeatedly visited him in New
York and became a favorite with his family. A de-
scription of the new Flycatchers was published by the
Baird brothers in 1843, and represented Spencer's first
contribution to his favorite science; Audubon included
their discovery in the Appendix to the seventh and last
volume of The Birds of America in 1844.
Audubon's occupations in the summer of this year
are clearly reflected in the following letter: 9
Audubon to Dr. George ParJcman
NEW YORK, June 20th 1841
MY DEAR FRIEND. —
I intended having written to you yesterday by Miss
Shatuck, who was good enough to spend the day with us, but
I was so deeply engaged on a drawing of Rocky Mountain
Flying Squirrels, that the time of her departure came suddenly
and I could merely ask of her to say to you, that your last
letter and remittance had reached us in safety, and with the
•See John E. Thayer (Bibl. No. 53), The Auk, vol. xxxiii (1916).
Mr. Thayer's Ornithological Museum now contains the original specimen of
Parkman's Wren, to which Audubon refers; it is "mounted on a twig,
in a paper box with a glass front," and is "in excellent condition."
228 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
unexampled promptness shewn by you on the three occasions
you have been troubled with the delivery of 46 parts of our
work to 46 of our Boston subscribers; and for which as I
have said before I am very sorry to have nought but our sin-
cerest thanks and gratitude to you for this, so remarkable pro-
ceeding. May God reward you and yours for all your gener-
ous actions.
I thank you also for your memorandums about the quad-
rupeds in the Boston Museum as I see that our animal there
may save me the trouble of going to the State of Maine for it.
When I was last under the hospitable roof of our Friend Docr
Shattuck, I saw in George's room a N°- of the "Penny Maga-
zine" in which there is a plate representing a family of Beavers
at work, that reminded me greatly of what I have seen in the
ponds of Indiana some thirty years ago, and which I should like
to have for a few days to assist in part in the making of the
background to my Drawing of these animals, drawn from the
Individual you procured for me. I will take good care of the
N°- and will return it safely very soon.
Should George Shattuck have forwarded that N°- to Mr-
B. of Baltimore, pray ask him to write to the later to
send it to me as soon as convenient. If per chance you
could procure for me a live Hare in the Summer dress (It is
pure white in winter) pray do so and do not mind the price or
the cost of its conveyance to me. This animal is abundant in
the northern portions of your State and is fully double the
size of the common Hare called the "Rabbit."
With sincerest regards and kindest remembrances to all
around you and our mutual Friends,
believe [me] yours always
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
The "Parkman Wren"
well mounted will soon be
on your chimney mantle !
The unique specimen of the little Wren, referred to
in the postscript of this letter, had been discovered on
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 229
the Columbia River by Dr. Townsend some years be-
fore, and though Audubon had described it in 1839, his
figure of it had but just appeared; this was doubtless
included, as Mr. Thayer remarks, in the parts of the
octavo edition of The Birds of America, which Dr.
Parkman distributed at Boston in the summer of this
year.
As an indication of the zeal and energy with which
Audubon undertook his work on the quadrupeds, the
following letter (dated "New York, August 15, 1841,"
•and addressed to "W. O. Ayres,10 Esq., Miller's Place,
Suffolk county, Long Island, New York") will be read
with interest:
Audubon to W. 0. Ayres
I am now closely engaged in conjunction with my friend the
Revd. John Bachman — of Charleston, S. C., in the preparing
of a work on the viviparous quadrupeds of North America,
and I have already drawn about one hundred figures of these,
including thirty-six species.
Now knowing the interest you feel towards the advance-
ment of Natural Science, in every department, I have thought
that should you assist us in the procuring specimens, whether
in the flesh or skin, dead or alive ; that we would be much bene-
fitted by such aid. — Long Island possesses rare and valuable
species, and although many of them are plentiful they are
rarely procured unless accidentally as it were. In your Ram-
bles after the feathered Tribe, you surely come across at times
with quadrupeds, and if you were good enough to shoot them
or to catch them and send them to me in the manner mentioned
below, I personally would feel extremely obliged to you.
Bats, Wood Rats and Wood Mice, Shrews, Shrew Moles
MBaird wrote to Audubon, November 4, 1846: "Please tell me the
address of your friend Ayres. I have been collecting fishes for some
weeks, and wish to correspond & exchange with him on this subject." A
woodpecker, Colaptes ayresii, was named after this friend by Audubon,
in The Birds of America, vol. vii, in 1843.
230 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
and all the smaller animals can be forwarded in an earthern
jar immersed in good Yankee Rum. — The larger kinds can be
skinned, preserving the skull entire, and also the legbone and
the clavicles. One fore & one hind foot ought to be pinned
on a board or cork until perfectly dried, and actual measure-
ments and weights forwarded with the specimens. Nos. accord-
ingly with the notes of localities and dates. Young and old
are wanted. The Cat Squirrel is now and then procured about
you of a very large size — the Woodchuck &c. but it is unneces-
sary for me to give you a list as we are anxious to procure
every thing we can from every portion of the Union with the
view to ascertain their geographical range.
The expense involved in producing the early num-
bers of the small edition of his Birds must have been
great, and Audubon was feeling the strain, when the
letter,11 dated "New York— April 29, 1841," from which
the following extract is taken, was sent to his Boston
agent: "I doubt much if you are actually aware that
we have at this moment in this city and at Philadelphia
upwards of Seventy persons employed upon the present
work, and that all these . . . are to be paid regularly
each Saturday evening, and that when we are out of
temper it is not without cause."
When Baird visited the Audubons, in New York, in
January, 1842, he was fascinated by the masterly draw-
ings of birds and quadrupeds which were then being
produced, and was determined to pay more attention
himself to an a^rt for which presumably he had little
natural aptitude; he seems also to have received a hint
for the improvement of his somewhat loose chirography.
Upon leaving, Audubon presented his pupil with a
copy of the Biography of Birds. After returning to his
"Addressed to Messrs. Little & Brown, booksellers, acknowledging the
receipt of a check for $214.20.
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 231
home, Baird wrote from Carlisle, on February 8 of
that year:
Spencer Fullerton Baird to Audubon
After a trial of two weeks I begin to find that I am getting
over the shock caused by the sudden transition from the bustle
of Broadway to the lifelessness of Carlisle, and hope that by
the application of the proper means I may in time perfectly
recover. Philadelphia seemed dull but Carlisle was death it-
self. My visit now however seems but as a dream, and I have
settled down into my old regular monotonous life as if I had
never been absent a day. When I arrived my friends had a
great many questions to ask of course, but almost the first ones
on every lip were about Mr. Audubon, — how he looked? What
was his age, whether the idea they had formed of him from
his writings was correct, many queries also were respecting
Mrs. A. and her sons; and they all said that they would
be ever grateful to them for their kindness, to one away from
home. . . .
For want of other objects I have commenced to draw the
sternal and shoulder apparatus of our birds, a pretty large
collection of which I have been making for a year past. . . .
Have you heard from Mr. Lyon of Bedford yet about the
money he owes you? I was asking about him the other day,
of an acquaintance of his, who told me that he was as good as
gold in all his debts, & expressed some surprise at his not having
paid, as he generaly is very punctual. . . . Last week I walked
up to Pinegrove an iron works about sixteen miles in the moun-
| tains where resides the Mr. Ege I have so often spoken about
j as the mighty Nimrod of our county. On my arrival I found
;; a fine wild cat hanging in the stable which had been killed a
'J few days before. On returning the next day I took the cat
with me slung across my shoulders, and on reaching home
after measuring & weighing it skinned it. I am in hopes of
getting some more from here, as they promised to catch all
they could for me.
232 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Baird signed himself "Your affectionate pupil," and
added in a postscript: "I forgot to say that I had a
fine steak of the wild cat broiled and it tasted like a
tender piece of fresh pork. I will certainly eat the whole
of the next one obtained. I intend to taste all the Quad-
rupeds inhabiting this part of the country."
Audubon's interesting reply was in part as follows :
Audubon to Spencer FuUerton Baird
NEW YORK, Feby. 10, 1842.
MY DEAE YOUNG FRIEND.
It is about half an hour since I had the real pleasure of
receiving your letter of the 8th inst. and my earnest thanks
to you for it and its contents; to all of which I will try to
answer at your request.
That beautiful Carlisle, its surrounding hills bordering its
valleys, all within the bosom of quiet nature should appear to
you as a small affair when compared to our largest city in the
Union, is not at all remarkable, but let me ask you the fol-
lowing questions. Did you meet all your dear Parents and
Friends quite well? Did they not receive you with the kindest
of welcomes? Were not their hearts and feelings towards you
the same as ever? Surely all this was fact, and being so, would
you not after all prefer Little Carlisle than Great New York
with all its humbug, rascality, and immorality? Surely or do
I mistake your nature sadly, you do ! It is now a good long
time since I was young, and resided near Norristown in Penn-
sylvania. It was then and is now a very indifferent place as
compared with New York; but still my heart and mind often-
time dwell in the pleasure that I felt there, and it always re-
minds me that within a few miles of that village, my Mother12
did live, and it was there also that my good fortune led me to
know and to marry the excellent Wife I have yet, at whose
hands yourself have tried to be rendered comfortable. Say
"See Vol. I, p. 103.
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 233
what you will, "there is nothing like home" ... I wish I could
be with you, if only for one week, for then I imagine that
between your friends of the mountains, yourself, and myself,
we could Tree a "Catamount" and soon untree him. The tug-
ging part of that far-famed animal, I would cheerfully give
up to your youthful shoulders, but not so with the figuring of
it, yet for a while. Is there such a Beast in existence? Do let
me know as soon as you can. I am heartily glad that you have
procured a wild cat from the mountainous part of Pennsyl-
vania, and that you have preserved its skin, which I beg you to
forward as soon as you please, along with whatever other
quadrupeds you may have in hand, that we may say more on
those Beasts of the Central States, than has ever been before
told. . . .
Look out for Martens, and try to find me some youself !
I am glad that you find wild cat meat pretty good, as it
corroborates the sayings of many others, who pronounce it
equal to young veal.
Let me say to you ("en passant") that your handwriting
is considerably improved, and depend upon it that your at-
tention to Drawing will soon enable you as of "copper plate."
Go ahead!
I now wish you earnestly to offer our joint respects, re-
gards, and best wishes to all your family and friends, and to
believe me always,
Yours most truly,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
86 White Street.
P. S. Thank you for what you say of the Bedford gentleman.
When I write next, I will mention him at greater length. I
wish you could let me know whether we could procure first rate
peach trees from your vicinity, and how much 50 of them would
cost. I should like to have them assorted, soft, and clings
yellow, or red, or blood-red. We wish to plant these as early
in March as possible, if young trees, two years old could be
had, we might, perhaps, have fruit on some of them during the
234 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
next summer? Try what you can do for your New York
friend. [The following on outside of letter-sheet] I will make
up a box for you in a few days, and send it to you through
Mr. Chevalier.
Audubon, who ever found city life irksome, as early
as 1841 had begun to look about for a farm, or some
retired spot within easy access to New York, where he
could establish the families of himself, of his two sons,
and have about him many of the animals which he then
wished to study and depict for his new work. Edward
Harris would have been glad to have had him for a
neighbor, and wrote from Moorestown, New Jersey, on
July 5, 1841, suggesting that he examine "a small farm
close to his village, containing about 25 acres of very
good land," which the owner was then willing to sell
for $3,500, though, added Harris, "when Mr. Havell
was here, he asked $5,000 for it." A spot more to his
liking, however, was found on the Hudson River, in
Carmansville, later known as Washington Heights,
where he purchased from thirty to forty acres of land
which had a river frontage of a thousand feet, from the
present One Hundred and Fifty-fifth to One Hundred
and Fifty-eighth Streets, and extended to the easterly
limits of the village at the old Bloomingdale Road, near
the present Amsterdam Avenue. This tract was well
wooded, and among the grand forest trees on the
place a large tulip or white wood attracted general
attention from its great girth and commanding height.
Audubon decided to place his house at the foot of the
river bluff, amid a cluster of fine oaks, chestnuts and
evergreens, and a clearing had to be made before the site
could be laid off; it was some years before the railroad
came to mar his river view and interrupt access to the
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 235
beach. Audubon began to build in 1841, and on Febru-
ary 24, 1842, Victor wrote to Edward Harris: "Our
house in the country is going on well, and will probably
be ready for us in about two months. John is at work
out there every day"; they were planning, he said, to
raise pigs and poultry, and he inquired after "draining
tiles, such as are made near Philadelphia."
Audubon named his new estate "Minnie's Land,"
in honor of his wife, Lucy, to whom he deeded the prop-
erty, the Scotch form of her name having no doubt come
into familiar use during their residence abroad. In
April, 1842, they turned their backs on the city and oc-
cupied their new home. Spencer Baird, when writing
on May 3 of that year, said:
I have been in some doubt where this letter should be ad-
dressed, since "86 White St." will not reach you, and you
must by this time be snugly fixed I hope in your beautiful
place up the River. Do not laugh therefore if I prefix "For-
merly" to the old superscription. . . .
I suppose that the First Number of the "Quadrupeds of
North America" is out by this time, I hope that it will be
hailed by a large list of subscribers, and will do what I can
for this desirable end.
Submerged as Audubon was, with painting the
Quadrupeds, keeping the small edition of his Birds in
motion, and canvassing for subscribers to both works,
which he published himself, he nevertheless found time
for an extraordinary number of letters, which were
written with an elegance of chirography that diverts
our attention from their orthographic defects. In the
labor of drawing and in all his business affairs he was
constantly aided by his sons.
In Audubon's time the center of Carmansville was
236 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
a quarter of a mile to the east of his house, while at a
short distance below, on the river, lay Manhattanville,
at the present One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street,
from which men frequently came on summer evenings
to help handle the seine, fish then being plentiful in that
part of the Hudson. The place came to possess a good
garden and orchar^, with stable, dairy, and poultry
yards; enclosures also were made for deer, elk, wolves,
foxes and other wild animals. The old barn of the Au-
dubon place stood higher on the slope where the natu-
ralist built his studio or painting house, but no traces of
either now exist. Though standing low, the house com-
manded a wide sweep of the river with the Palisades
on its opposite shore, and such attractive surroundings
were a never failing source of delight and inspiration to
the naturalist to his dying day.
In describing Audubon's activities, Parke Godwin
made this note in the spring of 1842:
13
During the last winter, which he spent in this city, he has
worked on an average fourteen hours a day, preparing a work
on the Quadrupeds of America, similar to his work on the
Birds. The drawings already finished, of the size of life, are
master-pieces in their way, surpassing if that be possible, in
fidelity and brilliancy, all that he has done before. Early in
the summer he will depart to continue his labors in the woods.
Before we glance at the half-submerged relic of
Audubon's old house as it stands today in upper New
York,14 we shall follow the same writer in a visit which
he made to "Minnie's Land" in the summer of 1842 but
did not describe until eleven years later; 15 we will only
13 See Bibliography, No. 60.
14 See Chapter XXXVI.
16 Parke Godwin, The Homes of American Authors (Bibl. No. 68)
(1853).
"MINNIE'S LAND" AS IT APPEARED IN 1865.
After a lithograph published in D. T. Valentine's Manual of the Council of
the City of New York.
"MINNIE'S LAND" AS IT APPEARS TO-DAY FROM THE RIVER FRONT, POCKETED BY
THE RETAINING WALL OF RIVERSIDE DRIVE.
LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND" 237
add that at this time Audubon was in his fifty-eighth
year, and not over sixty, as this writer surmised. After
passing beyond the outposts of the city of that day, and
turning into a rustic road which led directly to the river,
his walk
soon brought a secluded country house into view, — a house not
entirely adapted to the nature of the scenery, yet simple and
unpretending in its architecture, and beautifully embowered
amid elms and oaks. Several graceful fawns and noble elk
were stalking in the shade of the trees, apparently unconscious
of the presence of a few dogs, and not caring for the numerous
turkeys, geese, and other domestic animals that gabbled and
screamed among them. . . .
"Is the master at home?" I asked of the pretty maid-ser-
vant who answered my tap at the door, and who after inform-
ing me that he was, led me into a room on the left side of the
broad hall. It was not, however, a parlor, or any ordinary re-
ception-room that I entered, but evidently a room for work. In
one corner stood a painter's easel, with a half-finished sketch of
a beaver on paper; in the other lay the skin of an American
panther. The antlers of elks hung upon the walls, stuffed
birds of every description of gay plumage ornamented the man-
tle-piece; and exquisite drawings of field-mice, orioles, and
woodpeckers were scattered promiscuously in other parts of
the room, across one end of which a long rude table was
stretched to hold artist materials, scraps of drawing paper and
immense folio volumes filled with the delicious paintings of
birds taken in their haunts.
The master, who soon appeared,
was a tall, thin man, with a high arched and serene forehead,
and a bright penetrating gray eye ; his white locks fell in clus-
ters upon his shoulders, but were the only signs of age, for
his form was erect, and his step as light as that of a deer. The
expression of his face was sharp, but noble and commanding,
238 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
and there was something in it, partly derived from the aquiline
nose and partly from the shutting of the mouth, which made
you think of the imperial eagle.
His greeting, as he entered, was at once frank and cordial,
and showed you the sincere and true man. "How kind it is,"
he said with a slight French accent, and in a pensive tone, "to
come and see me ; and how wise, too, to leave that crazy city !"
He then shook me warmly by the hand. "Do you know," he
continued, "how I wonder that men can consent to swelter and
fret their lives away amid those hot bricks and pestilent vapors,
when the woods and fields are all so near?"
When writing in 1845, Godwin gave further inti-
mations of the naturalist's appearance: "His forehead
[was] high, arched, and unclouded; the hairs of the
brow prominent, particularly at the root of the nose,
which was long and aquiline; chin prominent, and mouth
characterized by energy and determination. The eyes
were deep-gray, set deeply in the head, and as restless
as the glance of an eagle."
CHAPTER XXXIV
EXPEDITION TO THE UPPER MISSOURI
Ambitions at fifty-seven — Plans his last expedition in the rdle of natural-
ist— Credentials from public men — Canvassing tour in Canada de-
scribed— Baird's plans to accompany Audubon west frustrated —
Western expedition begun — Ascent of the Missouri and Yellowstone —
Discoveries of new birds — A wilderness that howls — Buffalo hunting —
Passing of the great herds — Return from Fort Union — Incident on the
canal boat — Completion of the octavo edition of the Birds.
In the summer of 1842, when his two new undertak-
ings were well in hand, Audubon was planning a jour-
ney which he felt would help them both, his long cher-
ished but ever deferred expedition to the Far West; in
the dim perspective his mind's eye could trace the snowy
summits of the Rocky Mountains, a promised land he
was never destined to see, though, with true poetic jus-
tice, one of those grand peaks now bears his name. At
this time he was in his fifty-eighth year, and although
his family thought him too old for so arduous a journey,
he would not be thwarted, for his eye was undimmed
and his natural force unabated.
The letters which passed between Audubon and
Baird at this time show how eager was his young friend
to attach himself to the party. While in Washington,
July 27, 1842, Baird wrote:
After making several unsuccessful efforts to get a second
sight of you day before yesterday, I was obliged to give up
the attempt in despair. I went to the Capitol at half past
twelve and wandered over the whole building, Library, Senate
240 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Chamber and House, without being able to see or hear any-
thing of your excellency. In the evening as in the morning I
was again at Fuller's without avail, went up the street, lis-
tened awhile to the Circus music, came back, you were in bed.
One thing I wanted to ask you about, was respecting your
proposed trip next spring. . . . Nothing would delight me
more than to go, if I can afford it. Next what preparation
would I have to make to fit myself to accompany you. The
journey ought to be a sort of "Humboldt & Bonpland" one, for
the purpose of increasing the general sum of knowledge in
every department of science, physical as well as natural. . . .
If there is anything I can do for you here, do not hesitate to
command me.
Audubon's interesting reply to this letter will be
given in full:
Audubon to Spencer Fuller ton Baird
NEW YORK, July 30, 1842.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIEND, —
Your letter of the 27th Inst. reached me yesterday. I am
truly vexed that I should have missed you at the Library or
the Congress Chambers, where I went (perhaps too late) be-
tween 3 and 4 o'clock of the afternoon, having been detained
at the different Departments of State where it was my duty to
call, preparatory to the next coming Great Western Journey.
Now it proves by your letter that you feel favorably dis-
posed to accompany me on this long thought-of and contem-
plated Tour, and wish me to give you some idea of the expenses,
attached to such an undertaking; but to this question I am
quite unable to reply at present, although I may do so in a
few weeks, and which I shall do, provided you write to me
again on the subject.
I have no very particular desire to embark as deep in the
Cause of Science as the great Humboldt has done, and that,
simply because I am too poor in pecuniary means and too in-
EXPEDITION TO THE MISSOURI 241
competent; but I wish nevertheless to attempt to open the
Eyes of naturalists to Riches untold, and facts hitherto untold.
The portions of the country through which it is my intention
to pass, never having been trodden by white Man previously.
I have some very strong doubts whether the results of the
Antarctic Expedition will be published for some time yet ; for,
alas, our Government has not the means, at present, of pay-
ing some half a Million of Dollars to produce publications such
as they should publish, and connected with the vast stores of
Information, collected by so many Scientific Men in no less
than Four Years of Constant Toil and privation, and which
ought to come to the World of Science at least as brightly as
the brightest rays of the Orb of Day during the Mid-summer
Solstice. Oh, my dear young friend, that I did possess the
wealth of the Emperor of Russia, or of the King of the French ;
then, indeed, I would address the Congress of our Country, ask
of them to throw open these stores of Natural Curiosities, and
Comply with mine every wish to publish, and to Give away Cop-
ies of the invaluable Works thus produced to every Scientific
Institution throughout our Country, and throughout the
World.
As you however appear desirous to present my thoughts
of your capabilities as one of the assistants in that Stupendous
undertaking, I send you enclosed what I hope most sincerely
may prove beneficial for such purposes.
Now as you have been kind enough to offer me your services
at Washington, I ask you to call upon Mr. Gushing, M. C., of
Mass.tts, and to ask him to have the goodness to forward me
the Letter promised me by the President of the U. S., for, as
I have not yet had it, I somewhat fear that it has been mis-
sent.
Write me at once, and believe me,
Your friend, JOHN J. AUDTJBON.
Audubon enclosed with this letter a warm recom-
mendation of his friend for the position of curator of
242 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
the rich collections made by the United States Explor-
ing Expedition to the Antarctic, under command of
Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, then stored at the Patent
Office and National Institute, but nothing came of it
and Baird went away disappointed.
During the summer, in accordance with his usual
custom, Audubon had taken pains to fortify himself
with credentials from the Government, and had obtained
excellent letters from President John Tyler, Daniel
Webster, Secretary of State, General Winfield Scott,
who then held the highest commission in the Army, John
C. Spencer, Secretary of War, and Lord Ashburton, a
member of a special commission to settle the disputed
boundary between Maine and the British provinces. The
letters given him by Daniel Webster and President
Tyler were as follows : *
Daniel Webster to Whom it May Concern
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
To ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME GREETING.
Know Ye, that the bearer hereof, John James Audubon, a
distinguished naturalist and native citizen of the United States,
has made known to me his intention of travelling on the con-
tinent with the view principally of aiding the cause of science
by extending his researches and explorations in natural history,
and as he is known to me to be a man of character and honor
and worthy of all friendly offices and of all personal regard,
these are therefore to request all whom it may concern, to
permit him to pass freely, without let or molestation, and to
extend to him all such aid and protection as he may need, and
which becomes the hospitality of civilized and friendly nations.
In testimony whereof I, Daniel Webster, Secretary of State
of the United States, have hereunto set my hand and caused
'See Ruthven Deane (Bibl. No. 224), The Auk, vol. xxv (1908).
EXPEDITION TO THE MISSOURI 243
the seal of this department to be affixed at the City of Wash-
ington, this the 24 th day of July, A. D. 1842.
[Signed] DANIEL WEBSTER
President John Tyler to Whom it May Concern
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
WASHINGTON, 28 th July 1842.
The bearer of this, John James Audubon, is a native citizen
of the United States, who has informed me of his intention of
travelling on the continent of America, chiefly to promote the
cause of science by researches in natural history. He is
known to me to be a naturalist of eminent acquirements and
estimation, a man of character and honor and worthy of all
personal respect and regard. I recommend him to my country-
men abroad an& to the authorities and inhabitants of other
countries that he may receive the friendly offices, aid and coun-
tenance which are due to the interests of science and the rites
of hospitality among civilized nations.
JOHN TYLER,
President of the U. States.
John Bachman, who had agreed to be responsible
for the letterpress of the Quadrupeds, was already at
work, as shown by the following note 2 sent to Audubon
at this time :
John Bachman to 'Audubon
CHARLESTON, August, 1842.
MY DEAR FRIEND:
I have just returned from a visit to the country, where I
left Mrs. Bachman for the benefit of her health. I have a
season ticket on the railroad, and, on my weekly visits, I do
much of my writing on Natural History. The moment the
"See C. L. Bachman, John Bachman, D.V., LL.D., Ph.D. (Bibl. No.
191), p. 199.
244 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
clock strikes four I am up, and soon at work. From this hour
until seven, I have no interruptions. I hope in this way to
steal time to write about Quadrupeds. When I get fairly under
way, as I am now, I am not easily diverted from the object
before me, and nothing but ill health or domestic affliction
will keep me back.
J. B.
On September 12 Audubon set out on a canvassing
tour of Canada, on which he went as far north as Que-
bec; as he passed his home, he hailed his sons, who were
sailing on the river, and the sight of them at this moment
brought tears to his eyes. Whitehall, New York, was
reached on September 13, St. Johns, Canada, on the
following day, and on the 15th he was in Montreal;
three days were spent at Quebec (September 16-18),
where, as at other points, he met with the most gratify-
ing success. After reaching home in October, the fol-
lowing glowing account of this tour and of the attrac-
tions of his new estate on the Hudson was given in a
letter to Dr. Benjamin Phillips of London,3 dated
from "New York, 7th Nov., 1842":
Atidubon to Dr. Benjamin PMlUps
I went on a tramp to the Canadas, leaving our comfortable
abode on the 12th of Sepr. last and was absent for a whole
month. My Journey extended to something like 1500 miles:
during which I visited for the first time, the North-American
Gibralter [Quebec], the sight of which was as new to me as
it was wonderful in the days of old. The views (for I must
speak in the plural) from the Citadel, are as far as I have seen
the grandest and the most sublime I ever gazed upon. The
St. Laurence River, is noble indeed, and when we know that
that stream carried forth to the Atlantic the congregating
8 See Vol. II, p. 144.
EXPEDITION TO THE MISSOURI 245
waters of all our sea-lakes, we must not be astonished at her
great breadth, depth, and strength of current to about 60
miles below Montreal. About the latter city that noble stream
is intercepted by many rapids and a vast number of Islands,
the latter of which so intersect the view that in some instances
it would prove quite out of the question to discover with cer-
tainty either of the main shores. I visited the falls of Mont-
morency, those of the Rivierre Serria and of La Chan[u]diere.
I besides made many an acquaintance and a few very valuable
friends. At Quebec I sold a copy of our large Work to the
Earl of Caledon who also subscribed to our quadrupeds. At
Montreal I sold several Copies of our Small Edition of the
Birds of America and procured several good names to the
quadrupeds. At Kingston where I had the pleasure of becom-
ing acquainted with Sir Charles Bagot and family (all delight-
ful persons) I sold two copies of the large work to both Houses
of Parliament, and also procured their double subscriptions to
the Animals. Thus I returned home highly pleased with all that
I had done and seen. The more perhaps because I procured in
the meantime most valuable specimens of rare quadrupeds and
a fund of information that can never be met with unless on
the ground of action. . . .
Our dear "Minnie's Land" is improving as fast as our poor
pecuniary means will allow. We have done a good deal since
our purchase of it, in a wild state as it was, and next spring
we will have a good garden and probably some fruit from our
own young trees, of which we have planted nearly 200 of the
very best description, including pears, aples, quinces, apricote,
plumbs, vines, nectarines, apricotes, etc., etc. . . . We have
fish whenever we draw the seine, and this summer we have caught
one sturgeon that measured upwards of 8 feet . . . weight
more than 200 pounds . . . The "Boys" take a sailing pretty
frequently in their sail boat, but I never join them in that, for
attempts I have crossed the Atlantic pretty frequently I have
an inward dislike to the water, after it is more than 2 or 3
fathoms deep! We have now been enjoying that delightful
season, which our Americans call the "Indian Summer" and not
246 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
a drop of rain have we had for several weeks. . . . Would that
you all were here at this moment, at my elbow, from which
by a peep at the window, I gaze on the "Pallisades" and the
breath of the Hudson, between the trunks of the many trees
that stand at rest at present awaiting the return of spring for
a renewal of fragrant verdure, and fruits innumerable. ... <
We would be glad if you would ascertain whether a good
agent can be had to procure subscribers in England for it
[the Qtiadrupeds], or whether a responsible bookseller would
buy the copyright, & a certain number of plates either col-
oured or plain.
A few weeks later Audubon wrote also to William
Yarrell, hoping to interest him in the foreign sale of
his new publication, but as will be seen by his friend's
reply, now to be given, with indifferent success:
William Yarrell to Audubon
[Superscribed by Audubon]
Recd 28 Jany
1843
[Addressed] J. J. AUDUBON Esqr'
77 William Street
New York
[Superscribed by Yarrell]
single letter.
P. Paid, W.Y.
RYDER STBEET S? JAMES
London 17™ Deer. 1849.
MY DEAR MR< AUDUBON,
I have this morning received your letter of the 28th- Novr-
last, and as it is strictly a letter of business, I reply to its
various parts immediately.
About a month ago I received a note from Mr- Phillips to
say that he had received the Plates of the first number of your
work on the Quadrupeds of America — would I come and look
at them, and would I exhibit them at the meetings of the
EXPEDITION TO THE MISSOURI 247
Societies I belonged to for the promotion of Natural History.
I went to see them, and have with pleasure exhibited them at
the Linnean Society on the third Tuesday in Novr- and at the
Scientific evening, as well as the monthly general, meeting of
the Zoological Society, both of which occurred early in Decr-
and I then returned the 5 Plates to Mr- Phillips — They were
very much admired but I did not obtain any request for a
supply.
In reference to your next request, I must decline any con-
nection with the sale or publication of this, or indeed any other
foreign work, in this country. The truth is, that having now
been in the business nearly forty years, I begin to be tired of
work ; the last part of my History of British Birds will be pub-
lished on the 1st of June 1843 ; with that part I shall give up
my pen, and write for money no more.
You are kind enough to give me some credit for experi-
ence as a publisher, and some knowledge of the persons who
are likely to be purchasers of works on Natural History here —
My conviction is that you would gain more by paying full com-
mission to an established Bookseller in London who would by
advertising make your works known, and where they might be
obtained — than you will by the best efforts of any private
friend, even though his kindness should induce him to take all
the trouble for nothing.
You say nothing about your family. I hope they are all
well.
I remain, Dear Sir,
Yours very truly
Wm YARRELL.
J. J. AUDUBON Esqr>
77 William Street.
New York.
In the following letter to Spencer Baird Audubon
was able to outline more fully his final plans for the
western j ourney :
248 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Audubon to Spencer Fullerton Balrd
NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 1842.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIEND,
It seems to me as if an age had already elapsed since I
have heard from you or your whereabouts. Neither do I know
clearly whether in the way of correspondence, you are in my
debt, or I am in yours. Nevertheless I now write to you, and
request you to read this letter more than once, and think deeply
on the purport of its contents that you may be the [more]
able to form a true Idea of what I intend to say [to] you, and
for yourself to give me a true answer, on which I can depend,
no matter whether it is to my liking or not.
It is now determined that I shall go towards the Rocky
Mountains at least to the Yellowstone River, and up the latter
Stream four hundred miles, and perhaps go across the Rocky
Mountains. I have it in my power to proceed to the Yellow-
stone by Steamer from St. Louis on the 1st day of April next;
or to go to the "Mountains of the Wind" in the very heart and
bosom of the Rocky Mountains in the company of Sir William
Drommond Stewart, Baronet who will leave on the 1st of May
next also from St. Louis.
It has occurred to me that perchance you would like to
spare a few months of your life, to visit the great Western
Wilderness, and perhaps again prefer going in my Company
in preference to that of any other person? Of this of course
I cannot Judge without your answer to this. I thought that
you would have been in New York long ere this, but not a Word
of you has reached any friend of yours here for several months.
I have had an abundance of applications from different sec-
tions of the country, from Young Gents who proffer much
efficiency, etc., but I do not know them as I know you, and if
the terms which I am about to propose to you will answer
your own views, I wish you to write to me at once so that
I may know how to prepare myself for such a Journey, and
under such circumstances.
Would you like to go with me at any rate? By which I
EXPEDITION TO THE MISSOURI 249
mean, whether by Land, or by Water, and undertake, besides
acting towards me as a friend, to prepare whatever skins of
Birds or Quadrupeds, I may think fit for us to bring home.
The Birds, you might have one half as your own, the Quad-
rupeds, (should you wish it) you might have a 4th or every
4th specimen of the same species, reserving to myself all that
is new or exceedingly rare.
I will procure and furnish all the materials for skinning,
preparing, and saving whatever we may find in Ornithology and
in Mammalia, and in all probability (if you think it absolutely
necessary) pay one half your expenses from the time we leave
St. Louis until our return to that city. You will have to work
hard, of course, but then I trust to that the knowledge alone
which you must acquire would prove a sufficient compensation,
and as you already know me pretty well, I need not say to you
that I am not "hard on the trigger."
It will be necessary for you to provide a good double
barrelled Gun, and an excellent Rifle, Shot bag, powder flask,
&c, a good hatchet, and a sufficiency of clothes for something
like a 12 month's Campaign. But if you will write me at once
upon the subject, I can give you a more and a better a/c of all
my intentions, than is at present necessary.
If all goes on as I trust it will go on, we may be back home
by Octr- or Novr- next, 1843.
Do not lose a moment in writing to me in answer to this
after you have thought deeply upon the matter.
Remember me kindly to all your friends, and believe me,
Yours Always,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
77 Williams Street, New York.
Baird was unable to reach a decision in the matter,
and Audubon actually wrote five more letters on the
subject and kept a place open for his young friend for
nearly three months. On January 2, 1843, he said that
while it was impossible to determine with any degree of
250 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
accuracy the amount of money the journey might re-
quire, he could "safely say that the sum of $500. would
prove all sufficient, as our passages to the Yellow Stone
will be granted us free; and the expenses from here or
from Carlisle cannot exceed 50$ to St. Louis, and may
be less." "I have given up," he added, "all Idea of
going South this season, being determined to draw
quadrupeds until a few days of my leaving home for this
grand and Last Journey, I intend to make as a Natural-
ist." Again, on January 31, he wrote:
It appears from the whole tenure of your letter, that that
rascally article cash is the cause which prevents you from go-
ing along with me to the Yellowstone River and back. Now,
it happens that although we are far from being rich, we are
all desirous that you should go along with me, because we all
know you, and I particularly so. Therefore, if you will go
with me, and assist me all you can, in the way of hunting,
measuring and dissecting Specimens when I am otherwise en-
gaged, etc. etc. I will furnish you with all that may be neces-
sary for your expenses, excepting your clothing and your gun
or guns, as you may have them.
In still another letter, of February 10, Audubon said:
That your kind mother should feel great reluctance in the
premises, does not astonish me, as my own good Wife was
much against my going on so long a Journey ; but her Strong
Sense of what is best for us all, and as well as in myself, the
perfect confidence that our Maker's Will will be done, she has
now no Scruples of any kind, and as for myself I rely as much
as I ever have done in the Support of the Almighty Being who
has supported and secured me against evils of all sorts in my
Various undertakings, and with this Idea at my heart, I feel
confident that although an Old Man, I could undertake any
Journey whatever, and no matter of their lengths or difficulties.
+&& ttetiAS J?*L»
CS •Ma.
fy t£l> du^js 4+«s
,»*JJ ~G~ +/***; £i-t><+..j e+y, <^^_- £><&. TSr~j/£*~u/"' p**J, ™** <*«**/
A<1ec«M4*«^ *pf+*S HM**L)
fort**' fitfi^S £~/£<4 &>€Ct*j 1845.
Friend Harris, you can be of service to me, to the Audubons
& the cause of science. I will tell you how.
I find the Audubons are not aware of what is wanted in
the publication of the Quadrupeds. All they care about is to
get out a No. of engravings in two months. They have not
sent me one single book out of a list of 100 I gave them and
only 6 lines copied from a book after having written for them
for 4 years. When he published his birds he collected hundreds
of thousands of specimens. In his Quadrupeds — tell it not in
Gath — He never collected or sent me one skin from New York
to Louisiana along the whole of the Atlantic States. Now he
is clamorous for the letter press — on many of the Quadrupeds
he has not sent me one line & and on others he has omitted
even the geographical range — I know nothing of what he did
in the West having never received his journal & not twenty
lines on the subject. I am to write a book without the infor-
mation he promised to give — without books of reference &
above all what is a sine qua non to me without specimens. In
the meantime my name is attached to the book, and the public
look to us to settle our American species, and alas I have not
the materials to do so.
Now this you can do for me. I am willing to write every
description and every line of the book. I do it without fee or
reward. But — 1. Books of reference or copies of them he must
obtain. 2. He must publish no species without my approba-
tion. He has made some sad mistakes already. 3. He must
procure such information as I shall write for. 4. He must
send some person — say when John returns — to make a tour for
collecting specimens through the states of the west especially.
I find the smaller Rodentia differing every 600 miles. Richard-
son's species differ from those of New York — ours are once
more different from those of N. Y. Leib [?] found a number
of new species in Illinois. The New Orleans squirrels differ
from ours — California once more new. Now on this last par-
270 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
ticular — the necessity of giving me specimens to describe from
I wish you to speak to Audubon. I cannot consent to impose
on the public. I cannot settle the species without Specimens.
[Tell] him what I have written and [of what I have] com-
plained. Show him this letter if you should [think] it will ac-
complish the end. I shall soon have the volume finished as
well as I am able from the scanty materials with which I am
furnished. Then they will be clamorous for the second vol-
ume. Now I do not like to make any threats, but if my rea-
sonable requests are not complied with I have made up my mind
not to write another line at the end of the first volume. I
have not made up my mind hastily. It is the result of four
years remonstrance, mortification, and disappointment. Once
and for nearly a year I gave up the matter in hopeless despair.
I again resumed it on the solemn promise of Victor to do all I
wished. Three months have since gone round and not one
book sent — only ten lines copied — and a constant clamor for
the letter press. But I am called off.
j
If Audubon was remiss in supplying the necessary
materials, it is possible that Bachman, in turn, may have
failed to appreciate the load which his friend's shoulders
had carried for the five years then past. To Bachman
specimens and books were, of course, absolutely essen-
tial, but Audubon needed them also, as well as sub-
scribers and the large sums of money necessary to keep
his great enterprises in orderly movement. At all
events, Bachman's ultimatum brought immediate re-
sults, and it might not be wide of the mark to affirm that
to the tactful Harris we virtually owe the completion of
that admirable work, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of
North America. It should be noticed that at the time
the complaining letter was sent, John W. Audubon was
in Texas, engaged in making collections, though, as it
proved, with little success; Victor searched the country
FINAL WORK DAYS 271
for the needed books, and his father's Missouri River
journal was despatched to Charleston, without delay.
On New Year's Day, 1846, Bachman wrote to his
friend :
As I do not like to disappoint you in anything, I send you
one of the articles. It is about a fair sample of the whole. . . .
I try to incorporate as much as I can of your own, but, in most
cases, your notes have come too late.
You see how plain Haskell writes : I should think that by
this time, he has copied three hundred pages as correctly as the
inclosed.
In his letter of March 6 he said:
For the last four nights, I have been reading your journal.
I am much interested, though I find less about the quadrupeds
than I expected. The narratives are particularly spirited,
and often instructive, as well as amusing. All that you write
on the spot, I can depend on, but I never trust to the memory
of others, any more than to my own. . . .
To return to your Journal. I am afraid that the shadows
of the Elk, Buffalo, and Bighorn hid the little Marmots, Squir-
rels and Jumping Mice. I wish you had engaged some of the
hunters to set traps. I should like to get the Rabbit that led
you so weary a chase. Write to S.9 and find out some way of
getting — not his princess brain-eating, horse-straddling squaw,
' For "C," meaning Alexander Culbertson, a young Englishman, famous
rider and shot, then in charge of Fort Union at the mouth of the Yellow-
stone. Audubon, with the assistance of Sprague, painted his portrait and
that of his wife, a Blackfoot Indian princess, who also was noted for her
skill in horsemanship. "I lost the head of my first [buifalo] bull head,"
said Audubon, "because I forgot to tell Mrs. Culbertson that I wished
to save it, and the princess had its skull broken open to enjoy its brains.
Handsome, and really courteous and refined in many ways, I cannot recon-
cile myself to the fact that she partakes of raw animal food, with such
evident relish." (Maria R. Audubon, Audubon and his Journals, vol. ii,
p. 111).
For previous and following extracts, see C. L. Bachman, op. cit.f
p. 208.
272 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
but what is better than such a specimen from the Blackfoot
country — 1st. The Skunk; 2nd, Hares, in Winter colors; and
3rd, the Rabbit that you chased. In your Journal your de-
scriptions of Buffalo hunts are first rate. I don't like my
article on the "Beaver" ; I shall have to write it over again.
If I could only borrow Temminck's large work. Every library
here is open to me, and you would be astonished to see the num-
ber of books in my own library ; but the scientific works of close
comparison are not among them. I had written letter after
letter, but might have saved ten dollars postage.
Audubon wrote to Baird on February 2, 1846, to
remind him of the Catamount, which was thought not
to be "the Cougar," and of the Black Fox: "for the
latter," he said, "I do give you my word that I would
willingly pay you Twenty Dollars by a draft upon us
at Sight." In another letter from "Minnie's Land, N.
Y.,"of March 14, he said:10
Could you procure a black and a Silver Fox for us, we will
be willing to give a good price for either in the flesh, and pre-
served in common New England Rum, and forwarded by ex-
press to 78 John St, N.Y.
We expect to see John at home in about Six or Seven
weeks. He has made a very poor Journey of this one, and will
have to go to Europe this summer, I have no doubt.
Concerning his son's journey to Texas, Audubon
had written Spencer Baird, September 30, 1845:
11
My son John will leave this for the West and South- West,
as far as the confines of Texas, about the last of next month,
and intends being absent until the first of March. Would you
like to go with him provided you can pay your own expenses?
10 See William H. Dall, op. cit., pp. 130-2.
"Ibid., p. 126.
FINAL WORK DAYS 273
He will take one of our Servant men along to help him in the
procuring of Quadrupeds and Birds, of which he hopes to pro-
cure some, if not a good number of new Species.
As Baird gave no reply, Audubon sat down on Chrisi-
mas Day, 1845, and wrote again to his young friend: 12
I hope and trust that you were not offended at my letter,
when I wrote you on the Subject of accompanying our son
John to Texas where he is now I hope safe and sound, and I
believe at Corpus Christi. . . .
... I have at last received a fine Red Fox from our Friend
Ed. Harris, who although he did not kill it, obtained the
Cunning Animal very shortly after its death. I have drawn it
to the size of life, and I think made a good figure of it.
I have been drawing pretty constantly these last past
weeks and have finished 6 plates for the Engravers. . . . We
are all hard at Work preparing the letterpress for the 1 st
Vol. of the Quadrupeds, a copy of which I hope to send to you
about the beginning of April.
Audubon's prediction in regard to his son was cor-
rect, and after John's return from Texas, in April,
1846, he started for England on June 10, with his wife
and family; he remained in Europe until May, 1847,
engaged, as his father said, "in making figures of those
arctic animals, of which accessible specimens exist only
in the museums of that quarter of the globe."
The Audubons, as we have seen, now tried to keep
John Bachman better supplied, and in the spring of
1846 sent him several boxes of skins, with the urgent
request that all which pertained to animals that had not
been figured be returned as soon as possible. On March
13 Victor wrote that Temminck's monograph could not
be found in all America, not in Boston, or Philadelphia,
"Ibid., p. 129.
274 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
but that a copy would be ordered from Europe at once.
In those days Charleston was farther removed in time
from New York than California is now from Boston;
two weeks was required for a letter of one naturalist
to reach the other, and the difficulties of cooperation
were correspondingly great. On May 31 Audubon ac-
knowledged the return of the skins, but said: "Judge of
my astonishment, when I could not find a single one of
the small animals, Shrews, and Scalops argentatus, the
latter of which I am anxious to draw at once."
The summer and autumn of 1846 bore heavily on
John Bachman, subject as he then was to a "thousand
calls and interruptions," and "bowed down, and almost
distracted, with anxieties and grief."13 But the first
volume of the letterpress which had given him so much
trouble was finished in November, and was published by
Audubon at the close of this year. It was at once recog-
nized as a standard and authoritative work, which was
then without a competitor in America, and as Louis
Agassiz affirmed, without an equal in Europe. At the
time of its issue the twentieth number of the folio illus-
trations was nearly ready; the text itself had 271 sub-
scribers, calling for 281 copies,14 though only the eastern
cities had then been canvassed.
Early in 1846 Baird wrote to Audubon: 15 "I have
made drawings of the sculls of our quadrupeds which
are at your service if you want them. They are Mink,
"Mrs. Harriet Bachman died in July, 1846, and almost immediately
a daughter was stricken with a fatal disease; "It seizes," said the father,
"with a deadly hold, weakens the cords of life; and only relinquishes its
fatal grasp, when life is extinct." (See C. L. Bachman, op. cit.)
"New York City furnished (for vol. i) 82 subscribers, who took 86
copies; Philadelphia, 33; Boston, 27 (28 copies); and Baltimore, 15. In
1854 Victor Audubon obtained 129 subscribers for the second edition (pub-
lished with reduced plates) in three days.
"For this and the following extract, see Ruthven Deane (Bibl. No.
51), loc. cit., p. 65.
THX
VIVIPAKOTJS QUADRUPEDS
NORTH AMERICA.
JOHN JAMES AUDVDON, F.B S.. ETC. ETC.
am
THE BEY. JOHN BACHMAN. DJ>. ETC ETC.
VOL. L
LONDON-
AND TCTNAiL
18*7.
PAGE OF VOLUME I OF THE ENGLISH EDITION OF THE TEXT OF
275
276 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Wild Cat, Ground Hog, Lepus Sylvaticus, Neotoma
Floridana and others. I have got a Camera Lucida now
and intend trying to draw with it. Anything I can do
for you in this way will be cheerfully done." When he
wrote again, towards the close of this year, some impor-
tant events had happened, as shown by this letter:
Spencer Fullerton Baird to Audubon
CARLISLE Nov. 4, 1846.
DEAR MR. AUDUBON
I have been intending to write for a long time, to find out
how you all are at Minnie's Landing, and how yourself is par-
ticularly, but have put it off from time to time for various rea-
sons. I can do so no longer, and must beg you to let me know
these particulars.
Since my last visit to you, two pretty important events
have happened to me. The first was getting married, the sec-
ond, settling down steadily in my Professional chair.16 My
wife is the only daughter of Col. Churchill Inspector Gen. of
the Army, now with Gen. Wool in Mexico. She suits me ex-
actly, being as fond of birds & snakes & fishes etc. as myself.
I have even given her a lesson or two in taxidermy.
My duties as professor consist in teaching Animal Physi-
ology, Natural Theology & Mathematics. My salary is small
$400 but I hope will be larger hereafter. I have to work hard,
but that is good for me.
Please let me know how the quadrupeds get along. Is the
first vol. published? How does John get along in England?
What has become of his Texas birds?
Please to tell me the address of your friend Ayres. I
have been collecting fishes for some weeks, and wish to corre-
19 In the summer of 1846 Baird's nominal position in Dickinson College
had been changed to an active one by his election to a professorship of
chemistry and natural history, and his marriage had followed in August.
The college had about one hundred students enrolled at that time, and the
grammar, or preparatory, school attached to it, about half as many more.
See Ruthven Deane (Bibl. No. 51), The Auk, vol. xxiv, p. 65 (1907).
FINAL WORK DAYS 277
spond & exchange with him on this subject. I can send him a
good many species.
Please give my love to all your kind family. My wife (to
whom two years ago I gave a picture of yourself, as the most
acceptable present) sends hers also, and desires exceedingly to
see one to whom her husband owes so many obligations of every
kind. Believe to be as ever
Yours most affectionately
SPENCER F. BAIRD.
Audubon's immediate reply was as follows :
17
Audubon to Spencer Fullerton Balrd
MlNNIESLAND.
Nov. 8thf 1846.
MY DEAR FRIEND,
We were very happy to hear of your Success in obtaining
a Professorship. I wish you had been more minute as to the
amount of your Salary as I consider 400$ as a very small
sum. If you have not a house, fuel, and furniture, &c &c &c to
compensate for so small a sum, and having so much to per-
form for it. We are all glad that you have a good help-
mate in the shape of a wife, and we would be very glad to have
you under our roof, even now ; but as the winter is now fast ap-
proaching we hope to see you certainly some time next spring,
or during the summer, as you know that then our place is
worthy to reside at. The fishing is then Capital. The resi-
dence of our Friend, W. O. Ayers, is on Long Island, and I
think that a letter addressed to him at Sag-Harbor, will be
sure to be received by that good Friend of ours.
He will be glad to receive the collection of fishes which you
have procured for him, and I know will be most happy to ex-
change for other fishes or subjects if you should desire any
at his hands. Please to give your Dear Lady our best love,
and congratulations on her having such a capitally perfect
"For this and the two following letters, see ibid., pp. 66-69.
278 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
husband. We are all well at present. I have not done anything
with the Birds which, indeed, my son Victor has sent to the
Academy of Philadelphia. I suppose I need not look any more
for a Black Fox in the flesh from you during the next winter.
Consider me always my Dear Friend,
Your most sincerely attached,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
Should you procure a black fox, be sure to forward him
uncut to our office New York 78 John Street. Adieu, and
God bless both you and your Dear Wife.
This is a mistake, I brought them back, V. G. A.
The letter press will be ready in a few days. I will for-
ward a Copy to you to Philada. from whence you can no doubt
easily get it. I will join my Father, dear Mr. Baird, in con-
gratulations, and in sincere wishes for your happiness & wel-
fare.
Yours faithfully,
V. G. AUDUBON.
Victor Audubon's gift of the volume was acknowl-
edged by Baird on January 19, 1847, when he said:
I have been trying for some time past to find time for
writing and thanking you for the copy of the Viviparous text.
Never had mortal man such a feast as I in turning over the
pages and reading the interesting and copious accounts of the
habits of animals, many of which were unknown to me beyond
the name. I was exceedingly gratified by the kind terms I
found myself mentioned throughout the book, more so than
I deserve. Be assured that no effort of mine however humble
shall be spared to assist in the perfecting a labor so stupendous
and important as that in which you are engaged. Would that
I could be of more substantial aid by sending half a dozen sub-
scribers, I may do so yet, who knows.
FINAL WORK DAYS 279
There was soon another matter of vital importance
which Baird wished to announce to his friend, and, on
February 8, he wrote Audubon:
Very much to my astonishment I received last Saturday a
letter from Mr. Dana saying that he had written to Dr. Picker-
ing that I would make a good curator of the Smithsonian in-
stitute, and advising me if I wished the place to write im-
mediately to Prof. Henry and enclose my credentials. Now
I would like the situation amazingly and write to ask you to
make out a flaming recommendation for the place & send me
as soon as possible. Say what you please about qualifica-
tion &c. I would be obliged to you for the exertion of any
personal influence you may have on the board of Regents.
When there I would hope to be materially useful to you in
your labors.
This was followed, on February 11, by a cordial let-
ter from Audubon, in which he said:
I am quite convinced myself that no one can easily be found
so well adapted for such a trust as yourself and if my testi-
money as to your knowledge and high character and industry,
and your zeal in seeking a perfect acquaintance with the vari-
ous branches of Natural History, and all the scientific and
literary pursuits which have heretofore occupied you, may be
of any service, please present this note to the Honorable Board
of Regents, who I trust will receive it as an evidence of my
ardent desire for your success, the more readily as I have the
honor, I think, of knowing some of the Board personally.
Spencer Fullerton Baird's subsequent career, fol-
lowing his appointment as Assistant Secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution in July, 1850, as successor to
Professor Henry, its first Secretary, as the organizer
of the United States National Museum and the Fish
280 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Commission, now the Bureau of Fisheries, as one of the
ablest students of birds and fishes which the country has
ever produced, as well as the friend of science and sci-
entific men everywhere, is now well known, and has been
ably set forth by his most recent biographer. 18
John W. Audubon spent the winter of 1846-47 in
London, where he was engaged in painting subjects for
his father's work on the Quadrupeds. While he was
JOHN w. AUDUBON'S INSCRIPTION IN A COPY OF VOLUME i or THE TEXT or THE
"QUADRUPEDS" (ENGLISH EDITION) PRESENTED TO JOHN E. GRAY.
there, arrangements were made for the publication in
that city of the first volume of the letterpress ; this ap-
peared in May, 1847,19 closely following the American
edition of the previous year, and it was the only Euro-
pean issue of the text of that work. At this time also
John Audubon made the acquaintance of the distin-
guished zoologist, John Edward Gray, then in charge
of the great collections which were being brought to-
gether under his direction at the British Museum. Gray
was asked to furnish descriptions of the animals which
the younger Audubon had painted, but, as will appear
from the following letter, he declined:
20
18 William H. Dall, op. c\t., which see also for preceding extract.
MSee Vol. II, p. 275; and Bibliography, No. 6.
20 This hastily written note, possibly a duplicate of the one actually
sent, was inserted in a copy of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North
FINAL WORK DAYS 281
John Edward Gray to John Woodhouse Audubon
4 May 1847
BRIT. MUSEUM
MY DEAR SIR
I am very sorry that I am so occupied that I cannot under-
take to furnish you with the descriptions of the American
Mammalia which you have figured here but I think you will find
that Dr Richardsons descriptions are so accurate and detailed
that you had better copy them for the work than have more
imperfect descriptions by a less experienced and minute de-
scriber.
at the same time should Dr Bachman on composing the
Work want any note or the distinction between any two species
or the description of any one wh have not contained in Rich-
ardson Work & he will write to me I shall have great pleasure
in immediately replying to his request —
Wishing you and your family a pleasant voyage believe me
Yours truly
J. E. GRAY
Bachman was married in 1849 to Maria Martin,21 his
former wife's sister, who had aided Audubon in drawing
the accessories of his large plates. While engaged upon
the Quadrupeds, he wrote to Victor Audubon, from
Madison Springs, Georgia, on June 30 of that year, as
follows:22
I began working four hours a day, now I can work for
twelve. I shall lessen the hours, should I find my strength fail-
America (vol. i, London, 1847) which I purchased in London, August,
1913, and which bore this inscription, in autograph, on the title:
J. E. GRAY.
from J W. AUDUBON-
with grateful Recolections
May 4. 1847.
"Her assistance to Audubon was recognized in his dedication to her
of "Maria's Woodpecker," Picus martinet? (see Ornithological Biography
vol. v, p. 181).
39 See C. L. Bachman, op. cit.r p. 270,
LETTER OF JOHN BACHMAN, NOVEMBER 7, 1846, ADDRESSED TO MR. GEORGE GATES,
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.
From the Jeanes MSS.
FINAL WORK DAYS 283
ing. This is my tenth working-day. I have finished seventeen
articles, and arranged notes for another. I have used as many
of your notes as I could. Maria copies carefully. She lops
off to the right and the left with your notes and mine: she
corrects, criticizes, abuses, and praises us by turns. Your
father's notes, copied from his journal, are valuable — they con-
tain real information; some of the others are humbug and
rigmarole; but you have done so well as to surprise us. . . .
I hope that if nothing untoward happens, the Second Vol-
ume will be finished in a month, and the Third Volume next win-
ter.
About thirty years later, when Victor Audubon's
sister-in-law 23 was making a disposition of his literary
effects, a bundle of manuscripts was saved and given
to Mr. George Bird Grinnell. Included in it were a
number of Audubon's letters, which are now reproduced,
as well as a considerable section of the printer's copy of
The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, Volume
I; this was in various handwritings, including little of
Bachman's himself, much of Victor's and of John G.
Bell's ; a little of this copy also was made by the second
Mrs. Bachman and by other and unknown hands, pos-
sibly those of one of Bachman's daughters and of his
son-in-law, Reverend John Haskell, all of whom are
known to have assisted in this labor.
When we recall the disadvantages under which John
Bachman worked, it must be acknowledged that he was
deserving of all the credit which he received. Born of
Swiss and German stock at Rheinbeck, New York, in
1790, he clearly remembered walking in the mock
funeral procession that was held in his village when the
country was mourning the death of Washington in 1799.
**Miss Eliza Mallory, who in 1874 was living in the Victor Audubon
house.
284 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
From early boyhood he was an ardent enthusiast in the
study of nature, at a time when such studies were gen-
erally frowned upon in country districts as not only
idle but positively harmful. He trapped the beaver,
and from the sale of its skins was able to make his first
purchase of books on natural history. While a young
man he became acquainted with Alexander Wilson and
learned to know him well, having joined him in field
excursions and collected birds for him in northern New
York; on Wilson's recommendation he succeeded both
him and his nephew, William Duncan, in the Elwood
School, at Milestown, Pennsylvania, where he taught
for a year. While there, a youth of barely fifteen, he
was invited, no doubt through the influence of Wilson,
to meet Alexander von Humboldt at a dinner given in
honor of the great traveler at Philadelphia in 1804.
From a pastorate in Shagticoke, New York, Bachman in
1815 went to Charleston, South Carolina, where he pre-
sided over the Lutheran church for nearly sixty years,
and became thoroughly identified with the South. Be-
loved as few men ever are in their community, he was
widely honored for his attainments in natural science.
In an address on Humboldt, dictated by Bachman
when in his eightieth year, and too feeble to deliver it
himself, he alluded to the event noticed above to show
"how scanty, in those days, was the material in natural
science." Among the few naturalists who were present
on the occasion of the dinner, which was held in Peale's
Museum, were, he said: 24
the two Bartrams, Wilson, the ornithologist, Lawson, his en-
graver, George Ord and a few others. . . . Few speeches were
24 See C. L. Bachman, op. cit., p. 391. John Bachman died at Charleston,
February 24, 1874.
FINAL WORK DAYS 285
made and those were short — there was no formality. . . .
Humboldt was then, as he was afterwards, in every society,
"the observed of all observers" ... I saw him every day dur-
ing the few days he remained in Philadelphia. He inserted my
name in his note-book, and for the last sixty years we cor-
responded at long intervals. ... It would be very gratify-
ing to me, and interesting to your societies, if I could have
exhibited to you his autograph in some of his letters; but,
alas! my whole library and all my collections in Natural His-
tory, the accumulation of the labors of a long life, were burnt
by Sherman's vandal army, and, with the exception of a single
letter, which, by accident, fell into the hands of another member
of my family, I possess no memorials of one who condescended
to speak of me as a friend.
As we have noticed, Audubon's large illustrations of
the Quadrupeds were completed in 1846; this marked
the ebb tide of his powers, and his son, John, who had
painted nearly one-half of the originals of the large
plates, like Victor, continued to aid Bachman in the
prosecution of that work. The first number of this
lithographic series was introduced by the common Amer-
ican wildcat, or Lynx rufus, in three-quarters natural
size, followed by the proverbial ground hog, "Mary-
land marmot," or woodchuck, shown in both young and
adult state, in the size of life. Plate No. 4 reproduced
an exquisite drawing of four Florida rats climbing over
a pine branch. Some of the elder Audubon's plates of
squirrels are particularly fine and recall the best of
his more famous bird pictures; the gray fox (No. 3,
Plate xxi) is sniffing at a feather blown from a farmer's
yard; in another drawing a rascally old black rat and
its three young ones are robbing a hen's nest and break-
ing up the eggs; Hudson Bay squirrels reach after hazel
nuts which hang in clusters from green boughs above;
286 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
opossums, with sardonic grin, are making for the ripe,
orange fruits of the persimmon, holding to the branch
with their rat-like, coiled tails; the swift fox (Vulpes
velocc) sits on the ground, barking like a dog, with head
up-turned, while the better known red fox (No. 18,
Plate Ixxxvii) struggles in an old-fashioned steel trap,
the toothed jaws of which have gripped a paw above the
heel, and you observe that his tail is where, in the cir-
cumstances, it is bound to be — between his legs. While
many of these plates are of the highest degree of excel-
lence, the colors are apt to be too vivid and the execu-
tion is far from uniform.
Thomas M. Brewer, a valued friend and correspon-
dent,25 in response to an urgent request, "ere it be too
late," paid a visit to the famous naturalist on the Fourth
of July, 1846, of which he has given this record: 26
I found him in a retreat well worthy of so true a lover of
nature. It was a lovely spot, on a well-wooded point running
out in the river. His dwelling was a large old-fashioned wooden
house, from the veranda of which was a fine view, looking both
up and down the stream, and around the dwelling were grouped
several fine old forest trees of beech and oak. The grounds
were well stocked with pets of various kinds, both birds and
beasts, while his wild feathered favorites, hardly less confiding,
had their nests over his very doorway. Through the grounds
ran a small rivulet, over which was a picturesque rural bridge.
The patriarch . . . had greatly changed since I had last
seen him. He wore his hair longer, and it now hung in locks of
snowy whiteness over his shoulders. His once piercing gray
eyes, though still bright, had already begun to fail him. He
could no longer paint with his wonted accuracy, and had at
last, most reluctantly, been forced to surrender to his sons the
task of completing his Quadrupeds of North America. Sur-
*See Vol. I, p. 150. "See Bibliography, No. 79.
-£.
**^z£ *^£>
From the Jeanes MSS.
287
288 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
rounded by his large family, including his devoted wife, his
two sons, and their wives, his enjoyment of life seemed to
leave little to him to desire. He was very fond of the rising
generation, and they were as devoted in their affectionate re-
gards for him. He seemed to enjoy to the utmost each moment
of time, content at last to submit to an inevitable and well
earned leisure, and to throw upon his gifted sons his uncom-
pleted tasks. A pleasanter scene or a more interesting house-
hold it has never been the writer's good fortune to witness.
Audubon's last ( ?) letter to Edward Harris, here re-
produced, is dated at "Minnie's Land, Feby 22, 1487,"
and refers to the letterpress of the Quadrupeds. His
last published letter to Baird, in which he recommended
him to the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian In-
stitution,27 was written at "Minnie's Land, Feb. 11,
1847." In Spencer F. Baird's last published letter28
to him, dated at "Carlisle April 24, 1847," he refers to
"a fine specimen living of a Red Fox," and added: "If
you want him let me know immediately and I will send
him on immediately" On July 16 of that year Baird
entered this note in his diary: 29 "Went to Mr. Audu-
bon's by stage. Found him much changed."
While Audubon never became blind, as has been
erroneously stated, it troubled him to use glasses, and
when from failing powers he could no longer paint, his
heart seemed broken. Like Jonathan Swift, who com-
pared his own case with that of the proud forest tree
whose withering top showed to every passerby the first
sign of decrepitude, so the mind of Audubon gave way
before his splendid physique utterly broke down.
Bachman, who visited his old friend in the spring of
"See Vol. II, p. 279.
28 See Ruthven Deane, loc. cit., p. 70.
29 See William H. Ball, op. cit., p. 155.
FINAL WORK DAYS 289
1848, has given this picture of the naturalist's household
in a letter30 from "Minnie's Land, May 11, 1848":
I found all well here, as far as health is concerned. Mrs.
Audubon is straight as an arrow, and in fine health, but sadly
worried. John has just come in from feeding his dogs. Audu-
bon has heard his little song sung in French, and has gone to
bed. Alas, my poor friend, Audubon, the outlines of his coun-
tenance and his form are there, but his noble mind is all in
ruins.
The following letter was written by Victor Audu-
bon to his father-in-law, John Bachman, before Febru-
ary 8, 1849, when his brother started on the ill-fated
expedition to which he refers:
My brother will leave in a few days for California, he will
be absent, perhaps for eighteen months.
This journey is undertaken with the hope that he may be
able to get gold. What may be the result, God only knows.
John will be accompanied by Col. H. L. Webb, as military
leader; the party consists of about eighty picked men. One
of Dr. Mayer's sons wished to go with John, but unluckily,
his application came after the party was made up, so they could
not take him.
I should like much to see you all, but now it will be im-
possible for me to go so far from home.
My dear old father is apparently comfortable, and enjoys
his little notions ; but requires constant care and attendance ;
the rest are well. Your granddaughters are growing finely,
and are well educated ; soon we shall call in a "Maitre de
danse," to polish them up and improve their understanding.
I am just about to start for Washington, to get letters
from the President for John and I will try and see the collec-
tion brought back by the exploring expedition, including the
30 For this and the following letter, see C. L. Bachman, op. cit.,
p. 274.
290 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
famous Black-tail Deer. I am in a great bustle, the office is
full of Californians.
The California party, which eventually consisted of
nearly one hundred young men, sought to reach the
goldfields by way of Texas, Mexico and Arizona; at-
tacked by cholera in the valley of the Rio Grande and
deserted by their leader, a remnant of the company chose
in his stead young Audubon, who bravely conducted
them to their destination. John Audubon returned in
the following year, after thirteen of the members of
the party and $27,000 had been lost in the venture.
Like a patriarch of old, as a friend had once pictured
him, Audubon passed the end of his days surrounded
by loving and able retainers, who, like "ministers of
state," were only too glad to execute his every wish.
Distinguished and handsome in age, appearing to many
older than he actually was, for years his snowy locks
and benign countenance attracted every passer on the
street, and for each he had a friendly look, word, or
greeting, until in him were fulfilled the words of the
Psalmist: "When thou art young thou goest whither
thou wiliest, but when thou art old another shall lead
thee, and thou shalt go whither thou wiliest not." On
the 27th of January, 1851, Jean Jacques Fougere Au-
dubon died, before attaining his sixty-seventh year, "as
gently as a child composing himself for his beautiful
sleep."
CHAPTER XXXVI
AFTERWORD: AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA
Bachman completes his text on the Quadrupeds — Victor Audubon's success
in canvassing — John Woodhouse Audubon's family — New houses at
"Minnie's Land" — Second octavo edition of the Birds — Victor Audu-
bon's illness and death — Attempt to reissue The Birds of America in
America — The residual stock of this imperfect edition — Death of John
Woodhouse Audubon — His career and work as an artist and field col-
lector— Mrs. Audubon resumes her old vocation — Fate of "Minnie's
Land" — Death of Mrs. Audubon — Her share in her husband's fame —
Story written on Audubon's original drawings — Fate of the original
copper plates of the Birds — A boy comes to the rescue — "Minnie's
Land" today— The "Cave"— A real "Audubon Park."
After the death of the elder Audubon, his sons, under
the leadership of Bachman, continued the work on the
Quadrupeds until the third and last volume of the letter-
press was completed in 1852. On March 13 of that
year Bachman wrote to Edward Harris : l
Rejoice with me, the book is finished. I did not expect to
have lived to complete it. But Victor Audubon came on, and
I made him hold the pen, while I dictated with specimens and
books before me, and we went on rapidly; we worked hard,
and now we are at the end of our labors. I have, at last,
prevailed on them to give the Bats. At the end of the work,
I intend to give a synopsis and scientific arrangement of all
our American species, including seals, whales and porpoises.
1See C. L. Bachman, John Bachman, D.D., LL.D., Ph.D. (Bibl. No.
191), p. 276. The suggestion made to Mr. Harris was adopted, which
accounts for the six colored plates inserted in the third volume of the
text; the "Large Work" referred to the folio plates with accompanying
text, the "Small," to the first composite edition of both text and plates;
see Bibliography, Nos. 5-7.
291
292 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
This will be included in the letter-press of the Third Volume.
Here I will venture to consult you in regard to the publica-
tion of additional plates of species, not figured in the Large
Work. A very small Arvicola and Shrews, we may not obtain,
and they cannot be figured ; but nearly all are within our reach.
Some of the subscribers have bound up their plates, and there
cannot be a sufficient number to make even half of another
Volume. I propose, as all these figures will be contained in
the Small Work, that they should be inserted in the letter-press
of the Large Work, so that subscribers, by merely paying the
cost of the small plates, would have the work complete — what
do you think of this ?
What do you think of Victor's obtaining one hundred and
twenty-nine subscribers in about three days, and I think he
will double the number next week ; so, if the "Large Work"
will not pay, the "Small" one, and this is large enough, is sure
to do it.
When Victor was canvassing the South for the sec-
ond or composite edition of this work, Bachman wrote
to a friend in Savannah, on March 25, 1852 : 2
My son-in-law, Victor G. Audubon, is on a rapid visit to
the South, and has a week or two to spare, which he is de-
sirous of devoting to the obtaining of subscribers to the
"American Quadrupeds." The Work (Miniature) will be com-
plete in about thirty numbers, furnished monthly at $1.00 per
number.
The figures were made by the Audubons, and the descrip-
tions and letter-press were prepared by myself.
I have no pecuniary interest in this work, as I have cheer-
fully given my own labors without any other reward than
the hope of having contributed something toward the advance-
ment of the cause of Natural History in our country. I am,
however, anxious that the Audubons should, by a liberal sub-
3 See C. L. Bachman, op. tit., p. 278.
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 293
scription, receive some remuneration for the labors and heavy
expenses incurred in getting up this work. Of the character
of the work it does not become me to say much. I will only
add that in my department is summed up the result of inves-
tigations pursued through a long life, and, I think, the figures
have never been equalled in any publication either in Europe
or America.
May I bespeak from you a little aid to my esteemed son-in-
law, Mr. Audubon, in assisting him to procure subscribers.
He is a stranger in your city ; his time is limited, and his stay
among you will necessarily be short.
By the aid of two friends here, he obtained two hundred
and fifty subscribers in a few days.
On the 9th of April Bachman wrote to his son-in-
law: "Will you not return to New York by the way of
Charleston and sail from here, take a manuscript volume
in your pocket, and four hundred good and true names
on your list?"
The reception accorded to the illustrations and text
of this work had encouraged the brothers to do for the
Quadrupeds what their father, with their aid, had so
successfully accomplished for the Birds, by presenting
text and plates, as Bachman said, in "Miniature." In
this they succeeded as admirably as before, John reduc-
ing all the large plates, by the aid of the camera lucida,
for the octavo edition which was published in 1854.
The following historical evidence of the apprecia-
tion which Audubon's works have received at the hands
of the National Government I owe to Mr. Ruthven
Deane, to whom the reader of these pages is already in-
debted for many illuminating facts. Dr. Theodore S.
Palmer was recently inspecting governmental records
at Washington, when he accidentally came upon the fol-
lowing entry:
294 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Chap. CXXIX. — AN act making appropriations for cer-
tain Civil Expenses of the Government for the Year ending the
thirtieth of June, eighteen hundred and fifty-seven.
To enable the Secretary of State to purchase one hundred
copies, each, of Audubon's "Birds of America" and "Quadru-
peds of America," for presentation to foreign governments, in
return for valuable works sent by them to the Government of
the United States, sixteen thousand dollars.
[Act of August 18, 1858 (LL State., 90).]
In John Woodhouse Audubon's family there were
two sets of children, two by his former wife, Maria R.
Bachman, and seven by Caroline Hall, to whom he was
married on October 2, 1841. Victor Gifford Audubon,
who had no children by his first wife, May Eliza Bach-
man, was married on March 2, 1843, to Georgiana Rich-
ards Mallory, an Englishwoman, and six children were
born to them between 1845 and 1854. Of the natural-
ist's fifteen grandchildren, six are believed to be now
living (1917). 3
In 1852-3 Audubon's sons built houses for their
*John W. Audubon's children by Maria Bachman were: (1) Lucy
Audubon (Mrs. De Lancey Barclay Williams), 1838-1909; (2) Harriet Bach-
man Audubon, 1839- ; by Caroline Hall, who died in 1899: (3) John
James Audubon, 1842 (lived one day) ; (4) Maria Rebecca Audubon,
1843- ; (5) John James Audubon, 1845-1893; (6) William Bakewell
Audubon, 1847- , who emigrated to Australia, where he engaged in sheep-
raising, and has two children, Leonard Benjamin and Eleanor Caroline
Audubon; Leonard Audubon, who is twenty-nine, is now fighting for France
in the 55th Battalion of the Australian contingent; as I have been recently
informed by his aunt, he has been almost constantly on the fighting front
since August, 1916, and in the spring of 1917 he was promoted from the
ranks "on account of great bravery under unusual conditions ;" if still living,
William Audubon and his son are the sole male representatives of the
American branch of the Audubon family; (7) Jane Audubon, 1849-1853;
(8) Florence Audubon, 1853- ; (9) Benjamin Phillips Audubon, 1855-
1886.
Victor G. Audubon had six children by his second wife, Georgiana R.
Mallory, who died in 1882; (1) Mary Eliza Audubon, 1845- ; (2) Rose
Audubon, 1846-1879; (3) Victor Gifford Audubon, 1847-1915; (4) Delia
Talman (Mrs. Morris Frank Tyler), 1849- ; (5) Lucy Bakewell Audu-
bon, 1851-1898; and (6) Anne Gordon Audubon, 1854-1907.
HOUSE FORMERLY BELONGING TO VICTOR GIFFORD AUDUBON, EAST FRONT, AS IT
APPEARS TO-DAY; MRS. JOHN JAMES AUDITBON KEPT HER PRIVATE SCHOOL
IN THE CORNER ROOM ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
HOUSE FORMERLY BELONGING TO JOHN WOODHOUSE AUDUBON, SOUTH FRONT, AS
IT APPEARS TO-DAY; AT THE RIGHT is "THE CAVE," WHERE THE COPPER
PLATES OF "THE BIRDS OF AMERICA" WERE STORED.
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 295
growing families on their mother's estate; Victor's was
placed just north of the original homestead, and John's
not far away. On the slope behind John Audubon's
house, a small building, later known as the "Cave," was
specially constructed for the safer keeping of the famous
copper plates, which had already passed through fire,4
and not wholly unscathed. Mr. John Hardin, now
(1915) a serene and clear-eyed man of eighty- four, who
settled in that neighborhood in 1852 and who was inter-
mittently employed by the younger Audubons for a
decade, has told me that he boxed with his own hands
all of the copper plates, after wrapping each in tissue
paper, and stored them in that building; whenever John
Audubon wanted a plate, John Hardin would go to
the "Cave" and get it for him.
In 1856 Victor Audubon published a second reduced
edition of his father's Birds of America,, in which the
text and plates of the first octavo were reproduced with
little "»r no change. At about that time Victor suffered
an jury to the spine,5 and after 1857 he was com-
pletely invalided; he died in his own home, August 18,
1860.
To quote the daughter of John W. Audubon: 6
During this long period of my uncle's illness all the care
of both families devolved on my father. Never a "business
man," saddened by his brother's condition, and utterly unable
to manage, at the same time, a fairly large estate, the publica-
tion of two illustrated works, every plate of which he felt he
4 See Vol. II, p. 267.
BDue, it was believed, to a fall into the "well" (now guarded by an
iron rail), which led to a basement window of his house, though one
who knew John W. Audubon well, said that Victor's illness resulted from
a fall from a railroad train; see Jacob Pentz (Bibl. No. 81), Shooting
and Fishing, May 11, 1893.
6 Maria R. Audubon, in biographical memoir of her father in Audubon's
Western Journal, 1849-1850 (Bibl. No. 219).
296 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
must personally examine, the securing of subscribers and the
financial condition of everything — what wonder that he rapidly
aged, what wonder that the burden was overwhelming! After
my uncle's death matters became still more difficult to handle,
owing to the unsettled condition of the southern states where
most of the subscribers to Audubon's books resided, and when
the open rupture came between north and south, the condition
of affairs can hardly be imagined, except by those who lived
through similar bitter and painful experiences.
In 1858 or 1859 John W. Audubon entered upon
an ambitious project, which the outbreak of the Civil
War, aided, it is believed, by the unscrupulous dealings
of business partners, rendered disastrous. In associa-
tion with Messrs. Roe Lockwood, & Son, New York,
and the lithographers, Messrs. J. Bien & Company,
Number 180 Broadway, with whom considerable money
had been invested, a second and American edition of his
father's great folio on The Birds of America was at-
tempted. An atlas of 106 double elephant plates, re-
produced in colors on stone with slight but numerous
changes from the original copper plates, was completed
as Volume I in I860;7 the war, which broke immedi-
ately afterwards, completely ruined the enterprise, so
that but few copies of the work were dispersed and an
immense stock of plates was rendered useless ; the burden
of debt was undoubtedly increased by the issue of seven
octavo volumes of text.8
Many years later, hundreds of persons who knew of
Audubon's work only through its great reputation, and
7 For fuller details, see Bibliography, No. 9, and for Prospectus of this
work, Appendix III, No. 3.
8 For conflicting accounts of this text, see Bibliography, No. 10, and
for a definitive statement, Appendix III, No. 3. Miss Maria R. Audubon
has told me that during the War, the Bien firm issued a patriotic poster,
showing an eagle, taken from one of her grandfather's original drawings,
and the American flag; it was thought that a large number of copies were
sold.
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 297
who had never learned to discriminate between a hand-
colored copper-plate engraving and a lithograph, were
deceived by an adroit, but essentially spurious adver-
tisement of these inferior reproductions when they were
being exploited by a firm of Boston book dealers. The
original bulk of these large lithographs must have been
vast indeed, if the following story, which was attributed
to a member of the firm in question, be true : "We bought
the entire stock of those plates, many years ago," so this
man is reported to have said, "and, though the sales of
every succeeding year since have been sufficient to cover
the original cost, the number of plates has not appre-
ciably diminished."
When this larger venture failed, one of the pub-
lishers, who was not satisfied with the surplusage of
books and plates left on his hands, is said to have placed
encumbrances upon the Audubon estate. At about this
time John W. Audubon's health broke down; "Worn
out," as his daughter has said,9 "in body and spirit, over-
burdened with anxieties, saddened by the condition of
his country, it is no matter of surprise that my father
could not throw off a heavy cold which attacked him
early in 1862." He died at the age of forty-nine, on the
18th of February of that year.
John Woodhouse Audubon, like his brother, Victor,
had inherited decided artistic abilities, and from a youth
had been his father's assistant, field companion and
friend. Victor Audubon, on the other hand, was never
a field collector, but aided his father more in a financial
and secretarial capacity. Both in adult life were fond
of music and good cheer, and at one time John was
probably as devoted to adventure and sport as his father
had ever been in his palmiest days. One of his youthful
•Maria R. Audubon, op. cit.
298 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
pranks is thus guardedly referred to by the senior Audu-
bon when writing at American Harbor, on the coast of
Labrador, June 25, 1833 :10 "The young men, who
are always ready for sport, caught a hundred codfish in
half an hour, and somewhere secured three fine salmon,
one of which was sent to the 'Gulnare' with some cod."
Whether the fishermen at American Harbor, who had
obstinately refused to sell, ever missed those fine salmon
from their pounds, is not recorded. Another adventure
has been related by Mr. Fraser,11 whose family was
on intimate terms with the Audubons and MacGilli-
vrays at Edinburgh, when John Audubon, John Mac-
Gillivray (William MacGillivray's eldest son) , and him-
self were caught in the Ravelston woods while shooting
birds; the boys, he said "were rather roughly handled,"
but got off by giving up their guns.
Under his father's tuition John Audubon became
an observant and self-reliant collector in the field, and
an animal painter and draughtsman of no mean powers.
At twenty-one, as we have seen, he accompanied his
father's expedition to Labrador, was with him and Har-
ris in Florida and Texas in 1837, made successive visits
to England, and traveled again in Texas and in Mexico,
all in the interests of his father's works. He painted
nearly one-half of the large plates of the Quadrupeds
of North America, besides reducing all the drawings for
the smaller editions of the Birds and Quadrupeds, an
enormous labor in itself, representing the redrawing,
with numerous alterations, of 655 elaborate octavo
plates. After his return from California in 1850, he
began to bring out an account of his western travels,
10 Maria R. Audubon, Audubon and his Journals (Bibl. No. 86), vol. i,
p. 380.
"See William MacGillivray, A Memorial Tribute to William Mac-
Oillivray (Bibl. No. 211), p. 40.
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 299
projected for ten monthly numbers, but this never ad-
vanced beyond the first part.12
If not a "business man" by instinct or training, John
Audubon in emergencies could turn his hand to many
things. For a time he superintended the building of
houses, including his own and Victor's, which were com-
pleted in 1853, as well as another that was built on the
Audubon estate for Mr. Hall, a brother-in-law; he also
took charge of lighting the streets, and at another time
was superintendent of a quarry in Vermont. "He was
a bluff, gruff, but friendly man," writes George Bird
Grinnell,13 and was always willing to talk about birds,
mammals, or, indeed, any natural history object, to any
boy who asked him questions." On the other hand, an
ardent sportsman, who had lived with the family for
years,14 has described him as a lovable companion,
"genial in speech, full of anecdote, and a capital conver-
sationalist ... ; in person of more than median height,
and of commanding appearance, his face told plainly of
the humanity of the man ; he was as tender-hearted as a
girl, and his expressive voice could command any key of
which the vocal organs were capable; to the last he re-
tained the Southern habit of softly clipping the ends of
words."
John Woodhouse Audubon will be remembered
chiefly as his father's aid and companion, although in
his Western Journal™ written in his thirty-eighth year
but not published until forty-two years after his death,
he has left a record of which anyone could be rightfully
proud.
Mrs. John James Audubon was very active in body
"See Bibliography, Nos. 174 and 219.
"See Bibliography, No. 54.
"Jacob Pentz (Bibl. No. 81), loc. cit.
15 See Bibliography, No. 219.
300 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
and mind for a long period after her husband's death,
and in 1857, when in her seventieth year, she returned
in a degree to her old vocation of school teaching, which
had been so successfully followed in Ohio and Louisiana
when her husband was on the threshold of his extraor-
dinary career. Her pupils now consisted of some of her
numerous grandchildren and a few others drawn from
the neighborhood ; among the latter was the well known
writer and father of the original Audubon Society,
George Bird Grinnell, who pointed out to me the room
in Victor Audubon's old house where his revered
and venerable teacher had gathered her little flock. "She
loved to read, to study, and to teach," said one who
had known her, and "she knew how to gain the atten-
tion of the young, and to fix knowledge in their minds.
'If I can hold the mind of a child to a subject for five
minutes, he will never forget what I teach him,' she once
remarked; and, acting upon this principle, she was as
successful, at three score and ten years, in imparting
knowledge, as she had been in early life when she taught
in Louisiana."
Mrs. Audubon's own house was rented and eventu-
ally sold. Meanwhile, it seems, she lived for a number
of years with the family of her eldest son, and it was at
Victor's house, as just noticed, that she started a small
school. Finally, in 1863, at the age of seventy-five,
bereft of children and fortune, she left the scenes of her
once happy home, then "Minnie's Land" no longer, and
for a considerable period lived with a granddaughter at
Washington Heights, as that section on the river, includ-
ing Carmansville, came to be called, and a little later
at Manhattanville, a short distance below; there at the
home of the Reverend Charles Coffin Adams, who pre-
pared the original draft of the Life of her husband, the
\
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 301
history of which has been given,16 she passed a number
of years after 1865.
In a letter written to a relative from "Washington
Heights, N. Y., July 11, 1865," Mrs. Audubon spoke
thus of the present, while memories, not untinged with
sorrow, filled the retrospect :
We have passed through a very cold winter which tried
both my Granddaughter . . . and myself much. I have hoped
until I almost despair that [she] would have a short Holiday
so that we could go up to Hudson for a week and see you all
and mingle with those who sympathize and care for us, but in
a Boarding house, one seems a stranger in the world, and as I
pass my days alone generally from breakfast till our dinner
hour six o'clock evening when [my granddaughter] comes
home from her music Pupils of whom she has now ten, and from
that time I am glad when she is invited out to refresh her
mind.
I seldom leave home but to go up to see my other Grand
Daughter Lucy Williams, but being sixteen miles off we do
not go there often. . . .
I have heard from my Sister Gordon lately of Orleans, she
has her Son at home ! but they are likely to lose all their Prop-
erty on account of Sister's Son having been engaged in the
Confederate War. It does seem to me ... as if we were a
doomed family for all of us are in pecuniary difficulty more
or less. As to myself I find it hard to look back patiently
upon my great ignorance of business and the want of a wise
adviser who I now find could have saved me half the property
I have under errour and ignorance sacrificed and have just
enough left to keep us but not enjoy life by any travelling
about in this beautiful World. I sat on Sunday night after
Church on the Piazza, contemplating the beautiful Moon & its
Creator, and I cannot yet say I wish to leave it, notwithstand-
ing all my disappointments and mortifications. Excuse this
"See Chapter I.
302 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
long detail about myself. I cannot help looking back as well as
to the present and future.
After Mrs. Audubon had passed her eightieth year
she left New York and again made her home in the
West. In 1874, when with a granddaughter at Louis-
ville, she dictated and signed the following letter to a
gentleman who had asked for an autograph of her hus-
band:
Mrs. Audubon to William R. Dorian
LOUISVILLE Jan. 30
1874
MR. WM. R. DORLAN
DEAR SIR
I regret that your letter of Jan. 10th has remained so
long unanswered, but my granddaughter who usually writes
for me, is so constantly occupied with her pupils that until
to-day she has not been able to find time to write to you. I
regret that I cannot give you a letter of my husband John
James Audubon with the autograph attached.
The enclosed, the best I have to send you is one from
which the autograph and a portion of the letter were cut off
many years ago.
With many regrets that I cannot more fully grant your
request
I am dear Sir
Yours respectfully,
LUCY AUDUBON
Mrs. Audubon's closing days were spent at the home
of her sister-in-law, Mrs. William G. Bakewell, at Shel-
byville, Kentucky, where she died, with her mental fac-
ulties unimpaired, at the age of eighty-six, June 13,
1874, having outlived this sister-in-law and her young-
er sisters, Mrs. Alexander Gordon, of New Orleans,
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 303
and Mrs. Nicholas Augustus Berthoud, of St. Louis.
Not long after John W. Audubon's death, his fam-
ily disposed of their house on what had been the "Min-
nie's Land" estate, and lived successively at Harlem,
New Haven, Connecticut, and Salem, New York, where
Mrs. John W. Audubon died, and where her daughter,
Maria Rebecca, the biographer of her father and grand-
father, with a sister, still resides. Victor Audubon's
family, with some of their kinsfolk, remained at the
Hudson River place, which was included in the section
known as "Audubon Park," until May, 1878, when they
took a house in New York, where Mrs. Victor Audubon
died in 1882.
A brother of Mrs. Victor Audubon, Mr. E. Mallory,
in writing to a friend in Buffalo from "Audubon Park,
August 31, 1874," said that it was a source of deep
regret to Mrs. John James Audubon that her last years
were not passed with them, under the shadow of her
old home on the Hudson; and he continued: "She was
a kind and good friend, very intelligent, and much be-
loved here; I remember her telling a young lady, who
asked her if she had read some fashionable novel, that
she had no time; 'at my age,' said she, 'I must make
the most of my time.' As she was a wide reader, it was
a great trial when, in age, her eyesight completely failed
her. The minister who pronounced her eulogy 17 said:
Many of you can recall that aged form and benignant coun-
tenance, as she moved along these streets upon errands of use-
fulness and benevolence, with benedictions on her tongue, and
smiles that were a blessing to all who met her.
"Charles Augustus Stoddard; for his memorial sermon, see Bibliog-
raphy, No. 178. In the absence of the rector of the Church of the Inter-
cession, the pastor of the Washington Heights Presbyterian Church was
called to officiate at the funeral of Mrs. J. J. Audubon, June 22, 1874.
304 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
Madame Audubon interested herself in all that pertained
to the welfare of the neighborhood where she lived. Although
it was not without a pang that she saw her sylvan home in-
vaded by the growth of the city, and all old associations broken
up, she did not treat those who came to live near her as
strangers. She had a large and generous heart, and with her
husband had always exercised a liberal hospitality and hearty
kindness towards all. In prosperity and adversity she was
equally sincere and humble, a friend of all worthy people. . . .
Mrs. Audubon, during the period of her husband's
greatest activity, had traveled much and met people dis-
tinguished in every walk of life. If, as some have
thought, when Audubon was struggling for recognition,
he was somewhat oblivious of the privations which his
wife endured, in the sunshine of later years, when fame
and fortune had smiled upon him, he showed by every
token of affection how fully he realized his debt. Let it
also be remembered that the monument by which Ameri-
cans have signalized their appreciation of his labors, is
honored by the ashes of his beloved Lucy, which rest by
his side.
The original drawings of the plates of The Birds of
America were sold by Mrs. Audubon on June 2, 1863,
to the Historical Society of New York,18 and a few of
them are now displayed in its building in that city ; it is
still hoped that a fire-proof and adequately lighted hall
can be constructed so that the whole of this great series
of pictures may be exhibited under more perfect con-
ditions. The artistic beauty and historical value of these
drawings, with the added charm which personal associa-
tion has so richly supplied, would render Audubon's
"Book of Nature" one of the most unique and interest-
18 For the privilege of examining this unique collection I am indebted to
the courtesy of the Society, and of its librarian, Mr. Kelby.
pa
W
OHO
O ft H
i *»«
£ g * g
rvi S w X
•J ^
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 305
ing exhibits in the New World. The collection appears
to be nearly complete, although some notable pieces, such
as the Wild Turkeys, are lacking, but there are other
drawings, and some of early date, which were never re-
produced; all are inclosed in the original portfolios,
scarred by hard knocks and the tooth of time, massive,
leather-bound containers, which two strong arms would
raise with difficulty from the ground. Most of these
originals are mounted on a gray backing, with plate
margins in each case indicated by ink lines. As was no-
ticed in an earlier chapter, many original legends and
notes written by Audubon's pencil or pen still remain
on the drawings, though many have been trimmed off
or erased; these include names of localities and dates,
and directions to the engraver for changes in the back-
ground and composition or for any improvement of
the whole or a part.
As a further illustration of the care which Audubon
exercised over the minute details of his great undertak-
ing, we will reproduce the penciled orders on the draw-
ing of the Great White Heron (Plate cclxxxi), which
shows an adult male performing the gymnastic feat of
seizing a large striped fish, a view of Key West forming
the background: "Keep closely to the sky in depth &
colouring! have the water a Pea-green tint. Keep the
division of the scales on the leg in fact white in your
engraving — The colouring over these will subdue them
enough ! finish the houses better from the original which
you have; have the upper back portion very mellowing
in the outline." Again, on the drawing of the Great
Cinereous Owl (Plate cccli), we read: "Raise the bird
about 4 inches on the copper — higher than in the Draw-
ing, and put in a landscape below of Wild Mountains,"
a direction which in this instance was not followed, for
306 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
the bird was eventually shown on a branch against the
sky.
In many instances towards the end of his work,
Audubon furnished Havell with drawings of the birds
only, with directions to supply "an old rotten stick" for
perch, or to "amend this rascally sky and water"; as we
have already seen, he often depended upon him to com-
bine several detached pictures into one plate, but not
always with happy results. The following note was
written on a drawing of the Carolina Parrot, repro-
duced in a very striking plate (No. xxvi) , in which seven
gaudy individuals of this nearly extinct species are rep-
resented feeding on a favorite weed, the cockle-bur:
"The upper specimen was shot near Bayou Sarah, and
appeared as very uncommon having 14 Tail feathers all
very distinct — uniformly affixed in 14 distinct recep-
tacles that I drew it more to exhibit one of those aston-
ishing fits of nature than anything else — it was a female.
— The Green headed is also a Singular although not so
uncommon a variety as the above one. Louisiana-
December (1821?) J. J. Audubon." The upper bird,
which is here referred to, is noticed in his "Biography"
of the species as "a kind of occasional variety."
On the drawing of the Swamp Sparrow (Plate Ixiv) ,
which was published in 1829, Audubon wrote, evidently
with the wish of having his wife's name appear: "Drawn
from Nature by Lucy Audubon, Mr. Havell will please
have Lucy Audubon name on this plate instead of
mine . . !"
Vandalism is always short-sighted, but seldom has its
vision been more myopic and sinister than in the case of
the copper plates of The Birds of America, most of
which were sold for old metal and converted into copper
bars. Had they been preserved to this day, their value
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 307
would have been an hundred-fold greater than that of
the few paltry tons of metallic copper which they were
supposed to represent. Mr. Ruthven Deane, whose re-
searches in the field of "Auduboniana" have added
greatly to this subject, has given a history of these
plates,19 and of the interesting way in which a remnant
came to be snatched, as it were, from the very mouth of
the furnace, through the persistence and enthusiasm of
a lad of fourteen. To follow this writer's account, it
seems that shortly after the death of her son John, Mrs.
Audubon sold the copper plates to a firm in New York,
where they remained until about 1865, stored in the
warehouse of Messrs. Phelps, Dodge & Company. Not
far from that time the plates were sorted and a few were
given away ; the large remainder was sent to a brass and
copper company, of which William E. Dodge was presi-
dent, at Ansonia, Connecticut. How some of these
were fortunately rescued, in about the year 1873, is told
in a letter to Mr. Deane from Mr. Charles A. Cowles, of
Ansonia :
At that time I was about fourteen years old. I was be-
ginning the study of taxidermy, and was naturally deeply in-
terested in birds. I happened to be at the refinery watching
the process of loading one of the furnaces, and noticed on one
of the sheets of copper that a man was throwing into the
furnace, what appeared to me to be the picture of a bird's
foot. I took the plate from him, cleaned it with acid, and
thereupon discovered the engraving, or as I termed it, the pic-
ture, of a bird (Plate cvi, Black Vulture), I made an im-
mediate but unsuccessful request to the foreman of the furnace
not to melt the plates; and then I appealed to the superin-
tendent, but without avail. I next brought the matter to the
general manager of the concern, my father, from whom I re-
18 Ruthven Deane (Bibl. No. 225), The Auk, vol. xxv (1908).
308 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
ceived no encouragement. This sort of treatment was evidently
what I needed, for I hastened back to the works in a state of
mind so determined that I succeeded in having all the plates,
that had not been melted, removed to a place of safety. This
occurred in the spring of that year; and the plates remained
undisturbed until the annual inventory was taken the first of
the following year. At that time the disposition of the plates
was taken up. I appealed to my mother and interested her
to such an extent that she drove to the factory and looked at
one of the plates. She of course recognized that they were
Audubon plates ; and instructions were given by my father to
keep them intact. The plates were subsequently submitted
to a treatment which removed all oxidation and then taken to
the main office of the company, and to the best of my recollec-
tion, distributed as follows: Mr. Wm. E. Dodge, president of
the company, had a few plates sent to the American Museum
of Natural History, New York City, and a few plates to the
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C., and I think he
retained one or two for himself. The remainder of them, with
the exception of two, my father kept ; and they have since come
into my possession by purchase from the estate. The two
plates just excepted were Nos. xxii and Ixxxii [Purple Martin
and Whippoorwill], and they particularly struck my fancy,
so much that when the plates were first discovered I managed to
secure them on the quiet, cleaned them myself and hid them;
and when the plates were distributed no one knew of the exist-
ence of these two and they later became my property.
It was thought possible that some of these plates had
been sold in New York City before the bulk of them
were condemned as junk and sent to Connecticut, but in
1898 Mr. Deane was able to give the designation and
resting place of only thirty-seven; 20 among these, how-
20 At that time the American Museum of Natural History, New York,
possessed nine; the Smithsonian Institution, six; Princeton University, four;
Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, one, while the remainder
were in private hands.
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 309
ever, were the Wild Turkeys, Canada Goose, Great
Northern Diver, Raven, American Robin, and Ruby-
throated Hummingbird, all among the finest of the orig-
inal 435.
Under the guidance of Mr. George Bird Grinnell,
on April 6, 1916, I paid a visit to "Audubon Park,"
now "Minnie's Land" no longer, where country roads
have given way to business streets and forests to sub-
ways and skyscraper apartment houses. Notwithstand-
ing the momentous changes which the extension of upper
New York City has effected both above and below
ground during the recent era of rapid transportation,
the old Audubon houses still remain, like boulders amid
stream, the impact of the city which has flowed around
and beyond them being checked for the moment by a
rampart of solid masonry, the retaining wall of the far-
famed Riverside Drive, which rises above Audubon's
old house close to its rear veranda and there makes
a wide turn. For Mr. Grinnell this was a return to the
scenes of his boyhood; the home of his father, Mr.
George Blake Grinnell, stood on the hill just above the
Audubon house, not far from the present "Riviera"
building at One Hundred and Fifty-Seventh Street; the
Grinnell apartment house which towers aloft close at
hand stands in their old cow pasture, while their garden
site is marked by the present entrance to the subway
station on Broadway.
The first part of Audubon's original tract to be sold
was the easterly section, extending from what is now
the east side of Broadway to the Bloomingdale Road,
and between the present One Hundred and Fifty-sixth
and One Hundred and Fifty-seventh Streets; on that
portion John Woodhouse Audubon built a large frame
structure which, for a number of years, served as a
310 ! AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
boarding house for workmen employed in the sugar
refinery of Messrs. Plume & Lamont that stood on the
river-bank, at the foot of the present One Hundred
and Sixtieth Street. Victor and John W. Audubon
also built three houses on the hill, one of which, between
One Hundred and Fifty-sixth and One Hundred and
Fifty-seventh Streets, was occupied by Mr. Grinnell;
another, at one time the dwelling of Henry A. Smythe,
a former Collector of the Port of New York, was on
land now covered by the Numismatic Building, while a
third, which was occupied by Wellington Clapp, was on
a part of the Archer M. Huntington estate, south of
One Hundred and Fifty-sixth Street, and stood a little
easterly of the present Riverside Drive; all of these
houses have disappeared. In September, 1842, the Cor-
poration of Trinity Parish acquired from Richard F.
Carman, in Carmansville, the tract of land later known
as "Trinity Cemetery"; this extended from Blooming-
dale Road to the River, and between the present One
Hundred and Fifty-third and One Hundred and Fifty-
fifth Streets.21
The original Audubon house, standing in the angle
nearly opposite One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Street, is
all but concealed, except from the river side, but may
be approached by a lane which leads off from One Hun-
dred and Fifty-eighth Street. In 1913, when this old
landmark was in imminent danger of demolition, the
Commissioner of Public Parks made an eloquent plea
for its preservation to the Audubon Societies and to
lovers of birds and nature everywhere. It was then
suggested that instead of permitting the historic struc-
ture to be destroyed, the city should acquire it, float it
21 For the substance of this paragraph, I am indebted to the Report of
the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, New York, 1913.
AUDUBON'S FAMILY IN AMERICA 311
up the Hudson River to Fort Washington Park, and re-
establish it there as a permanent memorial to the natu-
ralist ; it was also noticed that the public interest was en-
hanced by the fact that the father of telegraphy, Samuel
F. B. Morse, had worked upon his invention while Au-
dubon's guest, and that the first message to be received
from Philadelphia came over a wire which entered his
room at the northwest corner of the building.
An early engraving22 represents the naturalist's
house essentially as it appeared during his lifetime, sur-
rounded by goodly forest trees of oak and chestnut, but
these, when standing at all, are now reduced to gaunt
and scarred remnants. A later print2' shows the
three Audubon houses, the river, and between it and the
lawn "that eye-sore of a railroad," 24 which was built not
long after Audubon settled upon his estate. The orig-
inal house was sold before 1862,25 and about eight years
later its new owner occupied it, after having given it a
mansard roof and made numerous changes which were
sanctioned by an era of bad taste. The naturalist's house
overlooked the river and commanded a grand view from
its high veranda on the front, while Victor's, which later
adjoined it to the north, owing probably to the en-
croachments of the railroad, was built to face the hill-
slope opposite ; a top studio, at a corner of its roof, is an
addition of a later purchaser.26
Adjoining Victor's house on the north was that of his
23 See Mrs. Horace St. John, Audubon, the Naturalist of the New
World (Bibl. No. 71), New York, 1856.
23 See Valentine's Manual of the City of New York, New York, 1865.
24 On October 30, 1847, Bachman wrote John and Victor Audubon that
he proposed to visit them in the following May, when he would leave his
two daughters with them awhile, "to hear you and Victor grumble about
that eye-sore of a railroad, and to enjoy your good company, and your
fish and shrimps."
25 To Mr. Jesse Benedict.
36 Mr. Charles F. Stone, whose sister was an artist.
312 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST
brother, John, and on the east side of this was built the
"Cave" and a barn since converted into a dwelling; at
one time the loft of this barn was piled with boxes of
bird skins and the surplus stock of the Ornithological
Biography,, good copies of which now bring from $30 to
$50.
The three houses which were built and occupied by
the great nature lover and his two sons, though in dire
neglect, are not beyond repair; if such a project were
practicable, they should be converted into a museum,
and their walls once more ornamented with those beauti-
ful pictures of birds and beasts which father and sons
united to create. The triangle of ground between Riv-
erside Drive and the Hudson River should be spared by
the proud city that for years was the home of America's
pioneer naturalist and animal painter, as well as the
scene of his youthful experiments in trade, and con-
verted into a true "Audubon Park." Such a memorial
would contribute to the instruction and pleasure of all
the people, for every generation of Americans that is
to come.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX I
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
314
APPENDICES
1. Copy of the original bill rendered by Doctor Sanson, physi-
cian at Les Cayes, Santo Domingo, to Jean Audubon, con-
tammg the only record known to exist of the birth of his
son, Jean Jacques Fougere Audubon {see entry for April
26, 1785). Les Cayes, December 29, 1783— October 19,
1785; paid, June 7, 1787.
DOIT Mr- AUDUBON ntf- A SANSON
Chirurgien aux Cayes
SAVOIR
1783 Xbre " 29 " ipecacuanha pour un
negre Bossal " 6
" 31 " ipecacuanha pour un
negre Bossal " 6
1784 Janvier " 3 " une medecine pour un
negre Bossal " 6
" 5 " une medecine pour un
negre Bossal " 6
" 7 " une medecine pour un
negre Bossal " 6
" 9 " une medecine pour un
Bossal " 6
" 10 " une medecine pour un
Bossal " 6
" 14 " une medecine pour le
mulatre joue " 6
" 26 " une medecine pour Mr
audubon " 10
mars " 27 " inocule cezard 30 " in-
ocule jupiter 30 in-
ocule Rose 30 «.. . " 90
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 315
la. Translation of the Sanson bill. (For comment, see Chap-
ter IV.)
M. AUDUBON, merchant, to SANSON,
Physician at Cayes
Dr.
TO WIT
Francs
1783 December " 29 " Ipecacuanha for a ne-
gro Bossal « 6 " "
" 31 " Ipecacuanha for a ne-
gro Bossal " 6 " "
1784* January " 3 " A medicine for a negro
Bossal " 6 " "
" 5 " A medicine for a negro
Bossal « 6 « "
" 7 " A medicine for a negro
Bossal " 6 " "
" 9 " A medicine for a Bossal " 6 " "
" 10 " A medicine for a Bossal « 6 " "
" 14* u A medicine for the
mulatto Joue l « 6 " "
" 26 " A medicine for M. Au-
dubon " 10 ""
March " 27 " Inoculated Caesar, 30f ;
inoculated Jupiter,
30f ; inoculated Rose,
30f " 90 " "
1 For probable meaning of this term, see Note, Vol. I, p. 54.
316 APPENDICES
1. The original Sanson bill — Continued.
ayril " 1 " apozeme purgatif pour
joue mulatre " 6 " "
Rabin
7 " une Lotion pour mlle-
Rabin
8 " une medecine pour le
tonneliere . . .
"
«
«
«
6 « "
10 " "
6 " "
3 " "
6 " "
6 " "
6 " "
9 " "
9 w "
Q 66 66
9 " "
10 « «
6 " «
6 « «
6 " "
6 " "
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 321
la. Translation of the Samon bill — Continued.
December " 8 " A medicine for Joue ... " 6 " "
1785 January " 18 " A medicine for M. Au-
dubon ...... 10 ««
" 21 " A medicine for the lit-
tle negro Joue " 6 " "
February " 15 " Two ounces of manna
for Mile. Rabin " 3 « «
« 18 " A m e d i c i n e for the
cooper « 6 " "
March " 6 " A m e d i c i n e f or the
cooper " 6 " "
" 10 " A m e d i c i n e for the
cooper " 6 " "
" 11 " Three doses of kino4
for the cooper " 9 " "
" 12 w Three doses of kino for
the cooper " 9 " "
« ^g « Three doses of kino for
the cooper " 9 " "
«' 14 " Three doses of kino for
the cooper " 9 " "
April " 2 w A night visit for Mile.
Rabin " 10 " "
'* 3 " A lotion for an ery-
sipelas which Mile.
Rabin has on the leg " 6 " "
« 5 " A lotion for Mile.
Rabin « 6 " "
« 7 " A lotion for Mile.
Rabin " 6 " "
" 8 1805 —
s April 9, 1810. Contwued.
in a/c with Wm Bakewell Cr
1809
Apl 18 Clennell 20
Sept 30 Kymar 22
Oct 27 d 47
Nov 6 d 22.50
Dec 23 d° 10..
1810
Jan 23 Cash of Dacosta 299.44
Feb 13 d° of Miller 20
Ball6 of Neckland 237.32
Apl 3 Miller 8
9 d° 6.121/0
$1159.221/2
340 APPENDICES
8. Concerning a Power of Attorney issued by Lieutenant 'Audu-
bon and Anne Moynet Audubon to Ferdinand Rozier and
John Audubon, the Younger, at Coueron, France, in 1805;
parts in French translated by a Philadelphia notary; sig-
natures of original document authenticated by the Mayor
of Coueron, October 21, 1805; his attest of the legality
of Anne Moynet Audubon's signature, at Coueron, October
87, 1805; authentiflcation of the signature of the Mayor
of Coueron by the Sub prefect of Savenay, November 27,
1805; attest of the Subprefect's signature by the Prefect.
(Remainder of document missing.)
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ss :
I, Peter Stephan Du Ponceau, notary public & Sworn Inter-
preter of foreign Languages for the Commonwealth aforesaid,
residing in the City of Philadelphia, do hereby certify that I
have carefully translated into English so much of the Instru-
ment of writing hereunto annexed as is written in the French
language, as follows, to wit:
At the bottom of the Deed [act] and immediately after
the Signatures of the Witnesses, there is a Certificate in France
[French] , which being translated, is as follows :
Seen by us, the Mayor of the commune of Coueron, who
attest the above Signatures of G. Loyen, assistant mayor, C.
D'orbigny, Doctor of medicine, Audubon, & Anne Moynet
Audubon, to whiqh full faith and credit is to be given, where-
ever it may be necessary — Done in our Office at Coueron, the
thirtieth of yendemiaire fourteenth year of the French Empire
t«fcj.
G. VALLIN, mayor.
[Mayor's seal}
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 341
And on the back of the said Deed [Act] is written in French
what follows.
We, Germain Vallin, Mayor of the commune of Coueron in
the Department of Lower Loire in the French Empire, certify
to all whom it may concern, that on this day, personally ap-
peared before me John Audubon and Anne Moynette, his wife,
both now residing in this said commune, and represented to
us, That in order to give its full force & effect to the Instru-
ment written on the other side hereof, in the English language,
which they have declared to be a letter of attorney in favor
of Messieurs Ferdinand Rozier, & John Audubon, junior for
the purposes therein mentioned, it was necessary that the said
Instrument be by them acknowledged before us, according to
the forms prescribed by the Laws of the State of Pennsylvania,
and that the said Anne Moynette Audubon should be exam-
ined by us separate from her said husband, in order to declare
that she has signed and executed the said Deed [Act] of her
own free will and accord, and without being compelled thereto
by her husband; That this formality is rigorously required
by the Laws of the State of Pennsylvania, and no other act,
not even a notarial Instrument, can in any manner Supply
the same.
In consideration thereof, we have received the acknowledg-
ment which the said appearers have made before us, by which
they have declared and acknowledged that the said Instrument,
written in the English Language on the other sides hereof is
their own Act and Deed, and that they desire that it may be
recorded as such, whenever it may be necessary.
And the said John Audubon having withdrawn, we have
examined the said Anne Moynette Audubon separately and a-
part from her said husband, and She declared to us, That She
knows & perfectly understands the contents of the said Deed
[Act], and that She has Signed, Sealed, and declared [deliv-
342 APPENDICES
ered] the same, of her own free will and accord, without being
compelled thereto by her said husband, either by threats or by
any other means of compulsion whatever. In faith whereof,
we the Mayor aforesaid, have Signed the present Certificate,
and have caused the Seal of this mayoralty to be thereunto
affixed — Given at Coueron the thirtieth of vendemiaire four-
teenth year of the French Empire [sic"]
G. VALLIN.
[Seal of the mayoralty
of Coueron.]
(Afterwards is written also in the French Language, as
follows :)
I have seen the above and attest the Signature of G. Vallin,
mayor of the commune of Coueron, above and on the other side
affixed.
Done in the Subprefect's office, at Savenay, the fifth
Brumaire fourteenth year.
The Subprefect of the first District.
MAGONET TEEMELOTEIE
[Seal of the District
of Savenay]
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 343
I attest the above Signature of Magonet Tremelotrie. —
Nantz, the 7th. Frimaire 14th. year
The Prefect
BELLEVILLE
which [remainder
wanting.]
344 APPENDICES
9. Articles of Association of Jean Audubon and Ferdinand
Rozier to govern their partnership in business; drawn up
at Nantes, March 23, 1806. (See Chapter IX.)
[stamp] E n t r e nous soussignes Ferdinand Rozier
REP. FRA. etJeanAudubon, nous proposant de passer
50 aux etats Unis sommes Convenus de former une
societe de Commerce aux Conditions Suivantes.
Article Premier.
La societe sera regie sous les noms Collectifs
de Ferdinand Rozier et Jean Audubon et chacun
de nous aura la Signature pour toute afFaire.de
notre Commerce seulement.
Art. 2.
a Notre arrivee nous prendrons possession de La terre de
Mill-Grove, et nous ferons rendre Compte a Mr. D a c o s t a
qui a la procuration d Mr. Audubon pere . nous nous occu-
perons des moyens de faire valoir cet etablissement ou prendre
Connoissance de La mine de Plomb Decouverte, et avant d'y
continuer les travaux Commences, nous Examinerons si les
depenses faites par le Sr. D a c o s t a ont etc et peuvent nous
etre utiles. enfin nous fairons ou fairons faire des devis Esti-
matifs des frais et des produits qui peuvent en resulter. et nous
n'entreprendrons rien que nous ne soyons tous deux parfaite-
ment d'accord sur le principe en Consequence nous signerons
1'un et 1'autre le pro jet que nous en arreterons afin que 1'un de
nous ne s'en ecarte, et il en sera de meme pour toute les
nouvelles Depences qui changeraient les profits arretes.
Art. 8.
II est convenu que la Moitie du produit de cette habita-
tion seront entre nous par Moitie et pour en Connoitre ainsi
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 345
y*
9a. Translation of the Articles of Association of John Audutr
bon and Ferdinand Rozier.
[stamp] We, the undersigned, Ferdinand Rozier and John
REP. FRA. Audubon, who are intending to go to the United
50 States, are agreed to form a partnership in business
cen upon the following conditions :
Article First.
The partnership will be administered under the
joint names of Ferdinand Rozier and John Audu-
bon, and each of us will have the power of signa-
ture for all matters of our business only.
Art. 2.
Upon our arrival we will take possession of the farm of
Mill-Grove, and we will call to account Mr. Dacosta, who has
the power of attorney of Mr. Audubon, Senior. We shall take
measures to improve the establishment, or make an investiga-
tion of the lead mine discovered [on the property], and before
continuing the work already begun we will ascertain whether
the expenditures made by Sr. Dacosta, have been, and can still
be, advantageous to us. Finally we shall prepare, or attempt
to prepare, estimates of the expenses and the products which
accrue from these, and we shall undertake nothing upon which
we are not both perfectly agreed in principle; consequently
we shall both subscribe to the project which we shall decide
upon, in order that neither of us may depart from it, and it will
be the same for all new expenses which might alter the plans
that are reached.
Art. 3.
It is agreed that half the product of this plantation shall
be divided between us on a one half basis, and in order to
346 APPENDICES
que la perte, nous aurons un Livre particulier pour cet Objet,
d'un Cote seront Inseres les articles de depences par Jour, et
au moment que nous en fairons, de 1'autre Cote les ventes et
Produits des fermes et de tout ce qui pourra resulter de cette
Operation en sorte que le Benefice se verra tous les jours par
Faddition des articles qui Composeront le debit et le Credit.
Art. 4.
La Maison cy dessus sera un objet distinct, de tout Com-
merce afin de pouvoir regler cette propriete tant et tant de
fois que Nous le desirerons. il est meme Convenu que joindrons
aux frais de cette Exploitation ceux necessaires pour la vie
et autres depences communes tant qu'il nous Conviendra de
vivre et d'habiter ensemble.
Art. 5.
II ne peut nous etre interdit de faire tout autre Commerce,
mais avant d'en entreprendre nous resterons six mois a prendre
des Informations aux pays de ce qui pourroit nous etre avan-
tageux, alors nous nous livrerions a quelque operation de com-
merce ou Interieur ou Maritime.
Art. 6.
Nous pourrons Pun et 1'autre faire quelque voyage a 1'effet
de nous procurer des Connoissances, et s'il arrivait que nous
decidions quelque Negociants a envoyer des Merchandises a la
vente ou a la Consignation de Mr. Rozier pere nous fairions
la Condition que le Benefice qui resulteroit de ces Consigna-
tions seroit partages entre nous et le Sur. F. Rozier pere.
&rt. 7.
Tous les benefices comme les pertes resultant de nos Opera-
tions Commerciales seront partagees Egalement entre les
associes.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 347
recognize this [profit], as well as the loss, we shall keep a
special book for the purpose; on one side shall be entered the
items of expense, day by day, and, at the moment this is done,
on the other side [shall also be given] the sales and products
of the farms, and of all that can result from this business,
in such a way that the profit shall be always apparent by the
addition of the items which compose the debit and the credit.
Art. 4.
The house above mentioned [Mill-Grove farmhouse] shall
be an object separate from all business, in order that we may
settle matters as completely as we desire. It is agreed that
we shall add to the expenses of this exploitation, those neces-
sary for life, and others of a common character, so long as it
shall suit us to live and dwell together.
Art. 5.
We cannot be prevented from engaging in any other kind
of business, but before undertaking it we shall remain six months
in order to gather from the country information of a kind
that would be advantageous to us; we shall then apply our-
selves to some commercial occupation, whether inland or mari-
time.
Art. 6.
We are both at liberty to make any journey in order to
procure information, and should it happen that we persuade
any merchants to send goods to Mr. Rozier, Senior, we would
establish the condition that the benefit which might result from
these consignments would be divided between us and the Mr.
F. Rozier, Senior.
Art. 7.
All the benefits as well as the losses resulting from our
commercial transactions shall be divided equally between the
partners.
348 APPENDICES
Art. 8.
Les frais de Passage et autre communs entre nous fairont
le premier article de nos depences sociales. . . .
Art. 9.
Nous nous promettons 1'un et 1'autre a m i t i e et I n—
telligence,et convenons tres expressement qua la moindre
difficulte, nous prendrons chacun un arbitre qui sera authorise a
se choisir un troisieme et nous engageons sur notre honneur a
en passer par tout ce qui sera decide, sans que jamais nous
puissions en faire appel devant aucuns tribunaux.
Art. 10.
En cas de mort de 1'un ou 1'autre (ce qu'a Dieu ne plaise)
le survivant sera seul charge de la Liquidation pour en tenir
Compte a qui de droit, c'est a dire aux heritiers du Deffunt,
mais la societe ne pourra etre dissoute que neuf annees a Comp-
ter du Jour de la Datte du present, ce Cas seulement arrivant,
il sera alloue au survivant une Commission sur les produits de
1'Etablissement fixe a Dix pour Cent.
Fait double et de bonne foy entre nous.
Nantes ce 23 Mars 1806.
JEAN AUDUBON
FERDINAND ROZIEE
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 349
Art. 8.
The expenses of the journey and others of a common na-
ture shall make the first item of our social expenses. . . .
Art. 9.
We both resolve to maintain friendship and mutual under-
standing, and we agree very expressly that, upon the least
difficulty, we shall each select one arbitrator, who will be au-
thorized to choose a third, and we promise upon our honor to
fully accept the decision that shall be reached, without ever
having it in our power to make an appeal from it before any
courts.
Art. 10.
In case of the death of one or the other (which, God for-
bid), the survivor shall have sole charge of making a settle-
ment, in order to give an accounting to those entitled to it by
law, that is to say to the heirs of the deceased, but the part-
nership cannot be dissolved until after nine years, counting
from the day of the date of the present [instrument]. Only
in this event, the survivor will be allowed a commission upon
the products of the establishment fixed at ten per cent.
Done in duplicate and in good faith between us.
Nantes this 23 March 1806.
JOHN AUDUBON
PEBDINAND ROZIER
350 APPENDICES
10. Power of Attorney issued by Lieutenant Jean Audubon,
Anne Moynet Audubon^ and Claude Francois Rozier to
their respective sons, Jean Audubon and Ferdinand
Rozier, at Nantes, France, April 4, 1806, eight days be-
fore the latter embarked to America to enter upon their
partnership m business.
[stamp] par devant Royer et Son Collegue, notaires a la
-£ ' residence de Nantes, departement de la Loire-in-
cen ferieure soussignes, ont comparu le Sieur
Jean Audubon, rentier, et dame Anne Moinet, son epouse qu'il
autorise, demeurants rue Rubens, N°. 39, et monsieur Claude-
fran9ois Rozier, negociant, rue de la fosse, tous trois commune
de nantes, Les quels constituent pour leurs Procureurs generaux
et speciaux Jean Audubon, fils, et ferdinand Rozier, fils, aux
quels, 1'un en 1'absence de 1'autre, ils donnent pouvoir et procu-
ration de faire, pour et au mieux de 1'interet de Constituants,
tous reglements de comptes, eligements de credits, recovrements,
payements, et autres actes analogues avec tous fermiers, cor-
respondants, debiteurs et creanciers des Constituants aux
Etats-unis d'Amerique; plaider, constituer, transiger, recevoir,
donner quittances, renouveler, prendre termes, expedier et
gereralement faire pour leur utilite, tout ce qui leur semble-
ra le plus convenable ; le tout, d'apres les renseignements, pieces
et documents relatifs, qui leur ont ete, leur sont ou leur seront
fournis tant par les Constituants que par autres leurs prece-
dents charges d'affaires et fondes de pouvoirs aux dits Etats-
unis de regir, gerer et administrer la moitie appartenante aux
Constituants de la terre de Mill Grove en Pensylvania meme
d'exploiter ou faire exploiter la mine de plomb recemment
decouverte sur la dite terre : consulter dans tous les cas impor-
tants, monsieur Miers fisher, — negociant a Philadelphie, comme
ami commun et bon conseil; tenir tous livres et registres neces-
saires, faire a la fin de chaque annee ou plutot, la balance de
la recette et depense pour la regie de la dite terre et 1'exploita-
tion de la mine, s'il y a lieu; vendre aux prix, charges, clauses
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 351
10a. Translation of the Power of Attorney issued by Jean
Audubon, Anne Moinet Audubon, and Claude Francois
Rozier to Jean Audubon and Ferdinand Rozier, April 4>
1806.
[stamp] jn presence of Royer and his colleague, notaries,
7'5 ' living at Nantes, department of the Loire-inferi-
cen cure, undersigned, have appeared
Sieur Jean Audubon, capitalist, and Madame Anne Moinet, his
wife, whom he authorizes [to act], living at Number 39, rue
Rubens, and Monsieur Claude Fra^ois Rozier, of rue de la
Fosse, all three of the commune of Nantes: who empower, to
act as their general and special attorneys, Jean Audubon, the
younger, and Ferdinand Rozier, the son, to whom, jointly and
severally, they give authority and warrant of attorney to make,
for and in the best interest of the grantors, all settlements of
accounts, assignments of credits, recoveries of debts, payments,
and other analogous acts with all tenants, representatives,
debtors and creditors of the grantors in the United States of
America; to go into court, settle, compromise, receive, to give
receipts, to renew [loans or notes], to grant time, to expedite,
and in general to do for their benefit all that shall seem to
them most fitting; the whole, according to the instructions,
papers, and documents relating thereto, which have been, are,
or shall be furnished them, as well by the grantors as by their
previous agents and attorneys in the aforesaid United States,
to govern, conduct, and administer the half, belonging to the
grantors, of the farm of Mill Grove in Pennsylvania, as well
as to exploit, or cause to be exploited the lead mine recently
discovered on the said farm; to consult, in every important
matter, Mr. Miers Fisher, — merchant at Philadelphia, as a
common friend and good counsellor ; to keep all necessary books
and registers ; at the end of each year, or sooner, to strike the
balance of receipts and expenses for the control of the said
farm and the exploitation of the mine, should there be reason
for it; to sell at prices, charges, stipulations, and conditions,
352 APPENDICES
et conditions dont il conviendront, mais d'accord avec monsieur
Dacosta, proprietaire de 1'autre moitie, la moitie de la dite
terre de Mill grove, appartenante aux constituants, en toucher
le prix, en donner quittances, faire tous partages, accepter
tout lot et generalement faire pour Finteret des constituants
tous actes conservatoires et definitifs en tous tribunaux, devant
toutes administrations et officiers publics, qui leur paraitront
necessaires ou utiles ; a Peffet de quoi, tous pouvoirs analogues
exprimes ou non exprimes pour tous cas prevus ou imprevus,
meme de substituer en tout ou partie des dits pourvoirs, qui bon
leur semblera et de le revoquer, leur sont donnes par la presente
procuration qui ne sera pas sujette a surannation. -
fait et passe en 1'etude et au rapport de Royer, 1'un de nous,
sous les seings des comparants, apres lecture, ce jour trois
avril mil-huit-cent six. la minute est signee des parties et des
Notaires soussignes ; elle est restee a Royer, 1'un d'eux, enregis-
tree a nantes le trcis avril mil-huit-cent-six par Dufau, qui a
un franc dix centimes.
VARSAVAUX J. NOYER
vu par nous president du tribunal de premiere in-
stance scant a nantes, pour legalisation des Signa-
tures varsavaux et Noyer apposees ci-dessus.
Ce jour trois avril mil huit cent six
GAND ON
COMMERCIAL AGENCY OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA
I William D. Patterson Commercial agent of the United
States of America for the Port and District of Nantes do
hereby certify that the Signatures affixed to the foregoing
Document are those of Messrs J Royer and Varsavaux both
Notaries publick for the City of Nantes and of Mr Gandon
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 353
upon which they shall agree, but in accord with Monsieur
Dacosta, owner of the other half, the half of the said farm of
Mill Grove, belonging to the grantors ; to receive the price
thereof, to give receipt for it, to make all divisions, to receive
all allotments, and in general to perform for the interest of the
grantors all conservative and final acts in every court of jus-
tice before all jurisdictions and public officers, which shall seem
to them necessary or useful : to the effect of which all analogous
powers, expressed or unexpressed, foreseen or unforeseen, even
of substituting in whole or in part of the aforesaid powers,
whosoever shall seem good to them, and of revoking him, are
given to them by the present bill of attorney, which will not
be subject to expiration.
Done and granted in the office and on the report of Royer, one
of us, under the signatures of the persons in appearance, after
reading, this third day of April, one thousand eight hundred
and six. The minute is signed by the parties and the undersigned
notaries ; it remains with Royer, one of us, recorded at Nantes
the third of April one thousand eight hundred and six, by
Dufau, who has received one franc, ten centimes.
VARSAVAUX J. ROYER
[Seal] Examined by us, judge of the Court of the First
Instance, sitting at Nantes, for the authentication
of the signatures Varsavaux and Royer, affixed
above, this third day of April, one thousand eight
hundred and six.
GANDON
President of the Tribunal of premiere Instance at the said
City and that to their Signatures and Ads as such, full faith
and Credit is and ought to be due and given
[Seal] In testimony whereof I have hereunto Set my
Hand & affixed my Seal of Office at Nantes this 4th.
of april 1806.
W D PATTERSON
354 APPENDICES
11. Account Current of John Audubon and Ferdinand Rozier
with the estate of Benjamin Bakewell, late commission
merchant in New York, showing their dealings and stand-
ing with this house during the first sixteen months of their
Drs Messrs John Audubon & Ferdinand Rozier
1807
Augt 1 To Sundry Merchdize pr Invoice $2482 35
31 " Cash sundry expences on the above . . 6 44
Septr 29 " Merchdize Powder Horns shot bags &c 57
Novr 13 " W Taylor exps on D° to Pittsburgh 3 77
" Cash certificate property pr Mentor
to Nantes 2
30 " D° postage sundry french letters. . 3 14
Decer 31 " Adv* pr Jane # for Indigo & ex-
pences 1516 43
1808
29 " Cash f r* & carts6 Oil from Philada. . 1245
30 " D° pd Hislop for breast pins on your
a/c 9
Balance . , 695 12
1808 4787 50
March 1 To Merch6 pr Bill @ 6 mos $ 161
April 7 " your note due this day 3647 29
" R. Henderson am1 due him by you. . 72 12
June 27 " Cash carts6 & Lighterage on tobacco 7 50
" Freight & primage— " D° 105
July 28 " your note due this day 787 73
Septr 23 " Mdse 1 doz sans paraitres 24 24
$4804 90
Decr 13 To Balance $924 49
NOTE BY THE AUTHOR. For brig Mentor, see Chapter XI, Vol. I, p. 163,
and for the ship Jane, Captain Sammis, ibid., p. 158. For Messrs. Robert
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 355
business experience in the West. Covers the period, August
1, 1807 to December 13, 1808. (Statement accompanying
the letter of Thomas Bakewell, reproduced in Vol. I, p.
196.)
in Account Current with Benjn Bakewell Crs.
1807
Augt. 4} By your note at 8 mos $3647 29
Decr. 31 " net proceeds sales on 4.50
your a/c 319.35 323 85
" Francis Rozier balance his a/c 816 56
$4787 50
1808
1 By Balance as pr a/c rendered ____ . ____ $ 695 12
March 1 " your dft on U S Bank Philada ..... 2000
" commission on goods al-
lowed you ......... $118.20 [paper torn]
deduct 1/3 profit on
french goods ....... 24.26 [ 93.94 ]
25 " R Kinder & C°'s accept6 @6mos. [paper torn]
" L Huron's note " 9 days.[ " ]
" your note @ 4 mos for balance.. [ " ]
Balance ................. [ 924.49 ]
New York Decemr. 13th. 1808
for the Assignees of the [estate of Benjamin
Bakewell]
TH[OMAS BAKEWELL]
Kinder & Company, see accompanying letter of Thomas Bakewell, Vol. I,
p. 196, and letter of William Bakewell, his uncle, ibid., p. 199. Laurence
Huron was a French importer, resident in Philadelphia; for his award in
the disputed Dacosta claim, see Vol. I, p. 168. At this time Benjamin
Bakewell's importing business was in the hands of his creditors, but his son,
Thomas Bakewell, was still employed in the office.
356
APPENDICES
11 a. Final Account of Francis Dacosta, rendered July 25, 1807,
to Lieutenant Jean Audubon, his vartner in the unfortunate
Dr-
Mill Grove Farm — in account
1806
July 15th< To printers Charges for advertising 4 44
Aug. 23d To horse hired 450
Octb 15 To housing the chair 4 months 4
Nov. 29 To Notarial and Consular charges in Bordeaux for
Certificate to ma,ke void the mortgage & bond
given to M. Fisher as agent 29 52
1807
July 25 Ballance 390 62
$433 8
Dr* John Audubon of Nantzin Account
1806
June I8t To Balance brought from the last account 316 27
1807
July 25 to interest of the same to this day 13 m., 25 D8* . . 21 15
Sepb» 26 to his half in the Lead ore delivered to him &
valued as ^> 80
above $160.
ditto
1806
ditto to ditto in the tools and furniture d° d° at $189 . 36 94 67
Octb» 15 to ditto in the chair Sold 75 Dollars 37 50
to the recorder in Norristown for entering satis-
faction of John Audubon mortgage to John Au-
gustin Prevost — — — 2 83
to compensation claimed by Francis Dacosta for
making up half of his expences, in managing the
mining Works, the mills repairs, & taking up
the formation of a Company, during two years
of constant cares — troubles — and loss of time
at 300 dollars a year 600 00
$1152 42
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
357
mining enterprise at "Mill Grove'9; later contested and settled by
arbitration. (For comment, see Vol. I, p. 168.)
with Francis Dacosta
Cr
1806
Sepbra 26
ditto
Oct. 11
1807
april 6
By lead ore valued & divided
By tools & furniture — ditto — ditto
By M. Mackley sj refunding money /
By sale of the Chair
By sale of 84 panes of Glass to John Pawling.
Current with Francis Dacosta
160
189 36
2 00
75
6 72
$433 8
1807
July 25
do do
By cash
By half of the ballance of the Mill Grove Farm —
account current amounting as per the above
account to 390 . 62
Ballance claimed this day
6 47
195 31
950 64
E. E. Philadelphia the 25th July 1807
[Signed] FRANCIS DACOSTA.
$1152 42
358 APPENDICES
Ha. Final Account of Francis Dacosta, rendered July 25,
1807, to Lieutenant Jean Audubon, his partner in the un-
fortunate mining enterprise at "Mill Grove"; later con-
tested and settled by arbitration. — Continued.
Erreurs a relever dans le Compte de
M. J. Audubon
Veritables valeurs " au lieu de Difference
dans le Balance " 125"8 300 " 174.92
do Furnitures " 189"36 270" 80.64
do Chairs " 75" 125" 50 "
do Mine 120.29
280.29 400 " 119 " 71
do — 160 "
$425-27
la moitie est de . . 212.63%
Omis $300 paye par francis Dacosta a Miers Fisher
le 24 May 1803 300
Ditto $176"67 La proportion de Fis Dacosta dans
la rente de la premiere annee qui ne lui a pas ete
paye 176.67
$689.30
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 359
12. Quit Claim or Release given by John James Audubon to
Ferdinand Rozier on the Dissolution of their Partnership
in Business at Sainte Genevieve, Upper Louisiana (Mis-
souri), April 6, 1811.
I John Audibon having this day by mutual Consent with
Ferdinand Rozier, dissolved and forever closed the partnership
and firm of Audibon & Rozier, — and having Received from
said Ferdinand Rozier, payments and notes to the full amount
of my part of the goods & debts of the late firm of Audibon &
Rozier — I the said John Audibon one of the firm aforesaid,
do hereby release and forever quit Claim to all or any Interest
which I have or may have in the Stock on hand and debts due
to the Late Firm of Audibon & Rozier unto him the said Ferdi-
nand Rozier, all my rights titles, claimes and Interest in the
goods merchandise and debts due to the late Firm of Audibon &
Rozier — and do hereby authorize and empower him for my part
to collect the same in any manner whatseer . either privately
or by suit or suits in law or equity — hereby acclaiming him
sole and absolute proprietor and rightful owner of all the goods
merchandises & debts of the firm aforesaid, as completely as
they were the goods and property of the Late firm of Audibon
& Rozier —
In witness whereof I have hereto Set my hand & Seal this
Sixth day of April 1811
[Seal]
JOHN AUDUBON
Ed D. DE VILLMONTE
NOTE BY THE AUTHOR. It will be noticed that the naturalist writes his
name seven times as "Audibon," in this document, but signs in the way
usual with him at the period. See Vol. I, p. 24.
360 APPENDICES
13. Copy of a portion of the first Will of Lieutenant Jean
Audubon. Coueron, May 20, 1812. (For comment on
this and documents Nos. 14 to 18, see Chapter IV.)
Jean AUDUBON, proprietaire demeurant a sa maison de la
Gerbetiere commune de Coueron, lequel sain d'esprit a fait son
testament comme suit:
Par les presentes mon testament.
Je donne et legue a dame Anne Moinette mon epouse, la
part et portion disponible en usufruit a raison de ce que j'aurai
ou non de descendants de generalement tous les biens meubles
et immeubles qui m'appartiendront a 1'instant de mon deces.
Je donne et legue a Monsieur Jean Audubon que je crois
actuellement aux Etats-Unis sans cependant en etre sur, la
moitie en toute propriete de generalement tous les biens meubles
et immeubles qui m'appartiendront a 1'instant de mon deces pour
par lui en faire et disposer en toute propriete et a sa volonte
,a la charge toutefois par lui de laisser dame Anne Moinette
mon epouse jouir sur iceux du legs fait ci-dessus en sa faveur.
Je donne et legue a dame Rose Bouffard epouse de Mon*
sieur Gabriel Loyen du Puigaudeau, demeurant actuellement
au Port-Launay en Coueron, la moitie en propre de generale-
ment tous les biens meubles et immeubles qui m'appartiendront
a 1'instant de mon deces pour par lui en faire et disposer en
toute propriete et a sa volonte a la charge toutefois par elle
de laisser dame Anne Moinette mon epouse, jouir sur iceux du
legs que je fais ci-dessus en sa faveur.
Je veux et entends qu'en cas de mort de Monsieur Audubon
ou de madame Puigaudeau, mes deux derniers legataires aux
presentes ou meme de tous les deux, les heritiers en ligne directe
de 1'un ou de 1'autre recueillent entr'eux le legs fait en leur
faveur, c'est-a-dire que les heritiers de M. Audubon recueilleront
le legs qui lui est fait et ceux de Madame Puigaudeau celui fait
a la dite; en cas toutefois que les sieurs Audubon et la dame
Puigaudeau ne recueilleraient pas eux-memes le legs, soit parce
qu'ils precederaient moi le testateur, ou autrement, . . .
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 361
14. Copy of the second and last Will of Lieutenant Jean
Audubon. March 15, 1816.
Moi, soussigne, Jean AUDUBON, demeurant a la Ger-
betiere en la commune de Coueron, departement de la Loire-
Inferieure.
Par les presentes mon testament.
Je donne et legue a dame Anne MOINETTE, mon epouse
la part et portion disponible en usufruit a raison de ce que
j'aurai de descendants de generalement tous les biens meubles
et immeubles qui m'appartiendront a 1'instant de mon deces.
Je donne et legue a Monsieur Jean RABAIN creole de Saint-
Domingue, que je crois actuellement aux Etats-Unis, sans
cependant en etre sur, epoux de Mademoiselle Lucy BACK-
WELL, la moi&e en toute propriete de generalement tous les
biens meubles et immeubles qui m'appartiendront a 1'instant de
mon deces pour par lui en faire et disposer en toute propriete
et a sa voionte, a la charge toutefois par lui de laisser dame
Anne Moinette, mon epouse jouir sur iceux du legs fait ci-dessus
en sa faveur.
Je donne et legue a dame Rose BOUFFARD, creole de
Saint-Domingue epouse de M. Gabriel Loyen du Puigaudeau,
demeurant actuellement au Port-Launay en Coueron, la moitie
en propre de generalement tous les biens meubles qui m'appar-
tiendront a 1'instant de mon deces pour par elle en faire et
disposer en toute propriete et a sa voionte, a la charge toute-
fois par elle de laisser a dame Anne Moinette, mon epouse jouir
sur iceux du legs fait ci-dessus en sa faveur.
Je veux et entends qu'en cas de mort de M. RABAIN ou
Madame Puigaudeau, mes deux derniers legataires aux pre-
sentes, ou meme de tous les deux, les heritiers en ligne directe
de 1'un ou de I'autre recueillent entr'eux le legs fait en leur
faveur.
Cela dit, que les heritiers de M. RABAIN recueilleront le
legs qu'il lui est fait et ceux de dame Puigaudeau celui fait a
la dite dame en cas toutefois que les dits sieurs Rabain et dame
362 APPENDICES
Puigaudeau ne recueilleront pas eux-memes les legs faits, parce
qu'ils precederaient moi le testataire, ou autrement et dans le
cas ou par quelque motif que ce puisse etre les presentes dis-
positions en faveur de Jean Rabain et Rose Bouffard epouse
Loyen du Puigaudeau seraient attaquees et annulees, je declare
donner mes biens meubles et immeubles sans exception quel-
conque a la dame Anne Moinette mon epouse en toute propriete.
Fait dans ma demeure susdite a la Gerbetiere en Coueron le
15 Mars 1816, ViveleRoi!
Signe: AUDUBON.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 363
15. Copy of a portion of the first Will of Madame Anne
Moynety wife of Lieutenant Audubon. December ^, 18H.
Par les presentes mon testament.
Je donne et legue a Monsieur Jean AUDUBON, mon mari,
la jouissance en toute propriete des biens meubles et celle en
usufruit des biens immeubles qui m'appartiendront a 1'instant
de mon deces, pour qu'a 1'un et 1'autre titre de cette epoque,
il en jouisse fasse et dispose comme de tous ses autres biens
sans etre tenu d'en donner caution, voulant et entendant qu'il
puisse faire sur les immeubles tous changements, coupes de bois
et autres qu'il lui plaira, le tout avec dispense des dommages
et interets.
Je donne et legue en toute propriete a Monsieur Jean
Audubon fils et a dame Rose Bouffard, epouse de Monsieur
Gabriel Loyen du Puigaudeau a chacun par moitie, la totalite
de tous les biens qui composeront ma succession immobiliere
a 1'instant de mon deces, duquel neanmoins par suite du legs
fait ci-dessus en faveur de mon mari, ils ne pourront se mettre
en possession qu'a sa mort.
Arrivant que mon mari fut mort avant moi, je veux et
entends que M. Jean AUDUBON fils et la dame Rose Bouffard,
epouse Puigaudeau, recueillent aussi ma sucession mobiliere a
1'effet de quoi le cas arrivant, je leur legue et donne en toute
propriete.
Mes intentions que si M. Jean Audubon fils ou la dite dame
Puigaudeau etaient morts 1'un ou 1'autre avant moi ou meme
tous les deux, leurs enfants soient mes legataires, c'est-a-dire
que les enfants de M. Audubon recueilleraient entr'eux ce que
celui-ci doit avoir et que ceux de Madame Puigaudeau recueil-
leraient aussi entr'eux ce que celle-ci doit avoir a 1'effet de quoi
je les donne et legue aux dits enfants.
Si a ma mort 1'un ou 1'autre de M. Audubon fils ou de
Madame Puigaudeau etaient eux-memes morts sans enfants, je
veux que ce soit alors les survivants d'eux deux ou ses enfants
qui recueillent ma succession entiere, pourquoi a cette cause, je
legue la totalite de mes biens meubles et immeubles, . . .
364 APPENDICES
16. Copy of a portion of the second Witt of Madame Jean
Audubon. May 10, 1816.
Je donne et legue a Monsieur Jean AUDUBON,
mon epoux, la part et portion disponible en usufruit a raison
de ce que j'aurai ou non d'enfants de generalement tous les
biens meubles et immeubles qui m'appartiendront a 1'instant
de mon deces pour par lui en jouir sa vie durant, sans pouvoir
etre tenu a en fournir caution et a ma mort mes heritiers les
prendre dans 1'etat ou ils seront.
Je donne et legue en toute propriete a M. Jean RABIN,
creole de Saint-Domingue, epoux de demoiselle Lucy BACH-
WELL, laquelle je crois aux Etats-Unis d'Amerique, sans
cependant en etre sure et a dame Rose Bouffard, creole de
Saint-Domingue, epouse de Monsieur Gabriel Loyen du Puigau-
deau, demeurant au Plessis commune de Coueron, la generalite
de tous les biens meubles et immeubles qui m'appartiendront a
1'instant de mon deces, pour par eux s'en mettre en possession,
les partager par moitie et chacun jouir faire et disposer de
ceux qui lui echoieront comme de ses autres biens propres de
ce jour. Si M. Jean Audubon mon epoux, est mort avant moi,
mais seulement du jour de sa mort s'il me survit parce que
je veux expressement que le legs fait ci-dessus en sa faveur ait
sa pleine et entiere execution de preference et avant tout.
Je veux et entends qu'en cas de mort de Monsieur RABIN
ou de Madame Puigaudeau mes deux derniers legataires ou
meme de tous les deux, les heritiers en ligne directe de 1'un ou
de 1'autre reunis recueillent le legs fait en faveur de leur auteur,
c'est-a-dire que les heritiers de M. RABIN recueuilleraient le
legs a lui fait et ceux de Madame PUIGAUDEAU ce que celle-ci
aurait recueilli.
Arrivant que les liberalites faites en faveur de Monsieur
Rabin ou celles faites en fabeur de Madame Puigaudeau ou
meme toutes les deux par quelles causes ou raisons que ce soit
viendraient a etre declarees nulles, je veux que Monsieur Audu-
bon, mon epoux recueille en toute propriete les biens meubles
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 365
et immeubles qui en font Pobjet et auraient passe aux mains
de celui ou ceux qui ne pourraient les faire a 1'effet de quoi je
Tinstitue mon heritier en droits, fonds et proprietes pour les
biens que mes autres autres legataires ci-dessus ou 1'un d'eux
seulement ne recueilleraient pas,
366 APPENDICES
17. Copy of the third Will— "No 169— of Madame Anne
Moynet, widow of M. Jean Audubon, living at his house
of La Gerbetiere, situated near the village of Port-
Launay, not far from Coueron." December £6, 1819.
Par les presentes mon testament ;
Je donne et legue en toute propriete a Monsieur Jean
RABIN epoux de dame Lucy BACKWELL, que je crois pre-
sentement aux Etats-Units d'Amerique et a dame Rose BOUF-
FARD, epouse de M. Gabriel Loyen du Puigaudeau aine la
generalite de tous les biens meubles et immeubles de toute espece
et nature qui m'appartiendront a 1'instant de mon deces en
quelles mains et lieux qu'ils soient et par quelques personnes
qu'ils soient dus ou possedes pour par eux deux en jouir faire
et disposer en toute propriete comme de leurs autres biens, et
ainsi qu'ils le jugeront convenable, sauf a les partager par
egale portion s'ils le trouvent a propos et necessaire et sans
que qui que ce soit etant ou se pretendant mes heritiers,
puissent y apporter aucune opposition, parce que par ces memes
presentes, j'institue le dit M. Rabin et la dame Puigaudeau,
mes seuls et uniques heritiers.
Je veux que dans le cas de mort de M. Rabin, ses enfants
recueillent entr'eux le legs fait en sa faveur, je veux egale-
ment qu'en cas de mort de Madame Loyen du Puigaudeau, ses
enfants recueillent entr'eux le legs fait en faveur de la dite leur
mere.
Je veux egalement qu'en cas de mort de M. Rabin sans
enfants, Madame Loyen du Puigaudeau ou ses enfants, re-
cueillent seuls la totalite de ma fortune et par ces memes
raisons, qu'en cas de mort de Mme Loyen du Puigaudeau sans
enfants, Jean Rabin ou ses enfants recueillent seuls la totalite
de ma dite fortune.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 367
18. Copy of a portion of the fourth and last Will of "Madame
Jean Audubon, living at the house of Les Tourterelles
('The Turtle Doves9) at Coueron." July 16, 1821.
Par les presentes, mon testament,
Je donne et legue en toute propriete a Monsieur Jean
AUDUBON, dit Jean RABIN, epoux de dame Lucy BACK-
WELL, et que je crois presentement aux Etats-Unis d'Ame-
rique et a dame Rose BOUFFARD, epouse de Monsieur
Gabriel Loyen du Puigaudeau aine, demeurant a Coueron. Je
leur donne et legue, dis-je la generalite de tous biens meubles
et immeubles de toute espece et nature que je laisserai et qui
m'appartiendront a 1'instant de mon deces, en quelques mains
et lieux qu'ils soient et par quelques personnes qu'ils soient dus
ou possedes pour par eux deux en jouir, faire et disposer comme
de leurs autres biens et ainsi qu'il le jugeront convenables, sauf
a les partager par egale portion quand et comme ils le voudront
sans que qui que ce soit se disant ou pretendant les heritiers
puissent y apporter aucune opposition parce que par les dites
presentes, j'institue les dits M. Jean Audubon, dit Jean Rabin
et la dame Rose Bouffard, epouse Loyen du Puigaudeau, les
deux seuls et uniques heritiers de mes droits, actions, posses-
sions et generalement tous autres, sans exception pas meme
pour les preventions.
Je veux et entends que dans le cas ou 1'un ou 1'autre ou
meme tous les deux ne pourraient pas recueillir les effets de
ma liberalite, soit parce que je leur survivrais ou par toute
autre raison, les enfants qu'ils laisseraient soient mes heritiers
et legataires, c'est-a-dire que les enfants de Monsieur Jean
Audubon dit Rabin, recueilleraient entr'eux la moitie de ma
succession que je leur legue et ceux de dame Rose Bouffard,
epouse Loyen du Puigaudeau, recueilleraient aussi ensemble
1'autre moitie que je leur legue egalement.
Je veux et entends qu'avant de mort avant moi de Monsieur
Jean Audubon, dit Jean Rabin sans enfants, Madame Rose
Bouffard epouse Loyen du Puigaudeau ou ses enfants re-
368 APPENDICES
cueillent seuls la totalite de ma fortune, et par meme raison
qu'en cas de mort avant moi de Madame Rose Bouffard, epouse
Loyen du Puigaudeau; sans enfants, Monsieur Jean Audubon,
dit Jean Rabin ou ses enfants recueillent seuls cette to-
talite, . . .
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 369
19. Notice of the Death of Lieutenant Jean Audubon, from the
Official Registry of Nantes. Nantes, February 19, 1818.
(For translation, see Chapter V.)
Extrait du registre des actes de deces des 3° & 4° cantons de
la Ville de Nantes, departement de la Loire-Inferieure.
L'an 1818, le 19 Fevrier a 11 heures du matin, devant nous
soussignes, adjoints et officiers de 1'etat civil, delegues de M.
le Maire de Nantes, chevalier de Saint-Louis, ont comparu les
sieurs Gabriel Loyen du Puigaudeau rentier, gendre du defunt
ci-apres demeurant a Coueron et Fra^ois Guillet, epicier
demeurant quai de la Fosse, majeurs, lesquels nous ont declare
que ce jour a six heures du matin, Jean Audubon, ancien capi-
taine de navire, pensionnaire de 1'Etat, ne aux Sables d'Olonne
departement de la Vendee, epoux de dame Anne Moinet, est
deced£ en la demeure de demoiselle Berthier, situee chaussee
de la Madeleine, N° 24, 4° canton.
Les declarants ont signe avec nous le present acte, d'apres
lecture leur faite. Le dit defunt age de 74 ans.
Signe au registre : GABRIEL LOYEN DU PUIGAUDEAU,
GILLET et JOSEPH DE LA TULLAYE,
adjoint.
370 APPENDICES
20. Letter of Lieutenant Jean Audubon to Francis Dacosta,
his American agent and attorney, relating to the conduct
of his son and to the lead mine at "Mill Grove" farm;
transliterated from photographic copy of duplicate (Let-
ter No 4) in Jean Audubon's letter-book. Nantes, March
10, 1805. (For translation, see Chapter VIII.)
NANTES Le 19 ventose an 13, 10 mars 1805
Mr DACOSTA
a phyladelphie
p Duplicata.
Je viens de recevoir dans ce moment votre duplicata du
12. 9bre. & la votre du 5. Decembre, qui n'est pas aussi avanta-
geuse, Sous plusiers rapports que votre precedente, mais enfin
il faut esperer que 1'item vous prouvera que votre dernier sillon
ne sera point deserteur, et que les occides de fer qui se trouvent
se dissiperont en fouillant plus avant, au moins c'est ce que
je desire, vous faites bien de faire tous vos efforts pour avoir
des associes & Si cela ne reussit pas, & que vous vouliez
travailler pour notre compte Je trouverai toujours bon, tout
ce que vous ferez, puisque vous avez ma confiance dans ce cas
je crois que vous s . . . ige [?], de faire faire des reparations
les plus urgentes Surtout a la maison principale, Devant
vous y loger. Quand a Mr W. Thomas, vous ferez bien de vous
le garder, pour toutes les raisons, que vous me dites & Je crois
qu'il ne doit pas sopiniatrer a se retirer, qu'il ne sache, s'il a
merite, oui ou non, sa recompense.
Je suis Mr- on ne peut plus f ache de ce que vous ayez a vous
plaindre, de la conduite de mon fils, car le tout, bien considere
n'est occasionne, que par de mauvais conseils & un deffaut
d'usage on a aiguillonne son amour propre, et peut etre avait-il
etc assez jeune pour se vanter, dans la maison ou il va que cette
plantation devait lui echoir, a lui seul; vous avez tous les
moyens de detruire cette presomption, on n' ignore point a
philadelphie, que vous avez autant de droits que moi & que vous
ne faites rien que pour notre mutuel avantage.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 371
Je lui ecris a ce sujet, car il ne men parle point, et je
lui donne la cemonce que merite son indiscretion; vous lirez
cette lettre et voudrez bien avoir la complaisance de la cacheter
avant de lui remettre. Vous me dites que je puis m'en rap-
porter sur son compte au rapport que m'en fait Mr. Meyers
fisher, dans sa longue lettre du mois de Septembre que
Malheureusement je n'ai pas re9u, car Mr fisher, ne me parle
point de lui, ni en bien, ni en mal. Quand a venir dans le pays,
cela me parrait presqu'impossible, rappeller mon fils nest pas
plus aise, les raisons qui me Pen fait Penvoyer existent toujours ;
il ne faut qu'un instant pour le faire changer du mal au bien,
sa grande jeunesse et sa petulance sont tous ses torts et si vous
avez la Bonte de lui donner Pindispensable, il sentira bientot
la Necessite de se rapprocher de vous et pourra vous etre d'une
grande utilite, si vous exploitez par vous meme.
II faut done Mon cher monsieur, que nous tachions de le
ramener par la douceur a son Devoir. Si vous avez de 1'in-
dulgence pour lui ce sera moi qui vous en aurai toute Paubliga-
tion; j'espere que la lettre cy-jointe operera chez lui un change-
ment. C'est mon seul fils, mon heritier, & je suis vieux. Quand
Mr Meiers fisher aura montre ma lettre au pretendu beaupere,
il verra qu'il s'est trompe dans son calcul sur le pretendu
Mariage de sa fille, car s'il avait lieu sans mon consentement
tout secours de ma part cesserait des cet instant ; et c'est ce
que vous pouvez bien si vous voulez avoir cette bonte, dire
au pretendu beau pere, ne voulant pas que mon fils se marie
aussi jeune; vos lettres du 28 Octobre & 12 Novembre sont a
la campagne. Je ne puis point repondre categoriquement sur
leurs contents ; Je les examinerai & vous dirai par ma prochaine
ce que J'en pense. Votre famille que J'ai vu se porte bien. Nos
dames vous remercient de votre bon souvenir. Je suis & .
[JEAN AUDUBON.]
372 APPENDICES
21. Letters of John James Audubon to Claude Francois Rozier,
•father, and to Ferdinand Rozier, son, immediately preced-
ing and following his active partnership in business with
the latter: 1807 and 1812. (For translations see Chap-
ters XI and XV.)
[Letter No. 2, superscribed] Monsieur Fr. ROZIER,
Negociant
Nantes.
Loire inferieure.
NEW YOEK avril fy 1807—
Mr. ROZIER Negociant
Nantes
MON CHER MONSIEUR
Je profite d'une bonne occasion pour Bordeaux pour vous
accuser reception d'un Duplicats des pouvoirs que nous vous
demandai plusieurs mois passes. Vous saurez aussi que les vins
consignes a M. L. Huron de Philadelphia sont arrives en cette
ville et ont sauves les assurances ; votre fils s'est transporte sur
la place et par une de ses lettres m'apprend que les 60 caisses
sont vendues il me dit que vous pouvez compter sur un profit
net d'a peu pres 20 p. ct. s'il s'est trouve tres bons et le reste
ne manquera de trouver acheteur: Mr. Le Ray est arrive et
a apporte avec lui une petite Boite de dentelles pour M. Ben-
jamin Bakewell d'icy elle doit arriver en peu de jours de Phila-
delphia. Mr. B. B. a paru satisfait de la vente de son Bois
Futtie. il lui tarde seulement de voir les retours il est malheureux
que le commerce de votre ville avec ce pays ne soye pas aussi
regulierement suivi qu'a Bordeaux d'ou nous avons des Bati-
ments tous les mois et par plusieurs. Comme notre ami Fer-
dinand vous ecriva de Philadelphia concernant Mr. Huron je
ne m'ettendray pas sur son compte: dans plusieurs de vos
Lettres que si nous nous decidions obtenir un magasin de detail
que vous pourriez nous tenir constamment employe nos idees
sur ce sujet sont par faitement d'accord et ce serait avec bien
du plaisir que nous commenserions sous auspices et les bons
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 873
avis de Mr. Bakewell ici; les objects bien choisis blen achette
et envoye avec soins sont tou jours sur de rencontrer un bon
marcher j'ose esperer que le Navire la Jeanne Capt Sammis
sera arrive a votre port et que les Indigos charges par M. B.
Bakewell pourront y etre venu en temp de vente de cette mar-
chandise dont j'ai neanmoins quelque crainte vu le prix qu'ils
lui avaient coute. Nous vous remercions sincerement pour le
prix courant que vous nous avez envoye, dans une de mes
dernieres ecrite par voye de Bordeaux je vous priais de de-
mander a Mr. Fleury Emery une boite de graines de la Mar-
tinique et de se pays cy. nous esperons sous peu vous envoyer
quelque marchandises et peut etre Mr. Bakewell profitera d'une
occasion que nous aliens avoir en peu de jour pour votre port.
A peu plus trois semaines passees Je fus a Mill Grove et
1'affermais pour un an ne pouvant faire mieux pour le present.
Votre fils a Philadelphia a present va essayer de terminer les
comptes de mon pere avec Mr. Dacotta [Dacosta] qui n'oublie
pas aisement d'etre chicanneur . . . presentez Je vous prie
mes respects et amities a votre bonne famille et epouse et croyez
en moi comme votre devoue
et constant
serviteur
J. J. AUDUBON
Ayez la complaisance de faire parvenie Fincluse a mon bon
pere.
[Superscribed] Mr8 F. ROZIERS
Merch*
St Genevieve
u. L.
SHIPPIKGPORT . 10th. Angst. 1812
MON CHER ROZIER: —
Come il est presque probable que 1'occasion que je trouve
est sur, je suis avec elle le plaisir de t'ecrire quelque mots —
Je re9us en temps ta lettre envoye a Phila a lequelle je re-
pondis alors ; depuis je n'ai entendu de tes nouvelles que par
374 APPENDICES
voies tres indirectes, je serais bien content si tu peux donner
quelques instants a tes amis que tu me compte aux nombre et
m'ecrire par temps; je partis avec ma femme et mon fils de
Phila au mois passe, la plus grande parties de ce temps a ete
a descendre L'Ohio qui est actuellement tres bas nous avons eu
la Barge et L'Equipage du G1 Clark, avec la compagnie de Mr
R. A. Maupin et de Mde Gait qui avaient rester plusieurs mois
a New York & a Phila. Je vais probablement descendre a la
N. Orleans cet autumn avec N. Berthoud, les merchandizes sont
extremement rare et tres chere, partout, mais plus encore les
gros Lainages que 1'on ne trouve du tout.
Je n'ai pas de doute que ton plomb ne se vende tres bien
cet article ayant augmente considerablement depuis la guerre. —
dans les derniers jours que j'etais dans 1'Est j'ai recu une lettre
de mon pere et une de ton frere toute ta famille se portait alors
bien dit 4 mois passes, ton frere desire beaucoup entendre de
toi, si la paix vient un jour non bien loin (ce qu'a Dieu plaise)
j'espere entrer en liaison avec lui.
Je lui est ecrit et 1'engage a faire de meme tes lettres
pouront se rendre si envoyers a N. York et de la dans la Cartel.
Ma femme se porte bien et mon fils sois de meme et compte au
nombre de tes amis est ce que dison celui qui t'estimera tou jours.
Adieu
J. AUDUBOH
APPENDIX II
AUDUBON'S EARLY DATED DRAWINGS MADE IN
FRANCE AND AMERICA
Drawings now in the Collections of Mr. Joseph Y. Jeanes, of
Philadelphia, and formerly belonging to Mr. Edward Har-
ris, of Moorestown, New Jersey; of Mr. John E. Thayer,
Lancaster, Massachusetts; and of Harvard University.
(See Chapter XII.)
In addition to the serial numbers, here given, the drawings
usually bear French and English names, with various notes in
French relating to weights and measurements, and rarely with
sketches of detail.
Mr. Jeanes' collection contains the following:
No. 5 . Long-tailed Mountain Tit, 22 January, 1805
13 . Sedge Sparrow, near
Nantes, 1805
22 . Reed Sparrow, near
Nantes, 1805
78 . Hawk's Eye,— Spotted
Plover,— France, 18 March, 1805 [?]
97 . The Creeper, France, June 7, 1805
86 . Shrike, near Nantes, July, 1805
93 . Nuthatch, near Nantes, July 9, 1805
Terns, France, July 12, 1805
50 . The Redstart, near
Nantes, August, 1805
375
376 APPENDICES
No. 61 . The Great Swallow (Le
martin noir), near
Nantes, 1805
65 . The Wagtail, near Nantes, Dec. 22, 1805
69 . The Green Finch, near
Nantes, Dec., 1805
92 . L'Ecorcheur a tete rouge,
near Nantes, 1805
6 . "Grosbec," near Nantes, 1806 [?]
94 . Woodpecker, near Nantes, March 8, 1806
Fish Hawk, Perkioming
Creek, 1806
209 . Wood Thrush, Mill Grove, August 14, 1806
145 . Long^tailed Duck, New
York, Dec. 17, 1806
Golden Eye, New York, Dec. 28, 1806
153 . American Widgeon, New
York, Dec. 28, 1806
102 . Robin (eggs dated May
8th), New York, Jany. 4, 1807
156 . Shelldrake, New York, Jany. 28, 1807
146 . Widgeon, New York, Feby. 23, 1807
146 . Canvasback, New York, March 22, 1807
163 . Shoveller, New York, April 3, 1807
163 . Sprig-tail, New York, Feby. 22, 1807
Wood Duck, 1807
48 . Orchard Oriole, Falls of
the Ohio, June 5, 1808
214 . Chimney Swallow, Falls of
the Ohio, July 27, 1808
188 . Kentucky W a r b 1 e r, 20
miles from Philadelphia, (June?), 1809
109 . Passenger Pigeon, Falls of
the Ohio, Dec. 11, 1809
Hooded Merganser, Falls
of the Ohio, March 7, 1810
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 377
No. 41 . Catbird, Red Banks, June, 1810
105 . Red-wing Blackbird, June, 1810
81 . The Frog-eater (Hawk),
Red Banks, Nov. 29, 1810
186 . Killdeer, 1811
WO, 201 . Pewit, and Great-
crested Flycatcher,
Henderson, May 22, 1811
207 . Carolina Parrot, Hender-
son, June 9, 1811
49 . Swamp Sparrow, Penn-
sylvania, March 12, 1812
6 . Spotted Sandpiper, Penn-
sylvania, April 22, 1812
11 . Whippoorwill, Pennsyl-
vania, May 7, 1812
10 . Nighthawk, May 8, 1812
58 . Great American Shrike,
Henderson, Nov. 30, 1812
76 . Red-crowned black Wood-
pecker, Henderson, Oct. 15, 1814
66 . Black-capped Nuthatch,
Henderson, Feby. 16, 1815
Willet, Henderson, May 8, 1815
Snipe, Henderson, March 17, 1816
300 . Yellow-billed Rail, Hen-
derson, Oct. 9, 1816
Purple Gallinule, New Or-
leans, April 23, 1821
Chuck Wills Widow, Red
River, June, 1821
378 APPENDICES
The Harvard University collections contain the following:
No. 91 . L'Ecorcheur,
42 . The Sedge-bird, near
Nantes, 1805
43 . The Nightingale, near
Nantes, July 6, 1805
57 . Brown Thrush, near New
York, May 10, 1807
Excellent examples of Audubon's early work in the collec-
tion of Mr. John E. Thayer are :
No. 96 . Woodpecker : prior to
1803 (see note, vol. i, p.
178).
112 . Water Thrush, Mill
Grove, Pennsylvania, Aug. 2, 1806
144 . 64. Malaga Shell Drake.
Goosander, M e r g u s
Merganser A. W. Chute
de L'Ohio 17 December, 1809
175 . Crested Titmouse, Red-
banks, July 1, 1810
71 . 44. The Spirit or Butter-
ball-Bufflehead, Hender-
son, Mar. 19, 1815
154 . Golden Crested Wren A.
W., Sylvia Regulus,
Shippingport, K e n -
tucky; drawn by J. J.
Audubon - Mistletoe on
Black Walnut. Jany. 28, 1820
Hermit Thrush, opposite
Fredericksburg, Ky., Oct. 16, 1820
315 . Rose - breasted Grosbeak
(on spray of dogwood).
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS 379
Among the drawings of the Harris-Jeanes collection which
may be earlier than 1805, though they bear no date, are "The
Black Crow of Buffon, Corneille noire," also the head of a Jack-
daw wholly in crayon and pastel: "No. 160, Le grand Due,
age vingt un an, Buffon, — the large horned owl, Eagle owl.
J. J. L. Audubon," a crayon sketch on paper measuring
eighteen by twenty-six inches, and water-marked "J. Kool";
also "No. 164. La corneille mantelle de Buffon, Royalton
crow, Sea crane, hooded crow, crow — British, — J. J. L. Audu-
bon," a crude sketch in pastels of the same size as the last.
The following legends appear on the drawing of the Can-
vasback Duck: "Get Oiseau est nomme Canvas Back Canard
very much esteemed par les Americans and very rare ici
[c]elui est male et etais beau"; "New York le 22 Mars 1807—
J. J. L. Audubon" "No. 146."
APPENDIX III
"THE BIRDS OF AMEEICA"
1. Final Lists of Subscribers to "The Birds of America"
folio edition, as published by Audubon in 1839. (See
Ornithological Biography, vol. v, pp. 647-651.)
List of American Subscribers
1. Library of Congress of the United States, Washington
City.
£. State Departments, Washington City.
3. Library of the General Court of Massachusetts.
4. Legislature of South Carolina, for the Columbia College.
5. Legislature of Louisiana.
6. Legislature of Maryland.
7. Legislature of New York.
8. Legislature of Michigan.
9. Boston Athenaeum.
10. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
11. Providence Atheneum, Rhode Island.
12. Salem Atheneum, Salem, Massachusetts.
13. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.
14. Academy of Natural Sciences, do.
15. Columbia College of New York.
16. Boston Natural History Society.
17. Charleston Library, South Carolina.
18. Charleston Natural History Society, South Carolina.
19. Charleston Citizens' Library, do
20. Richard Harlaw [Harlan], Esq., M.D., Philadelphia.
380
"THE BIRDS OF AMERICA" 381
81. John P. Wetherell, Esq. Philadelphia.
22. Mrs. Ford, do.
23. Mrs. Douglas Cruger, New York.
24. Edward Prime Esq., banker, New York.
25. James G. King, Esq. do. do.
26. Cornelius C. Low, Esq. do.
27. P. J. Stuyvesant, Esq., M.D. do.
28. Robert Ray, Esq. do.
29. J. L. Joseph, Esq. do.
30. Richard N. Carman, Esq. do.
31. Mrs. Bailey, do.
32. Stephen Van Rensselaer, Esq., Albany, New York.
33. Hogden Haggerty, Esq. do.
34. W. L. Colman, Esq. do.
35. Samuel Swartout, Esq. do.
36. James Watson Webb, Esq. do.
37. Thomas H. Faile, Esq. do.
38. Lewis Rogers, Esq. do.
39. Jer. Van Rensselaer, Esq. M.D. do.
40. H. C. De Rham, junior, Esq. do.
41. Stephen A. Halsey, Esq. Long Island, do.
42. Edward Harris, Esq. Moorestown, New Jersey.
43. Thomas H. Perkins, Esq. Boston.
44. J. G. Gushing, Esq. do.
45. Samuel Appleton, Esq. do.
46. George C. Shattuck, Esq. M.D. Boston.
47. P. J. Jackson, Esq. do.
48. James Brown, Esq. do.
49. Frederick Tudor, Esq. do.
50. The Honourable Daniel Webster, do.
51. Augustus Thorndike, Esq. do.
52. L. Baldwin, Esq. Civil Engineer, do.
53. E. Greenwood, Esq. Museum, do.
54. George Pratt, Esq. do.
55. William Sturges, Esq. do.
56. Robert Gilmor, Esq. Baltimore.
57. John B. Morris, Esq. do.
382 APPENDICES
58. Smith, Esq. Baltimore.
59. Thomas Edmonston, jun. Esq. do.
60. William Gaston, Esq. Savannah, Georgia.
61. James Potter, Esq. do. do.
62. Alexander Telfair, Esq. do. do.
63. Thomas Young, Esq. do. do.
64. John David Mongin, Esq. do. do.
65. Daniel Blake, Esq. do. do.
66. Thomas Butler King, Esq. St. Simon Island, Georgia.
67. Thomas Metcalf, Esq. Augusta, Georgia.
68. E. Geddings, Esq. M.D., Charleston, South Carolina.
69. William J. Rees, Esq. Stateburgh, do.
70. R. O. Anderson, Esq. Georgetown, do.
71. Miss Burley, Salem, Massachusetts.
72. Miss Elizabeth L. Pickman, Salem, Massachusetts.
73. William Oakes, Esq. Ipswich, do.
74. James Arnold, Esq. New Bedford, Rhode Island.
75. Garnet Duncan, Esq. Louisville, Kentucky.
76. John Croghan, Esq. M.D. do. do.
77. Henry Clay, jun. Esq. Ashland, do.
78. James Grimshaw, Esq. New Orleans.
79. Gustavus Schmidt, Esq. do.
80. J. J. Hughes, Esq. Manchester, Mississippi.
81. John Hunt, Esq. Mobile, Alabama.
82. Henry Hunt, Esq. Mobile, Alabama.
Europe
1. Her Most Excellent Majesty, Queen Adelaide, England.
2. (His Most Christian Majesty, Charles X).
3. His Majesty Philippe I. King of the French.
4. Her Royal Highness Mademoiselle d'Orleans.
5. Prince Massena, Paris.
6. His Grace the Duke of Rutland, London.
7. The Honourable W. C. Wentworth Fitzwilliam, London.
8. The Right Honourable the Countess of Ravensworth,
Ravensworth Castle.
"THE BIRDS OF AMERICA" 383
9. The University of Edinburgh.
10. The Society of Writers to her Majesty's Signet,
Edinburgh.
11. Henry Witham, Esq. of Lartington, Durham.
12. John Rutter, Esq., M.D., Liverpool.
13. Doctor Bickersteth, Liverpool.
14. Armorer Donkin, Esq. Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
15. Yorkshire Philosophical Society, York.
16. John Clough, Esq., Oxton Hall, Yorkshire.
17. Jos. S. Crompton, jun., Esq., Eshott Hall, Bradford,
Yorkshire.
18. Thomas Walker, Esq. Killinbeck, near Leeds.
19. Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society.
20. John Marshall, jun. Esq., Headlinglay, Leeds.
21. Samuel Greg [Gregg], Esq., Quarry Bank, near Man-
chester.
22. Edward Lloyd, Esq., Greenhill, near Manchester.
23. The Manchester Society for the promotion of Natural
History.
24. The Reverend Peter Horden, M.A., for the Cheetham
Library, Manchester.
25. G. W. Wood, Esq., Manchester.
26. Mrs. Rattsbone [Rathbone], Greenbank, Liverpool.
27. J. G. Children, Esq., British Museum, London.
28. The Right Honourable the Earl of Caernarvon, London.
29. S. P. Atkins, Esq., Walbrook, London.
30. The Right Honourable the Earl of Derby, P. Z. S.
[President o*f the Zoological Society], &c. &c. &c.
31. The Right Honourable Earl Spencer, London.
32. John Heathcote, Esq., London.
33. Joseph John Gurney, Esq. Earlham Hall, Norfolk.
34. James Darbyshire, Esq., Manchester.
35. John Blackwell, Esq., Manchester.
36. A. J. Cresswell Baker, Esq., Prowin Park.
37. Reverend Edward Craig, Edinburgh.
38. The College of Glasgow, as Trustees of the Hunterian
Museum.
384 APPENDICES
39. John Buddie, Esq., Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
40. The York Subscription Library, York.
41. Kirk Patrick, Esq., London.
42. T. B. L. L. Baker, Esq. Christ Church, Oxford.
43. Doctor Lodge, for the University Library, Cambridge.
44. George Thackeray, D.D., Provost of King's College,
Cambridge.
45. The Cambridge Philosophical Society.
46. The Fitzwilliam Museum, by M. Davy, Vice Chancellor.
47. Dr. Kidd, for the Anatomical School, Christ Church,
Oxford.
48. Doctor Williams, for the Radcliffe Library, Oxford.
49. James Pickering Ord, Esq., Hedge Hill, near Derby.
50. The Right Honourable Viscount Milton, London.
51. M. Feuillet, for the Library of the Royal Institute of
France.
52. Vicounte [Viscount] Simeon, for the Ministry of the
Interior, 6 copies.
53. M. Pitois, Paris.
54. Mrs. Warden, London.
55. Mr. Hearne, bookseller, London.
56. Henry Ellisan, Esq., Beverly, Yorkshire.
57. Benjamin Smith, Esq. M. P., London.
58. The Right Honourable the Earl of Bradford, London.
59. Thomas Frost, Esq., Gorton Hall, near Manchester.
60. John G. Reeves, Esq., Birmingham.
61. Birmingham Old Library , by Beilby, Knott, and Beilby.
62. Joseph C. Dyer, Esq., Manchester.
63. Thomas Walker, Esq., Ravensfield, near Doncaster.
64. George Lamb Fox, Esq., Yorkshire.
65. Haarlem Library, Holland.
66. Mrs. [Miss] Euphemia Gifford, Duffield Bank, Derby.
67. Charles Fox, Esq., Perrair, near Truro, England.
68. George Lane Fox, Esq., Yorkshire.
69. Sir John Tobin, Liverpool.
70. His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch, Dalkeith Palace,
Scotland.
"THE BIRDS OF AMERICA" 385
71. His Imperial and Royal Highness the Grand Duke of
Tuscany, &c. &c. &c.
78. London Institution, by Mr. Bradley, Librarian.
73. Benjamin Phillips, Esq., F. R. S. L., &c. &c. &c. 17
Wimpole Street, London.
74. Henry G. Bohn, Esq., London.
75. Charles J. Warde, Esq. Welcomb, near Stratford-on-
Avon.
76. The British Museum, London (in part).
77. His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, &c. &c. &c.
78. Earl Hardwicke, &c. &c. &c. Wimpole, Arrington, Cam-
bridge.
79. Sir Jacob Hastley, Bart, &c. &c. &c., Cavendish Square,
London.
386 APPENDICES
2. Prospectus of "The Birds of America," as issued in 1828,
when ten Numbers of the original folio were engraved.
(Compare Ornithological Biography, vol. i, pp. 1-16, as
supplementary text, at the end.)
Under the Particular Patronage and Approbation
of
His Most Gracious Majesty
BIRDS OF AMERICA
from
Drawings
made
During a Residence of Twenty-five Years
in
The United States and its Territories,
by
John James Audubon,
Citizen of the United States.
Member of the Lyceum of New York; Fellow of the Royal Society of Edin-
burgh; of the Linnean Society of London; Member of the Wernerian
Natural History Society of Edinburgh; of the Zoological Society, Lon-
don; Fellow of the Society of Scottish Antiquaries; Member of the
Society for promoting the useful Arts of Scotland ; of the Literary and
Philosophical Societies of Cambridge, Liverpool, and Newcastle-upon-
Tyne; of the Horticultural Society of Edinburgh; of the Natural His-
tory Society of Manchester; of the Scottish Academy of Painting,
Sculpture and Architecture, &c., &c.
PROSPECTUS.
To those who have not seen any portion of the Author's
splendid Collection of Original Drawings it may be proper to
explain, that their superiority consists in every specimen being
of the full size of life, portrayed with a degree of accuracy as
to proportion and outline, the result of peculiar means dis-
"THE BIRDS OF AMERICA" 387
covered and employed by the Author, and lately exhibited to
a meeting of the Wernerian Society. Besides, in every instance
where a difference of plumage exists between the two sexes,
both the Male and Female Birds have been represented. The
Author has not contented himself with single profile views of
the originals, but in very many instances he has grouped them,
as it were, at their natural avocations, in all sorts of attitudes,
either on branches of trees, or amidst plants and flowers : some
are seen pursuing with avidity their prey through the air, or
searching diligently their food amongst the fragrant foliage;
whilst others of an aquatic nature swim, wade, or glide over
their allotted element. The Insects, Reptiles, or Fishes, that
form the food of the birds, have been introduced into the draw-
ings; and the nests of the birds have been frequently repre-
sented. The Plants are all copied from Nature, and the
Botanist, it is hoped, will look upon them with delight. The
Eggs of most of the species will appear in the course of the
publication.
The Particulars of the Plan of the Work will be found de-
tailed below: —
1. The Engravings in every instance to be of the exact di-
mensions of the Drawings, which, without any exception,
represent the Birds of their natural size.
52. The Plates will be Coloured, in the most careful manner,
from the original Drawings.
3. The Size of the work will be Double Elephant, and printed
on the finest Drawing Paper.
4. Five Plates will constitute a Number; one Plate from one
of the largest Drawings, one from one of the second
size, and three from the smaller Drawings.
5. There are 400 Drawings ; and it is proposed that they shall
comprise Three Volumes, each containing about 133
Plates, to which an Index will be given at the end of
each, to be bound up with the Volume.
6. Five Numbers will come out annually.
7. The Price of each Number will be Two Guineas; payable
on delivery.
388 APPENDICES
TEN Numbers being now completed, will give an exact idea
of the nature and style of the Work. All the other Numbers
will at least equal these in interest and execution. It would
be advisable for the Subscribers to procure a Portfolio, to keep
the Numbers till a Volume is completed.
*J|C* Persons desirous of becoming Subscribers are requested
to apply to Mr. Audubon, or Mr. Robert Havell, Jun. (En-
graver), 79, Newman Street, Oxford Street, London.
Where Specimens of the Work may be seen: or, to any of
the following Agents: — Messrs. Treuttel, Wiirz & Co., Soho
Square, and Mr. S. Highly, Fleet Street, London; MM. Lev-
rault and Pitois, Paris; Messrs. Robinsons, Liverpool; Mr. T.
Sowler, Manchester ; Mr. M. A. Barclay, York ; Messrs. Herna-
man and Robinson, Leeds; Mr. E. Charnley, Newcastle-upon-
Tyne; and J. B. Kidd, Esq., Edinburgh.
NOTE BY THE AUTHOR. Audubon's first Prospectus was issued on March
17, 1827, when two Numbers of his large work were ready, and the last
which I have seen bears the date of 1831, when one hundred plates had been
published. The present citation is from a copy in possession of the Boston
Public Library; it is printed on two sides of white paper, octavo, and bears
the autograph of "Wm. Everett, Esq., Aug. 7, 1867."
"THE BIRDS OF AMERICA" 389
3. Prospectus of the Second (partial) Edition of "The
Birds of America," issued by John Woodhouse Audubon,
through Messrs. Triibner $ Company, London, 1859.
(See Bibliography, Nos. 9 and 10.)
AUDUBON'S
Celebrated Work
BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA
To be published in Numbers, by Subscription only,
at one half the original price.
The undersigned proposes to publish, by Subscription,
this well-known Work of his late Father, J. J. Audubon,
F.R.SS.L.&E., etc., from the original Copperplates transferred
to stone.
This Edition, in softness, finish, and correctness of color-
ing, will be superior to the first, and every Plate will be col-
ored from the original Drawings, still in possession of the
family.
It will contain all the Plates and Text of the original
Work, embracing more than one thousand figures of Birds,
all of the size of nature, represented in action amid the scenes
or on the plants most common to their habits, — together with
seven volumes royal octavo, of Ornithological Biography.
The Work will be issued in forty-five numbers viz., forty-
four of Plates and one of Text, each number of Plates con-
taining ten — printed on seven sheets double-elephant paper,
of the best quality for the purpose, £7 by 40 inches, and will
be delivered to Subscribers Monthly, at £2, 8s per number;
the last Number, comprising seven volumes of Text, to be de-
livered bound with the fifteenth number.
It is intended that each Number shall contain as follows:
Viz. two large Plates, each occupying the whole sheet; two
of a medium size, each occupying also the entire sheet; and
six of the smaller size, two Plates on a sheet ; thus presenting
ten of the original Plates on seven sheets, giving a variety in
390 APPENDICES
each number. The text is properly and scientifically classified,
and when the Work shall be completed the Plates can be placed
and be bound corresponding with the order of the Text, in
either threje or four Volumes. The regular issue of the Num-
bers will commence so soon as the number of Subscribers will
justify the undertaking.
As the Work will be published for Subscribers alone, few
or none being printed beyond the number subscribed for, it is
not possible that its pecuniary value can ever be much reduced ;
on the other hand, the probabilities are that it will rather
be increased. Nor will there ever be a time when it can be
published at a less price than the present; for in estimating
the cost the mere expense of manufacturing has been taken
into consideration, without reference to the original cost of
the Copper-plates, which was nearly One hundred thousand
Dollars; and a very small profit has been charged on the ex-
pense thus estimated.
The first Number is considered superior in many respects
to the same Plates in the first Edition, and it is confidently
hoped that subsequent Numbers will exhibit still greater
superiority as the Artists gain experience. A full list of Sub-
scribers will be published with the Work. The Numbers will
not be sold separately, except the first, which will be sent,
properly packed, as a Specimen, to any part of the country,
free of expense, on the receipt of £2, 8s.
Orders or communications to Triibner & Co., Booksellers,
60, Paternoster Row, London.
New York, March 81, 1859.
J. W. AUDUBON.
Triibner & Co. also offer to the Trade and the Public the
following Editions of Audubon's Birds and Quadrupeds of
North America:
Birds of North America — Library Edition, 7 vols., royal
8vo., with 500 finely colored Plates, from Drawings made in
the United States and their Territories. Price £25.
"THE BIRDS OF AMERICA" 391
Quadrupeds of North America, — By J. J. Audubon and
Rev. John Bachman. Original Edition, 3 vols. imperial folio,
bound in half russia. One hundred and fifty superbly colored
Plates. With descriptive letter-press, in 3 vols., royal 8vo.
Price £63. The same work, — Library Edition, 3 vols. royal
8vo. with one hundred and fifty-five finely colored Plates.
Price £9, 9s.
NOTE BY THE AUTHOR. For the citation of this rare document, from the
only copy known to exist, I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Ruthven
Deane, who writes: "I found this Prospectus bound in the first volume of
The Ibis (1859). This copy was previously in possession of the late Pierre
Verreaux, of Paris, France, and is now in the John Crerar Library, Chicago,
Illinois."
Ornithologists will be pleased to find that it immediately sets at rest
numerous disputed questions concerning the plates and text of this sole, but
ill-fated, attempt at the republication of the original folio of The Birds of
America in America. (See Bibliography, Nos. 9 and 10, and Chapter
XXXVI, p. 296.)
Mr. Ruthven Deane has written me that an examination of the account
books kept by the Audubons during the publication of the large and small
editions of The Birds of America showed partial payments on the Folio by
23 subscribers; the only name among those not listed in the Ornithological
Biography was that of J. R. Peters, who was credited with a payment of
$412.00. Mr. Deane adds: "I have a list of the subscribers to the 1840,
8vo., edition, of 1,095 names, New York, Baltimore and Boston taking 501;
also a list of subscribers to the Quadrupeds of North America, 3 volume,
8 vo., edition, of 2,004 names, New York, Boston and Charleston, South
Carolina, taking 1,102."
APPENDIX IV
AUTHENTIC LIKENESSES OF JEAN JACQUES FOUGERE AUDUBON
1. 1824,. — Oil portrait by himself; painted at "Beech
Grove," William Garrett Johnson's planta-
tion, West Feliciana, Louisiana; presented by
Audubon to Mrs. Johnson; inherited by her
daughter and granddaughter, and now in pos-
session of Dr. D. G. Murrell, Paducah, Ken-
tucky. Size of original, IS by 9 inches. Re-
produced in The Auk, vol. iii, 1886 (see Bibliog-
raphy, No. 184).
2. 1826 ( ?).— Oil portrait by himself ( ?), 18 by 32 inches,
West Feliciana ; presented by Audubon to Col.
Edward Durrive's father, later acquired by
Mr. E. Curtis, and now in the possession of
Mr. Thomas P. Thompson, New Orleans.
My information concerning this doubtful portrait has been
derived entirely from Mr. Ruthven Deane, to whom its present
owner recently wrote: "My Audubon, by himself, attracts
much interest, and grows more real as time makes it familiar."
3. 1826. — Pencil sketch by himself; signed
"Audubon at Green Bank
Almost, Happy!!— Sepr 1826."
Made at the home of Mr. William Rathbone,
Sr., and presented to Mrs. Rathbone; now in
possession of Mr. Richard R. Rathbone, Glen-
y-Menai, Anglesey; for reproduction see The
Life and Adventures of John James Audubon,
392
AUTHENTIC LIKENESSES 393
edited by Robert Buchanan, and Maria R.
Audubon, Audubon and His Journals.
4. 1826 (?).— Oil portrait by W. H. Holmes, 36 by 28
inches ; painted for Audubon's friend, Walter
Horton Bentley, Manchester, England, and in
possession of the Bentley family ever since.
Audubon is represented in a green coat, a crim-
son cloak with deep fur edging thrown over one
shoulder, and with portfolio in hand.
For information concerning this fine but little known por-
trait, as well as for the photograph reproduced in Vol. I, p. 416,
I am indebted to Mr. Ruthven Deane. In 1913, Mr. John Con-
way Bentley, a grandson of the former owner, formerly of
Glasgow, but then living in Cheshire, England, attempted to
dispose of the Holmes portrait in this country.
5. 1826. — Oil portrait by John Syme; painted at Edin-
burgh, November, 1826 ; supposed to have been
engraved by W. H. Lizars, but no trace of
painting or engraving has been found. See
Maria R. Audubon, op. cit., vol. i, pp. 157
and 165.
On November 27, 1826, Audubon wrote: "At twelve I went
to stand up for my picture, and sick enough I was of it by
two; at the request of Mr. Lizars I wear my wolf-skin coat,
and if the head is not a strong likeness, perhaps the coat may
be." In writing to his son, Victor, in 1833 (see Chapter
XXVII, p. 57), Audubon said: "I am glad to hear of Kidd &
Co.'s publication of Parrots, but I regret that my face should
have been there from Syme's picture, which in my estimation
is none of the best."
6. 1828. — Oil portrait painted in London by an American
artist named Parker, in August, 1828 ; Parker
subsequently accompanied Audubon and
394 APPENDICES
Swainson to Paris, where he is said to have
executed portraits of Cuvier and Redoute.
On August 25, a few days before starting on
this journey, Audubon wrote: "Mr. Parker has
nearly finished my portrait, which he consid-
ers a good one, and so do I" (Maria R. Audu-
bon, op. cit., vol. i, p. 303). No further men-
tion of this painting has been found.
7. 1830-31. — Miniature painted on ivory by Frederick
Cruikshank, probably in London, and before
Audubon's return to America on August 2,
1831. This portrait has become well known
through the excellent engraving of it by C.
Turner, A.R.A., first published in London,
"Jany. 12, 1835, for the Proprietor, by Robert
Havell, Print-seller, 77, Oxford Street," with
Audubon's characteristic autograph. Good
copies of the original engraving have become
very rare. (See Frontispiece, Vol. I.)
Miss Maria R. Audubon possesses a very faint water-color
sketch of the original, which, as she has recently written me,
"was destroyed by fire at Shelbyville, Kentucky, with many
other rare and valuable belongings of my grandmother's, soon
after her death [in 1874]."
8. 1833. — Portrait in oils by Henry Inman; half-length,
natural size; in possession of Miss Harriet B,
Audubon. "Mr. Inman has painted my Por-
trait in Oil, and / say that it is a truer por-
trait of me than even the Miniature" (see
Chapter XXVII, p. 39). Engraved by H. B.
Hall for the second Octavo Edition of The
Birds of America, published in 1856, and the
same engraving has appeared in later editions
of The Life of John James Audubon, the
Naturalist, edited by Lucy Audubon; for re-
AUTHENTIC LIKENESSES 395
production of a photograph of the original
portrait, see Maria R. Audubon, op. cit.9 vol. i,
p. 206; and for reproduction of the Hall en-
graving, Vol. II, p. 130, of the present work.
This portrait, like the Cruikshank miniature, has become
well known through frequent reproduction ; both represent the
naturalist at the full meridian of his working powers, and are
among the finest likenesses of him extant.
9. 183^. — "John J. Audubon"; portrait drawn and en-
graved on steel by J. Brown ; published by Geo.
Henderson, 2, Old Bailey, Ludgate Hill, Lon-
don, 1834. A poor drawing of Audubon, in
hunting dress, published with a biographical
sketch, in an English edition of Cuvier's Le
regne animal (see Bibliography, No. 56).
This drawing served as the basis of a wood en-
graving, in which Audubon is represented as
a much younger man, three-quarters length,
gun in hand, with thumb on trigger, which ap-
peared in Gleason's Pictorial for 1852 (see
Bibliography, No. 67.).
10. (Before) 1839.— Life Mask, made in London by Robert
Havell, Junior, and formerly in his possession;
acquired from his daughters, Mrs. Amelia Jane
Lockwood and Miss Marion Elington Havell,
by Mr. John E. Thayer, and by him presented
to Harvard University. For reproduction of
the mask, for excellent photographs of which
I am indebted to Dr. Samuel Henshaw, Direc-
tor of the Museum of Comparative Zoology,
Harvard University, see Vol. II, p. 188.
The original was made from a dark colored plaster (?),
and has a decidedly coarse texture. Mr. Harry P. Havell, who
possesses a replica of the original in wax, writes that he ob-
tained from the Misses Havell, his cousins, the information
396 APPENDICES
that this mask was made while Audubon was at their home
in London; the matter was treated in a jocular way, as Audu-
bon lay upon a sofa with straws in his nose, while submitting
to the rather unpleasant ordeal of having a mold made of his
countenance. Mr. Havell, to whom I am indebted for the sub-
stance of this note, also possesses the silver loving cup, which
Audubon presented to Robert Havell upon the completion of
the second volume of his illustrations in 1834 (see Chapter
XXXII, p. 192). For notice of another mask by O'Neill, Edin-
burgh, 1827, see Maria R. Audubon, op. cit., vol. i, p. 205.
11. 1838. — Portrait in oils, three-quarters length, by George
P. A. Healy; represents Audubon in hunting
shirt, with flowing collar open at neck, knap-
sack at side and gun in hand (see Frontispiece,
Vol. II) ; painted in London upon the initiative
of the artist, still struggling for recognition.
This portrait, with a number of other paintings, was raffled
at Boston, at a later day, when it was won by the artist, who
then gave it to a former patron, Mr. Bradlee, by whom it was
presented to the Boston Society of Natural History, and it
now hangs in the library of that institution. The present re-
production is from a photograph received through the kind-
ness of Mr. Ruthven Deane, who still owns the negative, which
was reproduced in Mr. Healy's Reminiscences (see Bibliog-
raphy, No. 197).
12. 1840-45 ( ?). — Cameo, by John C. King; original intaglio,
in shell, a cast of which was given by the artist
to Mr. Kennard, and is now in possession of
Mr. Frederic H. Kennard, of Boston ; cast first
reproduced by C. Hart Merriam, in The Auk
for 1908 (see Bibliography No. 226).
Mr. King was a Scotch artist and sculptor, who died at
Boston, April 21, 1882.
13. 1841 ( ?)• — Portrait in oils, full length and size, by John
Woodhouse Audubon; figure seated, with land-
AUTHENTIC LIKENESSES 397
scape background; gun resting on arm, and
dog at side. For reproduction, see Maria R.
Audubon, op. cit. This or the following used
as the basis of a painting by Alonzo Chappel
(see No. 23).
14. 1841 (?)• — Half-length portrait in oils, natural size, by
John Woodhouse and Victor Gifford Audubon.
Original presented to the American Museum of
Natural History by Mr. Fordham Morris in
1900 ; for reproduction, see Vol. II, p. 226.
15. 1841 (?). — Full-length portrait, in oils, by John Wood-
house Audubon; original now in possession of
the American Museum of Natural History ; for
reproduction, see Vol. II, p. 250.
16. 1842.— Pencil sketch by Isaac Sprague (1811-1895), an
artist noted for his paintings of plants and
birds. Sprague accompanied Audubon on his
expedition to the Missouri River in 1843. Ac-
cording to Miss Maria R. Audubon, the origi-
nal drawing is still in possession of the Sprague
family, Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. For
reproduction, see Maria R. Audubon, op. cit.
17. 1843. — Half-length portrait in oils, by John Woodhouse
Audubon, representing the naturalist as he ap-
peared when returning from his expedition to
the Missouri River in November, 1843, with
flowing white hair and beard ; he wears a green
overcoat, with fur collar, and with both hands
holds a favorite gun. The original, which was
never quite finished, is now in possession of his
granddaughters, at Salem, New York. For re-
production, see Maria R. Audubon, op. cit., vol.
i. frontispiece.
398 APPENDICES
18. 1844> — Cameo by John C. King, now known only from the
photograph made from a cast of the original
intaglio, which the artist presented to the
father of Mr. 0. A. Farwell, of Detroit, in
1871.
"My father and Mr. King were great friends, and on one
occasion, when father dropped into Mr. King's studio, he found
Mr. Audubon sitting for the cameo. Mr. King introduced the
two gentlemen and asked them to start a conversation, which
was continued during the sitting. The two men became so
animated in their very interesting conversation that they for-
got where they were, and thus the artist was enabled to catch
the natural and striking expression of the great ornithologist."
See "The King Cameos of Audubon," by C. Hart Merriam
(Bibl. No. 226), who published the first account of this pho-
tograph, and of the previously mentioned Kennard cast, with
reproductions, in 1908. No trace of the original cameos, which
were cut in shell, has yet been found. The Farwell photo-
graph has been reproduced as a medallion on the covers of the
present work.
19. 1848-49 (?). — A daguerreotype made by Brady, in New
York, probably before 1850, since it was pub-
lished in that year, and a considerable interval
of time is clearly represented between this first
camera likeness and the last which was ever
made of the naturalist (see No. 20, and Vol. II,
p. 280). This daguerreotype was first published
as a steel engraving by D'Avignon, in Lester's
Gallery of Illustrious Americans (for which it
was, in all probability, originally made), in New
York, 1850 (see Bibliography No. 62).
The same sun portrait was again engraved
on steel (size 41/4 by 3*4 inches) by Nordheim,
and published by Hermann J. Meyer, 164 Wil-
liam Street, New York. It also appeared as a
AUTHENTIC LIKENESSES 399
wood engraving, brought out by M. P.-A. Cap,
in Le Museum D'Histoire Naturelle, p. 175,
Paris, 1854 : a better reproduction, by the same
process, was given in Scribner's Magazine, vol.
xiii, p. 275 (see " Audubon' s Story of his
Youth," by Maria R. Audubon, Bibl. No. 40),
in 1893.
The original daguerreotype was finally discovered in the
collections at the National Museum, at Washington, where it
had been deposited by Mrs. Elizabeth Berthoud Grimshaw, a
daughter of Mrs. Nicholas Berthoud, and niece of Mrs. Audu-
bon; it was again published by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, and Miss
M. R. Audubon, in 1894 (see "The Last Portrait of Audubon,"
Bibl. No. 196). According to the writers just cited, the da-
guerreotype was formerly in possession of Mrs. Gordon, a sis-
ter of Mrs. J. J. Audubon, who gave it to the present owner.
W. 1850 ( ?). — A daguerreotype, representing Audubon as he
appeared at the close of his career ; original in
possession of Miss Mary Eliza Audubon; for
reproduction see Audubon and his Journals,
vol. i, p. 74, and Vol. II, p. 280, of the present
work. As to the probable date of this picture,
see the preceding notice.
21. 1851. — Death mask ; profile from original, since de-
stroyed by fire, reproduced in Scribner's Maga-
zine, vol. xiii, by Maria R. Audubon (Bibl. No.
40), March, 1893.
22. 185 1. — Profile of head; pencil sketch, after death, made
by John W. Audubon; reproduced by Maria
R. Audubon, Audubon and his Journals, vol. ii,
p. 526.
23. 1861. — Oil portrait by Alonzo Chappel, engraved on steel
for Duyckinck's National Portrait Gallery of
400 APPENDICES
Eminent Americans (see Bibliography, No. 74),
and published by Messrs. Johnson, Fry & Com-
pany, New York, 1862.
The original of this portrait, which was evidently drawn,
with slight changes, from the large painting of the same sub-
ject by John Woodhouse Audubon, executed about 1841 (see
No. 13), is now in possession of Mr. Ruthven Deane, who has
written me that it is done in black and white, like all of Chap-
pel's work which was designed for the purposes of steel en-
graving, and measures 12 by 17 inches. Concerning this ar-
tist, Mr. Arthur Lumley wrote to Mr. Deane on April 26, 1905,
as follows : "I knew Chappel in my boyhood days, when he
ranked next to Felix O. C. Darley as an illustrator; at the same
time he was a good portrait painter in oil. Chappel, in many
ways, was a gifted man, and his historical pictures were fine
in composition and color. He held a high rank, and had no
occasion to seek orders, having all he could do, and at his own
terms ; most of his work was reproduced by steel-plate engrav-
ings" : Chappel, he 'adds, who died about 1875, was "a quiet,
genial gentleman who was ever ready to help and guide rising
aspirants in the field of art."
24. 1907 (unveiled). — Bust by William Couper; unveiled at
the American Museum of Natural History, New
York, December 29, 1906. Reproduced through
courtesy of the Museum, at p. 160 of Vol. II of
the present work.
25. 1910 (unveiled). — Statue, by Edward Virginius Valen-
tine; unveiled in Audubon Park, New Orleans,
November 26, 1910; reproduced at p. 14 of
Vol. I of the present work.
APPENDIX V
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Besides the published writings of Audubon, I have included
in this Bibliography such references to his life and times as
occur in the text or which possess some degree of merit; all
other important literary and historical authorities are cited in
footnotes to the text. The titles appear in a single numerical
series, but the arrangement under each head is strictly chrono-
logical. All references to this list in the text are indicated
usually by title, with the name of the author, and always by
Arabic numerals, in correspondence with the series which fol-
lows. If some chaff has been admitted to this garner, no corn,
I hope, has been thrown into the fire.
a. Principal Works
1. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
The Birds of America, from Original Drawings by
John James Audubon, Fellow of the Royal Societies of
London & Edinburgh and of the Linnaean & Zoological
Societies of London, Member of the Natural History
Society of Paris, of the Lyceum of New York, &c. &c.
&c. 4 vols. colored plates, double elephant folio. Pub-
lished by the Author. London, 1827-1838.
Issued without text, titles excepted, to subscribers, in 87
Numbers of 5 plates each, or 435 copper-plate engravings, col-
ored by hand, and representing 1,065 life-size figures of 489
supposedly distinct species of birds. Titles the same, except
that in volumes II-IV, after "New York," in list of societies fol-
lowing author's name, is added, "of the Philosophical Society
401
402 APPENDICES
and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia." Be-
gun at Edinburgh in autumn of 1826, and completed in Lon-
don. June 20, 1838.
A more detailed citation is:
Vol. I. Parts 1-22, pll. i- ex, 1827-30.
Vol. II. Parts 23-44, pll. cxi- ccxx, 1831-34.
Vol. III. Parts 45-66, pll. ccxxi- cccxxx, 1834-35.
Vol. IV. Parts 67-87, pll. cccxxxi-ccccxxxv, 1835-38.
More exact data on publication of individual plates are :
1827 pll. 1- 25 1833 pll. 156-185
1828 pll. 26- 50 1834 pll. 186-235
1829 pll. 51- 75 1835 pll. 236-285
1830 pll. 76-100 1836 pll. 286-350
1831.. pll. 101(?)-125 1837 pll. 351-400
1832.. pll. 126-155(?) 1838.... pll. 400[401]-435
The first ten plates were executed by William Home Lizars,
Edinburgh, 1826-7, but were later retouched or reengraved (?)
by Robert Havell, Junior, who produced all the rest in Lon-
don; printed on Whatman's drawing paper, size (unt rimmed),
39% x 29% inches, and colored after the originals. A consider-
able number of the plain plates were dispersed, and at least one
complete set exists in this state (see Note, Chapter XXVI,
Vol. II, p. 7, and also Chapter XXXII, Vol. II, p. 190) ; scien-
tific and common names, with legends of author and engraver,
and eventually the date of publication, were given on each plate.
Issued to subscribers at two guineas a Part, and sold in Europe
at £182, 14s ; in America, at $1,000. The Turkey Cock (Plate
No. 1) now brings upwards of $140, and perfect sets upwards
of $4,000, according to binding and state. Total number of
original sets probably did not exceed 190 or 200.
2. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, F. R. SS. L. & E. [with list of
societies] :
Ornithological Biography, or an account of the
habits of the Birds of the United States of America;
accompanied by descriptions of the objects represented
BIBLIOGRAPHY 403
in the work entitled The Birds of America, and inter-
spersed with delineations of American scenery and man-
ners. 5 vols. roy. 8vo. Edinburgh, 1831-1839.
Vol. I (original ed.). Preface dated "March 1831." Pp.
i-xxiv, 1-512, and 1-16, including "Prospectus," "Con-
tents" to Vol. I, and names of subscribers to The Birds
of America. Text to accompany plates i-c of the large
folio. Adam Black, 55 North Bridge (with names of
agents; Neill & Co. Printers, Old Fishmarket), Edin-
burgh, MDCCCXXXI.
Vol. I (American reprint). Pagination the same. Judah
Dobson, Agent, 108 Chestnut St., and H. H. Porter,
Literary Rooms, 121 Chestnut St., Philadelphia,
MDCCCXXXI. Copyright by R. Harlan, M.D., 1831.
Printed by James Kay, Jun. & Co., Printers to the
American Philosophical Society, No. 4 Minor St.
Vol. I (American reprint). The same, but bearing the im-
print of E. L. Carey and A. Hart, Chestnut St., Phila-
delphia, MDCCCXXXV.
Vol. II (original ed.). Preface dated "1st December 1834."
Pp. i-xxxii, 1-588. Text of plates ci-cc. Adam and
Charles Black. Edinburgh, MDCCCXXXIV.
Vol. II (American reprint). The same, but with imprint
of Hilliard, Gray, and Company. Boston,
MDCCCXXXV.
Vol. Ill (original and only ed., as are IV and V). Preface
dated "1st December 1835." Pp. i-xvi, 1-638, with 9
woodcuts. Text to plates cci-ccc. Same imprint as
Vol. II. Edinburgh, MDCCCXXXV.
Vol. IV. Preface dated "1st November 1838." Pp. i-xxviii,
1-618. Text to plates ccci-ccclxxxvii. Imprint, the
same. Edinburgh, MDCCCXXXVIII.
Vol. V. Preface dated "1st May 1839." Pp. i-xl, 1-664,
with 98 woodcuts. Text to plates ccclxxxviii-ccccxxxv.
Same imprint. Edinburgh, MDCCCXXXIX.
According to Stone, 5 species recognized in the folio are
404 APPENDICES
suppressed in the "Biography"; 26 new names are given, and
502 species are recognized, but as 11 were more or less hypo-
thetical, 491 remain in supposedly good standing.
3. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, F. R. SS. L. & E. Member of vari-
ous scientific associations in Europe and America:
A Synopsis of the Birds of North America. Pp.
i-xi, 1-359. 8vo. Adam and Charles Black, Edinburgh ;
Longman, Rees, Brown, Green and Longman, London.
MDCCCXXXIX.
A methodical index to the birds of America, with special
reference to the large folio plates and Ornithological Biog-
raphy; 45 families and 139 genera are defined; 5 new names
are added, making the total number of recognized species 491.
4. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, F. R. SS. L. & E. (&c., &c.) :
The Birds of America from Drawings made in the
United States and its Territories. 7 vols. of text and
plates, roy. 8vo. Published by the Author and J. B.
Chevalier. New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844.
The "Birds in Miniature," or first octavo edition of text
and plates combined; issued to subscribers in 100 Parts, each
with 5 lithographic colored plates, at $1.00 a Part.
Vol. I. Parts 1- 14; pll. 1- 70; pp. i-viii, 9-256. 1840.
Vol. II. Parts 15- 28; pll. 71-140; pp. i-viii, 9-206. 1841.
Vol. III. Parts 29- 42; pll. 141-210; pp. i-viii, 9-236. 1841.
Vol. IV. Parts 43- 56; pll. 211-280; pp. i-viii, 9-324. 1842.
Vol. V. Parts 57- 70; pll. 281-350; pp. i-viii, 9-348. 1842.
Vol. VI. Parts 71- 84; pll. 251-420; pp. i-viii, 9-460. 1843.
Vol. VII. Pts. 85-100; pll. 421-500; pp. i-x, 9[ll]-374. 1844.
In this "miniature" edition, the "delineations of American
scenery and manners" are omitted, the text revised, and the
nomenclature made to conform with the Synopsis; the plates
of the large folio were broken up, and their accessories reduced,
so that but one species appears on each ; 7 species, described in
the Biography and Synopsis are figured for the first time in an
BIBLIOGRAPHY 405
Appendix, in which also appear 17 species that had been neither
figured nor described before, thus bringing the total number
of birds represented on the octavo plates to 500 ; four of the
largest birds receive two plates each, thus leaving the number
of distinct species figured at 496, while the 12 species herein de-
scribed brings the total number of species recognized by Audu-
bon in 1844 to 508. The plates of this edition are rearranged
and renumbered to conform with the new arrangement of the
text, which was considerably improved. The series begins with
the California Vulture, and ends with Baird's Bunting.
Vols. I-V were published by J. J. Audubon, New York, and
simultaneously issued by J. B. Chevalier, Philadelphia; Vols.
VI-VII, published by J. J. Audubon, 77 Williams St., New
York, and 34 North First St., Philadelphia.
The Numbers or Parts were issued in blue paper covers, or
drab when without plates (7 x 11 inches), on which were printed
the "Prospectus," lists of subscribers and agents, besides other
information which the author wished to convey to his patrons.
The printer's legend at the right lower corner reads: "Lithd.
Printed & Cold. by J. T. Bowen, PhiladV Parts in original
covers are extremely rare ; a set in this condition was offered in
1914 at $750.
5. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, and BACHMAN, REV. JOHN :
The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. %
vols. of 150 lithographic, colored plates; imp. folio.
Published by J. J. Audubon, New York, 1845-1846.
Vol. I. Parts 1-15, pll. 1- 75, 1845.
Vol. II. Parts 16-30, pll. 76-150, 1846.
Issued to subscribers in 30 Parts of 5 plates each, size
28x22 inches, at $10 a part, or $300, without text except
titles, tables of contents, and names on plates ; 76 of the orig-
inals by J. J. Audubon, and 74 by J. W. Audubon, assisted by
V. G. Audubon. Author's and printer's legends read : "Drawn
from Nature by J. J. Audubon, F. R. S. F. L. S.," and "Lith.
Printed & Cold. by J. T. Bowen, Phila. 1842 [-1845]."
406 APPENDICES
6. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, F. R. S. (&c., &c.), and BACHMAN,
REV. JOHN, D. D. (&c., &c.) :
The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. 3
vols., roy. 8vo. Published by J. J. Audubon and V. G.
Audubon, New York, 1846-1854.
Issued to subscribers, as text to foregoing:
Vol. I. Pp. i-xvi, 1-390. Text only. Published by
J. J. Audubon, New York, 1846.
Vol. I (European ed.). The same as foregoing with
imprint of Wiley & Putnam, London, 1847.
Vol. II. Pp. 1-336. Text only. Published by V. G.
Audubon, 1851.
Vol. III. Pp. i-vi, 1-350. Text, with 6 colored plates.
Published by V. G. Audubon, 1854.
7. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, F. R. S. (&c., &c.), and BACHMAN,
REV. JOHN, D. D. (&c., &c.):
The Quadrupeds of North America [in "Minia-
ture"]. 3 vols., roy. 8vo., with 155 colored plates.
Published by V. G. Audubon, New York, 1854.
Vol. I. Nos. 1-10, pll. i-1, pp. i-viii, 1-384.
Vol. II. Nos. 11-20, pll. li-c, pp. 1-334.
Vol. III. Nos. 21-31, pll. ci-clv, pp. i-vi, 1-348.
First and only edition of the text and plates reduced to
octavo size; most of the plates lithographed, printed and
colored by J. T. Bowen. In Vol. I the introduction is cut down,
the list of subscribers omitted, and tables of contents and
genera placed at end; Vol. II is same as first edition, with
omission of subscribers' lists; Vol. Ill same as in first edition,
except for omission of table of genera at back. All plates in
Vol. I, and 28 in Vol. II, or 78 in all, are by J. J. Audubon, and
77 are by J. W. Audubon.
8. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, F. R. S. (&c., &c.) :
The Birds of America, from Drawings made in the
United States and their Territories. Vols. I-VII, roy.
8vo. Published by V. G. Audubon, New York, 1856.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 407
The second octavo edition of the Birds, with 500 plates,
published without change, except in pagination. The portrait
of Audubon, which appears in this or in some of the later edi-
tions, was engraved by H. B. Hall after the painting by Henry.
Inman.
9. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
The Birds of America; from Original Drawings by
John James Audubon, Fellow of the Royal Societies of
London & Edinburgh, &c., &c., &c. Reissued by J. W.
Audubon. 1 vol. of 106 double elephant folio plates, in
chromolithography, by J. Bien, 180 Broadway, repre-
senting 151 of the original copper plates. Roe Lock-
wood & Son, Publishers. New York, 1860.
The only (and partial) reissue of the original folio; plates,
in many instances double, renumbered to correspond with the
octavo edition, with backgrounds often simplified or changed,
and much inferior to the original hand-colored engravings ; the
plates are dated "1858" or "1859." Checked by the Civil War,
the residual stock of plates found a ready sale thirty years
later. Citation from copy in the Public Library, New York
City. (See Appendix III, Document No. 3).
10. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
The Birds of America, from Drawings made in the
United States and their Territories, by John James
Audubon, F. R. S., &c., &c. Reissued by J. W. Audu-
bon. Vols. I-VII, roy. 8vo. Text only. Roe Lock-
wood & Son, Publishers. New York, 1861. Vol. I, pp.
i-viii, 11-246; Vol. II, pp. i-viii, 11-200; Vol. Ill, pp.
i-viii, 9-234 ; Vol. IV, pp. i-viii, 9-322 ; Vol. V, pp. 1-viii,
9-346; Vol. VI, pp. i-viii, 2-456; Vol. VII (not seen).
Issued as the letterpress of the imperfect folio (see No. 9)
described above. According to Sabin, quoted by Coues (see
No. 181 of this Bibliography), only 4 royal octavo volumes of
this text was issued ; the present citation is from the 6 volumes
408 APPENDICES
in the Public Library of New York; all are without plates,
and it should be noted that Vols. I and II, and III and IV are
bound as two volumes. In 1914 a set of this edition, in seven
volumes, bound in cloth, was advertised by a bookseller in New
York at $40. (See Appendix III, Document No. 3).
11. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
The Birds of America. . . . Reissued by J. W.
Audubon, in 7 vols., imper. 8vo., with 500 colored
plates, 10 x 7 inches. Roe Lockwood & Son. New York,
1861.
Third complete octavo edition, to be distinguished from the
7 vols. (No. 10) referred to above, and the V. G. Audubon
reissue of 1856 (No. 8). Reference partly from Coues.
12. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
The Birds of North America: a popular and scien-
tific description of the Birds of the United States and
their Territories. New edition. New York, 1863.
Not seen, but given on the authority of Coues.
13. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
The Birds of America. ... 8 vols. 8vo. New
York, 1865.
According to Coues, a later edition of J. W. Audubon's re-
issue of 1861, but in 8 instead of 7 volumes.
14. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, F. R. S. (&c., &c.) :
The Birds of America, from drawings made in the
United States and their Territories. Vols. I-VIII,
imper. 8vo. George R. Lockwood, late Roe Lockwood
& Son, 812 Broadway, New York. No date. (1871.)
Vol. I, pp. i-viii, i-xv (memoir), 11-246, pll. 1-70; Vol.
II, pp. i-vii, 11-199, pll. 71-140; Vol. Ill, pp. i-viii,
9-233, pU. 141-210; Vol. IV, pp. i-viii, 9-321, pll. 211-
280; Vol. V, pp. i-viii, 9-346, pll. 281-250; Vol. VI,
BIBLIOGRAPHY 409
pp. i-vii, 9-298, pll. 351-394 ; Vol. VII, pp. i-vii, 9-285,
pll. 395-440; Vol. VIII, pp. i-viii, 9-256, pll. 441-500.
(Pagination taken from Coues.)
Sixth and last complete octavo edition of text and plates,
being a reissue of the 1865 edition. In the biography, signed
"G. R. L[ockwood]., 1870," it is stated that Jean Audubon
died "at Rochefort on the Loire [sic], where he had a large
estate" at the age of ninety-five, and that J. J. Audubon was
born on his father's plantation at New Orleans in 1780. This
memoir was issued separately as an advertising pamphlet by
J. L. Sibole ("Fine Book Dealer, 109 So. 15 th. Street, New
York"), to exploit the octavo editions of the Birds and Quad-
rupeds (pp. 1-15, paper cover, no date).
b. Minor Papers and Reprints
15. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"On the Hirundo fulva of Vieillot." Annals of the
Lyceum of Natural History of New York, vol. i, pp.
163-166. New York, 1824.
16. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Facts and Observations connected with the perma-
nent residence of swallows in the United States."
Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York,
vol. i, pp. 166-168. New York, 1824.
17. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES (a citizen of the United States) :
"Account of the Habits of the Turkey Buzzard
(Vultur aura) particularly with the view of exploding
the opinion generally entertained of its extraordinary
power of Smelling." In a letter to Professor Jameson.
[Note.] This communication was originally intended
to be sent to a friend unaquainted with the habits of
birds — J. J. A. Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal,
vol. 2 (Oct.-Apr.), pp. 172-184. Edinburgh, 1826-
1827. Dated "Edinburgh, Dec. 7, 1826."
410 APPENDICES
18. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Observations on the Natural History of the Alli-
gator." In a letter to Sir William Jardine, Baronet,
&c. Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, vol. 2,
(Oct.-April), pp. 270-280. Edinburgh, 1826-1827.
Gives the first account of the nesting habits of the American
alligator.
19. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Account of the Carrion Crow or Vultur atratus."
Edinburgh Journal of Science, vol. vi (Nov.- April), pp.
156-161. Edinburgh, 1826-1827.
Notices the nesting and other habits, and maintains that
this species, like the Turkey Buzzard, is guided to its food by
sight and not by smell.
20. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Notes on the Habits of the Wild Pigeon of America,
Columba migratoria." Edinburgh Journal of Science,
vol. vi (Nov.-April), pp. 256-265. Edinburgh, 1826-
1827.
Read before the Royal Society of Edinburgh, February 19,
1827.
21. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Notes on the Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), in
a letter addressed to Thomas Stuart Traill, M. D., &c."
Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, vol. 3 (April-
Get.), pp. 21-30. Edinburgh, 1827.
Read before the Wernerian Society of Natural History,
February 24, 1827. Reproduced in Journal of the Franklin
Institute and American Mechanics9 Magazine, vol. ii, N. S., pp.
32-37. Philadelphia, 1828. Later repudiated by the editor;
see Thomas P. Jones, "The Romance of the Rattlesnake," No.
93 of this Bibliography.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 411
22. AUDUBON, J. J. :
"Account of the Method of Drawing Birds em-
ployed by J. J. Audubon, Esq., F. R. S. E." In a
letter to a friend. Edinburgh Journal of Science, vol.
viii, pp. 48-54. Edinburgh, 1828.
22a. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Journey up the Mississippi." The Winter's
Wreath for 1829, pp. 104-127. Liverpool and Phila-
delphia, 1828.
23. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Notes on the Bird of Washington— (Falco Wash-
ingtonia) or Great American Sea Eagle" (with figure).
London's Magazine of Natural History, vol. i, pp. 115-
120. London, 1828-1829.
Dated "London, April, 1828."
24. AUDUBON, JOHN J. :
"The Flood of the Mississippi." Edinburgh Liter-
ary Journal. February, 1831, pp. 140-142.
See "Episode" entitled "A Flood," Ornithological Biog-
raphy, vol. i.
25. AUDUBON, J. J. :
"An Account of the Habits of the American
Goshawk (Falco palumbarius, Wils.)." In a letter to
Sir William Jardine, Bart. Edinburgh Journal of
Natural and Geographical Science, vol. 3 (March), pp.
145-147. Edinburgh, 1831.
26. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES :
"Improvements in the Navigation of the Missis-
sippi." Edinburgh Literary Journal, March 26, 1831,
pp. 194-195.
See Ornithological Biography, vol. i.
412 APPENDICES
27. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Hunting the Cougar, or the American Lion."
Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, vol. 11, pp. 103-
115. Edinburgh, 1831.
See "The Cougar," Ornithological Biography, vol. i. "It
having been remarked, and rather sharply, that in our article
on 'Audubon's Ornithological Biography,' we have overrated
that gentleman's talents, we, in our own vindication, and as
proofs of Audubon's descriptive powers, submit to the judg-
ment of our readers the above sketch, taken at random from
his work." (Editor's note.)
28. AUDUBON, J. J. :
"Account of a Hurricane in North America." Edin-
burgh New Philosophical Journal, vol. 12 (Oct.-April),
pp. 278-281. Edinburgh, 1831-1832.
See "The Hurricane," Ornithological Biography, vol. i.
29. AUDUBON, J. J. :
"The Ohio." Edinburgh New Philosophical Jour-
nal, vol. 12, pp. 122-126. Edinburgh, 1832.
See the same, Ornithological Biography, vol. i.
30. AUDUBON, J. J., and BACHMAN, REV. JOHN, D. D. :
"Descriptions of New Species of Quadrupeds inhab-
iting North America." Journal of the Academy of
Natural Sciences, vol. viii, pt. ii, pp. 280-329. Phila-
delphia, 1839-1842.
Read, Oct. 5, 1841.
31. AUDUBON, J. J.* and BACHMAN, J. :
"Descriptions of New Species of Quadrupeds inhab-
iting North America." Proceedings of the Academy of
Natural Sciences, vol. i (Oct., 1841), pp. 92-103.
Philadelphia, 1843.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 413
32. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES, and BACHMAN, JOHN:
"Description of a new North American Fox, genus
Vulpes, Cuv., (Utah)." Proceedings of the Academy of
Natural Sciences, vol. vi, pp. 114-116. Philadelphia,
1852-1853.
33. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Earthquake in Kentucky." Reproduced in Maga-
zine of American History, vol. 16, pp. 342-344, with
portrait. New York, 1886.
See "The Earthquake," Ornithological Biography, vol. i.
c. Epistolary Articles
34. AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES:
"Letter to the Editor" (No. 1). Dated "St. Augus-
tine, East Florida, Dec. 7, 1831." Monthly American
Journal of Geology and Natural Science, vol. i, pp. 358-
363. Philadelphia, 1832.
35. AUDUBON, J. J. :
"Letter from J. J. Audubon to the Editor" (No. 2).
Dated "Bulowville, East Florida, December 31, 1831."
Monthly American Journal of Geology and Natural
Science, vol. i, pp. 407-414. Philadelphia, 1832.
36. AUDUBON, J. J. :
"Letter to the Editor" (No. 3). Monthly Ameri-
can Journal of Geology and Natural Science, vol. i
(June), pp. 529-537. Philadelphia, 1832.
37. AUDUBON, J. J. :
"Letter from J. J. Audubon to William MacGil-
livray." Edinburgh Journal of Natural History, vol. i
(for Dec., 1838), p. 171. Edinburgh, 1835-1839.
Dated, "On board the Crusader, Cote Blanche, 18 April,
1837."
414 APPENDICES
d. Translations
38. BAZIN, EUGENE:
Scenes de la Nature dam les Etats-Unis et le Nord
de VAmerique. Ouvrage traduit d' Audubon, avec
Preface et Notes du Traducteur. T. 1-2, pp. 1-460,
1-512. 8vo. Paris, 1857.
Selections from the Ornithological Biography, with Intro-
duction ; dedicated to Charles Lucien Bonaparte.
39. (ANON.):
"Drei Ziegenmelker Nordamerika's." Naumannia:
Archiv fur die Ornithologie, vorzugsweise Europas,
herausg. von E. Baldamus, pp. 158-163. Stuttgart und
Leipzig, 1858.
e. Autobiography
40. AUDUBON, MARIA R. :
" Audubon' s Story of his Youth." Scribner's Maga-
zine, vol. xiii, pp. 267-287, illust. New York, 1893.
First appearance of autobiographical sketch, entitled,
"Myself, J. J. Audubon." Reproduced also in Audubon and
his Journals (see No. 86), vol. i.
/. Journals
41. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"Extracts from an Unpublished Journal of John
James Audubon." The Auk, vol. xxi, pp. 334-338.
Cambridge, 1904.
Including entries for fourteen days, extending from October
12, 1820, to November 25, 1821.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 415
42. (ANON.):
"A Story of Meadville from John J. Audubon,
F. R. S., August 28, 1824." Pamphlet (in blue paper
cover), pp. 1-4. Dated April 9th, 1846.
An early version, taken from the original journal, and
probably given by Audubon himself to some of his friends,
possibly Spencer F. Baird, who visited him in both early and
late April of this year. For passages not since reproduced,
see Vol. I, p. 341. Citation from copy in the Public Library,
New York City.
For fuller journal records, see Audubon and his Journals
(No. 86), including "European Journals," (1826-1827), vol. i,
pp. 79-242 ; the "Labrador Journal," 1833, vol. i, pp. 343-446 ;
and the "Missouri River Journals," 1843, vol. i, pp. 447-532,
and vol. ii, pp. 1-196.
g. Familiar Letters
43. COUES, ELLIOTT :
"Behind the Veil." Bulletin Nuttall Ornithological
Club, vol. v, pp. 193-204. Cambridge, 1880.
Gives interesting letters by Audubon and MacGillivray,
which are reproduced in the present work.
44. GORDON, MRS. :
"Christopher North": A Memoir of John Wilson.
New York, 1894.
For letter of J. J. Audubon to J. Wilson, no date [Jany.
1, 1836], see pp. 363-364.
45. SHUFELDT, R. W., and AUDUBON, M. R. :
"The Last Portrait of Audubon, together with a
Letter to his Son." The Auk, vol. xi, pp. 309-313.
New York, 1894.
416 APPENDICES
46. RHOADS, S. N. :
"Auduboniana," The Auk, vol. xx, pp. 377-383.
Cambridge, 1903.
Gives three letters to Edward Harris, partly reproduced in
the present work.
47. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"Unpublished Letters of John James Audubon and
Spencer F. Baird," The Auk, vol. xxi, pp. 255-259.
Cambridge, 1904.
First installment.
48. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
(a) "A Hitherto Unpublished Letter of John James
Audubon," The Auk, vol. xxii, pp. 170-171. Cam-
bridge, 1905.
(b) See also "An Unpublished Letter of John
James Audubon to his Family," The Auk, vol. xxv, pp.
166-169. Cambridge, 1908.
49. DEANE, RUTHVEN :
"Unpublished Letters of John James Audubon and
Spencer F. Baird," I, The Auk, vol. xxiii, pp. 194-209.
Cambridge, 1906.
Second installment.
50. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"Unpublished Letters of John James 'Audubon and
Spencer F. Baird," II, The Auk, vol. xxiii, pp. 318-334.
Cambridge, 1906.
Third installment.
51. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"Unpublished Letters of John James Audubon and
Spencer F. Baird," III, The Auk, vol. xxiv, pp. 53-70.
Cambridge, 1907.
Fourth installment.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 417
52. DALL, WILLIAM HEALEY:
Spencer Fuller ton Baird: A Biography. Pp. i-xvi,
1-462. 8vo. 19 illust. Philadelphia and London,
1915.
Reproduces eighteen letters of Audubon to Baird, dating
from June 13, 1840, to February 11, 1847.
53. THAYER, JOHN E. :
"Auduboniana," The Auk, vol. xxxiii, pp. 115-118,
4 plates. Cambridge, 1916.
Reproduces four original water-color drawings, and two
letters addressed to Dr. George Parkman, dated "New York,
June 20th," and "August 13th 1841."
54. GRINNELL, GEORGE BIRD :
"Some Audubon Letters," The Auk, vol. xxxiii, pp.
119-130. Cambridge, 1916.
Gives two letters written to Victor G. Audubon from New
York, April 28 and Sept. 9, 1833.
See also Caledonian Mercury, November 3, 1831, for letter
to Joseph B. Kidd (No. 163), Brewer (No. 79), Bachman
(No. 191), Giinther (No. 204), Deane (No. 225), and Alex-
ander Bliss, in Autograph Leaves of our Country's Authors,
for facsimile letter of Audubon to Thomas Sully, dated "Man-
chester (England), Sept. 16, 1826" (Baltimore, 1864).
h. Biographies
55. CHRISTOPHER NORTH ( JOHN WILSON) :
"Noctes Ambrosianae," No. XXX, Blackwood's
Edinburgh Magazine, vol. xxi (Jan.), pp. 112-105 (sic).
Edinburgh, 1827.
56. (ANON.):
"Biographical Sketch of John James Audubon,"
with portrait (drawn and engraved by J. Brown) ; in-
418 APPENDICES
sert in G. Cuvier and P. A. Latreille, The Animal King-
dom, vol. i, pp. 197*-204*. London, 1830.
57. LANDER, SIR THOMAS DICK, BART., and BROWN, CAPT.
THOMAS :
Biographical Sketch, with engravings by Joseph B.
Kidd. Pp. i-x, 1-184, 16mo. Edinburgh, 1833.
Mainly extracted from vol. i of the Ornithological Biog-
raphy; refers to the false rumor of Audubon's death in October,
1831, and to his plan of forming a Gallery of Paintings in
Natural History, started in association with Kidd.
58. (ANON.):
"Biographical Sketch of J. J. Audubon." Miscel-
lany of Natural History, vol. i. 1833.
Not seen.
59. DUNLAP, WILLIAM:
History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts of
Design in the United States. 2 vols. New York, 1834.
For John James Audubon, see vol. ii, pp. 402-408.
60. (ANON.) GODWIN, PARKE:
"John James Audubon." United States Magazine
and Democratic Review, N. S., vol. x, pp. 436-450.
New York, 1842.
See also Out of the Past; Critical and Literary Papers,
pp. 89-110 (New York, 1870), and Homes of American
Authors; for the last, see No. 68.
61. GRISWOLD, RUFUS W. :
The Prose Writers of America, article "Audubon."
Philadelphia, 1847.
62. LESTER, C. EDWARDS (editor) :
The Gallery of Illustrious Americans, containing
the Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Twenty-
BIBLIOGRAPHY 419
four of the most eminent Citizens of the American Re-
public since the death of Washington. Plates from
daguerreotypes by Brady; engraved by D'Avignon.
Published from 205 Broadway, New York, by G. P. Put-
nam, D. Appleton & Company, and C. S. Francis &
Company. New York, 1850.
Issued in 24 Parts. For John James Audubon, see Part
No. 7; reproduced in Spooner's Biographical History of the
Fine Arts, vol. i, pp. 53-55 (New York, 1867). See also No.
196.
63. PHILARETE-CHASLES :
Etudes sur la Litterature et les Moeurs des Anglo-
Americains au xixe siecle. Pp. i-viii, 1-516. Paris,
1851. See "Audubon. Le Voyageur et le Naturaliste,"
pp. 68-106.
An excellent review by an experienced French critic and
author, who appears to have met Audubon and to have attended
one of his exhibitions in Edinburgh.
64. (ANON.) THORPE, COL. THOMAS B. :
"Incidents in the Life of Audubon," Godetfs
Lady's Book, vol. xlii, pp. 306-309, with portrait.
Philadelphia, 1851.
65. GRISWOLD, RUFUS W. :
"John James Audubon," International Monthly
Magazine, vol. ii, pp. 469-474. New York, 1850-1851.
*
66. CAP, P. A. :
"Jean Jacques Audubon," L* Illustration, vol. xviii,
pp. 70-71, illust. Paris, 1851.
67. (ANON.):
"Audubon, the Naturalist," Gleason's Pictorial, vol.
iii, p. 196, with portrait of Audubon as a young man.
Boston, Sept. 25, 1852.
420 APPENDICES
Audubon is said to have been born in New Orleans, May 4,
1780, and "in 1810 he embarked in a skiff with his wife and
young child for his only companions, and with his gun and
pencil for baggage, and commenced an adventurous and wander-
ing life — the life of a hunter and naturalist, which he did not
abandon until 1834."
68. GODWIN, PARKE:
"John James Audubon," in The Homes of American
Authors. New York, 1853.
See also "The Home of Audubon," The Leisure Hour, vol.
2, pp. 300-303 (London, 1853), and Little Journeys to the
Homes of American Authors, New York and London, 1896.
69. SMILES, SAMUEL:
Brief Biographies. Boston, 1861. See "Audubon
the Ornithologist," pp. 171-197.
70. ST. JOHN, MRS. HORACE:
Life of Audubon, the Naturalist in the New World.
His Adventures and Discoveries. Pp. i-xiv, 1-172.
London, 1856.
71. ST. JOHN, MRS. HORACE:
Life of Audubon, the Naturalist of the New World.
His Adventures and Discoveries. Revised and cor-
rected, with additions, and illustrated with engravings
by J. W. Orr from original designs. Pp. 1-24, 1-312.
Boston, 1856.
First American edition, followed by others in 1861, 1864,
1870, 1876 and later ; citation from edition of 1864.
72. BUCHANAN, ROBERT (editor):
The Life and Adventures of John James Audubon,
the Naturalist. Edited from materials supplied by his
widow. 8vo. Pp. i-viii, 1-366. Portrait and vignette
on title. London, 1868.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 421
This was followed by a second and third English edition in
1869, the latter without frontispiece, but with vignette stamped
on cover. The editor assumed no responsibility for the fidelity
of his record, which was based on a manuscript by the Rev.
Charles Coffin Adams, of New York. Reproduced in "Every-
man's Library," with an Introduction by John Burroughs
(originally appearing as a review of Buchanan's work in 1869;
see No. 153). 12mo. Pp. i-xx, 1-336. London and New York
(no date).
73. AUDUBON, LUCY (editor) :
The Life of John James Audubon, the Naturalist.
Edited by his Widow. With an Introduction by James
Grant Wilson. 8vo. Pp. i-x, 1-444. Portrait, and
vignette on title. New York, 1869.
Reprinted at various times; citation from a copy bearing
date of 1906. This work is a reproduction, with but slight
changes, of Buchanan's rendering of the original Adams manu-
script.
74. DUYCKINCK, EVERT AUGUSTUS:
"John James Audubon," in the National Portrait
Gallery of Eminent Americans, illustrated from paint-
ings by Alonzo Chappel. 2 vols., 4to. New York, 1862.
For Audubon, see vol. i, pp. 47-54.
75. PARTON, JAMES:
Peoples9 Book of Biography, or Short Lives of the
most interesting Persons of all Ages and Countries.
Hartford, 1869. For Audubon, see pp. 163-167.
A second edition appeared under the title Illustrious Men
and their Achievements, &c. (New York, 1881).
76. (ANON.):
"Audubon," Chambers9 Journal, vol. 46, pp. 85-89.
London and Edinburgh, 1869.
A compilation from Buchanan's Life.
422 APPENDICES
77. (ANON.):
"The Life of John James Audubon, the Naturalist,"
Harpers' New Monthly Magazine, vol. xxxix, pp. 613-
614. New York, 1869.
78. AUDUBON, MARIA R. :
"Reminiscences of Audubon by a Granddaughter,"
Scribner's Monthly Magazine, vol. xiii, pp. 333-336.
New York, 1876.
79. BREWER, THOMAS M. :
"Reminiscences of John James Audubon," Harper's
New Monthly Magazine, vol. Ixi, pp. 666-675. New
York, 1880.
Reproduces a number of interesting letters.
80. (ANON.) LARRABEE, W. H.:
"Sketch of J. J. Audubon," Popular Science
Monthly, vol. xxxi, pp. 687-697, with portrait. New
York, 1887.
See also reprint in Pioneers of Science m America.
Sketches of their lives and Scientific Work. From the Popular
Science Monthly, with additions. "John James Audubon,
1780-1851," pp. 152-156. New York, 1896.
81. PENTZ, JACOB:
"The Audubons." Shooting and Fishing, May 11,
1893, illust. New York.
Interesting reminiscences and portraits of John Wood-
house Audubon and his family, with whom the author lived for a
number of years.
82. ELLIOT, DANIEL GIRAUD :
"The Life and Services of John James Audubon,"
Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences,
vol. xiii, pp. 43-57. New York, 1893.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 423
An address delivered before the New York Academy of
Sciences, April 26, 1893.
83. GODWIN, PARKE:
"John James Audubon," in Commemorative Ad-
dresses, pp. 149-192.
An interesting sketch by one who had known Audubon as
early as 1842, but replete with errors in dates and questions of
fact ; condensed from earlier papers. See Nos. 60 and 68.
84. MITCHELL, DONALD G.:
American Lands and Letters. 2 vols. London,
1897, 1899. For Audubon, see vol. i, pp. 204-213.
85. BRADFORD, MARY FLUKER:
Audubon. Pp. 1-72, illust. New Orleans, 1897.
Originally read before the Quarante Club, and privately
printed in the interests of a fund for the erection of a monu-
ment to Audubon in New Orleans, a project which has since
been realized (see Vol. I, p. 13).
86. AUDUBON, MARIA R. :
Audubon and His Journals, with zoological and
other notes by Elliott Coues. With 37 Illustrations, in-
cluding 10 Portraits of Audubon, and 3 hitherto unpub-
lished Bird Drawings. 2 vols., 8vo. Vol. i, pp. i-xiv,
1-532; vol. ii, pp. i-viii, 1-554. With reproduction of
diplomas, etc. New York, 1898.
The first volume of this excellent work is devoted to a
biography of the naturalist, pp. 1-78, and to his Journals (see
No. 42); the second continues the Journals, and reproduces
most of the "Episodes" from the Ornithological Biography.
87. BURROUGHS, JOHN:
John James Audubon. Pp. i-xviii, 1-144. With
portrait. 16mo. and (large paper) 8vo. Boston. 1902.
Citation from second edition of 1904.
424 APPENDICES
88. MERRIAM, C. HART:
"John James Audubon," Popular Science Monthly,
vol. Ixx, pp. 301-303, with portrait. New York, 1907.
Delivered on the occasion of the unveiling of marble busts
of ten eminent scientific men at the American Museum of Nat-
ural History, December 29, 1906.
89. MERRIAM C. HART:
"John James Audubon," Bird Lore, vol. 9, pp. 3-5.
New York, 1907.
89a. STONE, WITMER:
"John James Audubon," in Leading American Men
of Science, ed. by David Starr Jordan, pp. 71-87. New
York, 1910.
90. BAKEWELL, REV. GORDON:
"Reminiscences of John James Audubon." Publica-
tions of the Louisiana Historical Society, vol. v, pp.
31-41. New Orleans, 1911.
An address delivered before the Louisiana Historical So-
ciety, November 16, 1910. Affirms, on the testimony of Ber-
nard de Marigny, that Audubon was a Louisianian by birth.
See Vol. I, p. 69 of the present work.
t. Reviews and Criticism
91. (ANON.) BREWSTER, DAVID :
"Mr. Audubon's Ornithology of the United States
of America," Edinburgh Journal of Science, vol. vi, p.
184. Edinburgh, 1826-1827.
This highly commendatory paper by David Brewster, and
that by Robert Jameson, which follows, gives the first formal
announcement of Audubon's work in the scientific journals of
the day.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 425
92. (ANON.) JAMESON, ROBERT :
"Mr. Audubon's great work on Birds of the United
States of America," Edinburgh New Philosophical Jour-
nal, vol. 2, pp. 210-211. Edinburgh, 1826-1827.
The editor stated that Audubon had spent twenty-two
years in the study of American birds, and that the engravings,
of which several had already appeared, would be accompanied
by a quarto volume of letterpress, containing all his observa-
tions on the natural history of the species, in the form of let-
ters, an example of which was given in the paper on the Turkey
Buzzard in the present number of that Journal (see No. 17).
93. (ANON.) JONES, THOMAS P.:
"The Romance of the Rattlesnake," Franklin Jour-
nal and American Mechanics' Magazine, vol. ii (Au-
gust), N. S., p. 144. Philadelphia, 1828.
This notorious attack upon Audubon's veracity was fol-
lowed by Waterton (see No. 115), and referred to by Victor
Audubon (see No. 118), in his reply. Audubon's original arti-
cle (see No. 21) was published by this editor, who knew so
little of its author that not even his name was given correctly.
93a. CUVIER, GEORGES:
"Rapport verbal fait a L'Academie Royale des Sci-
ences, sur L'Histoire naturelle des Oiseaux de L'Ame-
rique Septemtrionale, de M. Audubon," Le Moniteur,
lre- octobre. Paris, 1828.
For extracts from Cuvier's report, see Chapter XXIII, p.
413.
94. (ANON.):
"Ueber die Abbildungen von Vogeln," in Froriep,
Notizen, Bd. xxi, col. 49-54. Berlin, 1828.
95. W[ILLIAM]. S[WAINSON].:
"Some Account of the Work now publishing by Mr.
Audubon," London's Magazine of Natural History, vol.
i, pp. 43-52 (May). London, 1828-1829.
426 APPENDICES
Dated at "Tittenhanger Green. April 11, 1828." A
highly laudatory article on Audubon's plates, quoted in his
"Prospectus" of The Birds of America.
96. (ANON.):
"Report of a committee appointed by the Lyceum
of Natural History of New York to examine the splen-
did work of Mr. Audubon upon the Birds of North
America ; May, 1829," American Journal of Science
and Arts, vol. xvi, pp. 353-354. New Haven, 1829.
Applauds The Birds of America, and recommends that the
Lyceum become a subscriber.
97. "ORNITHOPHILUS" :
"Remarks on Audubon's Birds of America, and
Ornithological Biography," Edinburgh New Philosophi-
cal Journal, vol. 10, pp. 317-332. Edinburgh, 1830-
1831.
A highly favorable and elaborate review, mistakenly at-
tributed to Swainson. Reprinted in the National Gazette and
Literary Register, vol. xii (June 10), Philadelphia, 1831. In
an editorial note it is said that the Ornithological Biography
is about to be reprinted in Philadelphia by James Kay, Jr.,
& Company.
98. CHRISTOPHER NORTH (JOHN WILSON) :
"Audubon's Ornithological Biography Introduc-
tion," Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. xxx, pp.
1-16 (July). Edinburgh, 1831.
The second of Wilson's articles in praise of Audubon; re-
printed with his later reviews of the same work in Critical and
Miscellaneous Essays, vol. v, pp. 91-149.
99. CHRISTOPHER NORTH (JOHN WILSON):
"Audubon's Ornithological Biography. Second
Survey. Wilson's American Ornithology," BlacJcwood's
BIBLIOGRAPHY 427
Edinburgh Magazine, vol. xxx, pp. 247-280. Edin-
burgh, 1831.
100. (ANON.):
"Ornithological Biography By John
James Audubon. &c. &c. Edinburgh, 1831," Edin-
burgh Literary Journal or Weekly Register of Criti-
cism and Belles Lettres, April 16, 1831, pp. 248-249.
101. (ANON.) FEATHERSTONHAUGH, G. W. :
"Ornithological Biography. By John James Audu-
bon, F. R. S. Published by Judah Dobson and H. H.
Porter, Literary Rooms, Philadelphia," Monthly Amer-
ican Journal of Geology and Natural Science, vol. i,
September, pp. 136-139. Philadelphia, 1831.
102. (ANON.):
"Ornithological Biography," American Quarterly
Review, vol. x, pp. 245-258. Philadelphia, 1831.
103. (ANON.) :
"The Birds of America. . . . By John James Audu-
bon, F. R. S vol. i. folio. London, 1831.
Ornithological Biography 1 vol. 8vo. Edin-
burgh, 1831," Quarterly Review, vol. xlvii, pp. 332-366.
London, 1832.
In the same article are reviewed Jameson's edition of Wil-
son's American Ornithology, and Part II of Swainson's and
Richardson's Fauna Boreali- Americana.
104. WATERTON, CHARLES:
"On the Faculty of Scent of the Vulture," London's
Magazine of Natural History, vol. v (April), pp. 233-
241. London, 1832.
Signed "Walton Hall, Dec. 21, 1831"; the first of nineteen
critical and polemical articles extending over a period of five
years, and directed against Audubon and his friends.
428 APPENDICES
105. (ANON.) PEABODY, W. B. O.:
"Audubon's Biography of Birds. Ornithological
Biography of Birds Philadelphia, 1831,"
North American Review, vol. xxxiv, pp. 364-405
(April). Boston, 1832.
The first of three able articles by the same anonymous
writer which appeared in this Review. See Nos. 130 and 143.
106. (ANON.) FEATHERSTONHAUGH, G. W.:
"Audubon, Author of The Birds of America, and
Ornithological Biography," Monthly American Journal
of Geology and Natural Science, vol. i, pp. 456-468
(April). Philadelphia, 1832.
A laudatory review, in which the author professes to give
"a true history of a conspiracy, got up to utterly break down
and ruin the reputation of one of the most remarkable men
America ever produced."
107. ABEET, JOHN:
"Habits of Climbing of the Rattle-snake. Extract
of a letter from Col. Abert, of the U. 'S. Topographical
Engineers, to Dr. Harlan of Philadelphia," Monthly
American Journal of Geology and Natural Science, vol.
i, pp. 221-223. Philadelphia, 1832.
Dated "Washington, Oct. 21, 1831." Supports Audubon's
account of the climbing habits of the rattlesnake, which had
become the subject of acrimonious dispute.
108. (ANON.):
"Audubon," The Athenceum, vol. for 1833, pp. 817-
818. London, 1833.
In number for November 23. An account, partly from pri-
vate sources and partly from a New York newspaper, of Audu-
bon's present researches and plans, with detailed comment on
his Florida and Labrador expeditions.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 429
109. HUNTER, PERCEVAL:
"Means by which the Vulture (Vultur Aura, L.)
traces its Food," London's Magazine of Natural His-
tory, vol. vi, pp. 83-88. London, 1833.
Dated "Oxford, Jul. 2, 1832." Defends Audubon's account
of lack of sense of smell in the Vulture, published in 1826 (see
No. 17).
110. WATERTON, CHARLES:
"The Means by which the Turkey Buzzard traces
its Food," London's Magazine of Natural History, vol.
vi, pp. 162-163. London, 1833.
Signed "Walton Hall, Jany. 1, 1833." A caustic reply to
the last. Reprinted in Essays in Natural History, chiefly
Ornithology, First Series. London, 1838.
111. WATERTON, CHARLES:
"Remarks on Mr. Audubon's Account of the 'Habits
of the Turkey Buzzard (Vultur Aura), particularly
with the View of exploding the Opinion generally enter-
tained of its extraordinary Powers of Smelling,' " Lou-
don's Magazine of Natural History, vol. vi, pp. 163-
171. London, 1833.
A characteristically flippant article, ending thus: "But
here I will stop : I have been too long on carrion, — 'neque enim
toluare vaporem ulterius potui' (Ovid Met., ii, 301)."
112. WATERTON, CHARLES:
"The Gland on the Rump of Birds," London's
Magazine of Natural History, vol. vi, pp. 274-277.
London, 1833.
Denial that birds ever oil their feathers in preening, as
Audubon had maintained for the eagle. Reprinted, with many
controversial articles, which follow, in Essays on Natural His-
tory, First Series, referred to above.
430 APPENDICES
113. AUDUBON, V. G. :
"[Mr. Audubon, Jr.] in Reply to Mr. Waterton's
Remarks on Audubon's Biography of Birds," London's
Magazine of Natural History, vol. vi, p. 369. London,
1833.
Signed "121 Great Portland St., Jn. 7, 1833." Victor
Audubon's defense of bis father, who was then in America.
114. R[OBERT] B[AKEWELL] :
"Observations on Mr. Waterton's Attacks on Mr.
Audubon," London's Magazine of Natural History, vol.
vi, pp. 369-372. London, 1833.
Signed "Hampstead, Jn. 10, 1833."
115. WATERTON, CHARLES:
[Mr. Waterton in reply to Mr. Audubon, Jun.],
London's Magazine of Natural History, vol. vi, pp.
464-465. London, 1833.
Signed "Walton Hall, July 6, 1833" ; Refers to Dr. Jones'
"Romance of the Rattlesnake" (see No. 93), and quotes a let-
ter by George Ord, in explaining why Swainson did not write
the "Biography of Birds."
116. WATERTON, CHARLES:
"Mr. Audubon again," Loudon's Magazine of Natu-
ral History, vol. vi, pp. 465-468. London, 1833.
A reply to Robert Bakewell, in which the author says that
his only object in attacking Audubon was to defend his own
account of the vulture.
117. SWAINSON, WILLIAM:
"Mr. Audubon, and his Work, the 'Biography of
Birds': Mr. Swainson in reply to Mr. Waterton,"
Loudon's Magazine of Natural History, vol. vi, p. 550.
London, 1833.
Dated Sept. 17, 1832.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 431
118. AUDUBON, V. G. :
"Mr. Audubon, and his Work, the 'Biography of
Birds': Mr. Audubon, jun., in Reply to Mr. Water-
ton," Loudorfs Magazine of Natural History, vol. vi,
pp. 550-553. London, 1833.
Signed "121 Great Portland, Sept. 19, 1833." Quotes ar-
ticles by Jones, Featherstonhaugh and Abert; see Nos. 93, 101,
106 and 107.
119. WATERTON, CHARLES:
"Retrospective Criticism," embracing the following
minor articles: "Mr. Audubon, and his Work, the
Biography of Birds" (signed "Walton Hall, Nov. 7,
1833) ; "Mr. Audubon, jun."; "Aerial Encounter of the
Eagle and the Vulture" (see the "Biography of Birds,"
vol. i, p. 163) (signed "Walton Hall, Nov. 7, 1833") ;
"Audubon's Humming-bird" (see the "Biography of
Birds," vol. i, p. 248) ("Walton Hall, Nov. 19, 1833") ;
"The Virginian Partridge," London's Magazine of
Natural History, vol. vii, pp. 66-74. London, 1834.
The three last reprinted in Essays on Natural History,
First Series, referred to above.
120. WATERTON, CHARLES :
"Retrospective Criticism," embracing the following
minor articles: "The Vulture's Nose" ("Walton Hall,
March 6, 1834") ; "Audubon's Claim to the Authorship
of the Biography of Birds"; "Audubon and his Or-
nithology"; "The Passenger Pigeon" ("Walton Hall,
Jany. 19, 1834"). Loudon's Magazine of Natural His-
tory, vol. vii, pp. 276-283. London, 1834.
The first and last articles reprinted in Essays on Natural
History, First Series, referred to above.
121. (ANON.):
"The Birds of America. No. XXXVII. By J. J.
Audubon, Esq. Coloured Plates. Elephant folio. Lon-
432 APPENDICES
don, Havell," Athenaum, vol. for 1834, p. 350 (May
10). London, 1834.
At the same time was also reviewed Part ii of A Manual of
the Ornithology of the United States, by Thomas Nuttall.
(ANON.):
"The Birds of America. By J. J. Audubon, F.R.S.,
F.L.S. Parts XLI, XLII, XLIII. London, Havell,"
Athenaum, vol. for 1834, pp. 653-654. London, 1834.
Describes the Wood Duck (Plate ccvi) as perfect, and com-
pliments the engraver, Robert Havell, on "the accuracy with
which he has appreciated and retained the spirit of the origi-
nals."
123. (ANON.) HALL, JAMES:
"American Ornithology," The Western Monthly
Magazine, vol. ii, ,pp. 337-350 (July). Cincinnati,
1834.
A comparative review of the ornithological works of Alex-
ander Wilson, Thomas Nuttall, and John James Audubon,
very laudatory of the first two but condemnatory of the last,
by Judge Hall, whose brother, Harrison Hall, was an inter-
ested publisher of Wilson's work. "How shall we venture to
dissent from the almost unanimous expression of public senti-
ment, which has set him [Audubon] up as a sort of 'greatest
and best,' against whom to speak in dispraise, would be a spe-
cies of treason. Yet it must be done, and it is our vocation
to do it : the critic must not be silent when the interests of sci-
ence require, and the honor of his country demands, that he
should proclaim the truth ...... The exaggerations con-
tained in these sketches ["Episodes"] are such as to weaken
our confidence in the entire work."
124. BACHMAN, JOHN:
"Retrospective Criticism. Remarks in defence of
the Author of the Birds of America," London's Maga-
BIBLIOGRAPHY 433
zme of Natural History, vol. vii, pp. 164-175. London,
1834.
A reply to Waterton, and an appeal for as much justice for
Audubon as was shown to Wilson, his predecessor. Dated
"Charleston, Dec. 31, 1833."
125. BACHMAN, JOHN :
"An account of some experiments made on the habits
of the Vultures inhabiting Carolina, — the Turkey Buz-
zard and the Carrion Crow, particularly as it regards
the extraordinary powers of smelling usually attributed
to them," Journal of the Boston Society of Natural His-
tory, vol. i, pp. 15-31. Boston, 1834.
Bachman did not deny the power of smell to the vultures,
but maintained that they were guided to their prey by sight
alone.
126. (ANON.):
"Audubon's Birds of America and Ornithological
Biography," Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal,
January, 1835.
"All is life, health, and beauty. Never before were birds
so represented, and if ever again they will be, still Audubon
will be the chief of a school, of whom it will be said that it
studied nature. Turn now to any volume of plates that you
can find, and what presents itself? not a bird surely, but an
effigy stuffed with straw, and more worthy of being burnt, than
that of a Tory statesman by a radical mob."
127. BACHMAN, JOHN:
"Defence of Audubon," Bucks County Intelligencer,
1835.
Not seen.
128. (ANON.):
"Ornithological Biography Volume ii, pub-
lished at 25s.," Loudon's Magazine of Natural History,
vol. viii, pp. 184-190. London, 1835.
434 APPENDICES
129. TAYLOR, RICHARD C. :
"On the Geology and Natural History of the North-
Eastern Extremity of the Alleghany Mountain Range,
in Pennsylvania, United States," London's Magazine of
Natural History, vol. viii, pp. 529-541. London, 1835.
Confirms Audubon's account of the climbing habits of the
rattlesnake.
130. (ANON.) PEABODY, W. B. O.:
"Audubon's Biography of Birds; Ornithological
Biography," North American Review, vol. xli, pp. 194-
231. Boston, 1835.
131. CHRISTOPHER NORTH (JOHN WILSON) :
"Audubon's Ornithological Biography," Black-
wood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 37, pp. 107-124.
Edinburgh, 1835.
\. WATERTON, CHARLES:
"On Snakes, their Fangs, and their Mode of procur-
ing Food," London's Magazine of Natural History, vol.
viii, pp. 663-668. London, 1835.
Reprinted in Essays on Natural History, First Series, re-
ferred to above.
133. WATERTON, CHARLES, Esquire, of Walton-Hall:
"A Letter to James [Robert] Jameson, Esq." [fol-
lowed by 21 lines of fine print, giving titles and mem-
bership in scientific societies]. Pp. 1-14. Wakefield,
1835.
Privately printed, and designed mainly to hit Audubon and
his snake stories over Jameson's shoulders. Signed, "Walton-
Hall, January 27, 1835." "Should you honor me— - with
a reply, I promise you that I will take an immediate and dis-
passionate notice of it; and I will address to you a second,
a third, and a fourth letter, and so on. As you have first
BIBLIOGRAPHY 435
attacked me through Audubon, through him I will continue to
point my dart at you This mode of carrying on the
warfare will answer well my ends. It will give me an oppor-
tunity of again bringing on the stage certain individuals with
whom I have not yet quite squared up accounts; and, at the
same time, I trust it will be to you a kind of hint,
a warning — lest you make another false step in your exertions
to sound again in the public ear, O Candour ! whither art thou
fled? Certainly not to Walton Hall. . . . Pray, sir, where
were your brains (whither had they fled? Certainly not to
Walton Hall) when you received, and approved of, a narrative
at once so preposterous and so palpably fictitious ?" Reprinted
in Essays on Natural History, edited by Norman Moore (Lon-
don, 1871). Citation from pamphlet in Library of British
Museum.
134. WATERTON, CHARLES, Esquire, of Walton-Hall :
"Second Letter to Robert Jameson, Esq." [with
same titles as in last]. Pp. 1-16. Wakefield, 1835.
Ridicules in particular Audubon's accounts of the Vulture,
the Passenger Pigeon, and a hurricane in North America.
Signed "Walton-Hall. March 2nd-, 1835."
135. WATERTON, CHARLES:
"Audubon's Plates of the Birds of America," Lou-
don's Magazine of Natural History, vol. viii, pp. £36-
238. London, 1835.
Accuses Audubon of misrepresentation in his statements of
the time required to produce his drawings.
136. (ANON.):
"Ornithological Biography, or an Account of the
Habits of the Birds of the United States of America.
By J. J. Audubon. vol. ii &c. First Notice,"
Athenaum, London, January 3, 1835, pp. 5-7.
The same: "Second Notice," Athenaeum, January 17, pp.
43-45.
436 APPENDICES
The same: "Third Notice," Athenceum, January 31, pp.
87-89.
"There is amply sufficient remaining in Audubon's pages,
for fully a dozen more notices, were we disposed to follow the
exhausting system."
137. (ANON.):
"Ornithological Biography .... vol. iii, First
Notice," Athenceum, pp. 41-42, January 16, 1836.
London.
The same: "Second Notice," Athenceum, January
23, 1836, pp. 62-63.
138. WATERTON, CHARLES, Esq., Walton-Hall:
"An Ornithological Letter to William Swainson,
Esq., F.R.S. &c. &c." Pp. 1-16. Wakefield (Richard
Nichols, Bookseller), 1837.
Signed "Walton-Hall, March 10, 1837," and reprinted in
Moore's edition of Essays on Natural History, referred to
above. A long and bitter tirade against both Swainson and
Audubon. "You have seen fit to laud one man exceedingly, for
his zoological acquirements, who to my certain knowledge, paid
other people for. the letterpress and drawings, which were to
appear in his work." Citation from pamphlet in British
Museum Library.
•
139. (ANON.):
"Ornithological Biography by John James
Audubon. vols. i-iii," Oken's Isis, Bd. xxx, pp. 922-
928. Leipzig, 1837.
140. SELLS, W.:
"On the Habits of the Vultur aura, with notes on
the dissections of the two heads of two specimens by R.
Owen," Proceedings of the Zoological Society of Lon-
don, Pt. v, pp. 33-35. London, 1837.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 437
Favors the view that the vulture is guided to food by the
sense of smell.
141. (ANON.):
"Ornithological Biography vol. iv "
Athenaum, London, Dec. 1? 1838, pp. 849-852.
142. (ANON.):
"Ornithological Biography vol. v "
Athenaeum, London, vol. for 1839, p. 77.
143. (ANON.) PEABODY, W. B. O.:
"Audubon's Ornithological Biography," North
American Review, vol. i, pp. 381-404 (April). Bos-
ton, 1840.
144. (ANON.) :
"Audubon's Ornithology. A Synopsis of the Birds
of North America. Edinburgh, 1839. The Birds of
America. London and Edinburgh, vol. 1. New York,
1840," American Journal of Sciences and Arts, vol.
xxxix, pp. 343-357. New Haven, 1840.
145. ORD, GEORGE:
[Reply to Audubon's charge against Wilson, and
countercharge against Audubon.] Proceedings of the
American Philosophical Society, vol. 1, pp. 272-273.
Philadelphia, 1840.
Report of meeting held September 18, 1840.
146. (ANON.) :
"The Birds of America .... vol. ii, octavo edi-
tion published by J. J. Audubon, and J. B.
Chevalier," American Journal of Science and Arts, vol.
xlii, pp. 130-136. New Haven, 1842.
"Mr. Audubon has now nearly a thousand subscribers to his
work ; an instance of liberal support of a work on natural his-
438 APPENDICES
tory certainly without a parallel in the New World, and hardly
with one in the Old."
147. (ANON.):
"A Synopsis of the Birds of North America, by J.
J. Audubon. London, 1839," Oken's Isis, Bd. xxxvii,
pp. 713-718. Leipzig, 1844.
148. WlNTERFIELD, CHARLES I
"American Ornithology (The Birds of America and
Ornithological Biography)," The American Review: A
Whig Journal, vol. i, pp. 262-274. New York 1845.
149. WINTERFIELD, CHARLES :
"About Birds and Audubon," The American Re-
view: A Whig Journal, vol. i, pp. 371-383. New York,
1845.
Refers to a meeting with AuSubon on a canal boat in Penn-
sylvania, when the latter was returning from his Missouri River
expedition in 1843. See No. 173.
150. WlNTERFIELD, CHARLES I
"A Talk about Birds and Audubon," The American
Review: A Whig Journal, vol. ii, pp. 279-287. New
York, 1845.
Interesting reference to "the great fire [of July 19, 1845]
which so lately devastated so large a part of this proud city
[New York]," in which the copper plates of Audubon's Birds
were thought to have been destroyed (see Chapter XXXV, p.
267).
151. (ANON.):
"Audubon, the Naturalist," Athenceum, London,
vol. for 1856, p. 283.
Review of Mrs. Horace St. John's Life of Audubon (see
No. 71).
BIBLIOGRAPHY 439
152. (ANON.):
"The Life and Adventures of John James Audu-
bon," Athenceum, London, vol. for 1868, pp. 833-834.
Review of Buchanan's Life (see No. 72).
153. (ANON.) BURROUGHS, JOHN :
"The Life of Audubon edited by Mrs. J. J.
Audubon" [see No. 73], The Nation, vol. ix, pp. 13-14.
New York, 1869.
Reprinted in Buchanan's Life of Audubon, "Everyman's
Library" (see No. 72).
154. (ANON.):
"The Adventures of Audubon," .... Edinburgh
Review, vol. cxxxii, pp. 250-275. Edinburgh, 1870.
Review of Buchanan's Life.
155. SHUFELDT, R. W. :
"Shedding Horns of Antelope," Shooting and Fish-
ing, New York, March, 1896.
For critical articles by the same author, see also the fol-
lowing: "On the Terrestrial Attitudes of Loons and Grebes,"
The Ibis, London, January, 1898; "Audubon's Figure of the
Mountain Partridge," Field and Stream, New York, September
1899 ; "Scaup Duck," Shooting and Fishing, New York, No-
vember 26, 1903 ; and "The Nest of the Orchard Oriole," The
Wilson Bulletin, Oberlin, June, 1903.
156. (ANON.):
"A Great Naturalist/' Blackwood's Edinburgh
Magazine, vol. clxiv, pp. 58-69. Edinburgh, 1898.
Review of Audubon and his Journals.
157. (ANON.) MERRIAM, C. HART:
"Audubon," The Nation, vol. LXVI, pp. 151-152.
New York, 1898.
440 APPENDICES
See also Science, N. S., vol. VII, pp. 289-296, with
plate. New York, 1898.
Reviews of Audubon and his Journals.
158. M[IALL],L. C.:
"Audubon," Nature, vol. Ivii, pp. 286-287. London,
1896-1898.
A dour review, in which the writer remarks that Audubon's
Birds of America "has great artistic merit but less scientific
value than a good series of photographs from life."
159. HUTT, W. N. :
"Audubon the Original Nature Fakir," Scientific
American, vol. xcviii, p. 59. New York, 1908.
A feeble echo of the slanderous charges brought against
Audubon by Thomas P. Jones in 1828 (see No. 93).
160. COLLES, GEORGE W. :
"A Defense of Audubon," Scientific American, vol.
xcviii, p. 311. New York, 1908.
An excellent rejoinder to the egregious article quoted above.
161. BURNS, FRANK L. :
"Alexander Wilson," Pts. I-VIII, The Wilson Bul-
letin, vols. xx-xxii. Oberlin, 1908-1910.
See particularly, I. "The Audubon Controversy," vol. xx,
pp. 3-18, and II. "The Mystery of the Small-headed Fly-
catcher," vol. xx, pp. 63-79.
j. Auduboniana and Miscellanea
162. (ANON.):
"Wilson the Ornithologist," The Literary Gazette,
and Journal of Belles Lett res, Arts and Sciences, Lon-
don, Saturday, September 3, 1831, p. 574.
A grotesque notice, based on a rumor, said to have origi-
nated in a Philadelphia newspaper, of the death of Audubon
BIBLIOGRAPHY 441
in America, but confounding his identity with that of Alexan-
der Wilson, whose death had actually occurred at Philadelphia
eighteen years before. In the issue of October 15, the editor
acknowledged his error in resurrecting and then killing Wilson,
but explained that the obituary was intended for Audubon.
163. BROWN, CAPT. THOMAS:
"Mr. Audubon," Caledonian Mercury, Edinburgh,
Thursday, November 3, 1831.
Quotes a letter written by Audubon, to Joseph B. Kidd and
dated "New York, Sept. 7, 1831," four days after his death had
been announced in England. In its issue of September 8, this
paper had already corrected the London editor's error respect-
ing Wilson.
164. (ANON.) FEATHERSTONHAUGH, G. W. :
"Audubon's Expedition to California and the Rocky
Mountains," Monthly American Journal of Geology and
Natural Science, vol. i, p. 229. (November.) Phila-
delphia, 1831.
165. (ANON.):
"Mr. Audubon," New York Mirror, vol. 10, p. 325.
New York, April 20, 1833.
166. (ANON.):
"Audubon and his Labrador Expedition." Edi-
torial in the National Gazette and Literary Register,
Philadelphia, vol. xiii, No. 3808, September 10, 1833.
"We wish him a degree of success and prolongation of vigor
equal to his great merits ; indeed, for the past at least, success
is fully assured."
167. (ANON.):
"Mr. Audubon," National Gazette and Literary
Register, Philadelphia (extracted from the Boston
Patriot), vol. xiii, No. 3919, September 10, 1833.
442 APPENDICES
Welcomes Audubon on his return to Boston, and gives de-
tailed account of his successful Labrador expedition.
168. MAcGlLLIVRAY, WlLLIAM !
A History of British Birds, indigenous and mi-
gratory, 5 vols., 8vo. Illust. London, 1837-1852.
See Practical Ornithology, 6th. Lesson: "Ornithologus
[Audubon], and Physiophilus [MacGillivray]," pp. 462-474
(1839).
169. SWAINSON, WILLIAM:
Taxidermy, Bibliography, and Biography. The
Cabinet Cyclopaedia, conducted by the Rev. Dionysius
Lardner. 12mo. London, 1840. For "J. J. Audubon,
Animal Painter," see pp. 116-117.
170. FREILIGRATH, F. :
"Epistel an Audubon nebst einer Antwort aus Amer-
ika." Pp. 1-16, 18mo. Philadelphia, 1844.
This rare little pamphlet bears on its cover a woodcut of
an Indian brandishing a gun and knife : the poem begins :
"Mann der Walder, der Savannen!
Neben rother Indier Speer,
An des Mississippi Tannen
Lehntest du dein Jagdgewehr!"
and the response :
"Audubon, den Vogelfanger
Sangst du an, mit Herzeleid ;
Freiligrath, o grosser Sanger !
Deine Lieder fliegen weit."
See also J. Bayard Taylor, "Audubon. From the German
of Ferdinand Freiligrath," Graham's American Monthly Maga-
zine, vol. xxvi, p. 264. This poem consists of twenty stanzas,
the first four and best of which are :
BIBLIOGRAPHY 443
Man of forests and savannas !
On the Mississippi's tide,
Leanest thou thy hunting-rifle
Oft the Indian spear beside ;
With the forest's tawny chieftains
Thou the friendly pipe dost light —
Seest the wandering pigeon's j ourney
And the eagle's silent flight.
With thy shot thou lam'st his pinion ;
And the trackless region through,
On the mighty river's mirror
Pliest thou thy swift canoe.
O'er the green and grassy prairie
Boldly flies thy fiery steed;
Deer and forest-fruits the manna
God has given thee in thy need !
Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810-1876), well known German
lyric poet and apostle of democracy, was more than once
forced to flee his native land on account of his political senti-
ments ; he went to England seven years after Audubon had
finally settled in America, and that country became his refuge
for over twenty years; his translations from the English in-
cluded Longfellow's poem of "Hiawatha."
171. (ANON.):
"Mort de Jean Jacques Audubon, c£lebre natu-
raliste americain," illust., ^Illustration, Paris, vol.
xvii, No. 416, February 28, 1851, p. 128.
172. (ANON.):
"John James Audubon," Harper's New Monthly
Magazine, vol. ii, pp. 561-563 (March). New York,
1851.
444 APPENDICES
173. WEBBER, CHARLES WILKINS :
Romance of Natural History; or Wild Scenes and
Wild Hunters. 8vo. ; pp. 1-8, 17-610. Philadelphia,
1852.
An abridgment of the author's Wild Scenes and Wild
Hunters, 1851, and also issued under the title The hunter
naturalist; also published as The Romance of forest and
prairie life; narrative of perilous adventures fy wild hunting
scenes (H. Vizetelly. London, 1853). Gives an anecdote of
meeting Audubon on a canal boat in Pennsylvania, when he was
returning from the Upper Missouri in 1843 (see No. 149) and
is quoted here for no other reason.
174. AUDUBON, JOHN WOODHOUSE:
Illustrated notes of an expedition through Mexico
and California. Pp. 1-48, 4 plates, plain or colored.
J. W. Audubon. New York, 1852. Reprinted as Ex-
tra Number 41 of The Magazine of History, with Notes
and Queries. Pp. 1-83, 4 colored plates (including
frontispiece). W. Abbatt. Tarrytown, 1915.
It was planned to issue this work monthly in ten numbers,
if it should receive sufficient public support. The drawings are
exquisitely reproduced, and as works of art are deserving of
the highest praise. See No. 219.
175. A[NNA]. A[TKINS].:
Memoir of J. G. Children, Esq., including some un-
published poetry of his father and himself. Printed for
private distribution. Pp. 1-314. Westminster, 1853.
Refers to Audubon's relations with Children, and to his
naming of "Sylvia childreni," which later proved to be an error.
176. NOLTE, VINCENT :
Fifty Years in both Hemispheres: or Remmiscences
of a Merchant's Life. London, 1854.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 445
English edition of a work originally published at Hamburg
in the same year. See particularly his version of the meeting
with Audubon in 1810, and of their descent of the Ohio in
Nolte's flatboat to Louisville in the winter of that year.
177. WALLACE, W. Ross:
"Audubon's Hymn in the American Forests," Har-
perfs New Monthly Magazine, vol. xix, p. 619 (Octo-
ber). New York, 1859.
178. STODDARD, CHARLES A[UGUSTUS] :
"A Noble Woman's Life : A Memorial Sermon to the
late Madame Audubon." Printed by request. Pp. 1-24,
18mo. Anson D. F. Randolph & Co., 770 Broadway,
cor. 9th St., New York, 1874.
179. F.
"Audubon's Birds of America," Magazine of Amer-
ican History, vol. 1, pp. 252-253. New York and Chi-
cago, 1877.
Reproduction of a note by J. Prescott Hall concerning
Audubon's subscribers.
180. LOCKWOOD, SAMUEL:
"Audubon's Lily Rediscovered," Popular Science
Monthly, vol. x (April), pp. 675-678. New York, 1877.
Records the rediscovery of Audubon's long lost and dis-
credited yellow water lily, Nymphaa flava, by Mrs. Mary
Treat, in Florida, in the summer of 1876. Originally figured
by Audubon, with the Common American swan, on Plate ccccxi,
of The Birds of America, in 1838.
i
181. COTJES, ELLIOTT:
Birds of the Colorado Valley, Bibliographical Ap-
pendix : "List of Faunal Publications relating to North
American Ornithology," pp. 567-746. 8vo. Washing-
ton, 1878.
446 APPENDICES
Gives full citations of the Various editions of Audubon's
works. "It takes an inspired idiot to be a good bibliographer"
(Coues).
182. WADE, JOSEPH M. :
"Letter to J. M. Wade on Audubon's Mill," Or-
nithologist and Oologist, vol. 8, p. 79. Boston, 1883.
183. JORDAN, DAVID STARE :
"Rafmesque," Popular Science Monthly, vol. xxix,
pp. 212-221 (June). New York, 1886. Reproduced in
Pioneers of Science in America, edited by William Jay
Youmans (New York, 1896).
184. SHUFELDT, R. W.:
"On an old Portrait of Audubon, painted by himself,
and a word about some of his early Drawings," The
Auk, vol. iii, pp. 418-430, with portrait. New York,
1886.
185. SAUNDERS, FREDERICK:
The Story of Some Famous Books. For Audubon,
see pp. 141-144. London, 1887.
186. STARLING, EDMUND L.:
History of Henderson County, Kentucky. 8vo., pp.
1-832. Henderson, 1887.
Gives an account of Audubon's mill and of his other busi-
ness ventures at Henderson, but when departing from local rec-
ords is inaccurate and unreliable.
187. MARTIN, D. S. :
"Audubon's Grave," Science, vol. x, pp. 68-69
(Aug. 5). New York, 1887.
Refers to the project set on foot to raise funds for erect-
ing a monument to the naturalist.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 447
188. SHUFELDT, R. W.:
"Audubon's Grave," Science, vol. x, p. 108 (Aug.
28). New York, 1887.
Proposes that the remains of Audubon should eventually
rest in the crypt of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New
York City.
189. (ANON.):
[Audubon's Grave], Science, vol. x, p. 205 (Oct.
28). New York, 1887.
Announces the appointment of a committee by the
New York Academy of Sciences to secure funds for the
erection of the proposed monument.
See also the same, vol. x, p. 278 (Dec. 9).
190. SHUFELDT, R. W.:
"Audubonian Sketches," The Audubonian Magazine,
published in the interests of the Audubon Society for
the protection of birds, vol. i (January), pp. 267-271,
illust., and vol. ii (February), pp. 3-6, illust. New York,
1888.
See files of the same magazine, vol. i, pp. i-xi, 1-288,
February, 1887-January, 1888, and vol. ii, pp. i-vi,
1-264, February, 1888-January, 1889, New York, for
various comments on Audubor.'s life and services.
191. BACHMAN, C. L. :
John Bachman, D.D., LL.D., Ph.D. 8vo, pp. i-xii,
1-436, with portrait. Charleston, 1888.
Reproduces numerous letters which passed between the
Bachman and Audubon families.
192. LOOMIS, LEVERETT M. :
"A Forgotten Volume," The Auk, vol. viii, p. 230.
New York, 1891.
448 APPENDICES
193. (ANON.):
"Report of the Audubon Monument Committee of
The New York Academy of Sciences," Transactions of
the Academy, vol. xiii, pp. 23-69. New York, 1893.
194. SHUFELDT, R. W. :
"Audubon the Naturalist," illust., The Great Di-
vide, San Francisco, September, 1893.
"More about Audubon the Naturalist," ibid., Febru-
ary, 1894.
195. DUKE, BASIL W. :
"Audubon," Southern Magazine, vol. iii, August,
1893, pp. 3-19, portrait and illust. Louisville, 1893-
1894.
196. SHUFELDT, R. W., and AUDUBON, M. R. :
"The Last Portrait of Audubon, together with a let-
ter to his son," The Auk, vol. xi, pp. 309-313, portrait.
New York, 1894.
The original of D'Avignon's engraving, published in 1850 ;
see No. 62.
197. HEALY, GEORGE P. A.:
Reminiscences of a Portrait Painter. Chicago,
1894.
Gives an account of his successful manoeuvres to obtain sit-
tings for his portrait of Audubon in 1838.
198. CALL, RICHARD ELLSWORTH :
The Life and Writings of Rafinesque. Filson Club
Publications, No. 10. 4to. Pp. i-xii, 1-227. Louis-
ville, 1895.
Takes Audubon severely to task for his treatment of
Rafinesque at Henderson in the summer of 1818 ; see pp. 24-
29.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 449
199. "RENIGNOLDS" (E. R. SHATTUCK) :
"Audubon's Plates sold for Junk," Forest and
Stream, New York, September 12, 1896.
200. BAKEWELL, W. G. :
Bakewell-Page-Campbett. Being an account of the
descendants of John Bakewell, of Castle Donnington,
Leicestershire, England, born in 1638, &c., &c. Wm. H.
Johnston & Company. Pittsburgh, 1896.
Gives genealogy of the Bakewells, and of the families of
J. J., J. W. and V. G. Audubon.
201. COUES, ELLIOTT:
"Letter by Audubon to Charles Bonaparte, dated
New York, May 1, 1833," The Osprey, vol. ii. Wash-
ington, 1897.
202. ROZIER, FIRMAN A. :
Rozier's History of the early Settlement of the Mis-
sissippi Valley. 8vo., pp. 1-338. St. Louis, 1898.
See Part X for some account of the business relations of
Audubon with the author's father, Ferdinand Rozier.
203. COUES, ELLIOTT:
"William Swainson to John James Audubon, The
Auk, vol. xv, pp. 11-13. Cambridge, 1898.
Letter dated "Tettenhanger Green, 2d October 1830" ; re-
printed in The Osprey, vols. iv and v (Washington, 1900).
204. GUNTHER, ALBERT :
"The unpublished correspondence of William Swain-
son with contemporary naturalists (1806-1840)," Pro-
ceedings of .the Linncean Society, 11,2th session, pp.
14-24. London, 1900.
Lists twenty-four letters of Audubon to Swainson, dating
from 1 May, 1828, to 11 Jany., 1838, with brief reference to
450 APPENDICES
their contents. For abstract of this paper see Theodore Gill,
"Swainson's Correspondence." The Osprey, vol. v, pp. 29-30
(Washington, 1900).
205. GILL, THEODORE:
"Correspondence of and about Audubon with Swain-
son," The Osprey, vol. v, pp. 23-25. Washington,
1900.
206. GILL, THEODORE:
"William Swainson and his Times," The Osprey,
vols. iv and v. Washington, 1900.
207. (ANON.):
"Recent Sales of Audubon's Works," The Osprey,
vol. v, pp. 31 and 63. Washington, 1900.
Copy of The Birds of America sold by Bangs, February 6,
1896, for $1,250, and another by Sotheran, London, 1892, for
£345 (about $1,725), the first with the Ornithological Biogra-
phy included.
207a. BOHEMIAN (C. S. BOUTCHER) :
"Early Days in the Lehigh Valley," Black Diamond
Express, vol. iv, pp. 3-15. New York, 1900.
Describes Audubon's visit to Mauch Chunk in 1829. and
gives also a detailed account of the copy of The Birds of
America formerly the property of David Eckley, of Boston,
and then in possession of Robert H. Sayre, of South Bethle-
hem, Pennsylvania (for which see Chapter XXVI, p. 7).
208. (ANON.):
"Audubon in the [American] Museum [of Natural
History]," with explanatory notes by Maria R. Audu-
bon, The American Museum Journal, vol. 1, pp. 82-84,
with portrait. New York, 1900-1901.
Describes portrait of Audubon painted by his sons towards
the close of his life, and given to the Museum by Mr. Fordham
BIBLIOGRAPHY 451
Morris, of New York, an oil painting of wild turkeys, the origi-
nal of which was made by Audubon in 1826 for the Royal In-
stitution of Liverpool, and several other paintings and plates.
In vol. ii, page 42, of the same journal is reproduced an un-
published painting of the Red-eyed Vireo by Audubon.
209. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"Unpublished Letters of William MacGillivray to
John James Audubon," The Auk, vol. xviii, pp. 239-
249. Cambridge, 1901.
210. COUES, ELLIOTT :
"Auduboniana and Other Matters of Present In-
terest," Bird Lore, vol. iii, p. 9. New York, 1901.
210a. CLARK, EDWARD B.:
"Relics of Audubon," Chicago Evening Post, Febru-
ary 7, 1901.
An account of Auduboniana and other literary rarities in
possession of Mr. Ruthven Deane.
211. MACGILLIVRAY, WILLIAM :
A Memorial Tribute to William MacGillivray, M.A.,
LL.D. Ornithologist; Professor of Natural History*
Marischal College and University, Aberdeen. 4to, pp.
i-xvi, 1-204, with illust. Edinburgh, 1901.
Contains sketch of MacGillivray's life and work, with an
account of the monument placed over his grave, and of a beau-
tiful memorial tablet inscribed to his memory at Marischal Col-
lege, with an unpublished "Journal" by MacGillivray, and ex-
tracts from his other writings.
212. BUTTERWORTH, HEZEKIAH !
In the Days of Audubon; A Tale of the "Protector
of Birds" Illustrated. Pp. x-xii, 1-236. New York,
1901.
452 APPENDICES
213. JOB, HERBERT K. :
"Following Audubon among the Florida Keys,"
Outmg, vol. xliii, pp. 71-79, illust. New York, 1903.
. HOWE, REGINALD HEBER:
"Audubon's 'Ornithological Biography,' " The Auk,
vol. xxi, p. 286. Cambridge, 1904.
Note on volume i of the American edition, bearing the
imprint: "Philadelphia: Judah Dobson, Agent, 108 Chestnut
Street; and H. H. Porter, Literary Rooms, 121 Chestnut
Street. MDCCCXXXI." See also Ruthven Deane, The Auk,
vol. xxiv, 1907, p. Ill, and Nathaniel E. Janney, the same,
p. 349.
This writer at one time proposed to bring out a revised
edition of the Ornithological Biography, but the project was
abandoned from lack of support.
215. (ANON.):
"[John James Audubon] ; Notice of the Commemo-
ration of the one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary
of his birth," The Auk, vol. xxii, p. 334 (July). Cam-
bridge, 1905.
See Chapter I, Note 6.
216. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"John James Abert to John James Audubon"
(hitherto unpublished letters), The Auk, vol. xxii, pp.
172-175. Cambridge, 1905.
217. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"William Swainson to John James Audubon" (a
hitherto unpublished letter), The Auk, vol. xxii, pp. 31-
34. Cambridge, 1905.
. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"William Swainson to John James Audubon," The
Auk, vol. xxii, pp. 248-258. Cambridge, 1905.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 453
219. AUDUBON, JOHN W.:
Audubon's Western Journal: 1849-1850. Being the
MS. record of a trip from New York to Texas, and an
overland journey through Mexico and Arizona to the
gold-fields of California. With a biographical memoir
by Maria R. Audubon, and edited by Frank Heywood
Hodder. Map, portrait, and original drawings. Pp. 1-
250, 8vo. Cleveland, 1906.
For the original edition of Part 1 of J. W. Audubon's
Journal, see No. 174 of this Bibliography.
CLAIBORNE, F. :
Simple Love and Occasional Pieces in Verse,
with A Notice of Audubon. Pp. 1-60. New Orleans,
1906.
221. STONE, WITHER:
"A Bibliography and Nomenclator of John James
Audubon," The Auk, vol. xxiii, pp. 298-312. Cam-
bridge, 1906.
Most complete and accurate analysis of Audubon's ornitho-
logical works yet given.
(ANON.) :
"Abstract of Audubon's Account Books, kept at
Philadelphia, while the Octavo edition of the Birds was
being issued," Evening Post, New York, Saturday Sup-
plement for December 29, 1906.
223. (ANON.):
"Original Account Book of J. J. Audubon," The
Nation, vol. Ixxxiv, p. 12 (June 3). New York, 1907.
See the preceding; gives interesting data regarding the
issue of the first octavo edition of The Birds of America in
parts, at Philadelphia, 1840-1844.
454 APPENDICES
224. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"Unpublished Letters of Introduction carried by
John James Audubon on his Missouri River Expedi-
tion," The Auk, vol. xxv, pp. 170-173. Cambridge,
1908.
225. DEANE, RUTHVEN:
"The Copper-Plates of the Folio Edition of Audu-
bon's 'Birds of America,' with a brief Sketch of the En-
gravers," The Auk, vol. xxv, pp. 401-413. Cambridge,
1908.
226. MERRIAM, C. HART:
"The King Cameos of Audubon," The Auk, vol. xxv,
pp. 448-450, with plate. Cambridge, 1908.
226a. MERRITT, DIXON L. :
"Audubon, the Ornithologist, in Kentucky," The
Taylor-Trotwood Magazine, vol. 10, pp. 293-298.
Nashville, 1909.
226b. DERBY, EARL OF :
In letter, to Audubon, dated January 17, 1835. Re-
production of "The Eagle and the Lamb." Forest and
Stream, June 26, 1909, pp. 1011-1012. New York,
1909.
$27. SHUFELDT, R. W., M.D. :
"An hitherto unpublished painting by Audubon,"
The Wilson Bulletin, N. S., vol. xii, pp. 3-5, illust.
Oberlin, 1910.
Oil painting of cock and hens, but original in poor state
of preservation.
\. FITZPATRICK, T. J. :
Rafinesque. A Sketch of his Life with Bibliogra-
phy. 8vo., pp. 1-242, with portrait and reproductions
of rare titles. Historical Department of Iowa, Des
Moines, 1911.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 455
Cites 939 separate publications by Rafmesque, numerous
manuscripts and 134 Rafinesquiana.
ARTHUR, STANLEY CLISBY:
"John James Audubon, and the Birds of Louisiana,"
Times-Picayune, New Orleans, May 2, 1915.
Gives an account, with illustrations, of "Fontainebleau,"
and of the house at Mandeville which is regarded as "the prob-
able birthplace" of Audubon.
230. ARTHUR, STANLEY CLISBY:
"Audubon in West Feliciana," Times-Picayune,
New Orleans, August 6, 1916.
Follows Audubon's footsteps in Louisiana, and gives an
interesting account, with illustrations, of the plantation houses
at which Mr. and Mrs. Audubon lived at various intervals from
1821 to 1829.
231. RHOADS, SAMUEL N.:
"More Light on Audubon's Folio 'Birds of
America,' " The Auk, vol. xxxiii, pp. 130-132. Cam-
bridge, 1916.
WILLIAMS, GEORGE ALFRED:
"Robert Havell, Junior, Engraver of Audubon's
'The Birds of America,' " Print-Collector's Quarterly,
vol. 6, No. 3 (October), pp. 225-257, illust. Boston,
1916.
Presents a genealogy of the Havell family, and gives an
excellent analysis of the work of the eminent engraver.
233. (ANON.):
"More Buried Treasure in a Noted Basement," New
York Tribune, Sunday, March 11, 1917.
An appeal for a better treatment of the originals of Audu-
bon's Birds of America. "The original charter of the New
York Historical Society signifies that the organization was
456 APPENDICES
formed to preserve the history of the United States, and espe-
cially the history of the City of New York. If Audubon's
wonderful drawings of the birds of America are not United
States history and New York City history rolled into one, then
what, in the name of Herodotus, Father of History, is?"
234. TOWNSEND, CHARLES W. :
"In Audubon's Labrador," The Auk, vol. xxxiv, pp.
133-146, illust. Cambridge, 1917.
INDEX
Abert, John James, on Audubon's
plans, ii, 3; his career and the rat-
tlesnake episode, ii, 3, 77; "Abert's
squirrel," ii, 4, 64, 155.
Abolitionists (Les Amis des Noirs),
activity in France, i, 43; their op-
position to white planters and fo-
menting of rebellion in Santo Do-
mingo, i, 49.
Academy of Natural Sciences (Phil-
adelphia), introduction of Audu-
bon to, i, 328; foundation and
work of, i, 333; notice of meeting
of, i, 333; Waterton on rejection
of Audubon by, ii, 87.
Accipiter cooperi, i, 330.
Adams, Rev. Charles Coffin, history
of his manuscript on the Life of
Audubon; his career and writings,
i, 18; ii, 300.
Adams, John Quincy, i, 396.
Adelaide, Queen of England, patron-
age of, i, 391.
Allston, Washington, i, 336.
American Ornithologists' Union,
number of species of American
birds recognized by (in 1910), ii,
215; doubtful species in "Check-
List" of, ii, 215.
American Ornithology, story of the
author, production and publication
of, i, 202-219; original drawings
for, i, 213; the engraver and pub-
lisher of, i, 213, 217; the Prospec-
tus and character of, i, 217; the
issue and patronage of, i, 217;
death of the author of, i, 219 ; pub-
lication of the last volume of, i,
223; second American edition of, i,
223; diary of the author of, i, 224;
Audubon's charge against the au-
thor of, i, 226; counter charge of
Ord in defense of the author of,
i, 227.
American Philosophical Society, Au-
dubon to Sully on his rejection by,
i, 362; his later membership in, i,
363 ; Harlan on rejection of Abert
by, ii, 3-4; 27.
Anthus spraguei, Sprague's Titlark,
ii, 253.
Antonio de Sedella, Father, portrait
of, i, 319, 321 ; Governor Claiborne
on, i, 319.
''Ark." See Flatboats.
Arthur, Stanley Clisby, i, 314; on
the bird-life of the St. -Francis-
ville region, i, 315; ii, 318; on
Audubon and West Feliciana, i,
322-323; 338.
"Articles of Association" of Audu-
bon and Ferdinand Rozier, de-
scription and reproduction of
original of, i, 146-148; ii, 344-349.
Ashburton, Lord, Baron (Alexan-
der) Baring, ii, 242.
"Astur (Falco) Stanleii," i, 354, 417.
See "Stanley Hawk."
Athenceum (London), on Audubon,
ii, 84-85, 140, 199-200; advertise-
ment of The Birds of America, ii,
201.
Aubinais, M., i, 55.
Audibon (or Audubon?), Pierre, in
the American Revolution, i, 24.
Audubon, Anne, suit by, i, 28, 263.
Audubon, Catherine Francoise. See
Mme. Jean Louis Lissabe*.
457
458
INDEX
Audubon, Claude, and his family, i,
27.
Audubon, Dominica, suit by, i, 28,
263.
Audubon, Jean, his command at
Yorktown and checkered career, i,
24; his parentage and father's
family, i, 26-28; birth and bap-
tism, i, 27; beginning of life at
sea and capture at Louisburg, i,
28; a prisoner in England, i, 28;
enters French Merchant marine
and begins his voyages to New
Foundland, i, 29; enlists in French
navy and appears at Nantes, i, 30;
reenters merchant marine and be-
gins voyages to Santo Domingo, i,
30; his ships and commands, i, 31;
his marriage, i, 32; fight in Le
Comte d'Artois and capture by
the English, i, 32; prisoner in New
York, and release, i, 32; joins the
American Revolution and com-
mands a ship at the siege of York-
town, i, 34; later commands in the
United States and fight with a
British privateer, i, 34; residence
in the West Indies, i, 36; travels
in the United States and purchase
of "Mill Grove," i, 36; joins the
National Guard at Les Cayes, i,
37; epitome of Santo Domingo ca-
reer, i, 37; engagement with Coi-
rond Brothers with interests at
Les Cayes and St. Louis, i, 38;
rapid rise to wealth as planter, su-
gar refiner, and slave dealer, i, 39;
light cast by his dealings in slaves,
i, 39; ii, 330-335; his West Indian
fortune and final settlement of es-
tate, i, 40-41, 268; treatment of
slaves and dependents, i, 41, 54;
Santo Domingo experience com-
pared with that of a contemporary
planter at Jaquemel, i, 44-48 ; birth
of his son at Les Cayes, i, 52; dis-
covery of bill of his physician, i,
53; see also i, 54, and ii, 314-327;
his son, Fougere, and daughter,
Muguet, taken to France, i, 57; his
reference to Audubon's mother, i,
59; designation of his children in
his wills, i, 63, ii, 360-362; dual
personality expressed by his son,
i, 63; joins National Guard at
Nantes, i, 74; possible refuge of
his family during Revolution in
France, i, 76; activities immediate-
ly before and during French Revo-
lution, i, 77-82; Revolutionary of-
fices, i, 78; report as Civil Com-
missioner, i, 78; mission to Por-
nic and Paimboeuf, i, 79; signa-
ture during Revolution, i, 79; mis-
sion to Les Sables d'Olonne, and
letters to the Administration, i,
80; his reimbursement for ser-
vices to the Republic, i, 81; oper-
ations as ensign commander, and
encounter with the Brilliant, i, 82;
his later commands and elevation
to rank of lieutenant de vaisseau,
i, 82; his financial losses in Santo
Domingo, i, 82; indemnity from
the French Government, i, 83; re-
spective rank and service in the
French merchant marine and navy,
i, 83; his certificate of service, i,
83; retirement and pension, i, 83,
85; settlement and occupations at
"La Gerbetiere," i, 85; Santo Do-
mingo interests described in power
of attorney, i, 85; residences at
Nantes, i, 86; see also i, 57, 58; his
death, i, 87; his son's tribute, i, 87,
88; financial vicissitudes, i, 88; see
also i, 85; habits, abilities and
physical characteristics, i, 88; let-
ter soliciting aid for his son, i,
100; interest in "Mill Grove" and
the Prevost mortgage, i, 105; lease
and inventory of the property, i,
105; portrait at age of forty-five
(?), i, 106; mining project with
INDEX
459
Dacosta, i, 113; sale to Dacosta of
a one-half interest in "Mill Grove,"
and its lead mine, i, 114; expecta-
tions for his son, i, 115; financial
aid from Claude Francois Rozier,
i, 115; correspondence with Dacos-
ta, i, 116-123; instructions regard-
ing his son's proposed marriage, i,
117; appeal in answer to Dacosta's
complaints concerning his son, i,
118; instructions for settlement of
claims against the Ross and For-
mon estates, i, 121-123; his uncan-
celed mortgage, i, 122; instruc-
tions concerning the farmhouse at
"Mill Grove," i, 122; as grantor of
powers of attorney, i, 131, 132-133,
153; see also i, 85-87; marriage of
his daughter, i, 131; arranges a
business partnership for his son, i,
132; his former country villa as it
appears to-day, i, 135-145; division
of the "Mill Grove" property and
sale of his remaining interests, i,
149-150, 152-153; letters of his son,
i, 159-161, 163; portrait at Couer-
on, i, 100; troubles with Dacosta
and contest over his final accounts,
i, 168; bequest of his property in
usufruct to his wife, and testa-
mentary designation of his chil-
dren, i, 262; contest of relatives
over wills, i, 263; unfounded state-
ments of biographers of his son, i,
264; his claims against the Ross-
Formon estates as a basis of fic-
tion, i, 265; final settlement of his
financial affairs, i, 268; his de-
scendants in France and last of
his name in America, i, 269, ii, 294.
Audubon, Mme. Jean (Anne Moy-
net), her marriage and property
at Paimbceuf, i, 32, 40, 57, 80;
adoption of children by, i, 59;
baptism of adopted son, i, 60-61;
characterization of her son in
wills, i, 62, 262-264; as grantor of
powers of attorney, i, 131, 132-
133, 153; legal troubles and im-
poverishment, i, 263; removal from
"La Gerbetiere," i, 263, 268; her
death at "Les Tourterelles," i,
263; disposition of her estate, i,
266, 269 ; break in relations of her
adopted son with his family in
France, i, 266-269 ; attack upon her
husband's estate and its final set-
tlement, i, 263, 268; her testa-
ments, ii, 363-368.
Audubon, Jean Jacques Fougere
(John James Audubon, see also
Fougere and Jean Rabin), his
masterpiece, i, 1; his greatest
working period, i, 2; experience in
Paris in 1828, i, 2; Cuvier's eulogy
and patronage of the French Gov-
ernment, i, 3; rarity and cost of his
publications, i, 4; personality and
talents, i, 5 ; attacks upon his char-
acter, i, 6; his historical back-
ground and hitherto unwritten his-
tory, i, 7; his Americanism, i, 8;
characteristics of his writings, i,
8-10; his Ornithological Biography,
i, 9; drawings of birds and mam-
mals, i, 10; influence on American
ornithology, i, 10; honesty of pur-
pose, i, 11; memories of him in
London, i, 11; public monuments
and other honors in America, i, 13 ;
Societies and Clubs dedicated to
his memory, i, 14 ; his bibliography,
i, 15; attempt at autobiography, i,
16; first formal Life of, i, 17; true
history of Buchanan's Life, i, 18-
22; Mrs. Audubon's revision of
Buchanan's Life, i, 22; Miss Maria
R. Audubon's Life and Journals,
i, 22 ; accepted account of his birth
and early life in light of new dis-
coveries, i, 22; parentage and early
names ; a Creole of Santo Domingo,
i, 52; his baptismal name, i, 53;
discovery of the bill rendered by
460
INDEX
the physician who assisted at his
birth, i, 53; feeble health and
death of his mother, i, 56; birth
of his sister, Creole of Santo
Domingo, i, 56; taken with his sis-
ter to France, i, 57; his foster
mother and home at Nantes and
Coueron, i, 57; his adoption and
text of act, i, 59; suppression of
his mother's name, i, 60; his bap-
tism and text of act, i, 60; as-
sumed name of "La Forest," i, 61;
his-ifiignatures, i, 61, 63; his names
appearing in wills, i, 62; his dual
personality in a power of attor-
ney, i, 64; first date given in his
autobiography, i, 65; record in his
Ohio River journal, i, 66; his later
autobiographic sketch, i, 66-68;
traditional date of birth, i, 68;
myth concerning birth in Louisi-
ana, i, 68-72; account given by the
Rev. Gordon Bakewell, i, 69; in-
fluence of environment on charac-
ter, i, 90; his limited schooling, i,
91-93; the spur his ambition need-
ed, i, 91; experience in the French
navy, i, 92; early passion for na-
ture and for drawing, i, 93; as
truant, i, 94; his father intervenes
and takes him to Roche fort, i, 94;
return to Coueron, i, 96; baptized
in the Catholic Church, i, 96; first
return to the United States, i, 98;
illness at Morristown, i, 99; be-
friended by his father's American
agent, i, 99 ; his father's letter and
intentions in sending him to Amer-
ica, i, 100; his settlement at "Mill
Grove" farm, and period of stay
there, i, 101-103; begins his studies
of American bird-life, i, 106;
makes first "banding" experiment
on young of a wild bird, i, 107;
visit to "Fatland Ford," and
choice of a wife, i, 110; his gayety
and extravagance, i, 110; abstemi-
ous habits in youth as regards food
and drink, i, 111; his account of
himself, i, 111; his accomplish-
ments described by a future broth-
er-in-law, i, 111; opposition to his
marriage, i, 116; Dacosta's griev-
ances, i, 116-119; quarrels with
Dacosta and returns to France, i,
123-125; voyage on the Hope, i,
126; life at Coueron and friend-
ship with D'Orbigny, i, 127; re-
ceives with Ferdinand Rozier a
power of attorney from his par-
ents, i, 131; attends the marriage
of his sister and signs the record,
i, 131 ; his relations with his broth-
er-in-law, i, 132; his partnership
with Rozier and second letter of
attorney, i, 132; returns, with Ro-
zier, to the United States, i, 134;
voyage of the Polly, and receipt
of Captain Sammis, i, 134; expe-
rience with British privateers, i,
134; boyhood home at Coueron, i,
136-145; his description of "La
Gerbetiere," i, 136; his abortive at-
tempt, with Rozier, to administer
the "Mill Grove" mine and farm,
i, 146-148; their "Articles of
Association," i, 146-148; ii, 344-
349; sale of remaining rights in
"Mill Grove" to Dacosta and Com-
pany, i, 148-149; receives, with Ro-
zier, new power of attorney, i,
153; enters business office of Ben-
jamin Bakewell in New York, i,
153; his associates and correspond-
ence with the elder Rozier, i, 153-
166; letters to his father, i, 159-
161, 163-164; his use of English
and French, i, 155; ii, 372-374;
plans a retail business with Rozier,
i, 157-158, 160-162, 165; dispatch
of live birds, and other objects of
natural history to France, i, 158-
159, 160, 162, 165-166; conflicting
references to "Mill Grove" ex-
INDEX
461
plained, i, 158-160, 162, 165-168;
his drawings and preoccupation in
New York, i, 170-172; works for
Dr. Mitchell's collections in natural
history, i, 171; term of service in
the Bakewell office, i, 154-155, 171-
172; his account of himself, i, 172;
his early drawings, ideals and per-
severance, i, 173-174, 178-183;
study under David in Paris, i, 174-
175, 176-178; cause of certain de-
fects in his published work, i, 174;
date of his Paris experience, i, 174-
175, 177; encouragement from his
father, i, 174; David's supposed
influence on his style, i, 178; pat-
ronage of Edward Harris and his-
tory of the Harris-Jeanes collec-
tion of his early drawings, i, 179-
183; his drawing methods, i, 183-
185; his ambition, difficulties and
defects, i, 184; purchases goods in
New York, and with Rozier starts
west, i, 186; Rozier's diary of their
journey, i, 187-192; settles at
Louisville, i, 192 ; venture in indigo
and effect of the Embargo Act,
i, 193; his marriage to Lucy Green
Bakewell, and return to Louisville,
i, 194; a later journey on the Ohio
River, i, 195; occupations at Louis-
ville, i, 196, 197-198; business with
assignees of the Bakewell firm, i,
196; birth of his elder son, i, 198;
his drawings of birds and plants,
i, 198; his wife receives a portion
of her father's estate, i, 198; meet-
ing with Alexander Wilson, and
the troubles which ensued, i, 207;
stories of Audubon and of his
rival compared, i, 220-225; charges
and counter charges, i, 226; his
merits and demerits, i, 227-232;
his difficulties and pleasures as
western trader, i, 232-236; moves
with Rozier to Henderson, i, 236;
again they move to Ste. Genevieve,
i, 237-241; held up at Cash Creek,
i, 238-240; experience at the Great
Bend, i, 240; dissolution of his
partnership with Rozier and return
to Henderson, i, 241; after-rela-
tions with Rozier, i, 243; in
troubled times, i, 246; befriended
by Dr. Rankin, i, 248; birth of
their younger son, i, 248; enters
the commission business with a
brother-in-law, i, 249; his visit to
Ste. Genevieve, i, 249; reenters
trade at Henderson and buys land,
i, 250; town records of his pur-
chases, i, 250, 252; his store and
house of logs, i, 252; his popu-
larity, i, 252; Henderson gossip
and anecdotes, i, 253; his second
partnership with Thomas W. Bake-
well, i, 254; they lease land and
build a steam grist-, and lumber-
mill, i, 254; partnership of Thomas
W. Pears, i, 254; the Henderson
mill at a later day, i, 254; their
mechanical difficulties, i, 254; lease
of timber land and plunder of
workmen, i, 255; bill of lumber
rendered by J. J. Audubon & Co.,
i, 256; financial depression and
failure of the mill, i, 257; quarrel
over steamboat and encounter with
Bowen, i, 257-259; legal history of
the suit, i, 258; the opinion ex-
pressed to him by the judge, i,
259; goes to Louisville jail for
debt, i, 260; declares himself a
bankrupt and is released, i, 260;
his walk to Louisville, i, 260; later
account given to Bachman, i, 260;
reflections on passing his old mill
in 1820, i, 261; light on his enig-
ma, i, 262-272; his designations in
wills, i, 262-264; probable history
of a fictitious "bequest," i, 264-
266; his brother-in-law's letters, i,
266-269; attempt of relatives to
break his father's will in France,
462
INDEX
and impoverishment of his step-
mother, i, 263; his step-mother's
death, i, 263; the last of his family
in France, i, 269; his elder son's
visit to Coueron, i, 269; his refer-
ence to "Audubon of La Rochelle,"
i, 270; his "Episodes" and methods
of composition, i, 273-284; discrep-
ancies and inaccuracies of some
of his narratives, i, 273-274, 279-
291; his account of meeting Nolte
and Nolte's account of meeting
him, i, 274-279; on horseback from
Henderson to Philadelphia, i, 275;
description of the famous earth-
quakes and the hurricane, i, 279-
291; criticism of his account of
Daniel Boone, i, 291 ; "Episode" of
"The Prairie," i, 274, 282-284; an-
swer to a criticism of, i, 284; his
sketch of "The Eccentric Natural-
ist" and comment, i, 285-300; prac-
tical jokes, and cost to Zoology, i,
291; the "Scarlet-headed Swallow"
and "Devil-Jack Diamond Fish,"
i, 291-293; his later relations with
Rafinesque, i, 294; his ^Eneid,
1819-1824, i, 301-326; debt to his
wife, i, 301; begins to work at
portraiture at Shippingport, i,
303; removal to Cincinnati, i, 303;
history of his engagement as taxi-
dermist at the Western Museum,
and friendship with Dr. Drake, i,
303-306; starts a drawing school
and plans a journey through the
West and South, i, 306; starts
with Captain Cummings and Jo-
seph R. Mason for New Orleans,
i, 307; his Ohio and Mississippi
Rivers journal, i, 307; experience
at Natchez; boots and portraits, i,
308; loss and recovery of a port-
folio, i, 309; stranded at New Or-
leans, i, 309; resorts to por-
traiture again, i, 311; his draw-
ings of birds, i, 311; interview
with Vanderlyn, i, 312; leaves New
Orleans with Mason, i, 313; meet*
ing with Mrs. Pirrie and engage-
ment at "Oakley," i, 312; enchant-
ments of the West Feliciana coun-
try and introduction to St. Fran-
cisville, i, 313-315; experience as
tutor to "my lovely Miss Pirrie of
Oakley," i, 315, 317-318; leaves
abruptly and returns with Mason
to New Orleans, i, 318; his indus-
try and fruits, i, 318; joined by his
family in New Orleans, i, 319; cri-
sis in financial affairs and losses
of drawings, i, 320; as teacher at
Natchez and Washington, i, 321;
parts with his pupil assistant, i,
321 ; his first lessons in the use of
oil colors, i, 321; engagements of
his wife at New Orleans, Natchez
and St. Francisville, i, 322; his
wife's "Beechwoods" school, i, 322;
resolution to pursue his ornitho-
logical studies, i, 323; misadven-
ture with Stein, i, 324; ill and
adrift, i, 324; decides to visit
Philadelphia to find a publisher
for his drawings, i, 325; settles,
with his elder son, at Shipping-
port, i, 325; experience in Philadel-
phia in 1824, i, 327-335; his exhibi-
tion at the Academy of Natural
Sciences, i, 328; meeting with
Bonaparte and Ord, i, 328 ; opposi-
tion encountered, i, 328-330; criti-
cisms of Ord and Lawson, i, 329;
his work for Bonaparte, i, 330;
appreciation of Fairman and Har-
ris, i, 331; assistance of Edward
Harris and beginning of their
friendship, i, 331, 333; early letter
to Harris, i, 332; Thomas Sully,
as friend and teacher, i, 334; visit
to "Mill Grove," i, 335; reception
in New York and assistance of
Samuel Latham Mitchell, i, 33G;
election to membership in the Ly-
INDEX
463
ceum of Natural History, i, 338;
acts as model for Vanderlyn's por-
trait of Andrew Jackson, i, 338;
to Thomas Sully, i, 339; visit
to Albany and Niagara Falls, i,
339; misadventure at Presque Isle,
i, 340; the Meadville "Episode," i,
341-343; residence at Pittsburgh, i,
343; journey to Lakes Ontario and
Champlain, where plans of his
publication are matured, i, 343;
stranded at Cincinnati, i, 344; re-
turns to St. Francisville, and resorts
to teaching, i, 346; sails with his
drawings from New Orleans, i,
347; journal of the voyage of the
Delos, i, 348-350; lands in Liver-
pool, i, 350; his credentials, i, 351;
introduction to Lafayette, i, 351;
customs duties, i, 350; Nolte's let-
ter to the Rathbones, i, 352; aid of
the "Queen Bee" of "Greenbank,"
i, 353; his "observatory nerves,"
i, 353; ornithological dedications,
i, 354; exhibition of his drawings
at the Royal Institution, i, 354;
appearance and habits, i, 354;
paintings as gifts, and the Turkey
Cock seal, i, 355; painting meth-
ods, i, 355; opens a subscription
book of The Birds of America at
Manchester, i, 356; plan of the
work, i, 356; his life of contrasts,
i, 357; journey to Edinburgh, 1,
357; invitation to merge his work,
i, 357; meeting with Lizars, who
agrees to engrave his first num-
ber, i, 358 ; first proof of the Tur-
key Cock received, i, 358; publica-
tion of the first ten plates in Edin-
burgh, i, 358 ; success of his Edin-
burgh exhibition, i, 359; impres-
sions of Philarfcte-Chasles, i, 359;
Cap's hint taken, i, 360; cast of
his head made and his portrait
painted, i, 361; response at ban-
quet of the Royal Institution, i,
361; society's tax on his strength,
i, 361; contributions to journals, i,
362; blackballed by an American
Society, i, 362; proposed gift to
the Royal Institution, i, 363; visit
to "Dalmahoy," i, 363; friendship
of Basil Hall, i, 364; characteriza-
tion of Francis Jeffrey, i, 365 ; first
meeting with Scott, and his record
of the interview, i, 365; exhibits
his drawings at Sir Walter's home,
i, 366; Scott, on Audubon, i, 367;
papers on the Wild Pigeon and the
Rattlesnake, i, 368; his painting of
"Pheasants attacked by a fox," i,
369; Sidney Smith, i, 369; to his
wife, i, 369-373; first meeting with
Kidd, i, 373; issues his Prospectus,
i, 373; visit to Selby at "Twizel
House," 374; with Thomas Bewick
at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, i, 375;
success in canvassing, i, 376; in
London, i, 377-410, 413-418; his
credentials for the metropolis, 1,
376-380; abandonment of his work
by Lizars and discovery of Robert
Havell, Junior, i, 380-384; his
Birds of America fly to London, i,
384; painting his way to liberty, i,
388; canvassing experiences, i, 388;
eiforts to secure the patronage of
the King, i, 390, 392; the Queen
becomes his patroness, i, 392; visit
to Glasgow, i, 393; difficulties with
his publishers, i, 393; timely aid
from Sir Thomas Lawrence, i, 393-
396; exhibition and sale of his paint-
ings, i, 394; resolutions on snuff,
i, 396; dislike of London, i, 397;
his work and Selby's compared, i,
397; revision of his drawings, i,
398; calls by appointment upon an
earl, i, 398; visits the great Uni-
versities, i, 399; solicitations of
publishers and contributions to
magazines, i, 399; friendship with
Swainson, and original letters of
464
INDEX
their correspondence, i, 400-403;
Swainson's review of his work, i,
403; visit at Tyttenhanger, i, 404;
to Swainson, i, 405-407; request for
further contributions to magazines
refused, i, 407; visit to Paris with
the Swainsons and Parker, i, 408-
413; his picture of Cuvier at fifty-
nine, i, 411; patronage of the Duke
of Orleans, i, 411; exchange of
works with Redouts', i, 412; with
Cuvier at the Royal Academy, i,
412; Cuvier's report on his work,
i, 413; correspondence with Swain-
son, i, 413-415; Bonaparte to, i,
416-419; first journey from Eng-
land to America, i, 420-436;
to his wife, i, 420; exhibi-
tion of drawings in New York,
i, 421; painting at Camden and
Great Egg Harbor, i, 421; Swain-
son to, i, 422; sojourn in the
Great Pine Forest, i, 423, 425-426;
to Victor Audubon, i, 424; "Epi-
sodes" and record of work, i, 425;
visits his sons and joins his wife at
"Beechgrove" (St. Francisville) in
Louisiana, i, 427; to Harlan, i, 427-
430; Swainson to, i, 430; occupa-
tions at "Beechgrove," i, 432;
preparations to return, with Mrs.
Audubon, to England, i, 432; to
Havell, i, 433; proposition for a
successor to the position held by
his wife, i, 434; reception at Wash-
ington, and accessions of subscrib-
ers, i, 435; aid of Edward Everett,
i, 435; his letterpress and its ri-
vals, i, 437-451; membership in the
Royal Society, i, 437; settlement in
Edinburgh and publication of the
Ornithological Biography,i,43T ; en-
gages William MacGillivray to as-
sist him, i, 438; rival publications,
i, 439, 442-445; issue of his first
volume of letterpress, i, 439; Sir
William Jardine to, i, 441 ; MacGil-
livray as his reviewer, i, 445; un-
dertakes a Natural History Gal-
lery of paintings with Kidd, i, 446 ;
notices and final abandonment of
the enterprise, i, 446; to London
and Paris, i, 447; Edward Everett
to, i, 448-451; financial difficulties
overcome, i, 451; explorations in
Florida and the South Atlantic,
ii, 1-25; returns to America with
his wife, and a taxidermist as as-
sistant, ii, 1; to Kidd, ii, 1; his
obituary in the London Literary
Gazette, ii, 2; Abert and Feather-
stonhaugh announce his plans, ii,
3; promise of governmental aid at
Washington, ii, 4; visits Charleston
and meets John Bachman, ii, 5;
sails from Charleston for Florida
with two assistants, ii, 5 ; Bachman
on, ii, 5; dedication to Bachman of
a copy of his Birds, ii, 7; his Birds
of America as gifts to others, ii, 7;
his journey described in Feather-
stonhaugh's Journal, ii, 8-14; ac-
count of meeting with Bachman,
ii, 9 ; hospitality of the Charleston-
ians, ii, 10; impressions of St.
Augustine, ii, 12; methods of work,
ii, 12; Harlan to his wife, ii, 14;
misadventures at Bulowville, ii, 15-
20; shooting birds at Live Oak
Landing, ii, 16; narrow escape
from the marshes, ii, 17-19; as a
prophet on the future of eastern
Florida, ii, 20; the ibis of Orange
Grove Island, ii, 21; his plans de-
layed, ii, 22-24; journey from St.
Augustine to Key West, ii, 24; re-
turn to Savannah and Charleston,
ii, 25; eastern visit and explora-
tions in the North Atlantic, ii, 26-
66; settles again in Camden, ii, 26;
an experiment in lithography, ii, 26 ;
correspondence of Harlan, ii, 28;
his welcome at Boston, ii, 29; to
Edward Harris, ii, 29; journey to
INDEX
465
Maine coast and New Brunswick,
ii, 30; winter and illness in Boston,
ii, 31, 34-35; sends his son to Eng-
land to take charge of his publi-
cations, and plans an expedition to
Labrador, ii, 31; Bachman to, ii,
32; to Victor Audubon, ii, 33;
drawing of the Golden Eagle, ii,
34; to his son, ii, 35-40; financial
affairs, ii, 37-38, 65; on his portrait
by Inman, ii, 39; his American
subscribers, ii, 39-41; letters to
Harris, ii, 40; organization of his
proposed expedition, ii, 42-44;
George Parkman to, ii, 43; sails
in the Ripley for Labrador, ii,
44; journal of his experiences, ii,
44-50; at Bird Rock, ii, 45; dis-
covers a new finch, ii, 45 ; scenes of
work at Wapitagun, ii, 46-48; his
efforts and accomplishments, ii,
48; return to Eastport and Bos-
ton, ii, 49; editorial comment, ii,
50; letter from Havell, ii, 51;
Thomas L. McKenney on, ii, 52;
arrested in Philadelphia, ii, 52;
Washington Irving's aid in Wash-
ington, ii, 53; itinerary from Rich-
mond, ii, 53; winter at Bachman's,
ii, 54; letter to his son, ii, 55-62;
on Ord and Waterton, ii, 55, 61;
on his buzzard experiments, ii, 55;
on Syme's portrait, ii, 57; his fam-
ily alliance, ii, 58 ; on his American
subscribers, ii, 59, 62; on Robert
Havell, ii, 59; on growing old, ii,
60; on self-improvement, ii, 61;
on Kidd, ii, 57, 62; Bachman, on
his working habits, ii, 62; to Har-
ris, ii, 64; echo of his early busi-
ness troubles, ii, 64; his statement
of the case, ii, 65; return to Eng-
land, ii, 65; gratitude to Edward
Harris, ii, 66; as target of critics
and detractors, ii, 67-92; question-
able essays, ii, 68; his reply to
Sully, ii, 68-71; the rattlesnake
controversy, ii, 71-80; charges of
an editor, ii, 72; his original draw-
ing and account of the rattle-
snake, ii, 74-76; his errors and
vindication, ii, 76-80; letter of
Thomas Cooper, ii, 78 ; on the bend
of the rattlesnake's fang, ii, 79;
rediscovery of his discredited lily,
ii, 80; on the buzzard's sense of
smell, and present state of the
controversy, ii, 81-84; his cham-
pions of the scientific and literary
press, ii, 84; on his snake stories,
ii, 85; his most persistent heckler,
ii, 86-92; Waterton and Swainson,
on the authorship of his Ornitho-
logical Biography, ii, 87; on the
rivalries of contemporaries, ii, 93-
124; to Swainson, ii, 95-97, 99-100,
101-103, 112; Swainson to, ii, 97-
99, 103-108; his appeal to Swainson
for assistance on his letterpress,
ii, 94, 98, 102-103, 104-107; check
in friendship and engagement of
MacGillivray, ii, 108; resulting
controversy over the authorship of
the Ornithological Biography, ii,
87-88, 109; on the craze for de-
scribing new species, ii, 110; "Or-
nithophilus" on, ii, 111; Swain-
son as biographer of, ii, 113-115;
his reference to Bonaparte re-
sented, ii, 118; his letter to Bona-
parte and their subsequent rela-
tions, ii, 119-121; comment on
Gould, ii, 121-124; return to Eng-
land in 1834, ii, 125; to Edward
Harris, ii, 125; on his relations to
William MacGillivray, ii, 125-138;
MacGillivray to, ii, 126-128, 130-
132, 134; his ornithological col-
lection, ii, 129; completion of the
second volume of his letterpress,
ii, 132; to Harris, on the alligator
and the American edition of his
Ornithological Biography, ii, 132,
134; MacGillivray's contract with,
466
INDEX
ii, 134; MacGillivray's assistance
and friendship, ii, 134-137; his
acknowledgments and dedication
to MacGillivray, ii, 137; to John
Wilson, ii, 139; on the effects of
overwork, ii, 140; letters to Har-
ris, ii, 141-144; on Alexander Wil-
son, ii, 143; issue of his third vol-
ume of the Ornithological Biogra-
phy, ii, 144; on his journey, ii, 144;
third American tour, ii, 146; land-
ing in New York, ii, 146; efforts to
secure the Nuttall-Townsend col-
lection of western birds, ii, 147-
149, 153-154; thwarted in Phila-
delphia, ii, 149; in Boston and Sa-
lem, ii, 149-151 ; meets Brewer and
Nuttall, ii, 150; friendship and
recommendation of Daniel Web-
ster, ii, 151; success of canvassing
in New York, ii, 153; efforts to
obtain the collections in Philadel-
phia renewed, ii, 153; rivalry of
priority seekers, ii, 155; plans an
expedition to Florida, and visits
Washington for governmental aid,
ii, 155; entertained at the White
House, ii, 156; on Andrew Jack-
son, ii, 156; winter spent with Bach-
man, ii, 156; overland with Ed-
ward Harris and his younger son
to New Orleans, ii, 157; experi-
ences in the Gulf of Mexico and
Texas, ii, 157-165; adventures with
the Crusader, ii, 158-163; at Gal-
veston Bay, ii, 163; visit to Hous-
ton, ii, 164; his party disbands at
Charleston, ii, 165; his son's mar-
riage, and return to England, ii,
166; to Thomas Brewer, ii, 168;
extension of his Birds and revolt
of British patrons, ii, 170, 174; to
Harris on Townsend's second col-
lection of western birds, ii, 170-
173; eagerness to render his work
as complete as possible, ii, 173;
on extra plates and partial sub-
scribers, ii, 174; to William Swain-
son, ii, 176; his day of greatest tri-
umph, ii, 177; return to Edinburgh
and completion of his letterpress,
ii, 178-186; to his son, ii, 178-181;
at work with MacGillivray, ii, 178-
181 ; publication of the fourth vol-
ume of the Ornithological Biogra-
phy, ii, 181; impairment of the
health of his wife, ii, 181, 183, 186;
their tour in the Scottish High-
lands, ii, 182; to Edward Harris,
ii, 184-186; completion of his la-
bors in England, ii, 186; number
of American species of birds rec-
ognized in 1839, ii, 186; valedic-
tory to the "gentle reader," ii, 187;
prepares to return with his family
to America; directions to Havell,
ii, 188-191 ; intimate history of the
work of his engraver, with manual
for collectors, ii, 191-199; the
Athen&um on, ii, 199; Peabody on,
ii, 200; on the original and exist-
ing numbers of copies of his Birds,
ii, 201-203; on his own and Ha-
vell's copy of The Birds of
America, ii, 203; original and
present prices of his works, ii,
204; singular attest of J. P. Hall
regarding, ii, 205; Audubon's ac-
count of the Rothschild incident,
ii, 206-208; settles in New York,
and immediately undertakes two
new works, ii, 208; Bachman to, on
a revised edition of The Birds of
America, and the Quadrupeds, ii,
208; to Brewer on the Quadrupeds
of North America, ii, 209; mar-
riage of his elder son, ii, 210;
Bachman, on his cooperation in
the Quadrupeds, ii, 210; prospec-
tus of the octavo edition of the
Birds, ii, 211-212, 214; its compo-
sition and number of American
species of birds recognized, ii, 214-
215; to his family while canvassing
INDEX
467
in Baltimore, ii, 215-217; original
account book of, ii, 217; extraordi-
nary success of his Birds in "min-
iature," ii, 217; bereavements of
his family, ii, 218; his friendship
with a rising young naturalist, ii,
218; opening correspondence with
Spencer Fullarton Baird, ii, 219-
223; William Yarrell to, ii, 223-
225; new birds from Baird, ii, 219,
225; their correspondence contin-
ued, ii, 226; letter to George Park-
man, and the "Parkman Wren," ii,
227-229; to W. O. Ayres on col-
lecting quadrupeds, ii, 229; on the
expenses of his publication, ii, 230 ;
Baird on his first visit to his
friend, ii, 230-232; consolation and
advice to his pupil, ii, 232; pur-
chase of land and house-building,
ii, 234; "Minnie's Land" on the
Hudson, ii, 235; his activities, ii,
235; Parke Godwin on Audubon
and "Minnie's Land," in 1842, ii,
236-238; in 1845, ii, 238; his expe-
dition to the Upper Missouri, ii,
239-258 ; correspondence with Baird,
ii, 239-241; credentials from the
Government, ii, 242; Daniel Web-
ster's letter, ii, 242; his letter from
President Tyler, ii, 243; Bachman
on the Quadrupeds, ii, 243; can-
vassing tour to Canada, ii, 244; de-
scription of Canadian visit in let-
ter to Benjamin Phillips, ii, 244-
246; William Yarrell to, ii, 246;
overtures to Baird to join his
western expedition fail, ii, 248-
250, 252; Edward Harris to, ii,
251; his party, ii, 252; rendezvous
at Philadelphia and beginning of
journey, ii, 252; ascent of the Mis-
souri in the Magnet, ii, 252; his
journal of their experiences, ii,
253; discovery of new birds, ii,
253; on George Catlin, ii, 254; at
Fort Union, ii, 254-256; first ex-
perience with buffalo, ii, 254;
forecast of its fate, ii, 255; in a
wilderness that howls, ii, 256; his
return, ii, 256; on a canal boat
homeward bound, ii, 257; mistaken
for a Bunker, ii, 258; portrait by
his son, ii, 258; to Baird, ii, 258;
completion of his Birds in octavo,
and dedication to Baird, ii, 259;
his final work on the Quadrupeds,
ii, 261; on Pennant's marten, ii,
263; to Bachman on mischief mak-
ers, and letterpress of the Quadru-
peds, ii, 264-267; his copper-plates
of The Birds of America pass
through fire in New York, ii, 267;
as a spectator at the ruins, ii, 267;
reply to Baird on the results of
the fire, ii, 268; Bachman's visit
in 1845, ii, 268; Bachman's com-
plaints and ultimatum through
Harris, ii, 269; Bachman on his
Missouri River Journal, ii, 271 ;
correspondence with Baird, ii, 272-
273, 275-278, 279; recommendation
of Baird, ii, 279; his son visits
England to paint for the Quadru-
peds, ii, 280; manuscript of the
Quadrupeds of North America, ii,
283; illustrations and completion
of plates of the Quadrupeds, ii,
285 ; Brewer on a visit to "Minnie's
Land" in 1846, ii, 286-288; letter to
Harris in 1847, ii, 287; Baird's
note of last visit in 1847, ii, 288;
Bachman on his visit of 1848, ii,
288; last days and death at "Min-
nie's Land," ii, 290; work of his
sons, and his family in America,
ii, 291-312; appropriation by the
Government to procure copies of
Audubon's works for presentation
to foreign countries, ii, 293; man-
uscript notes and legends on orig-
inal drawings of the Birds, ii,
305.
Audubon, Mrs. John James, as edi-
468
INDEX
tor of a Life of her husband, i,
18, 22; her girlhood home, i, 108;
Audubon's account of their meet-
ing and his debt to, i, 109; her
father and uncle as protege's of
Audubon, i, 125; Audubon on, i,
160; her marriage and journey
West, i, 194; her children, i, 198,
247, 248; her realization in her
father's estate, i, 198-200; her fa-
ther and family, i, 199, 253-254 ; as
spur and balance wheel, i, 301; at
Cincinnati, i, 303, 306, 307, 320; the
Western Museum incident, i, 304;
at New Orleans, i, 320, 322; en-
gagements at Natchez and St.
Francisville, i, 322; her "Beech-
woods" school, i, 322; Audubon to,
i, 370-372, 420-421, 424, 428; at
"Beechgrove," i, 431-435; accom-
panies her husband to England, i,
435-436; ii, 1; John Bachman to,
ii, 5; Richard Harlan to, ii, 14;
her activities and school at "Min-
nie's Land," ii, 299; breaking up
of her home and the Life of her
husband, ii, 300; to a relative on
her family's affairs, ii, 301 ; to Wil-
liam R. Dorian on her husband's
autograph, ii, 302; her last years
and death, ii, 302; a eulogy, ii,
303; disposal of the original draw-
ings of The Birds of America, ii,
304; ascription of drawing to, ii,
306.
Audubon, John Woodhouse, his birth,
ii, 248; 323, 371; his father to,
ii, 373, 390; ii, 43, 44, 54, 56-57,
156; marriage to Bachman's
daughter, ii, 166; journey to Texas,
ii, 272; goes to England to paint
for the Quadrupeds, ii, 273, 280;
dedication to John Edward Gray,
ii, 280; J. E. Gray to, ii, 281; part
in painting the originals of the
folio plates of the Quadrupeds of
North America, ii, 285; his unfor-
tunate California venture, ii, 289,
290; his marriage to Caroline Hall,
ii, 294; children and descendants,
ii, 294; his house at "Minnie's
Land," ii, 295, 311-312; his illness
and death, ii, 295-296, 297; his
project for reproducing the orig-
inal folio of The Birds of America
in America, checked by the War,
ii, 296, 389-391; residual stock of
the incomplete work, ii, 296; as his
father's aid, ii, 297, 299; activities
and characteristics as boy and
man, ii, 297-299, 309-310; his
Western Journal, ii, 299; death of
his second wife, ii, 303.
Audubon, Mrs. John Woodhouse
(Maria Rebecca Bachman), her
marriage, ii, 166; her death, ii,
218; her children, ii, 294.
Audubon, Mrs. John Woodhouse
(Caroline Hall), her marriage,
children and descendants, ii, 294;
her death, ii, 294.
Audubon, Lucy, death of, i, 247.
Audubon, Maria Rebecca, publica-
tion of Audubon's Autobiography
by, i, 16; Audubon and his Jour-
nals by, i, 22, 28, 63, 66, 106, 153,
270, 369.
Audubon, Marie Rosa (Mme. de
Vaugeon), i, 27; suit by, i, 28,
263.
Audubon, Pierre, service in the
French merchant marine, i, 26; his
son, Jean, and his family, i, 27; at
siege of Louisburg, i, 28.
Audubon, Rosa (Mme. Gabriel Loy-
en du Puigaudeau, see Muguet),
her birth, i, 56; taken to France, i,
57; act of adoption, i, 59; as god-
mother, i, 128; marriage contract
and marriage of, i, 131; her home,
children and death, i, 269.
Audubon, Rosa, i, 247.
Audubon, Victor Gilford, his birth,
i, 198; 269, 325, 371, 396, 427;
INDEX
469
takes charge of his father's publi-
cations in England, ii, 31; his fa-
ther to, ii, 33-40, 43-44, 55-62; in
his father's defense, ii, 55, 88; 65,
81, 119, 178, 189; on the number
of sets of The Birds of America
issued, ii, 202; married to Mary
Eliza Bachman, ii, 210; on "Min-
nie's Land," ii, 235; John Bach-
man to, ii, 261-263, 281-283; to
Spencer F. Baird, ii, 278; Baird
to, ii, 278; as amanuensis to Bach-
man, ii, 283, 291; to Bachman, ii,
289; success in canvassing, ii, 292;
Bachman's recommendation, ii,
292; his issues of the Quadrupeds
and Birds, ii, 293, 295; his second
marriage and children, ii, 294; his
house at "Minnie's Land," ii, 295,
311; his illness and death, ii, 295;
death of his wife, ii, 303.
Audubon, Mrs. Victor Gifford
(Mary Eliza Bachman), her
marriage, ii, 210; her death, ii, 218.
Audubon, Mrs. Victor Gifford
(Georgianna Richards Mallory), ii,
258; her marriage and children, ii,
294; her death, ii, 294.
"Audubon of La Rochelle," i, 27,
270, 271.
Audubon (Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania), i, 102.
Audubon and his Journals, i, 22.
Audubon Association and Societies,
history and aims of, i, 14.
Audubonian Epoch and Period in
American ornithology, i, 10.
Aukland, Sir J. D., i, 377.
Ayres, W. O., Audubon, on collect-
ing quadrupeds, to, ii, 229-230;
277.
Bachman, Rev. John, i, 291, 293;
meeting and friendship with Au-
dubon, ii, 5, 9; to Mrs. Audubon,
ii, 5; Audubon's gift of his Birds
of America to, ii, 7; as canvasser
for Audubon, ii, 27; Audubon to,
ii, 27; to Audubon, ii, 32-33, 51;
buzzard experiments, ii, 55-56; 57,
59, 61 ; publication of his paper on
the Turkey Buzzard, ii, 56; on
Audubon's working habits, ii, 63-
65; account of experiments on the
sense of sight and smell in vul-
tures, ii, 81-83; Audubon to, on
the effects of overwork, ii, 140-
141; 146; on conditions in the
South, ii, 148; Audubon's winter
with, ii, 156; marriage of daughter
of, ii, 166; in London, ii, 178, 179;
184; to Audubon on his "Small
Edition of Birds" and Quadru-
peds, ii, 208-209; marriage of the
daughter of, ii, 210; on his co-
operation with Audubon in the
Quadrupeds, ii, 210-211; 216, 220;
to Audubon on the Quadrupeds, ii,
243-244; 258-259; on the Quadru-
peds of North America, ii, 261-
263, 269-272, 281-283; calls for
help, ii, 262; Audubon to, on mis-
chief-making of a "mutual friend,"
and the letterpress of the Quad-
rupeds, ii, 264-267; on Audubon in
1845, ii, 268; his ultimatum to
Edward Harris as mediator, ii,
268-270; on Audubon's Missouri
River Journal, ii, 271; difficulties
of cooperation, ii, 273; domestic
bereavement, ii, 274; his second
marriage, ii, 281; working meth-
ods, ii, 281; facsimile letter, ii,
282; manuscript on the Quadru-
peds, ii, 283; early life and career,
ii, 284; on Alexander von Hum-
boldt, ii, 284; on Audubon in 1848,
ii, 288; completion of the text of
the Quadrupeds, ii, 291; recom-
mendation of Victor Audubon and
statement of his part and interest
in the work, ii, 292-293; 311.
Bachman, Mrs. John (Harriet Mar-
tin), death of, ii, 274.
470
INDEX
Bachman, Mrs. John (Maria Mar-
tin), marriage of, ii, 281.
Bachman, Maria Rebecca. See Mrs.
John Woodhouse Audubon.
Bachman, Mary Eliza. See Mrs.
Victor Gifford Audubon.
Baco, mayor of Nantes, proclama-
tion of, i, 74.
Baird, Spencer Fullarton, his friend-
ship with Audubon, ii, 218-220;
Audubon to, ii, 219-222, 232-233;
discovers new birds, ii, 219, 221,
225; visits Audubon in New York,
ii, 230; to Audubon, ii, 231-232,
235; correspondence with Audubon
on the Missouri expedition, ii, 239-
241, 248-250, 252; 259; dedication
of Audubon to, ii, 259-260; Coues
on, ii, 260; correspondence with
Audubon on quadrupeds, ii, 263,
264, 272-273, 274-278; on Pen-
nant's marten, ii, 263; first visit
to Audubon, ii, 264; on fate of
Audubon's copper-plates, ii, 267;
his marriage and appointment in
Dickenson College, ii, 276; on
Victor Audubon's gift, ii, 278; on
the curatorship of the Smithson-
ian Institution, ii, 279; his recom-
mendations by Audubon, ii, 279;
last letter and visit to Audubon,
ii, 288.
Bakewell, Benjamin, as protege" of
young Audubon, i, 125; Audubon's
engagement with, i, 153, 154-155,
171-172; his establishment, corre-
spondents and clerks, i, 153-154;
his residence and previous business
career, i, 154; his New York busi-
ness and correspondents, i, 155 ; deal-
ings with Claude Fra^bis Rozier, as
told in Audubon's letters, i, 156-
158, 161-163, 164-166; ruin of his
trade by the Embargo Act, i, 172;
his business dealings with Audu-
bon and Rozier, i, 186, 193; emi-
gration to America and establish-
ment in New Haven, i, 201; Wil-
son at his glass works in Pitts-
burgh, i, 204.
Bakewell, Eliza. See Mrs. Nicholas
Augustus Berthoud.
Bakewell, Rev. Gordon, on Audu-
bon's birth, i, 69; Audubon's por-
trait of, i, 69.
Bakewell, G. W., on William Bake-
well, i, 99.
Bakewell, John, i, 200.
Bakewell, Joseph, i, 200.
Bakewell, Lucy Green. See Mrs.
John James Audubon.
Bakewell, Robert, i, 200, 377.
Bakewell, Thomas Woodhouse (of
Crith, Derbyshire), i, 200.
Bakewell, Thomas Woodhouse, i, 153;
statement of accounts of Audubon
& Rozier with his uncle's estate, i,
193; see also ii, 354-355; letter to
Audubon & Rozier, i, 196; failure
of his commission business with
Audubon at New Orleans, i, 248;
second partnership with Audubon,
and history of their mill enterprise
at Henderson, i, 254-255; 259;
lease of land, i, 254; investment
in mill, i, 255; withdrawal from
business partnership, i, 256; sub-
sequent successful career at Pitts-
burgh and Cincinnati, i, 259; his
financial reverses, fortitude and
death, i, 259.
Bakewell, William, his purchase of
"Fatland Ford" and settlement
upon this estate, i, 99, 108; his
daughter, Lucy Green, i, 108-110;
his private accounts and aid to
Audubon and Rczier, i, 125; sale
of a portion of his farm in the
interests of his daughter, i, 198;
to Audubon and Rozier regarding
the sale, i, 199 ; his family and his-
tory, i, 200; emigration to the
United States and business at New
Haven, i, 201; death of his first
INDEX
471
wife, i, 201; his second marriage,
i, 201; his death, i, 201; death of
his second wife, i, 201; financial
assistance to son by, i, 255.
Bakewell, William Gifford, record of
a visit to "Mill Grove," i, 111-112;
427; ii, 252.
Bakewell, Mrs. William Gifford, ii,
302.
Banks, Sir Joseph, ii, 117.
Barraband, Pierre Paul (1767-1809),
his method of drawing birds, i,
184, 404.
Bartram, Anne, i, 215.
Bartram, John, and his Botanic
Gardens, i, 215.
Bartram, William, as mentor to Al-
exander Wilson, i, 212; Wilson, in
letter to, i, 213; his hospitality, i,
214, 216; his niece, and the Botanic
Gardens of his father, i, 215; on
numbers of American birds, ii,
214.
Bascanion. See Black snake.
Bayou Sara, introduction of Audu-
bon to, i, 309 ; life of Audubon at,
i, 314-318; village and origin of
name of, i, 314.
Bazin, Eugene, translations by, i,
360.
Beates, Frederick, purchase and sale
of "Mill Grove" by, i, 169.
Beer, William, i, 143, 155.
Bell, John, ii, 252; dedication of
Audubon to, ii, 253.
Benedict, Jennett, Audubon's itiner-
ant portrait of, i, 342.
Benedict, Jesse, ii, 311.
Berthoud, Mme., death of, i, 326.
Berthoud, Nicholas Augustus, i, 197,
256, 303, 309; engagement of Vic-
tor G. Audubon with, i, 325;
mother and family name of, i, 326 ;
427; ii, 27, 28, 33, 36, 37, 38,
130.
Berthoud, Mrs. Nicholas Augustus,
i, 326; ii, 303.
Besant, Sir Walter, on London in
1837, i, 355, 395.
Best, Robert, and the Western Mu-
seum, i, 303, 306.
Bewick, Thomas, Audubon's visit to,
i, 375; ii, 142.
Bibliography, i, 15; ii, 401-456.
Bien, J., and Company, ii, 396.
"Bird of Washington" ("Aquila
washingtonii"), Audubon's sup-
posed discovery of, i, 241, 400,
406; ii, 185.
Birds of America (folio), cost and
rarity of, i, 4; defects in drawings
of, i, 174, 184-185; destruction of
drawings designed for, i, 179, 320-
321; in embryo, i, 180-183; presen-
tation copies of, i, 356; plans of
publication, i, 343; first subscriber
to, i, 353; first engraved plate of,
i, 359; Lizars' part in engraving
of, i, 359 ; issue of first number of,
i, 362; first prospectus of, i, 373,
see also ii, 386-388; title of, i, 381;
the Havells in relation to, i, 380-
385; rebirth of, in London, i, 384;
the singular history of plate No.
iii, i, 384; difficulties with color-
ists, i, 389; the Queen as patron-
ess, i, 392; revision of drawings,
i, 398; Swainson's review, i, 403;
progress of, i, 405; Cuvier's re-
port, i, 413; Bachman as canvas-
ser for, ii, 27; Thomas H. Per-
kins' copy, ii, 29; Audubon's di-
rections for dispatch of parts of,
ii, 37 ; his financial accounts with, ii,
37; American subscribers, ii,
36-41; insurance of drawings for,
ii, 40; editorial comment, ii, 41;
revolt of patrons at extension of
plan, ii, 170, 174; Audubon on ex-
tra plates and partial subscribers
to, ii, 174; completion of, ii, 177;
Audubon on residual stock of
plates, ii, 188-190; uncolored plates
of, ii, 190; on insurance of cop-
472
INDEX
per-plates of, ii, 191 ; intimate
history of the engravers and
plates, with manual for collectors,
ii, 191-199; story told in artists'
and engravers' captions or leg-
ends, ii, 196-198; dates, errors and
editions in plates, ii, 196-198; ori-
ginal and present known numbers
of complete sets, ii, 201; Audu-
bon's and Havell's copies of, ii, 204;
original and present prices, ii, 204;
curious attest of J. P. Hall, ii,
205; original drawings for plates,
ii, 304; manuscript records and
legends on original drawings, ii,
305; story of fate of original cop-
per-plates of, ii, 295, 306-309;
final lists of subscribers, ii, 380-
385; prospectus of 1828, ii, 386-
388.
Birds of America (in octavo), pros-
pectus, ii, 208-212, 214; agents'
original and present prices of, ii,
211; titles on original parts, ii,
213; beginning of publication, ii,
214; number of birds and doubtful
species, ii, 214; Audubon as can-
vasser for, ii, 215-217; remarkable
success of, ii, 217; account-book
of Audubon in business of, ii, 217;
William Yarrell on, ii, 223; "Park-
man's Wren" in, ii, 228; expense
of publication of, ii, 230.
Birds of America (partial American
issue in folio), ii, 296; residual
stock of plates of, ii, 297; original
prospectus of, ii, 389-391.
Birds of Europe, ii, 122; anecdote
of, ii, 123.
Blackbird, Red-winged (Angelaius
phceniceus}, Ord's charge concern-
ing Audubon's drawing of, i, 228.
Blackcocks (Tetrao tetrix), original
painting of, i, 363, 366.
Black snake, "blue racer" (Bascan-
ion constrictor), confused with rat-
tlesnake, ii, 76.
Blackwood's Magazine, John Wilson
on Audubon and Kidd, i, 447;
John Wilson on Audubon, ii,
139.
Blanchard, Jean Francois, as at-
torney of Jean Audubon at Les
Cayes, i, 85.
Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata),
painting of, i, 397.
Bohn, Henry G., on Audubon's
drawings, i, 357.
Bonaparte, Charles Lucien, intro-
duces Audubon at Philadelphia, i,
328; his career and work as an
ornithologist, i, 329-331; his artist
and engravers, i, 330; Audubon's
contribution to his American Or-
nithology, i, 330; his account of
the Wild Turkey, i, 331; charac-
terization by a contemporary, i,
334; his subscription to The Birds
of America, i, 380, 385; to Audu-
bon, i, 416-419; 423; ii, 40, 49-50;
96, 98, 106, 107, 108, 110, 112, 118;
Audubon to, ii, 119; his list of
American birds, ii, 120; his com-
ment on Audubon's work, ii,
120, 169; on publication of new
species by, ii, 173; 176, 184, 214,
224.
Bonnabel, Antonio, acquisition of
lands from, by Bernard Marigny,
i, 70.
Boone, Daniel, Audubon's charac-
terization of, criticized, i, 281.
Bossals and Creoles in Santo Domin-
go, i, 42, 47.
Boston Patriot, ii, 50.
Bouffard, Catharine, designation of,
in legal documents, i, 56; mother
of Muguet (Rosa Audubon), i, 56;
her appearance in France, i, 56;
mother of Louise, i, 56.
Bouffard, Louise, inquiry concern-
ing, i, 56; her birth, i, 57, 130.
Boulart (General), letter to Citizen
Audubon, i, 80.
INDEX
473
Bo wen, Samuel Adams, his steam-
boat at Henderson, i, 236; Audu-
bon's encounter with, i, 257-259;
suit against Audubon by, i, 258;
conclusion of bench in action
brought by, i, 259.
Bradford, Mrs. J. L., i, 13.
Bradford, Samuel F., as publisher of
Wilson's American Ornithology, i,
017, 219.
Bragdon, Sam L., i, 348.
Braud, William, Audubon as teach-
er in family of, i, 318; Mrs. Audu-
bon's engagement with family of,
i, 322.
Brewer, Thomas Mayo, ii, 8; Audu-
bon on the rattlesnake, ii, 79, 150;
Audubon to, ii, 152-153, 165-166,
168-169, 175, 209; on Audubon in
1846, ii, 286-288.
Brewster, Sir David, i, 362; ii, 84.
Brilliant, Jean Audubon's encounter
with, i, 82.
Broadnax, Henry P., judge in case
of Samuel Adams Bowen and oth-
ers vs. Audubon, i, 258; his de-
cision in a case of assault, i, 259.
Brown, Capt. Thomas, curious his-
tory of Illustrations of the Ameri-
can Ornithology by, i, 443-445;
limited circulation, rarity and
piratical character of the work, i,
443-445; his Illustrations of the
Geneva of Birds, i, 444; contem-
porary and later notices of his at-
las, i, 444.
Buchanan, Robert Williams, true
story of his Life of Audubon, i,
18-22; his struggles, talents, idio-
syncrasies and death, i, 19, 21, 22.
Buckland, William, D.D., i, 377.
Buffalo (New York), Audubon's vis-
it to, in 1824, i, 340.
Buffalo hunting on the Upper Mis-
souri and Yellowstone in 1843, ii,
254-256.
Bullen, George E., i, 400, 403.
Bulow, John, welcome of Audubon
and their adventures at his planta-
tion, ii, 15-20.
Bunting, Henslow's (Passerherbulus
henslowi), i, 354.
Burchell, William John, ii, 97, 105.
Bureau, Louis, i, 143, 149; manu-
script letters of, i, 154.
Burns, Robert, relations of Alexan-
der Wilson with, i, 208.
Butler, Benjamin F., ii, 153.
Butterflies, as food of birds, i, 358.
Cabinet Cyclopaedia, Swainson in, ii,
113.
Caire, Louis P., to Lafayette, i, 352.
Caledonian Mercury, Notice of
Jameson's edition of Wilson and
Bonaparte's Ornithology in, i, 442;
notice of Jardine's edition in, i,
442-443, 446; Audubon to Kidd in,
ii, 2; on the Wilson- Audubon
obituary, ii, 3.
Call, Richard Ellsworth, i, 287, 299.
Cam den (New Jersey), work of Au-
dubon at, i, 421, 426; ii, 26-27, 30.
Campbell, Sir Archibald, ii, 30.
Cap, P. A., i, 360.
Caporal, Le petit, date of original
drawing of, i, 180.
Carolina Paroquet (Conuropsis caro-
linensis), early drawing of, i, 180.
Carrier, Jean Baptiste, mission and
infamy of, i, 75; denounced by Ju-
lien, i, 76; reign of terror at
Nantes under, i, 75; recall of, i,
76.
Cass, Lewis, ii, 52.
Catlin, George, ii, 254.
Cayes (Les Cayes), delivery of
slaves at, i, 31 ; Jean Audubon's
business interests in, i, 39; its pre-
revolutionary importance, i, 38;
corruption of its name, i, 38; slave
trade at, i, 39-41 ; first touched by
the Revolution, i, 50; birth of Fou-
gere (John James Audubon), and
474
INDEX
Muguet (Rosa Audubon), at, i,
52-53, 56; Jean Audubon's fortune
and financial losses at, i, 82; final
settlement of Jean Audubon's es-
tate at, i, 268.
Cedar-bird (Bomby cilia cedrorum),
habits of, i, 423.
Central Committee (at Nantes), ex-
tract from register of, i, 134.
Century of Birds, ii, 121.
Cerberus, Jean Audubon's command
of, and encounter in, i, 82.
Chapelain, Doctor, as witness, i, 153.
Charette, siege of Nantes under, i,
74; execution of, i, 76.
Charles X, patronage of, i, 3-4, 27.
Charleston, meeting of Audubon and
Bachman at, ii, 5, 9; Audubon's
tribute to hospitality of people at,
ii, 10; bird-hunting at, ii, 10; re-
turn of Audubon's party, ii, 25;
Bachman's services at, ii, 284.
Chat, Yellow-breasted (Icteria vi-
rens), Audubon's original drawing
of, i, 425.
Chevalier, J. B., ii, 211, 216, 222, 226,
234.
Children, John George, i, 377; his ca-
reer and friendship with Audubon,
i, 379-380, 420, 437; ii, 34, 56, 59,
199.
Chouanerie, i, 27.
Chuck-wilPs-widow (Antrostomus
carolinensis) , Audubon's early
drawing of, i, 182.
Cincinnati (Ohio), in 1810, i, 205;
record of earthquakes at, i, 280;
settlement of Audubon at, i, 303;
Dr. Drake and the Western Mu-
seum, i, 303-306; early "Notice
concerning," and activities of Dr.
Drake, i, 304-306; organization of
a college and medical school, i,
305; Audubon stranded at, i, 344.
Cincinnati College, relations of Dr.
Daniel Drake to, i, 304; founda-
tion and first president of, i, 305.
Clapp, Wellington, ii, 310.
Clay, Henry, i, 307, 372, 378, 396.
Clifford, John O., i 290. •
Clinton, De Witt, i, 2, 218, 339.
Cochereau, Matthew, painting of Da-
vid's studio by, i, 177.
Coirond Brothers, i, 33, 38.
Coirond (Coyron), Mme., i, 86.
Coit, Rev. Dr. Henry Augustus, ii,
43.
Coit, Rev. Dr. Joseph, ii, 43.
Coleman, William A., Audubon to, ii,
174.
Colles, George W., on Audubon's
account of the rattlesnake, ii,
76.
Collett, Tobias, i, 103.
Colnaghi and Company, i, 383.
Colson, Augustus, i, 342.
Columbus, incident on voyage of, i,
312.
Combe, Andrew, i, 361.
Cook, Capt. James, i, 377.
Coolidge, Joseph, ii, 43, 50.
Cooper, Thomas, and the climbing
habits of the rattlesnake, ii, 53-
54, 77-78; to Audubon, ii, 78.
Coot, Audubon's early drawing of,
i, 178.
Coueron, discovery of documents at,
i, 53; settlement of Jean Audubon
at, i, 57, 83; condition in 1793, i,
80, 137; the D'Orbignys at, i, 127-
128, 130; history and characteris-
tics of, 136-140; present industry
and population of, 137; record of
visit to, in 1913, i, 138-140; grand
calvaire at, i, 139; history of Au-
dubon's boyhood home at, i, 140-
145.
Coues, Elliott, on Audubon, i, 110;
on Alexander Wilson, i, 213; ii,
129.
Count of Artois (Le Comte df Ar-
tois), encounter of Jean Audubon
and his capture in, i, 32; arma-
ment and fate of, i, 33; bill of
INDEX
475
sale of, i, 33; unsettled claims con-
cerning, i, 121, 265.
Couper, William, bust of Audubon,
by, i, 13.
Cowles, Charles A., story of his res-
cue of a remnant of Audubon's
copper-plates, ii, 307.
Crane, Whooping (Grus americana),
i, 227.
Crosby, Fortunatus (Judge), court
record under, i, 260.
Crusader, Audubon's adventures in,
ii, 157-163.
Culbertson, Alexander, ii, 271.
Cummings, Capt. James, i, 307; ii,
69, 258.
Cushing, Caleb, ii, 241.
Cuvier, Baron Georges, his eulogy on
Audubon's Birds, i, 1; his patro-
nage, i, 2; his death, i, 4; report
at the Royal Academy of Sciences,
i, 174, 412-413; Audubon's descrip-
tion of, i, 410-411 ; ii, 101, 142, 448.
Cyclopaedia, New American, Wilson's
editorial work on, i, 216-217, 219.
Dacosta, Francis, and the Prevost
mortgage, i, 106; first appearance
at "Mill Grove," and his interest in
its mine, i, 113; early exploitation,
i, 114; as Lieutenant Audubon's
attorney and guardian of his son,
i, 114; his purchase of a one-half
interest, i, 114; his salary and
grievances, i, 115; difficulties with
young Audubon and with the mine,
i, 115; correspondence of Lieuten-
ant Audubon, i, 116-123; Lieuten-
ant Audubon's appeal in answer to
complaints, i, 118; instructions for
settlement of claims, i, 121-123;
rebellion of young Audubon, i,
123; his praise of Audubon's draw-
ings, i, 124; succeeded by Audu-
bon and Rozier, i, 132; called to
account, i, 146; acquisition of the
remaining Audubon and Rozier in-
terests, i, 148-150; his "role of chi-
caner," i, 151, 158; his failure and
disputed claim, i, 168; award of
arbitrators in case, i, 168; repro-
duction of his contested accounts,
ii, 355-358.
"Dalmahoy," Audubon's visit to, i,
363.
Darwin, Charles, i, 354, 399.
Darwin, Erasmus, i, 200.
David, Jacques Louis, i, 3, 174, 175,
176; his revolutionary ardor, patri-
otism and popularity,!, 174, 176; his
exile and death, i, 174; his portrait
of the mayor of Nantes, i, 174-
176; his reception at Nantes, i,
175; his address to the Municipal
Assembly, i, 175; his studios and
pupils at the Louvre, i, 177; his
works and influence, i, 177; in-
fluence on Audubon's style, i, 178.
Davis, Isaac P., ii, 151 ; on Webster's
copy of The Birds of America, ii,
152.
Davy, Sir Humphry, i, 356, 377,
379.
Deane, Ruthven, i, 246, 444, 448; ii,
14, 188; on copies of The Birds of
America in America, ii, 203, 204;
211, 263, 293; on the copper-plates
of The Birds of America, ii, 307-
309.
Debtors, terrors of, in England, i,
395.
Declaration of Rights, voted by the
National Assembly of France, and
its effect upon Santo Domingo, i,
37, 49.
De Genlis, Stephanie-Felicite, i, 163.
De Kervegan, Daniel, popularity and
portrait of, as mayor of Nantes,
i, 175.
De La Luzerne, his recommendation
of Jean Audubon, i, 32, 34.
Delos, Audubon's voyage on, i, 347-
350; subsequent fate of, 348.
De Marigny, Ecuyer Sieur, and his
476
INDEX
family, i, 69; true story of his
family, and of "Fontainebleau,"
which has been erroneously at-
tributed to him, i, 69; his summer
house at Mandeville, i, 71.
Derby, Earl of, ii, 146.
De Vaugeon, Mme. Le Jeune, i, 28;
suit by, i, 262.
De Vaugeon, Pierre, i, 27.
De WimpfFen, Baron. See Francis
Alexander Stanilaus.
Dickenson College, Baird's appoint-
ment and position at, ii, 268, 276.
Dodge, William E., ii, 307.
D'Orbigny, Alcide Charles Victor, i,
128.
D'Orbigny, Dr. Charles Marie, as
friend of young Audubon, i, 120,
127-128; his family, i, 128; Audu-
bon as godfather to son of, i, 128;
financial troubles of, i, 128-130;
Gabriel Loyen du Puigaudeau to,
i, 129 ; as debtor to Lieutenant Au-
dubon's estate, i, 129; inquiries
concerning, i, 130; as witness, i,
153; Audubon's correspondence
with, i, 160, 163, 171.
D'Orbigny, Charles (the younger),
i, 128.
D'Orbigny, Gaston Edouard, birth
and baptism of, i, 128.
Dorian, William R., ii, 302.
Drake, Dr. Daniel, and Alexander
Wilson, i, 205; record of earth-
quakes at Cincinnati by, i, 280;
his engagement of Audubon as
taxidermist, i, 303; his foundation
of the Western Museum and Au-
dubon's connection with it, i, 304-
306; his varied activities, i, 304;
his early "Notice concerning Cin-
cinnati," i, 304; his organization
of the Cincinnati College and med-
ical school, i, 305 ; his troubles with
rivals, i, 306; his appointment at
the Transylvania University, i,
306.
Duck, Labrador (Camptorhynchus
labradorius) , at Br adore Bay, ii,
48; extinction of, ii, 48, 152.
Duck, "Velvet," White-winged Sco-
ter (Oidemia deglandi), Audu-
bon's early drawing of, i, 182; de-
scription of, i, 182.
Duncan, William, i, 208; ii, 284.
Dunkin, Judge, i, 260; ii, 64.
Dupre (Tete-Car<§e), raid of Nantes
by, i, 77.
Du Puigaudeau, Gabriel Loyen, Au-
dubon's power of attorney to, i,
64; to D'Orbigny, i, 128-130; to J.
Cornet, i, 130; his marriage, i, 131;
his family, occupation and resi-
dence, i, 132; to Audubon, i, 266-
269.
Du Puigaudeau, Mme. Gabriel Loy-
en. See Rosa Audubon.
Du Puigaudeau, Gabriel Loyen (the
Second), death of at "Les Tour-
terelles," i, 269.
Eagle, "Brown." See "Bird of
Washington."
Eagle, Golden (Aquila chrysaetos),
Audubon's drawing of, ii, 35.
Eagle, "Washington's." See "Bird
of Washington."
Eagle, White-headed (Haliceetus
leucocephatus}, Audubon's origi-
nal drawing of, i, 310.
Eagle and Lamb, original painting
of, i, 394-396, 405, 406.
Earthquakes in the Ohio and Missis-
sippi Valleys, 1811-1813; casual
and exact records of, i, 279.
Eckley, David, dedication of copy
of The Birds of America to, ii,
7; history of copy formerly owned
by, ii, 7;ii, 150.
Ecton Consolidated Mining Com-
pany, i, 169.
Edinburgh, first visit and success of
Audubon at, i, 357-373; beginning
of The Birds of America at, i,
INDEX
477
358; exhibition of Audubon's
drawings at, i, 359; meeting with
Sir Walter Scott at, i, 365; issue
of Audubon's Prospectus at, i, 373.
Edinburgh Literary Journal, notice
of Brown's Illustrations of the
American Ornithology in, i, 443.
Edinburgh New Philosophical Jour-
nal, ii, 111.
Edward (Ezekiel Edwards ?), unset-
tled claim of Jean Audubon
against, i, 121.
Edwards, Bryan, on the products
and wealth of French Santo Do-
mingo, i, 30; on the Santo Domin-
go blacks, i, 43.
Edwards, Ezekiel, i, 121.
Eggleston, Thomas, i, 13.
Elaps. See Coral snake.
Embargo Act, of President Jeffer-
son, effect of, on Audubon and
Rozier, i, 193.
"Episodes." See Ornithological
Biography.
Evans, Roland, acquisition of "Mill
Grove" by, i, 105.
Everett, Edward, patronage and aid
of, i, 435; letters of, i, 436, 448-
451; his efforts for the removal of
import duties on The Birds of
America, i, 448; his nomination of
Audubon to fellowship in the
American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, i, 450; ii, 5, 23, 64.
Falco Cooperii (Accipiter cooperi),
i, 330, 417. See "Stanley Hawk."
"Fatland Ford," William Bakewell's
acquisition of, i, 98, 108, 201 ; man-
sion house and farm of, i, 108;
Audubon's introduction to, i, 108;
Generals Washington and Howe
at, i, 108; marriage of Lucy Bake-
well at, i, 194; realization of Mrs.
Audubon in, i, 198.
Faxon Walter, i, 444.
Featherstonhaugh, G. W., Rafines-
que's reply to, i, 294; on Audu-
bon's plans, ii, 4; Audubon's
Florida letters to, ii, 8-14, 15-22;
suspension of Journal of, ii, 23,
28, 84.
Feliciana, West, characteristics of, i,
314-315; former prosperity of, i,
323.
Finch, MacGillivray's, MacGillivray's
Seaside Sparrow (Passerhebulus
maritimus macgillivraii), i, 354.
Fisher, Miers, as Jean Audubon's at-
torney and protege of his son, i,
99; Jean Audubon to, i, 100; resi-
dence in Philadelphia, i, 106; and
the Prevost mortgage, i, 106, 122;
succeeded by Dacosta, i, 113-114;
120-122; as counselor of Audubon
and Rozier, i, 148, 149, 160, 167;
resumption of duties as agent and
attorney by, i, 168.
Fitzpatrick, T. J., i, 287, 292, 299.
Flatboats, on the Ohio River in 1810,
i, 234; convenience of, i, 234; cost
of, at Pittsburgh, i, 235; time of
passage of, from Pittsburgh to
New Orleans, i, 235; floating trade
of, i, 234.
Flicker (Colaptes auratus), orig-
inal painting of, i, 363.
Florida, Audubon's explorations in,
ii, 12-25; Audubon, on the future
of the east coast of, ii, 20.
Floyd, John, ii, 5.
Flycatcher, Least (Empidonax mini-
mus), discovery by the Baird
brothers, in 1843, ii, 225.
Flycatcher, "Selby's," i, 354.
Flycatcher, "Small Green-crested," i,
425.
Flycatcher, "Small-headed," curious
history of, i, 218, 226-227; refer-
ence to, by Thomas Nuttal, i, 227;
identifications of, by Cowes and
Baird, i, 227; ii, 215.
Flycatcher, Traill's (Empidonax
trailli), i, 354.
478
INDEX
"Fontainebleau," myth and true
story of, i, 69, 71.
Formon de Boisclair, Jean Audu-
bon's dealings with, and claims
against, i, 33-34, 121, 265, 338. See
Lacroix, Formon & Jacques.
Fort Union, Audubon's experiences
at, ii, 254-256.
Fougere, i, 53, 57, 59, 61 ; ii, 328, 329.
See Jean Jacques Fougere Audu-
bon.
Francis, C. S., and Company, ii,
203.
Francis, David G., ii, 204.
Franklin Journal, Audubon's article,
and Jones' "Romance of the Rat-
tlesnake" in, ii, 72.
Fulton, Robert, first steamer on the
Ohio River, built by, i, 236.
Gallatin, Albert, i, 377; Audubon's
interview with, i, 390.
Gait, W. C., i, 197.
Gannet Rock, Audubon's account of
approach to, i, 9.
Gannets (Sula bassana), i, 10.
Gaston, William, aid rendered Au-
dubon by, at Savannah, ii, 25, 59.
General Assembly (Santo Domingo),
new Constitution of, i, 49.
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, i, 411.
George IV, Gallatin on, i, 390.
George Street (Edinburgh), Audu-
bon's apartments in, i, 437.
Gill, Theodore, i, 444; ii, 113.
Girard, Stephen, his reputed interest
in Dacosia's mining enterprises at
"Mill Grove," i, 149.
Godwin, Parke, on Audubon's draw-
ing of quadrupeds, ii, 236; on a
visit to Audubon at "Minnie's
Land," ii, 236-238; on Audubon in
1845, ii, 238.
Goodspeed, Charles E., i, 384, ii, 26,
190.
Gordon, Mrs. Alexander, ii, 302.
Gould, John, Bonaparte on, ii, 121;
Audubon on, ii, 121; works of, ii,
121; charges against, ii, 122; anec-
dote of, ii, 123; financial success
of publications of, ii, 124; 224-225.
Gould, Mrs. John, Audubon on, ii,
121.
Grackle, Boat-tailed (Megaquiscalua
major), Audubon's drawing in
Bonaparte's Ornithology, i, 330.
Gray, Asa, ii, 81.
Gray, John Edward, i, 354, 380, 444;
dedication to, ii, 280; to J. W. Au-
dubon, ii, 281.
Gray's Ferry (now Philadelphia),
settlement of Alexander Wilson as
teacher at, i, 210, 211, 212, 216.
Great Bend (of the Mississippi),
Audubon's and Rozier's experience
at, in 1810, i, 240.
Great Egg Harbor, work of Audu-
bon at, i, 421, 424; visit of Wilson
and Ord, i, 422; drawings of Au-
dubon, i, 425.
Great Pine Forest (Mauch Chunk),
sojourn and work of Audubon at,
i, 423, 425-426.
Great Russell Street (London), old
print dealer of, i, 11-12, 377.
Great Western, ii, 190.
Grinnell, George Bird, ii, 283, 299,
309.
Groundhog, Audubon's early draw-
ing of, i, 181.
Guepin, M. A., i, 73, 77.
Gunther, Albert, on Rafinesque's let-
ters and character, i, 297; on
Swainson and his correspondence,
i, 400-403.
Hackberry, in the Ohio River basin,
i, 188.
Haines, Reuben, visit of Audubon
to "Mill Grove" with, i, 335, 339.
Haiti, i, 38, 52.
Hall, Capt. Basil, on the Leander, i,
364; as Audubon's friend, i, 365,
367; to John Murray, i, 378; re-
INDEX
479
turn to England from the United
States, i, 407.
Hall, Harrison, publication of , i, 329 ;
ii, 98.
Hall, James, notorious review of, i,
329; ii, 98.
Hall, J. Prescott, memorandum re-
garding The Birds of America, ii,
204.
Hardin, John, ii, 295.
Harlan, Richard, i, 328; on Ord, i,
328-329; 333, 334, 407, 439; ii, 9;
on Abert, ii, 3; Audubon to, ii,
14; to Mrs. Audubon, ii, 14; to
Audubon, ii, 28-29; 58.
Harris, Edward, meeting with Au-
dubon, i, 331; his friendships and
career, i, 331, 333; early letters to
Audubon, i, 332, 344; Audubon to,
i, 448; Audubon to, ii, 26-27, 30,
31, 40-41 ; memento to, ii, 49 ; Au-
dubon to, ii, 64-66, 125, 132, 134,
141-144, 147-148; 149, 151,155,157,
165; Audubon to, ii, 170-173; 175;
Audubon to, ii, 182, 184-186; 234;
to Audubon, ii, 251; dedication to,
ii, 253; Bachman's ultimatum to,
ii, 268-270; in rdle of mediator, ii,
270; Audubon to, ii, 287; Bach-
man to, ii, 291.
Harrison, William Henry, i, 307.
Harvard University, drawings and
manuscripts at, i, 180, 307-308.
Haskell, Rev. John, ii, 271, 283.
Hatch, Capt. Joseph E., i, 347.
Havell, Daniel, i, 382.
Havell, George, i, 382.
Havell Henry Augustus, i, 382; ii,
189, 190, 191-192.
Havell, Robert, Senior, his family,
i, 381-383; his shop in Newman
Street, i, 382; partnership with his
son, i, 383; their enterprise in un-
dertaking The Birds of America,
i, 384; his death, i, 384; their re-
lationship as read in the legends
of Audubon's plates, ii, 195-198.
Havell, Robert, Junior, i, 12; Audu-
bon's discovery of, i, 382; a family
of artists, i, 382; partnership with
his father and rebirth of The
Birds of America in London, i,
384; his "Zoological Gallery," i,
384; advertisement of his business,
i, 386; story of the Prothonotary
Warbler, i, 383-384, 405; Swain-
son on, i, 414; Audubon to, i, 433;
ii, 33, 34, 35, 38; to Audubon, ii,
51, 57, 58, 62, 174, 180, 186; Audu-
bon on closing up his business, ii,
188-191; settlement in the United
States, ii, 191-192; his work, char-
acteristics and death, ii, 192; Au-
dubon's memento to, ii, 192; his
genius and mastery of aquatint,
ii, 193-195; as Audubon's engraver,
ii, 195; history of his engravings
of Audubon's Birds, ii, 196-198;
his copy of the work, ii, 203.
Havell, Robert, & Son, i, 12.
Havell, William, i, 383.
Haverhill (New Hampshire), expe-
rience of Alexander Wilson at, i,
219.
Hawk, Cooper's. See Falco Cooperii.
Hawk, Great-footed, Duck Hawk
(Falco peregrinus anatum), origi-
nal drawing of, i, 311.
Hawk, Harlan's (Buteo borealis har-
fczwi), i, 311.
Hay, Robert William, i, 377, 379.
Henderson (Kentucky), removal of
Audubon and Rozier to, i, 236;
settlement, early name and popu-
lation of, i, 236; game and char-
acter of the country at, in 1810, i,
236; first Kentucky steamer built
at, i, 236; Audubon's activities in
1810, i, 237; return of Audubon
to, in 1811, i, 242; houses of Dr.
Adam Rankin, i, 248 ; original plot
of town, i, 250, 252; his purchase
of land at, i, 250, 252; his log
house and store, i, 252; town rec-
480
INDEX
ords, i, 252; record of earthquakes,
i, 280; Rafinesque's visit, i, 285-
287.
Hendersonville. See Henderson.
Henry, Joseph, ii, 279.
Henshaw, Samuel, i, 308; ii, 197.
Henslow, John Stevens, i, 354, 399.
Heppenstall, John, i, 394.
Herschel, Sir William, i, 377.
"Highfield Hall," residence of Wil-
liam Swainson near Tyttenhanger
Green, i, 403.
Hirundo serripennis (Stelgidopteryx
serripennis), ii, 186.
Historical Society (New York), un-
published drawing in collections
of, i, 228; original drawings of
The Birds of America at, ii, 304-
306.
History of British Birds (MacGil-
livray), ii, 113, 114, 130, 135;
(Yarrell), ii, 223; on his comple-
tion of, ii, 225.
Holden, Edward, to George Rams-
den, i, 351.
Holland, Dr. Henry, i, 377.
Hollander, Edward, i, 276.
Hope, Audubon's voyage in, i, 125.
Hopkins, Rev. John Henry, Audu-
bon's acquaintance with, at Pitts-
burgh, i, 343.
Hopkins, Samuel, i, 252; Audubon's
purchase of land, i, 252.
Hopkinson, John, i, 400.
Houston, Sam, Audubon's visit to, ii,
163; his characterization of, ii, 164.
Howe, General William, visit at
"Fatland Ford," i, 108.
Humboldt, Baron Alexander von, i,
356; and Bachman, ii, 284; Bach-
man's account of dinner to, ii,
284.
Huntington, Archer M., ii, 310.
Huron, Laurence, engagement of
Ferdinand Rozier, with, i, 153; his
business relations with the Bake-
well firm and with Rozier, the eld-
er, i, 156-157, 159-161, 165; his
award in the settlement of the con-
tested accounts of Francis Dacos-
ta, i, 168; dealings of Audubon &
Rozier, i, 186.
Ingalls, William, Parkman's recom-
mendation of, ii, 42.
Indigo, history of Audubon's invest-
ment in, i, 193.
Indians (Shawnee), feather hunting
of, i, 238; incident at camp of,
i, 239; (Osage), Audubon's expe-
rience with, i, 240.
Irish, Jedediah, i, 425.
Irving, Washington, ii, 53, 153.
Jackson, Andrew, Audubon as model
for portrait of, i, 338; 378; ii,
155; Audubon on, ii, 156.
Jackson, Daydon, i, 400.
Jameson, Robert, i, 357; edition of
Wilson's and Bonaparte's Orni-
thology, i, 439, 442; ii, 84.
Jaquemel (Santo Domingo), plant-
er's experience at, i, 44-48.
Jardine, Sir William, to Audubon,
440; edition of Wilson and Bona-
parte's Ornithology, i, 442; ii, 102.
Jay, Harriet, on Robert Buchanan,
i, 21.
Jeanes, Joseph Y., his collection of
original Audubon drawings and
manuscripts, i, 180, 181 ; ii, 50, 375-
379.
Jefferson, Thomas, Embargo Act of,
i, 193; on the numbers of species
of American birds, ii, 214.
Jenner, Edward, announcement of
discovery of vaccination, i, 55; ac-
count of behavior of young cuckoo
(Cuculus canorus) discredited by
Waterton, ii, 90.
Johnson, John, ii, 203.
Johnson, Samuel, on biography, i, 7.
Johnson, William Garrett, Audubon
at home of, i, 427, 432; engage-
INDEX
481
ment of Mrs. Audubon by, i, 431;
authorization to fill position at
home of, i, 434.
Jordan, David Starr, i, 287, 291.
Joue, i, 54.
Julien (of Paris), heroic conduct of,
i, 76.
Juniata River, i, 274, 277.
Keel boats, on the Ohio and Missis-
sippi, i, 234; Audubon's journey
by, in 1810, i, 238-241.
Kidd, Dr. John, i, 399.
Kidd, Joseph Bartholomew, i, 363,
373, 443; and the "Ornithological
Gallery," i, 446; Audubon to, ii,
1; 35, 57, 61, 62.
Kinder, Robert & Company, dealings
of Audubon and Rozier with, i,
186, 197-199; ii, 355.
King, Thomas Butler, ii, 11-12, 14.
Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyori), Audu-
bon's early drawing of, i, 180.
Kirtland, Dr. Jared P., i, 291 ; "Note
Book" of, i, 292.
Kite, Mississippi (Ictinia mississip*
piensis}, Ord's charge concerning,
i, 228; similarity in one of Wilson's
and Audubon's figures of, i, 228;
misnaming of sex in, i, 229; Au-
dubon's legends on original draw-
ing of, i, 229; Wilson's and Audu-
bon's first experience with, i, 229-
230; 316.
Knox, Dr. John, i, 358.
Koster, Henry, ii, 117.
Krudener, Baron, i, 436; ii, 38.
Labrador, Audubon's experiences in,
ii, 45-49; expense and results of
expedition to, ii, 50.
La Caille, i, 29.
Lacroix, Formon de Boisclair &
Jacques, Jean Audubon's claims
against, i, 33; bills of slaves of, ii,
331-333; 338.
La Dauphine, i, 31.
Lafayette, Marquis de, Louis P.
Caire to, i, 351.
"La Gerbetiere," i, 85, 96, 120, 126;
as boyhood home of Audubon, i,
136-137, 144-145; Audubon's last
visit to, i, 137; situation of, i, 136-
138; in 1913, i, 138-143; Jean Au-
dubon's restoration of, i, 143;
description in old deed of, i, 144;
changes of a century, i, 144.
Lake Champlain, tour of Audubon
to, in 1824, i, 343.
Lake Ontario, tour of Audubon to,
in 1824, i, 343.
Lamarck, Jean Baptiste Antoine de
Monet, i, 13.
La Marianne, Jean Audubon as
cabin boy in, i, 28; at Louisburg,
i, 28; Jean Audubon as lieutenant
of, i, 29.
Landsdowne, Marquis of, i, 398.
Landseer, Sir Edwin, criticism of
painting by, i, 366.
Lanman, Charles, proposal of, i, 17.
L' Annette, Jean Audubon's com-
mand of and interest in, i, 34; con-
cerning sale and settlement of
claims in, i, 121, 265.
La Rochelle, as port of Jean Audu-
bon's ships, i, 29, 277. See "Audu-
bon of."
Laval, John, award in the settlement
of Dacosta's disputed accounts, i,
168.
Lavigne, L., i, 34, 46, 57, 83, 87, 116,
128, 144, 269.
Lavigne, Mme. L., i, 269,
Lawrence, Sir Thomas, i, 356, 377,
380, 393-394.
Lawson, Alexander, Wilson to, i,
212; Wilson's debt to, as the en-
graver of his Ornithology, i, 213;
the daughter of, i, 219; his state-
ment regarding the mysterious fly-
catcher, i, 227; as Bonaparte's en-
graver, i, 330; report of his inter-
view with Audubon, i, 330.
482
INDEX
Lawson, Malvinia, on Wilson's pub-
lisher, i, 219.
Lea, Isaac, on Rafinesque, i, 297; ii,
4, 56, 95, 98, 422.
Leach, William Elford, i, 353.
Le Comte d'Artois. See Count of
Artois.
Le Conte, Joseph, i, 171.
Lehman, George, ii, 2, 9, 12, 25.
Le Marquis de Levy, Jean Audu-
bon's command of, i, 31.
Le Printemps, i, 29.
Le Propre, i, 30.
Les Sables d'Olonne, Pierre Audu-
bon's family at, i, 26; its hostility
to the Revolution, i, 27; as home
port of Jean Audubon's ships, i,
28; mission of Jean Audubon to,
i, 80-81; 83.
Leslie, Charles Robert, comment on
the American Ornithology, i, 217.
"Les Tourterelles," death of Mme.
Audubon at, i, 263; death of Rosa
Audubon at, i, 269.
Le Sueur, Charles Alexandre, i, 294,
328; appearance of, i, 333; ii, 157.
Letters in facsimile, "Audubon &
Bakewell" to Rozier, i, 251 ; Audu-
bon to Edward Harris, i, 332;
Samuel Latham Mitchell to Dr.
Barnes, i, 337; William Swainson
to Audubon, i, 402; Charles Lu-
cien Bonaparte to Audubon, i, 417;
George Parkman to Audubon, ii,
43; Robert Havell to Audubon, ii,
51; William MacGillivray to Au-
dubon, ii, 132; Edward Harris to
Audubon, ii, 251; John Bachman
to George Gates, ii, 282; Audubon
to Edward Harris, ii, 287.
L'EveilU, Jean Audubon's command
of, i, 82.
Lincoln, Thomas, ii, 43; "Lincoln's
Finch," ii, 45, 50.
Linnaean Society, Audubon's election
to, i, 397; manuscripts in posses-
sion of, i, 400.
L'Instituteur, Jean Audubon's com-
mand of, i, 82.
Lissab£, Mme. Jean Louis, suit by,
i, 28, 263.
Literary Gazette (London), on
Brown's Illustrations, i, 444; an-
nouncement of publication of the
Ornithological Biography, i, 444;
Audubon's premature obituary in,
ii, 2.
Little and Brown, Messrs., ii, 230.
Liverpool, arrival of Audubon at, in
1826, i, 350; his reception and
friends at, i, 352-355; exhibition
of Audubon's drawings at, i, 354.
Livingston, Robert M., first steamer
on the Ohio River, built by, i, 236.
Lizars, Daniel, Audubon to, i, 385.
Lizars, William Home, as Audubon's
engraver, i, 358-359, 361, 375, 384,
442-443; his plates of The Birds of
America, i, 195-199.
Lockhart, John Gibson, i, 445.
London Colney, residence of William
Swainson at, i, 403; death of Mrs.
Swainson at, i, 403.
London, recollections of Audubon in,
i, 11; site of Havell's engraving
establishment in, i, 12; Audubon
in, i, 377-419; his first impressions
of, i, 377; rebirth of The Birds of
America in, i, 384; his dislike of,
i, 397; completion of his Birds in,
ii, 177.
Loon (Gavia immer), "Great North-
ern Diver," original drawing of,
ii, 47.
Loudon, John C., editorial enterprise
of, i, 399.
Louisburg, Jean Audubon made
prisoner at, i, 28.
Louisville (Kentucky), diary of a
journey from Philadelphia to, in
1807, i, 187-192; establishment of
Audubon & Rozier at, i, 192; pros-
pects and hospitality of the peo-
ple, i, 196-198; birth of Victor
INDEX
483
Gilford Audubon at, i, 198; arriv-
al of Alexander Wilson at, i, 205;
a meeting of rivals at, i, 220-226;
in 1810, i, 233; Audubon's legal
troubles at, i, 260.
Lubbock, Sir John, baron Avebury,
characteristics in youth of, i, 93.
Lyceum of Natural History (New
York), activities of in 1817, i, 171;
introduction of Audubon to, i,
336.
Macaulay, Thomas Babington, on
Addison, i, 6.
MacGillivray, John, ii, 298.
MacGillivray, William, i, 12; ii, 108,
113-114; his assistance to Audu-
bon, ii, 125-138; to Audubon, ii.
126-128, 130-132, 134; his methods
of work, ii, 127-129 ; his History of
British Birds, ii, 130, 135-136; his
contract with Audubon, ii, 134;
character and scholarship, ii, 134-
136; his writings, ii, 135; Audu-
bon's acknowledgments to, ii, 137;
his copy of the Ornithological
Biography, ii, 138; Audubon at
work with, ii, 178-180, 181; Audu-
bon's tour with, ii, 182; Audubon's
memorandum of account with, ii,
188.
MacLeay, William Sharp, ii, 94.
Magpie (Pica rustica), Audubon's
early drawing of, i, 178.
Mallory, E., on Mrs. John James
Audubon, ii, 303.
Mallory, Eliza, ii, 283.
Mallory, Georgianna Richards. See
Mrs. Victor GiflFord Audubon.
Manchester, visit of Audubon at, in
1826, i, 356; Audubon's success in
canvassing at, i, 376.
Marigny, Bernard, his birth, i, 70;
acquisition of "Fontainebleau," i,
70; his service in France and re-
turn to the United States, i, 71;
act of the Government to estab-
lish his disputed claim to land, i,
71 ; origin of "Fontainebleau," and
description of his property, i, 71;
foundation of Mandeville, i, 71;
friendship with Audubon, i, 72; his
death, i, 72.
Marigny myth, i, 68-71.
Mark, Edward L., i, 308.
Marten, Pennant's, Fisher (Mustela
pennanti), Baird and Audubon on,
ii, 263.
Martin, Catharine, i, 27.
Martin, Maria, ii, 6, 32, 61; Audu-
bon to, ii, 65, 156; marriage of, ii,
281; dedication to, ii, 281, 283. See
Mrs. John Bachman.
Martin, Marie Anne, i, 26.
Martin, Pierre, Jean Audubon as
sailor under, i, 30.
Mason, Joseph R., as Audubon's
assistant in 1820-1822, i, 307, 312,
313-316; his return to Philadel-
phia, i, 321; ii, 69.
Mauch Chunk. See Great Pine For-
est.
McKenney, Thomas L., on Audubon,
ii, 52.
McLane, Louis, ii, 5 ; Levi Woodbury
to, ii, 23.
Meadville (Pennsylvania), "Episode"
of Audubon at, in 1824, i, 341-343;
and itinerant portrait at, i, 342.
Mease, Dr. William, i, 327.
Merchant-traders, means of travel
and hardships of, i, 234-236; their
journeys by flatboat and horse to
and from the West, i, 234-236.
Mill of Audubon, Bakewell and
Pears, at Henderson (Kentucky),
history of the building, operation
and failure of, i, 254-257; lease of
land for, i, 254; description of
relic of, in 1879 and 1883, i, 254;
difficulties with operation of, i,
255; cost, conversion and destruc-
tion of, i, 255; reorganization for
working of, i, 256; bill rendered
484
INDEX
for products of, i, 256; final fail-
ure and closure of, i, 257; Audu-
bon's financial and legal troubles
following failure of, i, 257-261.
"Mill Grove," Jean Audubon's pur-
chase, i, 37, 105; Audubon's ar-
rival at, i, 99-101; tenant and rent
of, i, 101 ; acquisition and preser-
vation by the Wetherills, i, 102;
situation and characteristics, i,
102; old conveyances and designa-
tion, i, 103; first miller and build-
er, i, 104; mills and farm house
at, i, 104; the Prevost mortgage, i,
105, 122; Jean Audubon's lease
and inventory, i, 105; stay of Au-
dubon at, i, 106; Jean Audubon's
portrait at, i, 106; bird studies at, i,
106; discovery of lead and arrival
of Dacosta, i, 113; Dacosta's one-
half interest and exploitation of
mine, i, 114; analysis of his lead
ore, i, 114; Claude Fran9ois Ro-
zier's interest, i, 115; the Audubon,
Dacosta, Rozier partnership and
its difficulties, i, 115; instructions
concerning farmhouse at, i, 118;
Audubon and Rozier as agents for
conduct and sale of, i, 132; Au-
dubon's and Rozier's duties at, i,
146; status of house in their "Ar-
ticles," i, 147; story of later min-
ing enterprises at, i, 148-150, 152-
153, 167-170; consideration for sale
of remaining Audubon and Rozier
interests to Dacosta and Company,
i, 149; division of the property,
and sale of the Audubon and Ro-
zier rights, i, 150, 152-153; Audu-
bon's conflicting references to sale
of, i, 158, 159-160, 162, 165-168;
difficulties over conditional sale of,
i, 168; unraveling the tangle, i,
169; Dacosta's contested accounts,
and award in their settlement, i,
168; sequel to story of mine at, i,
169; products of mine at, i, 199.
Milestown (Pennsylvania), Alexan-
der Wilson, as teacher at, i, 212.
Miller, Sarah, Wilson to, i, 206.
"Minnie's Land," purchase of estate
of, ii, 234; building of house at, ii,
234; Audubon at, ii, 236-238; Au-
dubon's account of, ii, 245-246;
houses of Audubon's sons at, ii,
294-295, 311-312; the "Cave" at, ii,
295, 312; departure of Mrs. John B
James Audubon from, ii, 300; >i
building activities and changes at, j
ii, 309; present condition of origi-
nal houses at, ii, 309-311; early
representations of Audubon's
house at, ii, 311.
Miquelon Island, voyage of Jean Au-
dubon to, i, 29.
Mississippi River, Audubon's cruise
on in 1820, i, 307.
Missouri River, Audubon's expe-
riences and discoveries on, in 1843,
ii, 252-256.
Mitchell, Doctor Samuel Latham, his
friendship with Audubon, i, 171;
his repute and activities, i, 171; as
friend of Rafinesque, i, 290; his
introduction of Audubon and let-
ter to Dr. 'Barnes, i, 336.
Mocquard, Francoise, i, 55, 86.
Morris, George Spencer, i, 331.
Morris, Samuel C., purchase of "Mill
Grove" by, i, 105.
Morristown (New Jersey), stay of
Audubon at, i, 99.
Morse, Samuel Finley Preese, as Au-
dubon's guest, ii, 311.
Morton, Countess of, as patron and
pupil of Audubon, i, 365.
Morton, Earl of, record of a visit
to the home of, i, 363.
Morton, Samuel George, ii, 154, 171,
172.
Moynet (Moynette, Moinet), Anne.
See Mme. Jean Audubon.
Muguet, i, 56, 57, 59, 61. See Mme.
Gabriel Loyen du Puigaudeau.
INDEX
485
Mulattoes, numbers and plight of, in
Santo Domingo, i, 43; as slave
holders, i, 44; revolt under Og6, i,
50; first clash with whites at Les
Cayes, i, 50; union with the blacks
and beginning of general revolt,
i, 51.
Murray, John, i, 377; Basil Hall to,
i, 378.
Nantes, Jean Audubon at, i, 30-32;
his places of residence, i, 36, 57-58,
86-87; in the Revolution, i, 59, 73-
74; Committee of Public Safety
and National Guard of, i, 74; at-
tack and siege of, i, 74; accept-
ance of republican constitution by,
i, 75; reign of terror under Car-
r'er at, i, 75; fate of Vendeans at,
i, 75; savior of, i, 76; victims of
Carrier and the plague at, i, 75;
execution of Charette at, i, 76;
raided by "Tete-Caree," i, 77;
restoration of peace at, i, 77; revo-
lutionary records of, i, 78; Jean
Audubon's activities, i, 78-82; his
death at, i, 87; his appreciation by,
i, 83.
Natchez (Mississippi), visit of Au-
dubon, i, 308; loss of his portfolio
at, i, 309 ; as teacher at, i, 321 ; his
* first lessons in oils, i, 321; engage-
ment of Mrs. Audubon, i, 322; ill-
ness of Audubon, i, 324.
National Assembly of Paris, Declara-
tion of Rights, of, i, 49; vacillat-
ing policies of, i, 51.
National Gazette, on Audubon, ii,
41-42, 50-51.
Natural History of Deeside and
Braemar, ii, 136.
Neuwied, Maximillian, ii, 255.
Newark (New Jersey), Alexander
Wilson at, i, 210.
New Castle (Delaware), landing of
Alexander Wilson at, i, 209.
New Haven (Connecticut), establish-
ment of William and Benjamin
Bakewell at, i, 201.
Newman Street, HavelPs shop in, i,
12.
New Orleans (Louisiana), memorial
to Audubon at, i, 13; Alexander
Wilson at, i, 207; Audubon at, i,
306-310; his struggles to gain a
footing at, i, 310-312; as teacher
at, i, 318; settlement and financial
difficulties at, i, 319; engagement
of Mrs. Audubon at, i, 322; Audu-
bon embarks for Liverpool at, i,
347; his observations at, i, 348.
Newton, Alfred, i, 444; ii, 223.
New York (New York), memorials
to Audubon at, i, 13; Jean Audu-
bon a prisoner at, i, 32; his re-
lease, i, 32, 34; disbanding of the
British army at, i, 35; Audubon's
introduction to, i, 99; pestilence
at, i, 99; 135; Audubon's original
drawings at, i, 228; Vanderlyn's
portrait of Andrew Jackson in
City Hall of, i, 338; Audubon's de-
scription of landing at, in 1836,
ii, 146; his success in canvassing
at, ii, 153; his old residence and
estate, ii, 234-236, 310-312.
New York Herald, account of "Mill
Grove" mine in, i, 114.
Niagara Falls (New York), Alex-
ander Wilson at, i, 216; Audubon
at, i, 340; ii, 167.
Nighthawk (Chordeiles virginianus),
Audubon's early drawing of, i, 180.
Nolte, Vincent, on Audubon in 1811,
i, 277; his journey from Pitts-
burgh to Lexington, i, 276-279;
352.
Northumberland, Duke of, i, 377.
Nuttall, Thomas, collection of west-
ern birds of, ii, 147, 149, 153-154;
156; meeting with Audubon, ii,
150; career and writings, ii,
150.
Nymphcea. See Water-lily.
486
INDEX
"Oakley," plantation and house of, i,
313-315; Audubon's pupil and his
life as tutor at, i, 315-318; his
drawings at, i, 316; ii, 74.
Gates, George, ii, 211, 218.
Oge", James, rebellion and death of,
i, 50; its effect upon the Santo
Domingan whites, i, 50.
Ohio River, Audubon's description
of journey on, i, 195; Wilson's
journey in 1810, i, 205; traffic of
the "ark" and keel boat, in 1810,
i, 234-236 ; first steamer, and steam
traffic on, i, 236; Audubon's expe-
rience at the mouth of, i, 238;
breaking up of the ice in, i, 241;
Rafinesque on fishes of, i, 292; Au-
dubon's descent of, in 1820, i, 307.
Ord, George, on Alexander Wilson,
i, 211; as Wilson's editor and biog-
rapher, i, 217, 223-225; his octavo
edition of Wilson, i, 223; defense
of Wilson and charge against Au-
dubon, i, 226-228; 230; basis of his
attack on Audubon, i, 227, 231-
232; his opposition to Audubon, i,
328-329; 333, 339, 422; ii, 4, 27, 55,
61, 72, 80, 83; as Waterton's corre-
spondent, ii, 87-88, 91; 98, 284.
Orleans, Duke of, as Audubon's pa-
tron, i, 3, 411-412.
Ornithological Biography, descrip-
tion of Bird Rock in, i, 9 ; story of
the Pewee, i, 99, 106-107; on the
Velvet Duck, i, 182; journey down
the Ohio River, i, 195; Alexander
Wilson's visit to Louisville, i, 220-
223; Wilson on the Whooping
Crane, i, 227; discrepancies in
"Episodes" in, i, 273; "Louisville
in Kentucky," i, 274; "The Prai-
rie," i, 274, 282-284; "A Wild
Horse," i, 274-276; "The Eccentric
Naturalist," i, 274, 285-300; "The
Earthquake," i, 279; "The Hurri-
cane," i, 280; "The Regulators," i,
281; "Colonel Boone," i, 281;
Natchez, i, 308; on The Birds of
America, i, 343; publication of, i,
438; MacGillivray's assistance in,
i, 438; rivals of, i, 438-439; 442-
445 ; American copyright of, i, 439 ;
publisher's announcement, i, 444-
445, 448; the Athenaum on, ii, 84-
85, 140, 142; W. B. O. Peabody
on, ii, 85; Featherstonhaugh on, ii,
85; on the authorship of, ii, 87-89,
102-103, 103-109; on new species
in, ii, 109-111; "Ornithophilus" on,
ii, 111, 112; Swainson on, ii, 113;
and MacGillivray, ii, 125-138; Au-
dubon on American Edition of, ii,
134, 141; MacGillivray's copy of,
ii, 138; John Wilson on, ii, 139;
third volume of, ii, 144, 178-180;
fourth volume of, ii, 181; comple-
tion of, ii, 186; valedictory to
reader, ii, 187; memorandum of
accounts with MacGillivray for
assistance in, ii, 188; Audubon on
residual stock of, ii, 189.
Ornithological Gallery, plan and
abandonment of, by Audubon and
Kidd, i, 446.
Orr, Charles, correspondence of
Alexander Wilson, with, i, 210-212.
Osprey, Fish Hawk (Pandion hali-
aetus), early drawing by Audubon,
i, 182.
Otter, original painting and exhibi-
tion of, i, 394.
Oven-bird (Seiurus aurocapillus) ,
"Golden-crowned Thrush," Audu-
bon's original drawing of, i, 425.
Owen, David Dale, i, 294.
Owen, Sir Richard, i, 354.
Owensboro (Kentucky), i, 236.
Oxford Street (London), i, 11.
Page, Benjamin, i, 256.
Paimboeuf, i, 32, 80, 137.
Palmer, Sarah White, i, 124.
Palmer, Theodore Sherman, ii, 293.
Pamar, R., i, 318, 348.
INDEX
487
Paris, in 1828, i, 2; Audubon at, i,
74, 408-413, 448; his reception and
patronage at, i, 410-413.
Parkman, Dr. George, ii, 29, 35, 36;
to Audubon, ii, 42-43; 57, 59, 134,
141; Audubon to, ii, 227.
Patterson, W. D., i, 231; ii, 352.
Peabody, W. B. O., i, 231 ; ii, 200.
Peale, Rembrandt, i 328.
Peale, Robert, i, 328.
Peale, Titian R., his drawings of
birds, i, 330.
Pears, Thomas W., i, 124; as part-
ner of Audubon and Bake well, i,
254; his withdrawal, i, 255, 426.
Peel, Sir Robert, i, 377.
Penal laws, in England, i, 395.
Penn, John, i, 105.
Penn, William, land purchase by, i,
103.
Percy, Capt. Robert, Mrs. Audu-
bon's school at plantation of, i,
322; Audubon at plantation of, i,
324.
Perkins, Thomas H., ii, 28, 29, 39,
150.
Perkioming Consolidated Mining
Company, i, 169.
Perkioming Creek, i, 103-104, 106.
Perry town (Sutton, New Hamp-
shire), i, 284.
Pewee, Phoebe (Sayornis phcebe),
Audubon on, i, 99; his first study
of, i, 106; original drawing of, i,
180.
Pewee, Wood (Myiochanes virens),
Audubon's original drawing of, i,
180, 425.
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), recep-
tion of Audubon at, i, 327-335; a
meeting of the Academy of Natu-
ral Sciences at, i, 333; ii, 154.
Philarete-Chasles, impressions of Au-
dubon's exhibition at Edinburgh, i,
359.
Phillips, Dr Benjamin, ii, 144-145,
223-224; Audubon to, ii, 244-246.
Phoebe, Say's (Sayornis sayus), i,
330.
Picus auduboni, ii, 113.
Pigeon, Passenger (Ectopistes mi-
gratorius), Audubon's original
painting of, i, 363; Audubon on,
i, 368.
Pirrie, Eliza, as Audubon's pupil,
and her romantic history, i, 315,
317-318.
Pirrie, James, i, 315; Audubon's
drawings made at plantation of, i,
316.
Pirrie, Mrs. James, engagement of
Audubon by, i, 313; her home and
family, i, 313-318.
Pitois, M., i, 432.
Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), record
of journey from Philadelphia to,
in 1807, i, 187-191; characteriza-
tion, growth and population of, i,
191; Wilson's description of, in
1810, i, 204; 343, 344.
Plaisance, Samuel, i, 123, 265.
Planters (Santo Domingo), their
prosperity and grievances, i, 42-
44; their morality and vicissitudes,
i, 44-46; their revolt, i, 49-51.
Polly, Audubon's and Rozier's voy-
age on, i, 134-135, 187.
Pope, John, i, 237.
Pornic, mission of Citizen Audubon
to, i, 79.
Porter, Dr. Edmund, to Dr. Thomas
Miner, i, 333.
Posey, Fayette, i, 258.
Presque Isle, i, 340.
Priestley, Joseph, i, 154, 200-201.
Prospectus, of American Ornithol-
ogy (Wilson), i, 217; of The Birds
of America, i, 373; of first octa-
vo edition, ii, 211-214; reproduc-
tion of (for 1828) for original fo-
lio, ii, 386-388; reproduction of
(by J. W. Audubon), for second
(partial) American edition of
original folio, ii, 389-391.
488
INDEX
Provost, Henry Augustin, i, 105-106,
122.
Quadrupeds of North America, i,
17; Bachman to Audubon on, ii,
208; Audubon to Brewer on, ii,
209; on Bachman's cooperation in,
ii, 210; Audubon to Baird on, ii,
219-221, 222, 226-22T, 233; Audu-
bon to Parkman, ii, 227; to W. O.
Ayres, ii, 229; Parke Godwin on,
ii, 236; editions of, ii, 261; Bach-
man on text of, ii, 261-263, 269-
272, 281-283; Baird on materials
for, ii, 263, 264, 274, 276-277, 278;
Audubon on letterpress of, ii, 265;
Harris as mediator in difficulties
with letterpress of, ii, 269; coop-
eration of authors in, ii, 273; sub-
scribers to, ii, 274; Louis Agassiz
on, ii, 274; title of text of, ii, 275;
English edition of first volume of
text of, ii, 280; dedication copy of
first volume of text of, ii, 280; J.
E. Gray on, ii, 281; manuscript of
text of, ii, 283; Illustrations of, ii,
285; in octavo, ii, 293.
Quebec, Audubon's visit and success
in, ii, 244.
Queen, Jean Audubon's fight in, i, 35.
Queen Charlotte (La Reine Char-
lotte), Captain Jean Audubon's
command of, at Yorktown, i, 34.
Quinarianism, curious tenets and ad-
vocacy of, ii, 94, 95, 104, 109, 114,
116, 117.
Quincy, Josiah, ii, 29, 150.
Rabin, Mile., birth of son of, i, 52;
as characterized by Jean Audubon,
i, 52; record of physician of, i,
53; her feeble health and death, i,
56; suppression of her name, i, 60;
early and assumed names of her
son, i, 62; as characterized by her
son, i, 63, 66; fictitious account of
death of, i, 67.
Rabin, Jean, i, 53, 57, 61, 62, 63, 64,
263, 264; ii, 361, 362, 364. See Jean
Jacques Fougere Audubon.
Rafmesque, Constantine Samuel
(Schmaltz), i, 171; his travels,
writings and career, i, 285-300;
Audubon on, i, 285; and the bats,
i, 286; his early life and precocity,
i, 287; his bibliography, i, 287;
visit to America, i, 288; life in
Sicily, i, 288; marriage and embit-
terment, i, 289; return to America
and shipwreck, i, 290; visits Audu-
bon, i, 290; his "scarlet-headed
swallow" and fictitious fishes, i,
291; his Ichthyology of the Ohio
River and "Devil-Jack Diamond-
fish," i, 292; at Transylvania Uni-
versity, i, 294; originality and in-
dependence, i, 295; impractical
projects and inventions, i, 295-296,
298; troubles at Lexington and re-
turn to Philadelphia, i, 296; his
mania for new species, i, 296; his
letters, i, 297; his multifarious
writings, final struggles and death,
i, 297-299 ; his ardor and fatal ver-
satility, i, 299; contemporary no-
tice of, i, 333.
"Rafinesquiana," i, 287.
Rambler, i, 7.
Ramsden, George, Edward Holden
to, i, 351.
Rankin, Dr. Adam, i, 238, 242; his
"Meadow Brook Farm," i, 248;
birth of John Woodhouse Audu-
bon at home of, i, 248.
Rankin, William, i, 248.
Rathbone, Richard, introduction of
Audubon to, i, 352.
Rathbone, William, Sr., assistance
rendered Audubon by, i, 352.
Rathbone, Mrs. William, Sr., at
"Greenbank," i, 353; gift to Au-
dubon by, i, 355.
Rathbone, William, Jr., i, 352.
Rattlesnake, Audubon's account of
INDEX
489
drawing of, i, 316; climbing habits
of, ii, 53-54, 64; Audubon on, ii,
71-76; Dr. Jones' charge concern-
ing, ii, 72; Audubon's error in
description of, ii, 76-78; vindica-
tion of Audubon's drawing and
account of the fangs of, ii, 79.
Rattlesnake, encounter of the Polly
with, i, 134-135, 187.
Redbanks. See Henderson.
Redbird, Summer Tanager (Piranga
rubra), Audubon's drawing of, i,
316.
Redoute", Pierre Joseph, works and
friendship of, i, 411.
Red River (Arkansas), drawing of
the Chuck-will's-widow on, i, 182.
Redstart, American (Setophaga ru-
ticilla), Audubon's early drawings
of, i, 181, 316.
Rees, Abraham, i, 216.
Rees, William J., ii, 62.
"Regulus cuvieri" "Cuvier's Wren,"
i, 180, 354; ii, 215, 219.
Rhoads, Samuel N., i, 291 ; ii, 202.
Richardson, John, ii, 98, 105, 106.
Ricordel, Mme. See Mme. Jean Au-
dubon.
Rider, Alexander, i, 331.
Ridgely, D., ii, 38.
Ripley, the voyage of, ii, 43-50.
Robertson, John Argyle, ii, 183.
Robin, American (Planesticus mi-
gratorius), Audubon's early draw-
ing of, i, 182.
Rochambeau, Comte de, i, 34.
Rochefort, i, 30, 83, 93, 94.
Roe Lockwood & Son, ii, 296.
Roget, Dr. Peter Mark, i, 377.
Roscoe, Edward, i, 352, 353, 354.
Roscoe, William, i, 218.
Ross, David (and Company), i, 57,
121-123, 265, 266.
Rothschild, Baron, Audubon's ac-
count of interview with, ii, 206.
Rowan, William, i, 400.
Roy, Constance (Rozier), i, 245.
Royal Society (London), Audubon's
election to membership in, i, 437;
William Swainson on his election,
ii, 97.
Rozier, Charles A., i, 146.
Rozier, Claude Fran£ois, i, 147; Fer-
dinand Rozier to, i, 149-152; his
family, i, 152; his death, i, 152;
and Benjamin Bakewell, i, 154;
Audubon to, i, 154, 156-158, 161-
163, 164-166.
Rozier, Felix, i, 246.
Rozier, Ferdinand, i, 146; his "Ar-
ticles," i, 147; to his father, i, 149-
152; at Philadelphia, i, 153; as at-
torney for Lieutenant Audubon
and his wife, i, 153; his business
plans, i, 156-158, 161-162, 165; his
diary, i, 187-192; Thomas Bake-
well to, i, 196; William Bakewell
to, i, 199; removes from Louis-
ville to Henderson, i, 236; removes
with Audubon to Ste. Genevieve, i,
237-241; dissolves partnership with
Audubon, i, 241; Audubon to,
i, 243; career of, i, 244-246; his
death, i, 246; "Audubon & Bake-
well" to, i, 251; ii, 359.
Rozier, Firman A., i, 246.
Rozier, Francois Denis, i, 154.
Rozier (Colas), Ren£e Angelique,
death of, i, 152.
Rozier, Tom J., i, 196.
Rozier, Welton A., manuscripts in
possession of, i, 149, 168, 187.
Rue de Crebillon, Jean Audubon's
home in, i, 57.
Rush, Dr. Benjamin, i, 288.
Russell, W. Gurdon, ii, 204.
Saget (mayor of Nantes), i, 77.
St. Albans, i, 403.
St. Augustine, Audubon's description
of, ii, 12; hunting birds at, ii, 12.
St. Francisville (Louisiana), en-
gagement of Audubon at, i, 313;
origin of name, i, 314; character
490
INDEX
of country and abundance of
birds, i, 314; Audubon as tutor at,
i, 315-318; Mrs. Audubon's school,
i, 322; former wealth of country,
i, 323, 345.
Sainte Genevieve (Missouri), Audu-
bon's journey to, i, 237-241; dis-
solution of partnership with Ro-
sier at, i, 241; Audubon's subse-
quent visits, i, 242; Ferdinand Ro-
zier's career at, i, 244-247.
St. John, Mrs. Horace Roscoe Steb-
bing, i, 17.
St. Johns, ii, 244.
Saint Louis (Santo Domingo), i, 39,
41.
Sammis, Capt. S., i, 131, 156, 158,
159, 164, 187.
Sandpiper, Spotted (Actitis macula-
ria), Audubon's early drawing of,
i, 249.
Sanson, Dr., as Jean Audubon's
physician, i, 53; his bill of services,
resources and favorite remedies, i,
53; his inoculations for smallpox,
i, 55; his treatment of Audubon's
mother, i, 56; for complete text
of bill, with translation, see ii, 314-
327.
Santo Domingo, pre-revolutionary
lure of, i, 36; Jean Audubon's ca-
reer in, i, 36-38; eifect of the
Declaration of Rights on, i, 37;
slave trade at, i, 39-41; cost of
slaves at, i, 40; prosperity and
praise of, i, 42; population of
whites and blacks in 1790, i, 42;
plight of mulattoes and history of
slavery in, i, 43; Baron de Wimpf-
fen's experience with society and
plantation life, i, 44-48; unjust
taxation, i, 44, 46; debasement of
morals, i, 45; bossals, Creoles and
mulattoes, i, 44-47; outbreak and
progress of the Revolution, i, 49-
51; the Revolution in relation to
the history of Jean and Jean
Jacques Fougere Audubon, i, 50;
Les Cayes first touched by Revo-
lution of, i, 50; first blood drawn
in the North, i, 50; Oge's futile
rebellion, i, 50; later events in ris-
ing of blacks and mulattoes
against whites, i, 50; physicians
and their remedies in, i, 54.
Sautron, i, 139.
Savenay, i, 78.
Say, Thomas, i, 294, 330, 333-334.
Sayornis saya, i, 330.
Sayre, Robert H., ii, 7.
Scott, Sir Walter, on Audubon's ex-
hibition, i, 359; Audubon on, 1,
365; on Audubon, i, 366-368; 370.
Scott, Winfield, ii, 242.
Searles, Edward F., ii, 203.
Seaside Finch (Passerherbulus mari-
timus), original drawing of, i, 425.
Sedgwick, Adam, i, 399.
Selby, Prideaux John, Audubon's
visit to, i, 374; Illustrations of
British Ornithology by, i, 375; to
Audubon, i, 375; ii, 102.
Serinettes, i, 163.
Shannonville (Pennsylvania), i, 102.
Sharp, William, i, 209.
Shattuck, Dr. George C., ii, 29, 35,
43, 150, 151, 228.
Shattuck, Dr. George Cheyne, as Au-
dubon's assistant, ii, 43; as philan-
thropist, ii, 43; 228.
Shippingport (Kentucky), Audubon
as peripatetic portrait painter at,
i, 303; 326, 345.
Slack, Elijah, on Audubon's term of
service at the Western Museum, i,
304; as president of Cincinnati
College, i, 305.
Slaves (in Santo Domingo), numbers
delivered at Les Cayes, i, 31; as a
basis of wealth, i, 39; trade in, i,
39-41 ; numbers and mortality of,
i, 42; management of, i, 43-47;
diseases of, i, 46; cost and taxes
of, i, 46; revolt of, i, 49-51.
INDEX
491
Smallpox, i, S5»
Smith, Rebecca (Bakewell), i, 201.
Smith, Rev. Sidney, i, 369, 372.
Smythe, Henry A., ii, 310.
Sparrow, Baird's (Emberiza bairdii,
Audubon, 1844; now Ammodramus
bairdi), ii, 259.
Sparrow, Harris's (Zonotrichia que-
rula), ii, 253.
Sparrow, Swamp (Melospiza georgi-
ana)y Audubon's early drawing of,
i, 249.
Sparrow, Vesper (Pocecetes grami-
neus), "Bay-winged Bunting,"
original drawing of, i, 425.
Spencer, John C., ii, 242.
Sprague, Isaac, ii, 252.
Stanilaus, Francis Alexander (Baron
de Wimpffen), i, 44; his experi-
ences and observations as planter
in Santo Domingo, i, 44-48.
Stanley, Edward George Geoffrey
Smith (fourteenth Earl of Derby),
i, 354, 380, 437.
"Stanley Hawk" (Falco stanleyi,
now Accipiter cooperi), Cooper's
Hawk. See Falco.
Starling, Edmund L., i, 236, 250,
252, 256-257.
Sterling, Mrs. Frederick A., i, 342.
Stoddard, Rev. Charles Augustus,
tribute to Mrs. John James Audu-
bon, ii, 303.
Stone, Charles F., ii, 311.
Stone, Witmer, ii, 214.
Stuart, Gilbert, i, 336.
Sturnella neglecta, Western Meadow
Lark, ii, 254.
Sully, Thomas, i, 2, 328; Audubon as
pupil of, i, 334; to Audubon, i,
334; Audubon to, i, 339; ii, 68-71.
Sully, Mrs. Thomas, Audubon to, i,
389.
Swainson, William, on Rafinesque, i,
289, 377, 395; correspondence of,
i, 400; Audubon to, i, 400-401, 405-
407, 409-410; ii, 95-97, 99, 101-103,
112, 176-177, 353; to Audubon, i,
402, 413-414, 422-423, 430-431; ii,
97-101, 103-108; characteristics, i,
402; on Audubon, i, 403; Audubon
at home of, i, 404; with Audubon
in Paris, i, 408-412; 415; ii, 84; in
controversy over the Ornithological
Biography, ii, 88, 93-109 ; as leader
in the Quinarian movement, ii, 93-
95, 114, 116-117; Audubon's propo-
sal for assistance of, ii, 102; his re-
sponse and answer to a later letter,
ii, 103-108; their subsequent rela-
tions, ii, 111-114; as biographer,
ii, 113-116; Literary Gazette on, ii,
113; as the "British Cuvier," ii,
114; his career and adversities, ii,
117; his emigration and death, ii,
118; 173.
Sylvia (Helinaria) swainsonii, ii,
113.
Syme, John, i, 361.
Synopsis of Birds of North America,
publication of, ii, 186; number of
species recognized in, 186.
Tawapatee Bottom, i, 240.
Taylor, Richard C., ii, 77.
Thayer, John E., i, 307, 363; ii, 227,
229.
Tete-Car6e. See Dupre".
Texas, Audubon's visit to Republic
of, ii, 163-165.
Thackeray, George, ii, 146.
The Foresters, i, 216.
Thomas, William, i, 101, 113, 115,
116, 117, 118, 150, 151.
Thrush, Hermit (Hylocichla ustula-
ta), i, 308.
Thrush, Wood (Hylocichla musteli-
na), Audubon's early drawing of,
i, 180.
Title pages, in facsimile, The Birds
of America, original folio, i, 381;
prospectus of The Birds of Amer-
ica, i, 391; of covers of parts, of
octavo (second) edition of the
492
INDEX
Birds, ii, 213; of English edition
(Vol. I) of The Viviparous Quad-
rupeds of North America, i, 275.
Titmouse, Mountain, Audubon's ear-
ly drawing of, i, 181.
Torrey, John, i, 171.
Townsend, Dr. John Kirk, ii, 147,
149, 153-154, 156, 170-173, 179.
Traill, Dr. Thomas S., i, 353.
Transportation by steam, in the At-
lantic, i, 2; on the Ohio River, i,
236.
Transylvania Company, i, 252.
Transylvania University, i, 294-296,
306.
Treat, Mary, ii, 81.
Trinity Cemetery, i, 13.
Trudeau, James, ii, 184, 185, 186.
Turkey, Wild (Meleagris gallopavo),
i, 311, 355, 358, 363; ii, 198.
"Twizel House," i, 374.
Tyler, John, Audubon's credentials
from, ii, 242.
Tyttenhanger (or Tittenhanger),
Green, i, 403.
Valentine, Edward Virginius, i, 14.
Valley Forge (Pennsylvania), i, 102.
Van Buren, Martin, ii, 153, 166.
Vanderlyn, John, i, 312, 338.
Vaux, James, i, 108.
Vended, La, i, 24-27.
Vendeans, characteristics and revolt
of, i, 26; Nantes besieged by, 1,
74; defeat and fate of, i, 75; exe-
cution of leader of, i, 76-77; 80.
Vigors, Nathaniel Augustus, i, 377;
to Audubon, i, 407-408; 415; ii,
101, 107.
Vireo belli (V. bellii, of Audubon,
1844), Bell's Vireo, ii, 253.
Vireo, Warbling (Vireosylva gilva),
Audubon's original drawing of, i,
425.
Vireo, Yellow-throated (Lanivireo
flavifrons), Audubon's original
drawing of, i, 316.
Vulture, Turkey (Cathartes aura),
and Black, or "Carrion Crow"
(Catharista urubu), controversy
over the sense of smell in, ii, 81-
84; experiments of Audubon and
Bachman on, ii, 55-56, 61, 81-82;
memorial of the faculty of the
South Carolina Medical College on,
ii, 83; present condition of the
question, ii, 83.
Wade, Joseph M., i, 213, 264.
Wagtail, White (Motacilla alba),
Audubon's early drawing of, i,
181.
Wainwright, Rev. Dr., Edward
Everett to, i, 436.
Waller, Sir J. Walter, to Audubon,
i, 392; 406.
Walton, Isaac, i, 206.
Warbler (Sylvia trochilus delicata,
sylvia delicata), Audubon's unpub-
lished drawing of, i, 228.
Warbler, Bay-breasted (Dendroica
castanea), "Autumnal Warbler,'*
Audubon's original drawing of, i,
426.
Warbler, Blackburnian (Dendroica
fusca), "Hemlock Warbler," Au-
dubon's original drawing of, i, 180,
426.
Warbler, Black-poll (Dendroica
gtriata), Audubon's original draw-
ing of, i, 425; ii, 50.
Warbler, Black-throated Blue (Den-
droica ccerulescens) , "Pine Swamp
Warbler," Audubon's original
drawing of, i, 425.
Warbler, Canada ( Wilsonia canaden-
sis), "Canada Flycatcher," Audu-
bon's original drawing of, i, 425.
Warbler, Carbonated (Dendroica
carbonata), Audubon's original
drawing of, i, 180.
Warbler, Chestnut-sided (Dendroica
pennsylvanica), Audubon's orig-
inal drawing of, i, 180.
INDEX
493
Warbler, "Children's," Yellow Warb-
ler (Dendroica cestiva), i, 354.
Warbler, Connecticut (Oporornis
agilis), Audubon's original draw-
ing of, i, 426.
Warbler, Magnolia (Dendroica mag-
nolia}, "Black and Yellow Warb-
ler," Audubon's original drawing
of, i, 425.
Warbler, Pine-creeping (Dendroica
vigor -si), Audubon's original draw-
ing of, i, 316.
Warbler, Prairie (Dendroica dis-
color), Audubon's original draw-
ing of, i, 316.
Warbler, "Rathbone," i, 180, 354.
Warbler, Tennessee (Vermivora per-
egrina), Audubon's original draw-
ing of, i, 316.
Warbler, Yellow-rumped, Myrtle
Warbler (Dendroica coronata),
Audubon's original drawing of, i,
180.
Ward, Henry, ii, 2, 4, 9, 12, 25, 32,
59.
Washington, General George, at Val-
ley Forge, i, 102; Polk's portrait
of, i, 106; at "Fatland Ford," i,
108.
Water-lily, yellow (Nymphasa ki-
tea), ii, 80.
Waterton, Charles, i, 12, 224-232,
415; ii, 55, 61, 73; on Audubon's
drawing of the rattlesnake, ii, 79;
on the vulture's olfactory sense, ii,
82; to George Ord, ii, 83; his
Wanderings, polemics and life at
Walton Hall, ii, 86-92; on Alex-
ander Wilson's diary, ii, 87; on
the Ornithological Biography, ii,
87; on the young Cuckoo and
Hummingbird's nest, ii, 90-91;
142.
Watty and Meg, i, 208.
Webster, Daniel, as Audubon's pa-
tron, ii, 151; his letter of recom-
mendation and promise of ducks,
ii, 152; Audubon's credentials
from, ii, 242.
Wellington, ii, 189, 191.
Wernerian Society, i, 183; ii, 72.
Westerman, General, to Citizen Au-
dubon, i, 80.
Western Journal, ii, 298.
Western Museum, Audubon as its
taxidermist, and story of its foun-
dation, i, 303-306.
Wetherill, Samuel, Junior, i, 102,
169; ii, 14.
Wetherill, Samuel Price, i, 102.
Wetherill, Dr. William, i, 201.
Wetherill, W. H., i, 99, 102, 149.
Wheelock, John, i, 218.
Whewell, William, i, 399.
Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vocif-
erus), Audubon's early drawings
of, i, 180, 249.
Whitehall (New York), ii, 244.
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrv-
chia albicollis), Audubon's early
drawing of, i, 249.
Wilkie, David, i, 377.
Williams, George Alfred, on the an-
cestry and achievements of Robert
Havell, Junior, i, 382; ii, 193-195.
Wilson, Alexander, i, 107; his life
and accomplishments, i, 202-220;
his journey of 1810, i, 202; his re-
buke to a judge, i, 203; descrip-
tion of Pittsburgh, i, 204; descends
the Ohio, i, 205; impressions of
Cincinnati and Louisville, i, 205;
success in New Orleans, i, 207; his
meeting with Audubon, i, 207;
early life and struggles, i, 208;
success as a dialect poet, i, 208;
champions the oppressed weavers,
is fined and sent to jail, i, 208;
emigrates to America, i, 209; un-
fortunate love affairs, i, 209, 212,
215, 216; to Charles Orr, i, 210-
212; George Ord on, i, 211; friend-
ship with Bartram and Lawson, i,
212; his poverty and thrift, i, 214-
494
INDEX
216; his talents and genius, i, 214;
The Foresters, i, 216; his Ameri-
can Ornithology begun, i, 216; his
prospectus and first volume, i, 217;
canvasses New England, i, 218;
journey South and extension of his
work, i, 218; second New England
tour, and his arrest as a spy, i,
219; completion of his seventh vol-
ume and his premature death, i,
219; his character, i, 219; Audu-
bon's account of their meeting in
Louisville, i, 220-223; Ord's revival
of the incident, i, 223; his diary in
light of later events^ i, 224-232;
his evasive flycatcher, i, 226; the
"twin" Mississippi Kites, i, 227-
230; as a later "rival" of Audu-
bon, i, 231-232, 234-235, 311, 422;
mistaken obituary of, ii, 2; Audu-
bon on, ii, 143; number of species
of American birds recognized, ii,
214; and Bachman, ii, 284.
Wilson, James, i, 438.
Wilson, John, i, 362, 385, 447; ii, 84;
Audubon to, ii, 139.
Winterfield, Charles, ii, 121, 256-258;
on Audubon at the ruins of a fire,
ii, 267.
Wollaston, Dr. William Hyde, i, 377.
Wood, Rev. J. G., on Waterton, ii,
89.
Woodbury, Levi, ii, 5; to Louis Mc-
Lane, ii, 23.
Woodpecker, Green, Audubon's early
drawing of, i, 178, 181.
Woodpecker, Red-cockaded (Dryo-
bates borealis), Audubon's early
drawing of, i, 316.
Wren, "Cuvier's." See "Regulus."
Wren, Bewick's (Thryomanes be-
wicki), Audubon's original draw-
ing of, i, 180.
Wren, Marsh (Telmatodytes palus-
tris), original drawing of, i, 425.
Wren, Parkman's (Troglodytes ae-
don parkmani), original specimen,
ii, 227.
Yarrell, William, ii, 58; to Audubon,
ii, 223-225, 246-247.
Yellow-throat, "Roscoe's," Maryland
Yellow-throat (Oeothlypis trichas) ,
i, 354.
Yorktown (Virginia), Jean Audu-
bon's command at, i, 24.
Zoological Gallery, i, 12, 382, 394.
Zoological Society (London), i, 398,
444.