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,  %2<L.  October,  1834. 
DEAR  SIR, 

I  take  the  liberty  of  sending  you  a  collection  of  drawings 
made  by  myself,  and  intended  for  a  work  on  the  vertebrate 

«See  Vol.  II,  p.  135. 

TThis,  and  the  letter  of  MacGillivray  soon  to  follow,  are  from  the 
Rowland  MSS. 


far 


*  er     tcvh  ft-* 


/«6fcXeP  fovw 

VOf 


' 


f 


LETTER    OF    WILLIAM    MACGILLIVRAY   TO    AUDUBOK,    OCTOBER    22.    1834. 

From  the  Rowland  MSS. 


131 


132       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

animals  of  Great  Britain.  The  astonishing  success  with  which 
you  have  depicted  a  whole  class  of  the  productions  of  your 
native  land,  as  evinced  in  the  incomparable  delineations  of' 
your  "Birds  of  America,"  renders  your  opinions  respecting  or- 
nithological drawings  of  the  very  highest  authority;  and  I 
have  been  anxious  to  submit  my  attempts  to  your  decision, 
which,  if  unfavourable,  will  induce  me  to  remedy  my  defects, 
or,  if  otherwise,  will  encourage  me  to  proceed  with  an  under- 
taking, which  by  its  arduousness  and  extent,  is  precisely  suited 
to  my  disposition.  I  shall  therefore  feel  grateful  for  the  ex- 
pression of  your  ideas  respecting  the  Drawings,  and  I  request 
that  should  you  favour  me  with  it,  you  will  not  scruple  to 
censure  freely,  should  you  find  occasion. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Dear  Sir, 

your  most  obedient  servant, 

W.    MAcGlLLIVRAY. 

[Addressed]    To  J.  J.  AUDUBON,  Esqe. 

Edinburgh. 

Audubon  and  MacGillivray  finished  their  work  in 
November,  and  by  the  first  of  December  the  manuscript 
of  the  second  volume  of  the  Ornithological  Biography 
was  in  the  printer's  hands.  On  the  10th  of  the  latter 
month  Audubon  wrote  to  Bachman  from  Edinburgh: 
"I  am  quite  sure  I  never  have  been  half  as  anxious  as  I 
am  at  this  moment  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  compleat 
my  vast  enterprise,  and  sorrowful  indeed  would  be  my 
dying  moments  if  this  book  of  mine  were  not  finished 
ere  my  eyes  are  for  ever  closed."  The  naturalist  was 
thinking  of  materials  for  new  "Episodes"  for  the  work 
when  he  added: 

Try  to  study  the  habits  of  the  alligator,  the  time  of  its 
propagation,  number  of  eggs,  form  of  the  nest,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.  I 
long  to  possess  all  respecting  this  reptile  (amphibian)  [sic] 
for  my  article  of  the  Wood  Ibis  and  Sand  Hill  Crane,  for  it 


-Mft 


X 


Siltttf 

\          «?       :   V«     .     N      k.   k       I  ^*     ™     Vl-      . 


PART  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  DRAFT  OF  AUDUBON's  MANUSCRIPT  FOR  THE  INTRODUCTION 

TO   VOLUME   II   OF   THE    "ORNITHOLOGICAL   BIOGRAPHY,"   GIVING   NAMES 

OF  PERSONS  TO  WHOM  HE   CARRIED  LETTERS  OF  INTRODUCTION 

ON  HIS  FIRST  VISIT  TO  LONDON  IN  1827. 

From  the  Rowland  MSS. 


134       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

will  make  a  fine  picture  on  paper,  and  I  can  show  Waterton 
the  bold  astride  of  one's  bare  back  in  great  style. 

By  now  Doer.  Parkman  has  at  least  a  portion  of  the  let- 
ter press  and  I  hope  has  begun  printing  the  second  vol.  of 
Biog.  750  copies  for  America,  and  the  same  number  are  print- 
ing here.  I  wish  you  would  cut  out  from  all  newspapers  the 
pros  and  cons  about  me. 

We  thus  have  from  Audubon  himself  a  definite  state- 
ment in  regard  to  the  publication  of  his  Biography 
of  Birds  in  America,  and  as  to  the  number  of  copies 
issued. 

MacGillivray  immediately  agreed  to  "revise  and  cor- 
rect" Audubon's  forthcoming  third  and  fourth  volumes, 
and  that  he  was  quite  satisfied  with  their  method  of  co- 
operation is  shown  by  the  following  definite  statement 
of  his  contract: 

William  MacGillivray  to  Audubon 

EDINBURGH  15  th  December  1834. 
DEAR  SIR, 

Agreeably  to  your  request  I  hereby  bind  and  oblige  myself 
to  revise  and  correct  the  third  and  fourth  volumes  of  your 
work  entitled  "Ornithological  Biography"  at  the  same  rate  as 
the  two  first  volumes,  namely  at  Two  Pounds  Two  Shillings 
per  sheet;  as  well  as  to  revise,  for  a  sum  to  be  subsequently 
determined,  any  other  work  which  you  may  intend  to  publish. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be  Dear  Sir, 

your  most  obedt.  Servant 

W.  MACGILLIVRAY. 

To  JOHN  J.  AUDUBON  Esq. 

When  William  MacGillivray  first  met  Audubon,  in 
the  autumn  of  1830,  he  was  an  enthusiastic  naturalist 
of  four  and  thirty,  young,  but,  as  we  have  seen,  a  thor- 


AUDUBON  AND  MACGILLIVRAY     135 

ough  anatomist,  who  stood  firmly  on  his  own  feet  and 
was  destined  to  advance  his  favorite  study  in  a  notable 
degree.  Audubon  at  this  time  was  forty-five,  but  in 
anatomy  the  older  man  gladly  sat  at  the  feet  of  the 
younger  and  acknowledged  him  master;  while  this 
young  anatomist  was  dissecting,  Audubon  in  the  role 
of  student  was  seated  by  his  side,  and  we  may  be  sure 
that  little  escaped  his  penetrating  eye  and  keen  intelli- 
gence. To  MacGillivray,  on  the  other  hand,  Audubon 
was  master  of  his  art,  and  to  him  he  looked  for  criticism 
of  his  own  artistic  efforts;  after  him  he  named  a  son, 
and  to  him  dedicated  a  child  of  his  brain.8  In  short, 
MacGillivray  looked  upon  Audubon  as  his  best  friend 
in  the  world,  and  the  latter  fully  appreciated  his  indebt- 
edness to  this  able  assistant.  MacGillivray  continued  to 
aid  Audubon  with  his  letterpress,  revising  and  probably 
contributing  most  of  the  technical  details ;  in  the  fourth 
and  concluding  volumes,  published  in  1838  and  1839, 
the  large  store  of  anatomical  matter  and  many  excellent 
drawings  were  duly  acknowledged  as  coming  from  his 
hand.  His  own  writings  were  varied  and  numerous, 
but  were  generally  characterized  by  a  high  degree  of 
excellence.  His  History  of  British  Birds,  in  five  vol- 
umes (1837-1852),  was  too  extended  and  too  technical 
ever  to  become  popular,  but  in  that  work,  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  science,  classification  was  placed 
on  a  strictly  anatomical  basis.  MacGillivray  even  fol- 
lowed Audubon  to  some  extent  by  introducing  into  this 
work  "delineations  of  British  scenery  and  character," 
but  under  another  head.  The  sixth  of  his  "Lessons  in 
Practical  Ornithology"  recounts  in  dialogue  form  the 


8  The  Rapacious  Birds  of  Great  Britain,  by  William  MacGillivray,  was 
dedicated  to  Audubon  "in  admiration  of  his  talents  as  an  ornithologist, 
and  in  gratitude  for  many  acts  of  friendship." 


136       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

experiences  of  two  friends  in  tramping  the  Pentland 
Hills  together;  says  "Physiophilus"  [himself],  "You 
must  have  many  fine  songsters  in  America";  to  which 
"Ornithologus"  [Audubon]  replies: 

That  we  have  indeed.  The  Mocking  Bird,  of  course,  stands 
first  in  my  opinion,  and  is  unrivalled.  Then,  perhaps  on  ac- 
count of  my  own  sensitive  nature,  I  would  place  next  the  Wood 
Thrush,  although  the  Cat  Bird  is  far  its  superior  in  many 
points,  as  is  also  the  Turdus  rufus.  Think  of  our  Rose-breasted 
Pine  and  Blue  Grosbeaks,  how  mellow  and  sweet  their  continu- 
ous songs  are,  whether  by  day  or  during  calm  nights.  Watch 
the  varied  ditties  of  the  Orchard  Oriole,  and  the  loud  and  more 
musical  notes  of  its  brother,  the  Golden  Hangnest.  You  have 
never  heard  the  Tawny  Thrush  or  the  Hermit  Thrush,  other- 
wise, believe  me,  you  would  have  enjoyed  much  delicious 
pleasure.  .  .  . 

William  MacGillivray  was  a  man  of  the  finest  char- 
acter and  an  honor  to  the  best  traditions  of  British  schol- 
arship; in  his  enthusiasm  and  indefatigable  energy  he 
was  fully  a  match  to  Audubon.  For  nearly  twelve  years 
(1841-1852)  he  was  an  honored  lecturer  and  professor 
in  Marischal  College  and  University,  Aberdeen,  where 
he  died,  probably  as  a  result  of  overwork  in  the  field,  in 
1852,  thus  outliving  his  older  friend  but  one  year.  His 
last  completed  work,  Natural  History  of  Deeside  and 
Braemar,  was  published  under  the  patronage  of  Queen 
Victoria  and  by  her  command  privately  printed,  under 
the  editorship  of  E.  Lancaster,  in  1855.  MacGillivray's 
surviving  son,  whose  career  as  a  field  naturalist  was  also 
cut  short  by  too  strenuous  work,  accompanied  Huxley, 
then  an  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Royal  Navy,  on  the 
memorable  voyage  of  the  Rattlesnake  under  Captain 
Owen  Stanley  in  1842.  MacGillivray  was  honored  when 


AUDUBON  AND  MACGILLIVRAY     137 

alive,  and  though  dead  has  not  been  forgotten;  in  1890 
a  beautiful  tablet  was  dedicated  to  him  in  Aberdeen, 
and  at  the  same  time  a  worthy  monument  was  raised 
to  his  memory  at  Edinburgh.9 

In  authorship  the  public  is  mainly  interested  in  see- 
ing merit  duly  acknowledged.  Said  Audubon,  in  the 
introductory  address  to  his  first  volume : 

There  are  persons  whose  desire  of  obtaining  celebrity  in- 
duces them  to  suppress  the  knowledge  of  the  assistance  which 
they  have  received  in  the  composition  of  their  works.  In  many 
cases,  in  fact,  the  real  author  of  the  drawings  or  the  descrip- 
tions in  books  on  Natural  History  is  not  so  much  as  mentioned, 
while  the  pretended  author  assumes  to  himself  all  the  merit 
which  the  world  is  willing  to  allow  him.  This  want  of  candour 
I  could  never  endure.  On  the  contrary,  I  feel  pleasure  in  here 
acknowledging  the  assistance  which  I  have  received  from  a 
friend,  Mr.  William  MacGillivray,  who  being  possessed  of  a 
liberal  education  and  a  strong  taste  for  the  study  of  the  Nat- 
ural Sciences,  has  aided  me,  not  in  drawing  the  figures  of  my 
Illustrations,  nor  in  writing  the  book  now  in  your  hand,  al- 
though fully  competent  for  both  tasks,  but  in  completing  the 
scientific  details,  and  in  smoothing  down  the  asperities  of  my 
Ornithological  Biographies. 

In  the  introduction  to  Volume  IV  he  added  that  the 

anatomical  descriptions,  as  well  as  the  sketches  by  which  they 
are  sometimes  illustrated,  have  been  executed  by  my  learned 
friend,  William  MacGillivray,  who  in  the  most  agreeable  manner 
consented  to  undertake  the  labour,  by  no  means  small,  of  such  a 
task,  and  to  whom  those  who  are  interested  in  the  progress  of 
Ornithological  science,  as  well  as  myself,  must  therefore  feel 
indebted. 

•For  an  excellent  account  of  the  life  of  William  MacGillivray  and  of 
his  labors  in  natural  science,  see  William  MacGillivray,  A  Memorial  Tribute 
to  William  MacOillivray  (Bibl.  No.  211). 


138       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Audubon  evidently  believed  that  this  printed  acknowl- 
edgment was  just;  MacGillivray  was  as  plainly  satisfied, 
so  that  complaints  which  have  been  made  against  the 
naturalist  on  this  score  seem  to  have  been  rather  ground- 
less. It  might  be  noticed  that  bookmaking  at  that  time 
was  regarded  as  more  of  a  trade  than  at  present;  as 
Sir  Walter  Besant  remarks,  a  traveler  would  often  give 
his  notes  to  a  bookseller,  who  in  turn  would  hand  them 
over  to  a  literary  hack  to  be  cast  into  suitable  form. 


AUDUBON'S  INSCRIPTION  IN  THE   COPY  OF  THE   "ORNITHOLOGICAL  BIOGRAPHY" 
PRESENTED  TO  WILLIAM  MACGILLIVRAY 

A  fine  token  of  the  friendship  which  existed  between 
these  two  men  was  discovered  in  the  summer  of  1903  in 
a  London  bookshop,  where  it  was  found  reflected  in  the 
pages  of  a  handsomely  bound  copy  of  Audubon's  Biog- 
raphy o/  Birds;  on  the  title  pages  were  inscribed  the 
autographs  of  William  MacGillivray,  while  on  the  first 
page  of  the  introduction  to  the  first  volume  the  hand  of 
Audubon  had  written  this  dedication: 

These  volumes  are  presented  to 
William  MacGillivray  with  sentiments 
of  the  highest  esteem  and  best  wishes  by 
his  truly  and  sincerely  attached  friend 

JOHN  J.  AUDUBON 
Edinburgh  July  1  t  1839. 


AUDUBON  AND  MACGILLIVRAY     139 

Professor  John  Wilson  gave  the  third  volume  of  the 
Ornithological  Biography  a  very  handsome  notice  in 
Blackwood's  Magazine,  and  on  New  Year's  Day,  1836, 
Audubon  acknowledged  the  compliment  in  the  follow- 
ing letter:10 

Audubon  to  John  Wilson  ("Christopher  North'9) 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND  : — 

The  first  hour  of  this  new  year  was  ushered  to  me  sur- 
rounded by  my  dear  flock,  all  comfortably  seated  around  a  small 
table  in  middle-sized  room,  where  I  sincerely  wished  you  had 
been  also,  to  witness  the  flowing  gladness  of  our  senses,  as  from 
one  of  us  "Audubon's  Ornithological  Biography"  was  read  from 
your  ever  valuable  Journal.  I  wished  this  because  I  felt  as- 
sured that  your  noble  heart  would  have  received  our  most  grate- 
ful thanks  with  pleasure,  the  instant  our  simple  ideas  had  con- 
veyed to  you  the  grant  of  happiness  we  experienced  at  your 
hands.  You  were  not  with  us,  alas!  but  to  make  amends  the 
best  way  we  could,  all  of  a  common  accord  drank  to  the  health, 
prosperity,  and  long  life,  of  our  generous,  talented,  and  ever 
kind  friend,  Professor  John  Wilson,  and  all  those  amiable  beings 
who  cling  around  his  heart!  May  those  our  sincerest  wishes 
reach  you  soon,  and  may  they  be  sealed  by  Him  who  granted 
us  existence,  and  the  joys  heaped  upon  the  "American  woods- 
man" and  his  family,  in  your  hospitable  land,  and  may  we 
deserve  all  the  benefits  we  have  received  in  your  ever  dear  coun- 
try, although  it  may  prove  impossible  to  us  to  do  more  than 
to  be  ever  grateful  to  her  worthy  sons. 

Accept  our  respectful  united  regards,  and  offer  them  to 
your  family,  whilst  I  remain,  with  highest  esteem,  your  truly 
thankful  friend  and  most  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  J.  AUDUBON. 

Wilson  had  said  in  his  earlier  review: 

10  See  Mrs.  Gordon,  "Christopher  North:"  A  Memoir  of  John  Wilson 
(Bibl.  No.  44). 


140       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

We  do  not  believe  that  till  within  these  few  years,  he  had 
any  practice  in  composition.  .  .  .  Yet  Genius,  if  from  circum- 
stances behindhand  in  any  common  accomplishment,  soon  sup- 
plies it — soon  makes  up  its  lee-way — or  rather,  it  has  only  to 
try  to  do  what  it  has  never  done  before,  and  it  succeeds  in  it 
to  admiration.  Audubon,  who  had  written  but  little  even  in 
his  native  tongue — French — under  a  powerful  motive,  took  to 
writing  English;  and  he  was  not  long  in  learning  to  write  it 
well,  not  only  with  fluency,  but  eloquence,  as  the  fine  extracts 
we  have  quoted  show  in  unfading  colours. 

The  following  comment  on  Audubon's  second  vol- 
ume of  the  Biography  appeared  in  the  Athenceum  for 
1835: 

If  only  considered  as  evidence  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  man 
to  achieve  whatever  he  mils,  and  that  no  obstacles  are  too  great 
to  be  overcome  by  energy  and  devotion  of  purpose,  it  would 
claim  our  good  will  and  best  wishes. 

He  has  told  what  he  has  seen  and  undergone,  not  perhaps 
in  the  smooth  nicely  balanced  periods  of  a  drawing-room  writer 
.  .  .  but  with  unstudied  freedom,  rising  at  times  to  eloquence, 
nor  been  ashamed  to  utter  the  thousand  affectionate  and  benevo- 
lent feelings  which  a  close  and  enthusiastic  communion  with 
nature  must  nourish.  The  work  is  full  of  the  man. 

The  winter  and  spring  of  1835  were  spent  in  Lon- 
don, and  though  suffering  from  the  strain  of  overwork, 
Audubon  kept  doggedly  at  his  tasks.  On  April  20  he 
wrote  to  Bachman: 

Immediately  on  my  arrival  in  London  I  set  to  writing,  and 
finished  in  one  month,  one  4  th.  of  the  Biographies  of  my  3  d. 
vol.  This  rendering  me  puffy,  I  could  scarcely  breathe — my 
appetite  was  gone — my  digestion  bad — in  other  words  I  was 
attacked  by  Dyspepsia  as  bad  as  ever.  Then  I  thought  of  a 
change  of  work — for  in  change  of  labour  the  body  and  the  mind 


AUDUBON  AND  MACGILLIVRAY     141 

undergo  sure  and  certain  relief.  I  took  to  Drawing!  and  what 
do  you  think — I  have  positively  finished  33  drawings  of  Ameri- 
can birds  in  England.  This  has  enabled  me  to  swell  my  3  d.  vol. 
of  Illustrations  with  57  species  not  given  by  Wilson  and  there- 
fore forestalling  my  friend  Charles  Bonaparte. 

On  the  28th  of  April  Audubon  wrote  to  Edward 
Harris,  begging  him  to  send  specimens  of  certain  birds 
which  he  needed,  as  well  as  a  circumstantial  account  of 
the  shad  fisheries  of  the  Delaware  River  as  material  for 
an  "Episode"  for  the  third  volume  of  his  Biography; 
the  fiftieth  number  of  his  illustrations  was  then  in  the 
hands  of  the  colorist.  He  continued:  n 

I  thought  better  to  push  my  publication  on  account  of  the 
woeful  dulling  of  the  times  in  this  country,  where  political 
strife  engrosses  the  mind  of  every  person  so  much  that  arts  and 
sciences  are,  as  it  were,  put  on  the  shelves.  Ministers  are  beings 
of  six  weeks  lives  now-a-days.  The  Reformers  are  struggling 
against  the  Tories,  and  vice  versa.  The  Churchmen  are  aghast 
at  the  prospect  of  the  future,  and  all  this  puts  a  complete  stop- 
page to  business,  independent  of  such  matters.  Even  since  my 
return  to  England  I  have  obtained  only  two  or  three  subscrib- 
ers, and  have  lost  more  than  a  dozen;  nay,  I  may  safely  say, 
two  dozen.  In  America,  on  the  contrary,  things  appear  to  go 
on  more  prosperously.  May  God's  will  grant  a  long  continua- 
tion of  this  to  our  only  Land  of  Liberty.  France,  you  will  have 
heard,  has  at  last  passed  an  order  for  the  payment  of  her  debts 
to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  I  hope  that  this  may 
prove  amply  sufficient  to  save  us  from  having  a  war  with  that 
powerful  nation.  ...  I  wrote  you  that  Dr.  George  Parkman, 
of  Boston,  would  have  my  2  d.  volume  of  Biographies  reprinted 
in  his  city.  I  have  seen  100  pages  of  this  reprint  here,  but  do 
not  know  if  the  Vol.  (American  Ed.)  has  appeared  before  the 
Public? 

u  This  and  extracts  from  letters  which  follow  are  from  the  Jeanes  MSS. 


142       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

My — Friends — erton,  Ord  &  Co.  keep  up  their  curious 
animadversions  against  me  still — methinks  they  must  be  shock- 
ingly mortified  at  my  stubborn  silence  toward  them.  Some 
unknown  friends  now  &  then  reply  to  their  absurdities.1 

His  persistent  heckler,  Charles  Waterton,  was  quite 
busy  at  this  time,  four  articles  having  been  directed 
against  Audubon  or  his  friends  in  1835,  though  this  was 
not  his  most  prolific  year.  A  similar  reference  occurs 
in  a  letter  written  to  Bachman  from  Edinburgh  on  the 
20th  of  July:  "As  to  the  rage  of  Mr.  Waterton,  or  the 
lucubrations  of  Mr.  Neal,  who  by  the  bye  is  a  subscriber 
to  the  Birds  of  America  (bona  fide),  I  really  care  not  a 
fig — all  such  stuffs  will  soon  evaporate,  being  mere 
smoke  from  a  Dung  Hill." 

In  the  summer  of  1835  Audubon  was  again  estab- 
lished in  Edinburgh  and  working  with  unremitting  vigor 
at  his  Biography;  some  idea  of  the  speed  which  he  main- 
tained when  able  to  devote  himself  unreservedly  to  this 
task  can  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  after  the  issue 
of  his  second  volume,  of  620  large  pages,  in  December, 
1834,  the  third,  of  654  pages,  was  published  in  just  a 
year  from  that  time.  He  wrote  to  Edward  Harris  from 
Edinburgh  on  the  5th  of  July,  when  engaged  in  this 
work: 

I  intend  to  write  a  few  ["Episodes"]  of  such  extraordinary 
men,  now  deceased,  with  whom  I  have  been  acquainted — Thomas 
Bewick,  and  Baron  Cuvier,  for  example. 

We  receive  no  new  subscribers  in  Europe.  The  taste  is 
passing  for  Birds  like  a  flitting  shadow — Insects,  reptiles  and 
fishes  are  now  the  rage,  and  these  fly,  swim  or  crawl  on  pages 
innumerable  in  every  Bookseller's  window.  When  this  is  also 
passed,  naturalists  will  have  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf  and  com- 
mence afresh,  or  go  to  the  antipodes  in  search  of  materials  to 


AUDUBON  AND  MACGILLIVRAY     143 

please  the  taste  for  novelty's  sake. — However  my  work  will  I 
hope  be  finished  ere  I  leave  this  world,  and  must  be  appreciated 
in  years  to  come,  when  perhaps  my  childrens'  children  will  feel 
proud  of  their  gone  ancestor,  "The  American  Woodsman." 
You  see  my  Dear  Friend  how  far  enthusiasm  and  a  portion  of 
the  like  for  standing  fame  carries  even  your  humble  servant  a 
man  with  no  other  means  than  his  industry  and  prudence  as  a 
means  of  support,  and  one  with  scarce  the  motive  of  education. 
There  are  moments,  and  they  are  not  far  between,  when  thinking 
of  my  present  enormous  undertaking,  I  wonder  how  I  have  been 
able  to  support  the  extraordinary  amount  of  monies  paid  for 
the  work  alone,  without  taking  cognizance  of  my  family  and  my 
expeditions,  which  ever  and  anon  travelling  as  we  are  from  place 
to  place  and  country  to  country  are  also  very  great.  When 
I  publish  my  Life  and  let  the  world  know  that  Audubon  like 
Wilson,  was  at  Phila.  without  the  half  of  a  Dollar,  and  that 
had  it  not  been  for  benevolent  generosity  of  a  certain  Gentleman 
whose  name  is  Edward  Harris,  Audubon  must  have  walked  off 
from  one  of  the  fairest  of  our  Cities  like  a  beggar  does  in  poor 
Ireland,  left  destitute  of  all  things  save  his  humble  talents,  and 
his  determination  to  produce  something  worthy  of  the  soul  of 
man :  I  say  my  dear  Harris  will  not  the  world  stare !  Poor 
Wilson  was  only  better  off  than  I  on  account  of  his  superior 
talents  over  me  at  driving  the  goose  quill,  but  much  similarity 
still  seems  to  have  [existed]  in  both  of  us,  as  I  could  drive  the 
pencil,  the  brush,  the  Fiddle  bow  and  even  the  "Fleuret" 
[better]  than  he. 

Audubon  wrote  to  Harris  again  from  Edinburgh, 
on  September  5,  when  he  said : 

Between  you  and  I  the  measurements  of  different  Birds  given 
by  Wilson  are  hardly  to  be  depended  upon,  as  I  constantly 
discover  a  great  deficiency  in  this  part  of  his  descriptions  which 
indeed  in  some  cases  are  otherwise  slack,  and  given  as  if  when 
fatigued  or  vexed.  Nay  I  even  think  at  times  that  he  has 
copied  Authors  and  not  nature?  as  in  the  instance  of  the  Oyster 


AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Catcher,  which  I  fear  he  made  &  figured  from  a  European  one 
in  the  Philadelphia  museum,  took  the  descriptions  from  Latham, 
and  described  the  Habits  of  Palliartus  which  is  our  own  Bird 
and  it  seems  the  only  species  to  be  met  with  in  America,  at  least 
on  our  Atlantic  coast.  Wilson  committed  the  same  blunder  with 
the  Rallus  elegans  which  he  figured  and  described  the  habits  of 
the  R.  capitans  for  it!  I  could  enumerate  more  instances  of 
carelessness,  but  poor  Wilson  is  dead  and  may  God  bless  his 
soul! 

The  third  volume  of  his  letterpress,12  which  dealt 
with  the  water  birds  of  America,  made  its  appearance 
at  the  close  of  1835;  in  the  introduction  he  said: 

I  look  forward  to  the  summer  of  1838  with  an  anxious  hope 
that  I  may  then  be  able  to  present  you  with  the  last  plate  of  my 
Illustrations,  and  the  concluding  volume  of  my  Biographies. 
To  render  these  volumes  as  complete  as  possible,  I  intend  to 
undertake  a  journey  to  the  southern  and  western  limits  of  the 
Union,  with  the  view  of  obtaining  a  more  accurate  knowledge 
of  the  birds  of  those  remote  and  scarcely  inhabited  regions.  On 
this  tour  I  shall  be  accompanied  by  my  youngest  son,  while 
the  rest  of  *my  family  will  remain  in  Britain  to  direct  the  prog- 
ress of  my  publication. 

Audubon  returned  tp  London  with  his  family  early 
in  1836,  visiting  Newcastle,  York,  Leeds,  Manchester 
and  Sheffield  by  the  way,  and  took  a  house  at  Number  4, 
Wimpole  Street,  Cavendish  Square.  As  Mrs.  Audu- 
bon's  health  was  anything  but  good,  they  were  fortunate 
in  having  as  a  neighbor  in  this  street  an  eminent  surgeon, 
Benjamin  Phillips,13  and  this  friend  was  also  a  sub- 
scriber to  The  Birds  of  America.  "Were  I  to  men- 
tion," said  Audubon, 

"See  Bibliography  No.  2. 

13  For  letter  written  to  Dr.  Phillips  in  1842,  see  Vol.  II,  p.  244. 


EARLY  UNPUBLISHED  DRAWINGS  OF  AMERICAN  BIRDS:  ABOVE,    CAPRIMULGUS  VOCIF- 

ERUS.     WIIIPPOORWILL  FEMELLE.     A.  W.     MAY  7TH,  1812.     PENNSA.  NO. 

11";  BELOW,  "ROBIN  A.  WTLLSON.    TURDUS  MIGRATORIUS.    LITORNE 

DU    CANADA MALE BUFFON DRAWN    BY   J.    J.    AUDUBON 

JANY.   4,   1807 NEW  YORK.       NO.    102." 

Published  by  courtesy  of  Mr.  Joseph  Y.  Jeanes. 


AUDUBON  AND  MACGILLIVRAY     145 

the  many  occasions  on  which  he  has  aided  me  by  his  advice  and 
superior  knowledge  of  the  world,  you  would  be  pleased  to  find 
so  much  disinterestedness  in  human  nature.  His  professional 
aid  too,  valuable  as  it  has  proved  to  us,  and  productive  of  much 
inconvenience  to  him,  has  been  rendered  without  reward,  for  I 
could  never  succeed  in  inducing  him  to  consider  us  his  patients, 
although  for  upwards  of  two  years  he  never  passed  a  day  with- 
out seeing  my  wife. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  Audubon's  two  sons  made  a 
tour  of  France  and  Italy ;  on  the  9th  of  March  he  wrote 
to  Harris  that  they  expected  to  leave  England  in  a  week, 
be  gone  three  and  a  half  months,  visit  Paris,  Rome 
and  Messina,  and  return  by  way  of  Marseilles  and  Paris. 
With  the  passage  of  1836  he  had  completed  70  numbers, 
of  350  plates,  of  his  larger  work,  leaving  but  85  plates 
yet  to  be  engraved.  Though  anxious  to  see  this  greatest 
of  his  tasks  brought  to  an  end,  he  still  looked  with  long- 
ing eyes  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Pacific  Coast, 
and  began  preparations  for  his  last  journey  to  obtain 
materials  and  subscribers  in  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR,  1836-1337 

In  New  York  harbor — Collections  from  the  Far  West — Audubon's  efforts 
to  secure  them — Return  to  Boston — Friendship  of  Daniel  Webster — 
Renewed  efforts  to  obtain  the  Nuttall-Townsend  collection — Expedition 
to  the  west  coast  of  Florida — Deferred  governmental  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  presi- 
dent— Meeting  in  Charleston — Marriage  of  his  son — Their  return  to 
England. 

Audubon  left  London  with  his  son,  John,  July  30, 
1836,  and  on  the  second  day  of  August  sailed  from 
Portsmouth  on  the  packet  Gladiator,  bound  for  New 
York.  Two  hundred  and  sixty  live  birds  had  preceded 
them  to  the  ship,  while  three  dogs  came  as  a  present 
from  the  Earl  of  Derby,  and  "a  brace  of  tailless  cats 
from  our  friend  George  Thackeray,  D.D.,  provost  of 
King's  College":  all  had  suffered  somewhat  from  lack 
of  care,  but  the  dogs,  one  of  which  was  sent  to  John 
Bachman  of  Charleston,  and  some  of  the  birds  crossed 
the  Atlantic  in  safety.  Five  weeks  were  spent  at  sea; 
when  the  Navesink  Highlands  at  last  hove  into  view 
the  welcome  news  spread  rapidly  over  the  ship ;  rockets 
were  sent  up  later  to  attract  a  pilot,  and  when  anchor 
was  grounded  on  American  soil,  Audubon  confessed 
that  he  cried  like  a  child  and  devoutly  thanked  God 
for  their  preservation.  He  continued : 

All  was  now  bustle  and  mutual  congratulations ;  our  com- 
mander was  praised  for  his  skill  by  some,  and  others  praised  his 
whisky,  which  the  waiters  handed  about,  and  the  night  was 

146 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  147 

nearly  spent  in  revelry;  but  John  and  myself  retired  at  two 
o'clock.  ...  As  a  gleam  of  daylight  appeared,  my  eyes 
searched  through  the  hazy  atmosphere  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  land,  and  gradually  Staten  Island  opened  to  my  view ;  then 
the  boat  of  the  custom-house  appeared,  and  soon  he  boarded 
us,  arranged  the  sailors  and  passengers  on  deck,  and  called 
their  names.  Then  followed  breakfast,  and  soon  another  boat, 
with  a  yellow  flag  flying,  landed  the  health  officer,  and  there 
being  no  sickness  on  board,  myself  and  John  returned  to  Staten 
Island  in  the  doctor's  boat,  and  were  taken  by  the  steamer 
Hercules  to  the  city.1 

Audubon  remained  in  New  York  from  the  7th  to 
the  13th  of  September.  On  Sunday,  the  12th,  he  wrote 
to  Edward  Harris,  in  part  as  follows: 2 

Audubon  to  Edward  Harris 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND — 

.  .  .  Whilst  running  over  the  interesting  list  of  the  Species 
of  Birds  procured  by  Nuttall  &  Townsend  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  I  became  so  completely 
wrapt  up  with  the  desire  to  see  these  as  soon  as  possible  that  I 
have  concluded  to  go  to  Philadelphia  tomorrow  by  the  10 
o'clock  boat.  I  will  stay  at  Harlan's  for  two  or  three  days  and 
hope  that  you  will  meet  me  there,  that  I  may  have  the  pleasure 
of  pressing  your  hand  and  talking  to  you. 

You  well  know  how  anxious  I  am  to  make  my  work  on  the 
Birds  of  our  Country  as  compleat  as  possible  within  my  power : 
—you  know  that  to  reach  this  end  I  have  spared  neither  time, 
labours  or  money :  you  are  also  aware  that  although  this  under- 
taking may  never  remunerate  me,  I  am  so  enthusiastic  as  to 
indulge  in  the  hope  that  God  will  grant  me  life  to  effect  all  this ; 
but  I  am  becoming  old,  and  though  very  willing  doubt  whether 

1Lucy  B.  Audubon,  ed.,  Life  of  John  James  Audubon,  the  Naturalist 
(Bibl.  No.  73),  p.  385. 
2  The  Jeanes  MSS. 


148       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

I  could  support  the  fatigues  connected  with  a  journey  of  sev- 
eral years,  and  separated  from  my  dear  Family.  Well  the 
desiderata  has  come  to  Philadelphia  at  least  in  part,  and  if  I 
could  be  allowed  to  pourtray  the  new  species  now  there  as  an 
appendix  to  the  Birds  of  America,  I  should  be  proud  and  happy 
to  do  so,  but  do  you  think  that  the  Academy  is  likely  to  indulge 
me  in  this  my  wish?  Do  join  me  at  Harlan's  as  soon  as  you 
can,  and  lend  me  a  hand  and  try  to  promote  my  views  through 
mutual  Friends  attatched  to  that  Institution. 

Audubon  also  communicated  at  once  with  John 
Bachman,  whom  he  had  planned  to  visit  on  his  journey 
south,  but  soon  learned  that  the  cholera  had  broken  out 
in  Charleston  and  that  the  Seminoles  were  on  the  war- 
path in  Florida.  Said  Bachman,  writing  on  September 
14: 

With  regard  to  Florida,  nothing  will  be  done  by  naturalists 
for  at  least  two  years.  Your  Indian  friends,  the  cut-throats, 
have  scalped  almost  every  woman  and  child  south  of  St.  Augus- 
tine, save  those  on  Key  West.  They  have  burnt  and  plundered 
every  plantation;  and  although  they  will  probably  be,  in  a 
great  measure,  put  down  next  winter,  yet  there  will,  undoubt- 
edly, remain  many  small  predatory  bands  that  will  make  no 
bones  of  scalping  at  Ornithologist  secundum  artem;  and  would 
ask  no  questions  whether  he  were  the  friend  or  enemy  of  William 
Penn.  Of  Texas,  I  think  better,  and  thither,  or  along  its  bor- 
ders, you  may,  I  think,  venture — for  the  Texans  are  our  friends. 
I  suppose  Genl.  Gaines  will  keep  the  Comanches  quiet.3 

Bachman  kept  his  friends  informed  of  the  progress 
of  the  epidemic,  which  had  placed  an  embargo  over  his 
city;  at  the  same  time  he  sent  news  of  the  Anhingas, 
Caracara  Eagles  and  Cormorants,  which  had  been  suc- 
cessfully held  in  captivity  for  the  naturalist,  and  added : 

8C.  L.  Bachman,  John  Bachman,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Ph.D.  (Bibl.  No.  191). 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  149 

"These  are  awful  times  in  money  matters,  but  of  this 
you  will  hear  enough  when  we  meet.  Everyone  nearly 
has  failed,  but  the  Parsons  and  Ornithologists." 

On  September  13  Audubon  started  for  Philadelphia, 
anxious  to  see  with  his  own  eyes  those  western  collec- 
tions which  had  so  stirred  his  curiosity.  It  seems  that 
in  1834,  Dr.  Thomas  Nuttall  and  Dr.  John  Kirk  Town- 
send  set  out  on  a  journey  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River;  Nuttall  was  first  of  all  a  botanist,  and  is  said  to 
have  carried  no  gun,  but  Townsend  was  an  experienced 
ornithologist  and  made  extensive  collections  of  birds,  a 
part  of  which  he  sent  in  care  of  Nuttall  to  Philadelphia 
in  1835,  although  he  himself  did  not  return  east  until 
the  close  of  1837.  One  of  Audubon's  great  ambitions 
had  been  to  explore  the  regions  which  they  had  re- 
cently visited,  and  in  the  circumstances  we  can  sympa- 
thize with  his  desire  to  acquire  so  valuable  an  acquisition 
for  the  work  upon  which  he  had  been  long  engaged.  The 
object  of  his  immediate  quest  apparently  had  been  en- 
trusted to  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  an  institu- 
tion which  had  not  always  shown  itself  friendly  to  his 
claims,  and  which  in  this  instance  is  said  to  have  assisted 
the  travelers  with  funds  to  prosecute  their  journey. 
The  collection,  said  Audubon,  contained  "about  forty 
new  species  of  birds,  and  its  value  cannot  be  described." 
Balked  in  his  initial  efforts  to  obtain  the  coveted  prize, 
after  two  days  of  fruitless  efforts  on  the  part  of  his 
Philadelphia  friends,  he  returned  to  New  York;  Ed- 
ward Harris  then  came  forward  with  the  offer  of  $500 
for  the  purchase  of  the  collection  outright,  but  nego- 
tiations were  not  immediately  successful. 

With  his  hunger  still  unappeased,  Audubon  now 
visited  Boston  on  a  canvassing  tour,  while  his  son  re- 
mained with  Nicholas  Berthoud  at  New  York.  Setting 


150       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

out  on  the  20th  of  September,  he  traveled  by  the  steamer 
Massachusetts  and  the  Providence  Railroad,  paying 
seven  dollars  fare,  "which  included  supper  and  break- 
fast"; the  sail  up  Providence  Bay  in  early  morning 
was  like  a  "fairy  dream,"  and  the  locomotive  in  waiting 
then  pulled  the  passengers  from  "Providence  to  Boston 
at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour."  We  arrived,  said 
he,  at  four  in  the  afternoon:  "a  cart  took  my  trunk, 
and  placing  myself  by  the  side  of  the  owner,  we  drove 
to  the  house  of  my  friend,  Dr.  George  C.  Shattuck." 

On  the  day  after  his  arrival,  Audubon  visited  Thom- 
as M.  Brewer,  then  a  young  ornithologist  living  at  Rox- 
bury,  to  examine  his  collection  of  bird  skins  and  eggs, 
and  upon  his  return  called  on  David  Eckley,  "the  great 
salmon  fisher,"  to  whom  he  later  presented  a  copy  of  his 
folio  plates  of  The  Birds  of  America.4'  Brewer,  who 
later  became  a  physician  and  distinguished  ornitholo- 
gist, for  many  years  was  one  of  Audubon's  valued  cor- 
respondents and  supplied  him  with  much  interesting 
material.  On  the  following  day  Audubon  met  Thomas 
Nuttall,5  who  at  once  promised  him  duplicates  of  all  the 
new  birds  which  he  had  brought  from  the  West.  Colonel 
Thomas  H.  Perkins,  an  early  subscriber,  Edward  Ever- 
ett, who  had  befriended  him  in  Washington,  and  who  in 
1836  became  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  Josiah  Quin- 
cy,  president  of  Harvard  College,  Dr.  Bowditch,  and 

*See  Note,  Vol.  II,  p.  7. 

0  Thomas  Nuttall  (1786-1859),  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  was  brought  up 
a  printer;  in  1807  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  became  noted  for 
his  wide  botanical  explorations,  for  his  Journal  of  Travels  in  the  Arkansas 
Territory  in  1819,  and  for  his  excellent  Manual  of  the  Ornithology  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada  (1833-1834),  which  has  had  several  editions. 
From  1822  to  1834  he  was  professor  of  Natural  History  and  curator  of 
the  Botanical  Gardens  at  Harvard  University;  in  1834  he  crossed  the 
Rocky  Mountains  along  the  sources  of  the  Platte,  explored  Oregon  and 
Upper  California,  and  visited  the  Sandwich  Islands.  He  returned  to 
England,  where  he  had  inherited  property,  in  1842,  and  died  at  St.  Helen's, 
Lancashire,  September  10,  1859. 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  151 

other  prominent  characters,  all  extended  a  helping 
hand.  He  visited  Salem  to  deliver  his  letters,  and  was 
successful  in  obtaining  a  number  of  subscribers;  upon 
invitation  of  the  curator  of  the  Natural  History  Society 
there,  he  examined  "the  young  collection  of  that  new- 
born institution,"  and  had  "the  good  fortune  to  find  one 
egg  of  the  American  bittern."  On  the  25th  of  Septem- 
ber he  wrote  Harris:  "Nuttall  has  arrived — he  break- 
fasted with  me  the  other  day — gave  me  6  new  species 
of  Birds  and  tells  me  that  he  will  urge  both  Townsend 
and  the  Society  at  Philadelphia  to  allow  me  to  portray 
all  the  species  which  they  have  procured  within  the 
limits  of  our  Territories." 

In  Boston,  September  27,  1836,  Audubon  made  this 
note  in  his  journal: 6  "The  citizens  are  all  excitement; 
guns  are  firing,  flags  flying,  and  troops  parading  and 
John  Quincy  Adams  is  delivering  a  eulogy  on  the  late 
President  Madison.  The  mayor  of  Boston  did  me  the 
honor  to  invite  me  to  join  in  the  procession,  but  I  am 
no  politician  and  declined."  He  noted  on  the  same  day 
also  that  Dr.  Shattuck  had  completed  the  subscription 
list  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History  "by  pre- 
senting me  to  his  lady,  who  subscribed  for  one-tenth, 
and  the  Dr.  then  put  down  his  son  George's  name  for 
one-twentieth,  making  his  own  family  one-fourth  of  the 
whole,  or  two  hundred  and  twenty  dollars,  for  which 
he  gave  me  his  cheque.  Without  the  assistance  of  this 
generous  man,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  So- 
ciety never  would  have  had  a  copy  of  'The  Birds  of 
America.' '  Two  days  later  he  met  Daniel  Webster  at 
the  rooms  of  the  Historical  Society,  and  on  the  same 
evening  at  the  home  of  Isaac  P.  Davis,  where,  said  Au- 
dubon, "we  took  tea,  talked  on  ornithology  and  orni- 

•See  Lucy  B.  Audubon,  ed.,  op.  cit.;  and  Note,  Vol.  II,  p.  29. 


152       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

thologists;  he  promised  to  send  me  some  specimens  of 
birds,  and  finished  by  subscribing  to  my  work."  Web- 
ster also  gave  him  a  general  note  of  recommendation, 
in  which  he  said: 7  "I  take  this  mode  of  commending 
Mr.  Audubon  to  any  friends  of  mine  he  may  meet  in  his 
journey  to  the  west.  I  have  not  only  great  respect  for 
Mr.  Audubon's  scientific  pursuits,  but  entertain  for  him 
personally  much  esteem  and  hearty  good  wishes."  Mr. 
Davis  exerted  his  influence  in  other  directions,  and  in 
this  instance  acted  as  agent  for  the  transmission  of 
Audubon's  plates  to  their  distinguished  friend ;  on  Octo- 
ber 7,  he  wrote:8  "I  received  the  half  Nos  of  the 
'Birds  of  America'  for  the  worthy  and  sublime  Danl. 
Webster — they  shall  be  delivered  safely  on  his  return." 
After  urging  Audubon  to  visit  Buffalo,  where  Dr. 
Bowditch  and  his  friends  thought  that  a  number  of  new 
subscribers  might  be  procured,  he  appended  a  list  of 
twelve  likely  names  of  residents  of  that  city,  and  added : 
"Bowdoin  College  shall  be  remembered  as  the  oppor- 
tunity offers." 

Webster,  who  was  an  ardent  sportsman  and  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  water  fowl  of  the  coast,  had  volun- 
teered to  procure  for  Audubon  specimens  of  the  Labra- 
dor Duck,  which  was  even  then  extremely  rare  and  has 
since  become  extinct,  but  was  unable  to  fulfill  his  prom- 
ise. Audubon  had  already  found  that  many  American 
birds,  like  the  common  crow,  which  had  been  regarded 
as  identical  with  those  of  the  Old  World,  were  in  reality 
distinct,  and  was  now  anxious,  as  he  wrote  to  Thomas 
Brewer,  "to  compare  the  anatomy  of  all  our  birds 
with  those  of  the  same  families  in  Europe."  His  letters 

7  See  Lucy  B.  Audubon,  ed.,  op.  cit.,  p.  391. 

8  In  a  letter  signed  "I.  P.  Davis,"  and  superscribed  to  "John  J.  Audu- 
bon Esqr  at  Mr.  Berthoud's,   106  Broad  Street  New  York."     (Rowland 
MSS.) 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  153 

to  young  Brewer  at  this  time  show  how  eager  he  was 
to  secure  the  promised  specimens.  On  October  23  he 
wrote  from  Philadelphia:  "I  hope  you  will  not  forget  to 
call  on  our  enlightened  statesman  D.  Webster,  and  re- 
mind him  of  his  kind  promise  to  assist  you  in  the  pro- 
curing of  specimens  for  me.  This  winter  and  next 
spring  are  my  only  chances,  and  I  beg  you  to  do  all  you 
can  for  me."  He  wrote  again  from  Charleston,  Janu- 
ary 1,  1837:  "I  am  sorry  that  the  Hon.  D.  Webster 
has  not  attended  to  his  promises,  and  will  write  to  him; 
yet  I  would  beg  you,  being  on  the  spot,  to  trouble  him  a 
good  deal." 9 

After  returning  to  New  York,  Audubon  had  a  vis- 
itor for  whom  he  expressed  the  greatest  admiration, 
Washington  Irving,  who  had  aided  him  in  1833;  he  now 
received  from  his  hands  letters  to  Martin  Van  Buren, 
the  President-elect,  and  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  who  then 
occupied  the  post  of  Attorney- General.  Irving  called 
attention  in  his  letter  to  the  national  character  of  Au- 
dubon's  work,  and  warmly  commended  if  to  the  patron- 
age of  the  country  at  large.  On  October  8  Audubon 
wrote  MacGillivray  from  New  York  that  he  had  ob- 
tained twelve  new  subscribers,  two  at  Salem,  four  at 
Boston,  and  six  in  New  York,  but  a  little  later,  through 
the  aid  of  Nicholas  Berthoud,  in  one  week's  time 
eighteen  new  names  were  added  to  his  subscription  list 
in  New  York  City  alone. 

Meanwhile  Nuttall's  and  Townsend's  birds  had  not 
been  forgotten,  and  on  October  15  he  started  with  his 
son  for  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  again  welcomed  by 
Dr.  Richard  Harlan.  No  sooner,  however,  were  efforts 
renewed  to  gain  permission  to  study  the  desired  objects 

•See  Thomas  M.  Brewer  (Bibl.  No.  79),  Harper's  New  Monthly 
Magazine,  vol.  Ixi,  p.  666  (1880). 


154       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

than  new  obstacles  were  encountered.  To  quote  the  nat- 
uralist:10 

Having  obtained  access  to  the  collection  sent  by  Dr.  Town- 
send,  I  turned  over  and  over  the  new  and  rare  species,  but  he 
was  absent  at  Fort  Vancouver,  on  the  shores  of  the  Columbia 
River ;  Thomas  Nuttall  had  not  yet  come  from  Boston,  and  loud 
murmurs  were  uttered  by  the  soi-disant  friends  of  science,  who 
objected  to  my  seeing,  much  less  portraying  and  describing, 
those  valuable  relics  of  birds,  many  of  which  had  not  yet  been 
introduced  into  our  Fauna. 

At  length,  "it  was  agreed,"  to  continue  his  account  of 
the  transaction, 

that  I  might  purchase  duplicates,  provided  the  specific  names 
agreed  upon  by  Mr.  Nuttall  and  myself  were  published  in  Dr. 
Townsend's  name.  This  latter  part  of  the  affair  was  perfectly 
agreeable  to  my  feelings,  as  I  have  seldom  cared  much  about 
priority  in  the  naming  of  species.  I  therefore  paid  for  the 
skins  which  I  received,  and  have  now  published  such  as  proved 
to  be  new,  according  to  my  promise.  But,  let  me  assure  you, 
Reader,  that  seldom,  if  ever  in  my  life,  have  I  felt  more  dis- 
gusted with  the  conduct  of  any  opponents  of  mine,  than  I  was 
with  the  unfriendly  boasters  of  their  zeal  for  the  advancement 
of  ornithological  science,  who  at  that  time  existed  in  the  fair 
city  of  Philadelphia. 

While  still  in  Philadelphia,  on  October  23,  Audubon 
wrote  to  Thomas  Brewer  that  Dr.  Morton,  the  corre- 
sponding secretary  of  the  Academy,  had  not  only  per- 
mitted him  to  portray  the  new  birds  but  had  sold  him 
"ninety  odd  of  the  skins,  forming  a  portion  of  the  col- 
lection," and  added  that  with  his  other  acquisitions  they 
would  swell  his  "catalogue  to  the  number  of  475,  all  of 
which  must  be  introduced  in  my  fourth  volume." 

10  Ornithological  Biography   (Bibl.  No.  2),  vol.  iv,  p.  xi. 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  155 

For  many  years  Audubon  had  expressed  great  con- 
tempt for  all  seekers  after  priority  in  the  naming  of 
new  species  of  animals,  but  now  he  began  to  find  the 
pressure  from  without  too  strong  to  be  resisted.  Rivalry 
in  this  field  had  become  keen  on  both  sides  of  the  At- 
lantic, and  in  the  commendable  desire  to  render  his  work 
as  complete  as  possible,  he  was  inevitably  drawn  into  a 
struggle  in  which  the  higher  aspirations  of  scientific  men 
are  all  too  apt  to  be  obscured  by  petty  vanities,  suspi- 
cions and  disputes. 

While  at  Philadelphia  Audubon  paid  this  fine  trib- 
ute to  the  ornithologist  whom  he  had  met  at  Louisville 
twenty-six  years  before,  and  whose  name  had  long  been 
a  cover  for  the  jealousies  and  animosities  of  suppositi- 
tious friends :  "Passed  poor  Alexander  Wilson's  school- 
house,  and  heaved  a  sigh.  Alas,  poor  Wilson!  Would 
that  I  could  once  more  speak  to  thee,  and  listen  to  thy 
voice!" 

Audubon  was  planning  during  the  coming  year  to 
explore  the  west  coast  of  Florida,  in  company  with  his 
son  and  Edward  Harris,  and  to  proceed  as  far  as  pos- 
sible along  the  coast  of  Texas.  From  Philadelphia  he 
went  to  Baltimore,  and  on  November  8  he  arrived  at 
Washington.  His  steadfast  friend  and  supporter, 
Colonel  John  James  Abert,  then  at  the  head  of  the 
Topographical  Bureau,  took  him  to  the  White  House 
to  call  on  President  Andrew  Jackson  and  present  his 
letters.  The  General,  said  Audubon,  looked  well  and 
was  smoking  a  pipe ;  after  reading  his  letters  attentively, 
he  said  at  once:  "Mr.  Audubon,  I  will  do  all  in  my 
power  to  serve  you,  but  the  Seminole  war,  will,  I  fear, 
prevent  you  from  having  a  cutter;  however,  as  we  shall 
have  a  committee  at  twelve  o'clock,  we  will  consider 
this,  and  give  you  an  answer  tomorrow."  Levi  Wood- 


156       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

bury,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  was  as  friendly  as  ever, 
and  offered  the  party  passage  to  Charleston  on  the 
Campbell.,  a  vessel  of  fifty-five  tons  carrying  three  guns1 
and  twenty-one  men,  but  Audubon,  who  was  a  poor 
sailor,  preferred  to  travel  by  land  and  await  the  com- 
ing of  this  boat  at  the  Bachman  home.  Before  leaving 
the  capital  the  naturalist  and  his  son  were  invited  to 
dine  informally  at  the  White  House,  and  he  had  the 
opportunity  of  studying  at  close  range  "a  man  who  had 
done  much  good  and  much  evil  to  our  country."  Said 
Audubon  of  this  dinner: 

I  sat  close  to  him;  we  spoke  of  olden  times,  and  touched 
slightly  on  politics,  and  I  found  him  very  averse  to  the  cause  of 
the  Texans.  .  .  .  The  dinner  was  what  might  be  called  plain 
and  substantial  in  England ;  I  dined  from  a  fine  young  turkey, 
shot  within  twenty  miles  of  Washington.  The  general  drank 
no  wine,  but  his  health  was  drunk  by  us  more  than  once;  and 
he  ate  very  moderately,  his  last  dish  consisting  of  bread  and 
milk.11 

Audubon,  with  his  son,  John,  left  Washington  on 
the  10th  of  November,  and  after  traveling  six  days  on 
one  of  "the  most  extraordinary  railroads  in  the  world," 
they  reached  the  city  of  Charleston,  where,  under  the 
hospitable  roof  of  John  Bachman,  the  party  eventually 
passed  the  winter,  though  momentarily  expecting  their 
vessel,  which  did  not  arrive.  During  this  long  interval 
of  waiting,  Audubon  made  drawings  of  all  the  new  birds 
in  the  Nuttall-Townsend  collection,  representing  up- 
wards of  seventy  figures,  and  Miss  Maria  Martin,  Bach- 
man's  sister-in-law,  again  assisted  him  in  drawing 
plants  and  insects. 

"Lucy  B.  Audubon,  ed.,  op.  cit.,  p.  398. 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  157 

As  spring  approached  and  the  long  awaited  Camp- 
bell had  not  arrived,  Audubon,  with  Harris  and  John, 
started  overland  for  New  Orleans.  After  several  days 
of  hard  traveling  by  coaches  they  reached  Montgom- 
ery, and  descended  the  Alabama  River  by  steamboat  to 
Mobile.  When  that  district  had  been  ransacked  for 
birds,  they  went  on  to  Pensacola,  where  they  learned 
that  the  Government  cutter  would  soon  be  at  their 
service  at  New  Orleans ;  accordingly  they  retraced  their 
steps  to  Mobile,  passed  through  the  lakes,  and  entered 
the  southern  capital,  the  city  in  which  the  naturalist 
had  nearly  starved,  a  penniless  stranger,  sixteen  years 
before,  but  which,  less  than  three-quarters  of  a  century 
later,  was  to  raise  a  monument  to  his  memory.  He 
was  still  destined  to  a  degree  of  disappointment,  when 
it  was  learned  that  the  Campbell  could  not  be  put  in 
readiness  before  the  last  of  March,  but  he  was  delighted 
to  find  that  the  old  pilot  of  the  Marion,  Napoleon  Coste, 
was  to  command  this  vessel.  At  New  Orleans  Audubon 
met  for  the  last  time  "good  M.  Le  Sueur,"  artist  and 
naturalist,  who  had  spent  many  years  at  New  Har- 
mony, Indiana,  and  whose  acquaintance  he  had  first 
made  at  Philadelphia  in  1824. 

Audubon  and  his  party  finally  left  New  Orleans 
on  the  1st  of  April  and  entered  the  Gulf  by  the  South- 
west Pass,  where,  on  the  3rd  of  the  month,  they  were 
joined  by  the  Crusader,  a  schooner  of  twelve  tons  which 
was  attached  to  the  Revenue  Service;  on  this  journey 
she  carried  a  crew  of  four,  with  as  many  guns,  and 
acted  as  a  tender  to  the  larger  vessel.  The  expedition 
was  provisioned  for  two  months,  and  aimed  to  explore 
the  keys,  bayous  and  shoreline  from  the  Mississippi  to 
the  Bay  of  Galveston.  Some  of  Audubon's  experiences 
on  this  cruise  were  described  in  a  letter  to  William  Mac- 


158       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Gillivray,12    dated   "Cote   Blanche,    18   April,    1837,: 
which  we  will  now  reproduce : 


Audubon  to  William  MacGiUivray 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND, — 

Being  just  now  snugly  anchored  in  a  bay,  the  description 
of  which  may  prove  agreeable  to  you,  I  sit  down  to  give  you 
an  account  of  what  I  have  been  doing  since  I  last  wrote  to  you. 

After  visiting  "Rabbit  Island,"  on  which,  as  I  have  already 
told  you,  not  a  single  Rabbit  or  Hare  is  to  be  seen,  we  made  our 
way  between  it  and  Frisky  Point,  by  a  narrow  and  somewhat 
difficult  channel  leading  to  the  bay  in  which  I  now  write.  The 
shores  around  us  are  entirely  formed  of  a  bank,  from  twenty 
to  thirty  feet  high,  and  composed  of  concrete  shells  of  various 
kinds,  among  which  the  Common  Oyster,  however,  predominates. 
This  bank,  which  at  present  looks  as  if  bleached  by  the  sunshine 
and  rain  of  centuries,  is  so  white  that  it  well  might  form  a 
guiding  line  to  the  vessels  which  navigate  this  bay  even  in  the 
darkest  nights.  The  bay,  however,  is  so  shallow,  that  it  is 
rarely  entered  by  vessels  larger  than  schooners  of  about  seventy 
tons  burthen,  which  visit  its  shores  to  take  in  the  sugars  and 
cottons  grown  in  the  neighbouring  country. 

The  "Crusader"  is  a  somewhat  curious  craft,  small,  snug 
withal,  and  considerably  roguish  looking.  She  has  not  fewer 
than  four  "grunters"  on  her  fore  deck,  her  sails  are  of  pure 
white  cotton,  and  although  she  bears  the  lively  flag  of  our 
country  at  the  peak,  her  being  painted  purely  black  gives  her 
the  aspect,  not  merely  of  a  smuggler,  but  of  a  pirate.  But 
here  she  is,  at  the  entrance  of  a  canal  of  a  sugar  plantation, 
and  close  to  another  craft,  much  the  worse  for  wear,  and,  for 
aught  I  know  to  the  contrary,  belonging  to  the  captain  alone, 
who,  I  would  almost  venture  to  assert,  belongs  to  no  country 
at  all. 

"Printed  in  the  Edinburgh  Journal  of  Natural  History  (Bibl.  No.  37), 
vol.  i,  p.  17  (December,  1838). 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  159 

It  is  now  four  weeks  since  a  razor  came  in  contact  with  my 
chin.  All  my  companions  are  equally  hircine ;  or,  if  you  please, 
hirsute.  As  to  our  clothing,  were  you  to  see  us  at  this  moment, 
you  would  be  ready  to  exclaim,  "What  vagabonds  these  fellows 
are !"  Coats  and  trousers  plastered  with  mire,  shirts  no  longer 
white,  guns  exhibiting  the  appearance  of  being  in  constant  use, 
and  all  sorts  of  accoutrements  that  pertain  to  determined 
hunters,  complete  our  tout  ensemble.  But,  as  I  have  said,  here 
we  are,  and  on  shore  must  go.  "Man  the  gig?"  quoth  our  cap- 
tain. In  a  trice  the  gig  is  manned.  One  after  another,  for 
there  are  five  or  six  of  us,  we  swing  ourselves  into  the  after- 
sheets.  The  word  is  given,  the  oars  are  plied,  and  now  we  are 
once  more  on  terra  firma. 

The  crossing  of  large  bays,  cumbered  with  shallow  bars  and 
banks  of  oyster-shells,  is  always  to  me  extremely  disagreeable, 
and  more  especially  when  all  these  bars  and  banks  do  not  con- 
tain a  single  living  specimen  of  that  most  delectable  shell-fish. 
Nay,  I  am  assured  by  our  pilot,  who  is  no  youngster,  that  ever 
since  he  first  visited  this  extensive  waste,  not  an  oyster  has  been 
procured  in  these  parts.  But  now,  in  single  file,  like  culprits  or 
hungry  travellers,  we  proceed  along  the  margin  of  the  canal. 
Ah,  my  dear  friend,  would  that  you  were  here  just  now  to  see 
the  Snipes  innumerable,  the  Blackbirds,  the  Gallinules,  and  the 
Curlews  that  surround  us ; — that  you  could  listen  as  I  now  do, 
to  the  delightful  notes  of  the  Mocking-bird,  pouring  forth  his 
soul  in  melody  as  the  glorious  orb  of  day  is  fast  descending 
towards  the  western  horizon; — that  you  could  watch  the  light 
gambols  of  the  Night  Hawk,  or  gaze  on  the  Great  Herons 
which,  after  spreading  their  broad  wings,  croak  aloud  as  if 
doubtful  regarding  the  purpose  of  our  visit  to  these  shores! 
Ah !  how  well  do  I  know  you  would  en j  oy  all  this ;  but,  alas !  we 
are  more  than  four  thousand  miles  apart. 

Hark !  what's  that  ?  Nothing  but  a  parcel  of  men  coming 
to  greet  us.  Here  they  are,  seven  or  eight  Negroes.  Who  lives 
here  my  good  fellows?  Major  Gordy,  massa.  Well,  now  show 
us  the  way  to  the  house.  Yes,  gentlemen,  come  along.  So  we 
follow  our  swarthy  guides. 


160       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

The  plantations  here  are  of  great  value,  both  on  account 
of  their  proximity  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  excellence  of 
the  soil,  which,  as  in  other  parts  of  Louisiana,  is  composed  of  a 
fat,  black  mould.  The  Indian  corn  was  at  least  six  feet  high, 
and  looked  most  beautiful.  As  we  approached  the  mansion  of 
Major  Gordy,  I  observed  that  it  has  a  pleasant  aspect,  and  was 
furnished  with  a  fine  garden,  and  a  yard  well  stocked  with  cattle, 
together  with  a  good  number  of  horses  and  mules,  just  let  loose 
from  labour.  A  mill  for  grinding  corn  and  making  sugar  par- 
ticularly drew  our  notice  to  it,  as  the  Crusader  happened  just 
then  to  be  destitute  of  both  articles ;  and  as  I  saw  some  women 
milking  the  cows,  my  heart  fairly  leaped  with  joy,  and  the 
hope  that  ere  long  we  might  procure  a  full  bowl  of  the  delightful 
and  salubrious  beverage.  The  short  twilight  of  our  southern 
latitudes  had  now  almost  involved  every  object  in  that  dim 
obscurity  so  congenial  to  most  living  creatures  after  the  toils 
of  the  day,  as  allowing  them  to  enjoy  that  placid  quiet  which 
is  required  to  restore  their  faded  energies. 

Near  the  entrance  of  the  mansion  stood  an  elderly  man,  of 
tall  stature  and  firm  aspect,  leaning  on  what  I  would  call  a 
desperate  long  gun.  As  I  approached  this  Cote  Blanche 
planter,  I  thought  that  something  not  so  very  friendly  as  I 
could  have  wished  was  expressed  in  his  countenance.  As  he 
rested  his  heavy  frame  on  his  monstrous  rifle,  he  neither  moved 
his  head,  nor  held  out  his  hand  to  me,  until  I  presented  mine  to 
him,  saying,  "My  good  sir,  how  do  you  do?"  His  answer  was  a 
rather  suspicious  look  at  me  and  my  companions;  but  not- 
withstanding, and  probably  because  he  was  on  his  own  ground, 
he  asked  us  what  was  our  wish,  and  then  desired  us  to 
walk  in. 

Cote  Blanche  Bay,  you  must  be  informed,  has  for  a  number 
of  years  been  infested  by  a  set  of  rascally  piratical  vagabonds, 
who  have  committed  extensive  depredations,  in  consequence 
of  which,  a  few  years  ago,  a  United  States'  revenue  cutter 
was  sent  to  protect  the  coast.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  major 
took  us,  to  a  man,  for  members  of  the  gang  who  had  more 
than  once  visited,  not  his  house,  but  his  plantation,  on 


£    E 


s 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  161 

which  they   had  played   many   wanton   and   atrocious   freaks. 

We  now,  however,  had  entered  the  house.  Candles  were 
lighted,  and  we  at  once  came  face  to  face,  as  it  were.  It  curi- 
ously happened  that  our  captain  was  without  his  uniform,  and 
fully  as  rough  looking  otherwise  as  any  of  us.  I  was,  however, 
much  pleased  to  see  that  the  major  himself  was  not  much  supe- 
rior to  us  in  respect  of  apparel;  nor  had  his  razor  been  em- 
ployed for  many  days.  I  happened  to  have  about  me  some 
unequivocal  credentials,  from  the  head  departments  of  the 
United  States,  which,  on  my  observing  that  some  degree  of 
suspicion  still  remained,  I  placed  in  his  hands.  He  read  them, 
spoke  kindly  to  us,  promised  to  forward  our  letters  to  the  near- 
est post-town,  and  invited  us  to  consider  his  dwelling  as  our 
own.  From  that  moment  until  we  returned  to  our  vessel,  we 
were  all  as  comfortable  and  merry  as  men  can  be  when  distant 
from  their  own  dear  homes. 

Next  morning  we  received  from  Major  Gordy  a  barrel  of 
sugar,  another  of  corn  meal,  some  pails  of  milk,  and  a  quantity 
of  newly  made  butter,  together  with  potatoes  and  other  needful 
articles — and  all  this  without  being  allowed  so  much  as  to  offer 
him  the  least  recompense.  The  day  after,  we  returned  to  break- 
fast by  invitation,  and  found  in  the  house  several  strangers 
armed  with  rifles  and  double-barrelled  guns.  After  we  had 
been  introduced  to  all  around,  we  seated  ourselves,  and  made  a 
vigorous  attack  upon  our  host's  eggs  and  bacon,  coffee,  tea,  and 
milk.  As  this  important  business  was  proceeding,  I  was  de- 
lighted to  hear  the  following  anecdotes,  which  I  hope  you,  my 
dear  friend,  will  relish  as  much  as  I  did. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  our  host,  straightening  himself  up  in  his 
chair,  "I  am  considerably  suspicious  as  regards  the  strangers 
who  happen  to  anchor  within  the  range  of  my  dominions.  In- 
deed, gentlemen,  I  must  acknowledge  that  even  after  you  re- 
turned on  board  last  night,  I  sent  off  some  of  my  men  in  various 
directions,  to  let  my  neighbours  know  that  a  strange  craft  had 
anchored  near  the  landing-place ;  and  here,  gentlemen,  are  those 
neighbours  of  mine ;  but  as  it  happens  that  the  name  of  the 
gentleman  who  calls  himself  a  'Naturalist'  is  well  known  to  some 


162       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

of  them,  I  now  feel  quite  satisfied  as  respects  the  purposes  you 
have  in  view.  But  let  me  tell  you  what  happened  to  me  some 
years  ago. 

"Such  a  shark-looking  craft  as  the  one  you  call  the  Cru- 
sader happened  to  drop  its  anchor  abreast  of  my  landing-place, 
about  dusk  one  evening,  and  as  I  guessed  that  the  fellows  on 
board  were  not  better  than  they  should  be,  I  watched  their 
motions  for  a  while  from  my  back  piazza.  But  nothing  hap' 
pened  that  night.  Next  morning,  however,  I  heard  the  firing 
of  guns  down  the  meadows  where  my  cattle  and  hogs  were  in 
the  habit  of  feeding.  So  I  took  my  rifle,  walked  towards  the 
spot,  and  soon  found,  sure  enough,  that  the  rascals  had  killed  a 
fine  ox  and  several  hogs,  which  they  were  dragging  to  the  shore. 
Indeed,  gentlemen,  I  saw  the  yawl  crammed  with  the  spoils  of 
my  plantation.  Well,  I  took  as  good  an  aim  as  I  could  at  the 
nearest  man,  and  cracked  away,  but  without  hitting.  At  the 
report  of  my  gun  the  fellows  all  took  to  their  heels,  and  get- 
ting on  board  hoisted  sail  and  went  off.  I  have  never  heard  of 
them  since.  Well,  gentlemen,  about  the  same  hour  next  morn- 
ing, a  black-looking  barge,  hardly  as  large  as  your  Crusader, 
came  to,  off  the  very  same  spot,  and  although  I  watched  it  and 
every  one  on  board  nearly  the  whole  night,  and  it  was  a  beau- 
tiful moon-shining  one,  not  a  soul  of  them  came  on  shore  until 
morning.  Then,  however,  I  saw  some  bustle  on  board.  Several 
men  got  off  in  a  very  small  affair,  which  was  fastened  astern 
of  the  large  boat.  I  saw  them  land,  and  deliberately  walk 
towards  the  meadows.  No  sooner  had  they  reached  the 
wettest  part,  and  that  is  where  my  hogs  generally  root  for 
food,  than  crack,  crack,  crack,  went  off  their  guns  in  all  direc- 
tions. You  may  well  suppose  how  vexed  I  was  at  all  this,  and 
conceive  how  soon  I  mustered  my  men  with  clubs,  and  armed 
myself  with  my  rifle.  On  reaching  the  ground,  think,  gentlemen, 
what  were  my  thoughts,  when  I  saw  the  fellows  all  advancing 
towards  me  and  my  people,  as  if  they  were  the  honestest  men 
in  the  world.  I  was  so  mad  when  they  came  close  up,  that  I 
had  a  mind  to  shoot  the  one  in  front,  for  he  looked  for  all  the 
world  as  if  he  cared  not  a  pin  for  any  one.  However,  I  did 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  163 

not  shoot,  but  asked  him  why  he  was  shooting  my  hogs  ?  'Hogs ! 
good  man,  you  are  quite  mistaken ;  we  are  shooting  snipes  until 
we  come  in  contact  with  the  rascally  pirates  who  infest  the 
coast,  and  lay  waste  your  plantations.  My  name,  my  good  sir, 

is  Captain  ,  of  the  United  States  Navy;  and  these  are 

some  of  my  men.  Will  you  come  on  board,  and  breakfast  with 
us  on  your  own  snipes?' '  No  wonder  that  the  major,  having 
been  subject  to  the  visits  of  these  marauders,  should  have  taken 
us  in  the  dusk,  armed  as  we  were,  and  withal  not  having  pre- 
cisely the  aspect  of  sober  citizens,  for  persons  not  quite  as 
good  as  we  should  be.  But  I  must  now  conclude,  and  in  my 
next  you  shall  hear  something  of  the  result  of  my  expedition 
into  the  marshes. 

After  wading  through  mud  for  whole  days,  exposed 
to  scorching  heat,  and  constantly  annoyed  by  myriads 
of  insects  in  the  course  of  their  numerous  excursions  on 
shore,  they  reached  Galveston  Bay  on  the  24th  of  April. 
The  fort  of  Galveston  returned  their  salute  of  "26 
fires,"  given  by  the  big  gun  on  the  Campbell,  and  shortly 
after  they  received  a  visit  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  of  the  Republic  of  Texas,  which  under  Sam  Hous- 
ton had  declared  its  independence  but  a  few  weeks  before 
their  arrival,  and  were  invited  to  proceed  to  the  seat  of 
government,  at  Houston,  eighty  miles  distant,  in  the 
interior.  They  landed  on  the  26th  of  April,  and  after 
three  weeks  had  been  spent  in  exploring  Galveston 
Island  and  its  adjacent  shores  for  birds  and  animals 
of  all  sorts,  they  started  for  Houston  on  the  8th  of 
May.  After  making  about  twelve  miles,  their  vessel 
grounded  on  Red  Fish  Bar,  and  the  party  then  took  to 
tender  and  gig,  reaching  their  destination  on  the  15th; 
wild  turkeys,  ibises,  and  ducks  of  many  kinds  were  seen 
in  great  numbers  along  their  course. 

Lucy  B.  Audubon,  ed.,  op.  cit.,  p.  411. 


164       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Audubon  has  left  a  graphic  account13  of  what  he 
then  saw  at  the  capital  of  this  short-lived  infant  Re- 
public, including  its  picturesque  President,  the  melee  of 
dejected  Mexican  prisoners  then  gathered  there,  and 
its  drunken  Indians,  "halooing  and  stumbling  about  in 
the  mud  in  every  direction."  Houston's  abode  was  a 
small  log  house,  "consisting  of  two  rooms,  with  a  passage 
through,  after  the  Southern  fashion." 

The  moment  we  stepped  over  the  threshold,  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  passage,  we  found  ourselves  ushered  into  what  in 
other  countries  would  be  called  the  ante-chamber;  the  ground 
floor,  however,  was  muddy  and  filthy ;  a  large  fire  was  burning ; 
a  small  table,  covered  with  paper  and  writing  materials,  was  in 
the  centre;  camp-beds,  trunks,  and  different  materials  were 
strewn  around  the  room.  We  were  at  once  presented  to  several 
members  of  the  cabinet,  some  of  whom  bore  the  stamp  of  intel- 
lectual ability,  simple  though  bold,  in  their  general  appear- 
ance. .  .  . 

The  President  was  engaged  in  the  opposite  room  on  na- 
tional business,  and  we  could  not  see  him  for  some  time.  Mean- 
while we  amused  ourselves  by  walking  to  the  capitol,  which 
was  yet  without  a  roof,  and  the  floors,  benches  and  tables  of 
both  houses  of  Congress  were  as  well  saturated  with  water  as 
our  clothes  had  been  in  the  morning.  Being  invited  by  one  of 
the  great  men  of  the  place  to  enter  a  booth  to  take  a  drink  of 
grog  with  him,  we  did  so ;  but  I  was  rather  surprised  that  he 
offered  his  name,  instead  of  the  cash,  to  the  bar-keeper. 

We  first  caught  sight  of  President  Houston  as  he  walked 
from  one  of  the  grog-shops,  where  he  had  been  to  prevent  the 
sale  of  ardent  spirits.  He  was  on  his  way  to  his  house,  and 
wore  a  large  gray  coarse  hat,  and  the  bulk  of  his  figure  re- 
minded me  of  the  appearance  of  General  Hopkins  of  Virginia, 
for  like  him  he  is  upwards  of  six  feet  high,  and  strong  in  pro- 
portion. But  I  observed  a  scowl  in  the  expression  of  his  eyes, 
that  was  forbidding  and  disagreeable.  We  reached  his  abode 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  165 

before  him,  but  he  soon  came,  and  we  were  presented  to  his 
excellency.  He  was  dressed  in  a  fancy  velvet  coat,  and  trowsers 
trimmed  with  broad  gold-lace ;  around  his  neck  was  tied  a  cravat 
somewhat  in  the  style  of  seventy-six.  He  received  us  kindly, 
was  desirous  of  retaining  us  for  awhile,  and  offered  us  every 
facility  within  his  power.  He  at  once  removed  us  from  the 
anteroom  to  his  private  chamber,  which  by  the  way  was  not 
much  cleaner  than  the  former.  We  were  severally  introduced 
by  him  to  the  different  members  of  his  cabinet  and  staff,  and 
at  once  asked  to  drink  grog  with  him,  which  we  did,  wishing 
success  to  his  new  republic.  Our  talk  was  short;  but  the  im- 
pression which  was  made  on  my  mind  at  the  time  by  himself, 
his  officers,  and  his  place  of  abode,  can  never  be  forgotten. 

The  party  left  Texas  on  the  18th  of  May,  and  on 
the  27th  reached  New  Orleans,  which  was  then  oppres- 
sively hot  and  nearly  deserted.  Here  Audubon's  col- 
lections and  equipment  were  packed  to  be  sent  north; 
his  dog  was  given  to  his  brother-in-law,  William  Bake- 
well,  and  on  the  last  day  of  the  month  the  party  began 
to  retrace  their  steps  of  the  previous  March.  After 
more  hard  traveling  by  car,  coach  and  railroad,  Charles- 
ton was  reached  in  eight  and  a  half  days,  on  June  10, 
1837.  Edward  Harris,  who  ascended  the  Mississippi 
from  New  Orleans  for  the  purpose  of  making  further 
collections,  later  rejoined  the  party  at  Bachman's  home 
in  Charleston.  Audubon  said  that  he  lost  twelve  pounds 
in  weight  during  this  journey,  which  proved  exceedingly 
trying,  and  the  hardships  encountered  were  hardly  com- 
mensurate with  the  returns  in  bird  and  animal  lore;  yet 
Audubon  was  by  no  means  dissatisfied  at  the  results, 
as  shown  by  the  following  account  which  he  gave  Thom- 
as Brewer  two  days  after  his  return:14 

The  weather  during  the  principal  portion  of  our  absence 
"Thomas  M.  Brewer  (Bibl.  No.  79),  loc.  cit. 


166       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

was  unusually  cold,  even  for  the  season,  and  this  gave  us,  per- 
haps, the  very  best  opportunities  ever  afforded  to  any  student 
of  nature  to  observe  the  inward  migrations  of  myriads  of  the 
birds  that  visit  us  from  the  south  and  west  when  the  imperative 
laws  of  nature  force  them  from  their  winter  retreats  towards 
other  countries  to  multiply.  To  tell  you  all  regarding  this 
would  be  more  by  a  thousand  times  than  can  be  given  in  a  letter 
written  in  haste,  and  I  will  therefore  at  once  touch  the  spring 
with  whose  sound  you  are  most  in  harmony.  We  procured 
many  eggs  for  you — ay,  a  great  number — and  as  soon  as  we 
reach  New  York  I  will  make  up  a  large  box,  and  take  it  to  you 
myself.  .  .  .  One  thing  that  will  interest  you  most,  as  it  did 
me,  is  that  we  found  west  of  the  Mississippi  many  species  of 
ducks  breeding  as  contented  as  if  in  latitude  68°  north.  There 
is,  after  all,  nothing  like  seeing  things  or  countries  to  enable  one 
to  judge  of  their  peculiarities,  and  I  now  feel  satisfied  that 
through  the  want  of  these  means  many  erroneous  notions  re- 
main in  scientific  works  that  can  not  otherwise  be  eradicated. 
We  found  not  one  new  species,  but  the  mass  of  observations 
that  we  have  gathered  connected  with  the  ornithology  of  our 
country,  has,  I  think,  never  been  surpassed.  I  feel  myself  now 
tolerably  competent  to  give  an  essay  on  the  geographical  dis- 
tribution of  the  feathered  tribes  of  our  dear  country,  and  I 
promise  that  I  will  do  so,  with  naught  but  facts  and  notes  made 
on  the  very  spot,  and  at  the  fitting  time. 

Maria  Rebecca  Bachman,  eldest  of  the  nine  Bach- 
man  children,  was  married  at  this  time  to  John  Wood- 
house  Audubon,  and  the  entire  party  started  north 
before  the  end  of  June.  They  went  by  steamer  to  Nor- 
folk, and  thence  to  Washington,  where  Audubon  pre- 
sented his  letters  to  President  Van  Buren  and  tendered 
his  thanks  in  person  to  the  various  officers  of  the  Gov- 
ernment and  friends  who  had  aided  his  expedition;  they 
passed  rapidly  through  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  to 
New  York,  where  Audubon  remained  a  fortnight,  while 


THIRD  AMERICAN  TOUR  167 

his  son  and  daughter-in-law  were  enjoying  a  honeymoon 
at  Niagara  Falls.  All  sailed  from  New  York  on  the 
packet  England,  and  landed  at  Liverpool  on  the  2d  of 
August.  Five  days  later  the  family  was  united  in  Lon- 
don. 


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  letter- 
press in  Edinburgh — Vacation  in  the  Highlands — Commissions  to 
Harris — Parting  address  to  the  reader — Dissolution  of  the  Havell  en- 
graving 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  collectors — Appreciations — 
Total  edition  of  The  Birds  of  America — Past  and  present  prices — The 
Rothschild  incident. 

After  Audubon's  return  to  England  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1837,  the  completion  of  his  magnum  opus  occu- 
pied but  two  years.  Certain  now  of  the  ultimate  success 
which  would  crown  his  efforts,  he  worked  with  a  furious 
ardor,  determined  not  only  to  execute  his  original  plans, 
but  to  extend  them,  if  necessary,  to  include  every  bird 
which  had  been  discovered  in  America,  or,  at  least,  in 
the  United  States. 

Audubon  wrote  Thomas  Brewer  in  September  that, 
for  some  unexplained  cause,  a  large  part  of  his  collec- 
tions made  in  Texas  had  probably  been  lost;  when  writ- 
ing on  October  29,  the  box  containing  all  the  eggs  col- 
lected on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  had  not  come  to  hand. 
He  continued:1 

I  authorize  you  to  offer  and  to  pay  as  much  as  five  dollars 
for  an  old  raven,  in  the  flesh,  and  perfect  as  far  as  internals 

1  For  this  and  the  quotations  in  the  following  paragraph,  see  Thomas 
M.  Brewer  (Bibl.  No.  79),  Harper's  New  Monthly  Magazine,  vol.  Ixi, 
p.  666  (1880). 

168 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     169 

are  concerned.  European  writers  who  a  few  years  since  were 
all  agog  to  prove  that  our  apparently  analogous  species  were 
identical  with  those  of  Europe  have  suddenly  "faced  about," 
and  pronounce  our  birds  to  be  quite  distinct  species,  and  of 
course  now  say  that  our  raven  is  indeed  our  raven !  and  all  this 
because  I  proved  that  the  Corvus  corone  of  Europe  existed  not 
in  America.  All  this  induces  the  present  natural  student  of  na- 
ture to  have  his  eyes  and  all  his  senses  fully  open,  and  to  see 
into  things  further  than  we  can  into  grindstones.  .  .  . 

Charles  Bonaparte,  who  has  just  this  moment  left  me,  has 
kindly  proffered  me  his  new  North  American  species,  and  I  hope 
to  figure  them  all,  thereby  rendering  my  work  the  more  com- 
plete, if  not  quite  perfect,  as  far  as  truly  well-known  species 
are  now  thought  to  exist  in  the  limits  of  our  country,  or  indeed 
those  of  North  America. 

When  writing  his  young  friend  again,  on  November 
18,  he  implored  him  to  proceed 

with  all  possible  industry,  in  procuring  the  birds  of  my  list,  in 
rum.  I  hope  you  will  have  a  pair  of  pied  ducks  (Fuligida 
labradora)  for  me.  Send  me  all  the  drawings  of  eggs  you  can 
so  that  they  reach  me  here  by  the  1st  to  10th  of  March  next.  If 
the  birds  arrive  in  London  by  the  middle  of  April,  it  will  do. 
...  I  send  you  inclosed  the  copy  of  an  advertisement  of  my 
work,  which  I  wish  you  to  hand  over  to  our  most  generous 
friend  George  Parkman,  Esq.,  M.  D.,  and  ask  him  to  have  it 
inserted  in  one  or  more  of  the  Boston  newspapers  as  soon  as 
convenient. 

Again,  on  the  22nd,  he  admonished  his  friend  not  to  send 
his  "drawings  of  eggs  by  letter'3  but  to  forward  all  such 
to  N.  Berthoud,  "and  ask  him  to  send  them  by  captains 
of  London  packets.  The  postages  are  very  heavy  these 
hard  times,  and  I  am  not  a  prince.3' 

Although  Audubon's  "Prospectus"  called  for  only 


170       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

eighty  parts  of  400  plates,  by  1837  the  number  of  new 
discoveries  had  multiplied  to  such  an  extent  that  he  faced 
the  dilemma  of  either  enlarging  his  work  or  issuing  it  in 
an  incomplete  state.  In  the  summer  of  that  year  large 
numbers  of  his  British  patrons  discontinued  their  sub- 
scriptions, a  result,  no  doubt,  of  the  disastrous  panic 
which  had  driven  many  into  bankruptcy,  and  still  more 
refused  to  take  any  plates  in  excess  of  the  stipulated 
number.  To  alleviate  this  anticipated  difficulty,  he  had 
already  begun  to  admit  composite  plates,  on  which  from 
two  to  six  different  kinds  of  birds  were  grouped  together, 
much  in  the  older  style  which  he  abhorred;  but,  in  spite 
of  this  concession  and  omission  of  the  eggs,  colored  fig- 
ures of  which  he  had  hoped  to  give  at  the  end,  he  was 
obliged  to  add  seven  parts,  thus  swelling  the  total  num- 
ber of  large  plates  to  435,  which  represented  489  sup- 
posedly distinct  species  of  American  birds. 

When  Audubon  was  facing  such  protests  in  Eng- 
land, Dr.  J.  K.  Townsend 2  returned  to  Philadelphia 
with  a  second  great  collection  from  the  Far  West.  How 
eager  he  was,  at  this  psychological  moment,  to  gain  ac- 
cess to  these  ornithological  treasures  is  clearly  shown  in 
the  following  letter3  to  Edward  Harris: 

Audubon  to  Edward  Harris 

[Outside  address]    To  EDD  HARRIS  Esqr. 

Moorestown  New  Jersey 
9  miles  from  Philadelphia  Pennsylvania 

U.  S.  A. 

Duplicate 

LONDON,  Oct.  26  th.,  183T. 

I  have  this  moment  received  your  dear  letter  of  the  4.  in- 
stant, for  the  contents  of  which,  I  do  indeed  most  truly  thank 

aSee  Vol.  II,  p.  149. 

3  See  S.  N.  Rhoads   (Bibl.  No.  46),  The  Auk,  vol.  xx,  p.  377  (1903). 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     171 

you,  but  the  most  important  point  contained  in  it,  Dr.  Spencer 
is  now  at  Paris  quite  well  and  happy.  I  have  not  heard  of  his 
supposed  intentions  to  visit  Russia,  at  least  not  until  you  have 
shown  yourself  in  Europe  for  awhile.  When  will  you  come? 
I  have  not  received  one  single  letter  from  Dr.  Morton  since  my 
return  to  England,  and  have  been  the  more  surprised  at  this, 
because  I  look  upon  him  as  a  worthy  good  man  and  as  one 
whom,  since  my  last  visit  to  him,  I  cannot  but  consider  as  my 
friend. 

The  return  of  Dr.  Townsend  to  our  happy  land  has  filled 
me  with  joy,  and  trebly  so  when  you  tell  me  that  he  is  as 
friendly  disposed  to  me  as  I  ever  have  been  towards  him.  I 
congratulate  you  my  dear  friend,  in  the  step  which  you  have 
so  kindly  taken  in  my  favour,  by  first  selecting  all  such  Bird- 
skins  as  you  or  Townsend  have  considered  as  new,  and  also  in 
having  given  freedom  to  Dr.  Morton  to  pay  Dr.  Townsend 
Fifty  Dollars  for  the  skins  selected  by  you,  under  the  prudent 
considerations  or  restrictions  talked  of  in  your  letter.  May  I 
receive  all  the  Bird  skins  very  soon,  for  depend  upon  it,  now 
or  never  is  for  me  the  period  to  push  on  my  publication.  If 
I  have  any  regret  to  express  it  is,  that  Townsend  or  Dr.  Morton 
or  yourself  did  not  at  once  forward  to  me  the  whole  of  the  Bird 
skins  brought  latterly  by  Townsend,  for  I  can  assure  you  that 
it  has  become  a  matter  of  the  greatest  niceity  to  distinguish  the 
slight  though  positive  species  lines  of  demarkation  between  our 
species  of  Birds — and  if  on  this  reaching  you,  the  least  doubt 
exists  amongst  yourselves  respecting  any  one,  why  send  it  to 
me  at  once  by  the  very  earliest  conveyance.  If  by  New  York, 
with  letter  to  N.  Berthoud  to  lose  not  a  day,  provided  a  packet, 
either  to  Liverpool  or  London,  is  ready  to  sail !  Had  Townsend 
sent  me  the  whole  of  his  disposible  birds,  I  might  now  have  per- 
haps been  able  to  have  mad[e]  him  a  remittance  in  cash,  which 
the  single  arrival  of  the  German  Naturalists,  who  are  now  in 
California  may  hereafter  put  an  end  to.  Mention  this  to  him, 
nay,  shew  him  this  letter  if  you  please  and  assure  him  that  I  am 
willing  to  exert  myself  in  his  behalf.  Indeed,  I  wish  you  to 
urge  him  in  forwarding  me  either  his  own  manuscripts  or  a  copy 


172       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

of  all  such  parts  as  appertain  to  Birds,  as  soon  as  possible, 
knowing  (I  think)  that  he  will  not  undertake  to  publish  them 
himself  under  his  present  (I  am  sorry  to  say)  embarrassed 
pecuniary  circumstances.  Tell  him  that  I  want  all  about  the 
habits  of  any  Birds  which  he  has  written  upon,  especially, 
however,  those  found  from  the  beginning  of  his  journeys  until 
his  return,  and  appertaining  to  species  belonging  to  our  fauna 
or  otherwise.  Their  exact  measurements,  dates,  localities, 
migratories  or  vice  versa  inclinations,  descriptions  of  nests, 
eggs  &c.  periods  of  breeding ;  in  a  word  all  that  he  can,  or  will 
be  pleased  to  send  me — and  you  may  assure  Townsend,  that  all 
he  will  confide  to  me  will  be  published  as  coming  from  him,  al- 
though I  may  think  fit  to  alter  the  phraseology  in  some  in- 
stances. Tell  him  to  be  extremely  careful  in  naming  his  new 
species,  and  that  [if]  he  thinks  of  difficulties  in  this  matter,  to 
leave  it  to  me,  as  here  I  am  able  to  see  all  the  late  published 
works  (and  they  are  not  a  few)  and  work  out  the  species  with 
more  advantage  than  any  one  can  at  present  in  Philadelphia. 
Do  not  take  this  as  egotism  far  from  it,  it  is  in  friendship  and 
for  his  sake  that  I  venture  on  undertaking  such  an  arduous 
task.  I  am  exceedingly  [anxious]  to  receive  a  letter  from  him 
(for  Nuttall,  though  an  excellent  friend  of  mine  and  a  most 
worthy  man,  will  not  answer  me  in  time  on  this  subject)  of  all 
the  birds  contained  in  the  plates  now  at  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  in  Philada.,  which  he  saw  on  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
over  those  mountains,  on  the  Columbia  River  and  off  the  coast 
of  our  Western  boundaries.  This  I  want  much,  and  if  he  would 
simply  dictate  to  you  plate  1,  not  there,  plate  2,  there,  plate  3 
there  &c.  &c.  this  would  amply  answer  my  purpose,  and  this  I 
wish  you  not  to  neglect  to  forward  me  as  soon  as  possible  by 
duplicate!  Of  course  I  cannot  speak  upon  any  one  of  the  new 
species  of  which  you  speak  until  I  have  examined  them  all.  To 
talk  of  new  species  in  London  is  a  matter  not  now  understood 
in  any  part  of  America,  and  sorry  will  you  be  as  well  as  him- 
self, when  I  assure  you  that  out  of  the  twelve  supposed  to  be, 
and  published  by  Dr.  Morton,  from  Townsend's  first  cargo,  not 
more  than  six  are  actually  undescribed,  although  I  have  taken 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     173 

upon  myself  the  risk  of  publishing  his  names  to  the  Birds  on 
my  plate,  but  which  of  course  I  am  obliged  to  correct  in  my 
letter  press.  The  little  beautiful  owl,  I  would  venture  to  say 
has  been  described  by  Vigors  at  least  ten  years  ago,  &c.  &c. 
Swainson  never  goes  to  bed  without  describing  some  new  species, 
and  Charles  Bonaparte,  during  his  late  visit  to  London,  has 
published  as  many  as  20  of  a  night  at  the  Museum  of  the  Zoo- 
logical Society  Insects  &c.  &c.  Stir,  work  hard,  [be]  prompt 
in  every  thing.  My  work  must  soon  be  finished,  and  unless 
all  is  received  here  by  the  month  of  May  next,  why  I  shall  have 
to  abandon  to  others  what  I  might  myself  have  accomplished. 
God  bless  you,  many  happy  years.  We  are  all  well,  thank 
God,  just  now.  Remember  me  and  us  kindly  to  all  around  and 
every  friend  and  believe  me  ever  your  most  truly  and  sincerely 
attached  friend, 

JOHN  J.  AUDUBON. 

To  EDWARD  HARRIS,  Esqre. 

Addressed,  care  "Messrs.  Rathbone,  Brothers  &  Co. 
When  you  send  to  Liverpool.  Liverpool." 

If  Townsend  has  brought  Birds  Eggs,  ask  him  to  send  them 
me.  I  will  return  all  to  him  that  he  may  want.  I  greatly 
regret  that  you  did  not  find  me  the  water  Birds  of  which  you 
speak,  as  I  might  have  perchance  found  something  new  or 
curious  among  them.  The  Golden  Eye  Duck  especially,  if  any 
be  had? 

In  reference  to  the  new  species  of  birds  which  had 
come  into  his  hands,  Audubon  said: 

What  was  I  to  do  ?  Why,  to  publish  them,  to  be  sure ;  for 
this  I  should  have  done,  to  the  best  of  my  power,  even  if  every 
subscriber  in  Europe  had  refused  to  take  them.  What !  said  I, 
shall  the  last  volume  of  the  "Birds  of  America'*  be  now  closed, 
at  a  time  when  new  species  are  in  my  hands?  No!  And  in 
spite  of  threats  from  this  quarter  and  that,  that  such  and  such 
persons  would  discontinue  their  subscriptions  (which  indeed 


174       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

they  have  done),  and  refuse  to  take  the  few  numbers  that  would 
have  rendered  their  copies  complete,  my  wish  to  do  all  that  was 
in  my  power  has  been  accomplished. 

Doubtless  we  should  hesitate  to  blame  many  of  Audu- 
bon's  subscribers  for  wishing  to  be  relieved  from  an 
obligation  which  for  a  period  of  ten  years  had  cost  them 
from  $50  to  $100  per  annum,  not  to  speak  of  any  who 
had  met  financial  disaster  in  the  panic  of  that  day,  but 
at  this  juncture  he  really  had  no  choice.  When  his 
eightieth  Number,  originally  intended  to  be  the  last,  ap- 
peared in  1837,  many  important  kinds  of  birds,  includ- 
ing ducks,  swan,  tern,  and  the  Flamingo,  as  well  as 
grouse,  warblers  and  woodpeckers,  were  still  calling  loud 
for  recognition.  So  generous  of  space  had  he  been  in  the 
earlier  phase  of  his  undertaking  that  twenty  species  were 
each  shown  on  two  distinct  plates,  while  in  the  end  the 
need  of  compression  compelled  him  to  introduce  thirty- 
five  composite  plates. 

Subscribers  to  The  Birds  of  America  at  the  begin- 
ning had  been  permitted  to  take  a  part  or  the  whole,  and 
many  incomplete  sets  were  circulated,  upwards  of  120, 
as  Audubon  declared  in  1839,  having  then  discontinued 
their  subscriptions.  Towards  the  end  of  his  undertak- 
ing, owing  to  the  great  expense  and  uncertainty  in- 
volved, he  was  disinclined  to  supply  any  but  regular 
subscribers,  as  shown  by  the  following  letter  written 
from  London,  May  25,  1838,  to  William  A.  Colman 
of  New  York :  4 

.  .  .  We  find  that  six  of  the  plates  you  want  are  not  only 
largest  figs,  but  some  of  them  extremely  full  and  difficult  to 
colour,  and  he  [Mr.  Havell]  says  that  our  Printers  and  our 
Colourers  would  not  undertake  to  go  throu  them  without  charg- 

4  From  MS.  in  the  Public  Library,  New  York. 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     175 

ing  a  most  extravagant  price.  I  have  no  extra  plates  whatever 
on  hand,  and  in  consequence  of  this  must  be  obliged  to  decline 
furnishing  you  with  them. 

If  at  the  conclusion  of  my  publication  I  find  any  cf  the 
plates  you  want  they  will  be  sent  to  you  forthwith,  but  I  wish 
you  not  to  calculate  upon  this  until  you  hear  again  from  me, 
or  from  my  sons  on  this  subject. 

My  work  will  [be]  entirely  finished  by  the  end  of  next 
month,  when  our  engraving  and  Printing  establishment  will  be 
broken  up,  and  few  will  indeed  there  be  copies  to  be  had  by  any 
one,  who  has  not  subscribed  to  the  "Birds  of  America." 

Should  you  see  any  of  my  American  subscribers  who  have 
not  as  yet  seen  any  portion  of  the  work,  please  to  assure  them 
that  as  soon  as  the  fourth  volume  is  quite  finished,  and  bound 
according  to  their  desires,  their  copies  will  be  forwarded  at 
once  to  their  respective  homes,  or  to  whomsoever  they  have 
directed  me  to  send  their  copies. 

On  May  26  Audubon  wrote  Thomas  M.  Brewer  that 
"Edward  Harris,  one  of  the  best  men  of  this  world," 
had  reached  his  house  "yesterday  at  noon,  after  a  pleas- 
ant passage  of  fourteen  days  and  a  few  hours."  "My 
illustrations,"  he  said,  "will  be  finished  on  the  20th  of 
next  month,  and  the  fourth  volume  of  text  shortly  after- 
ward"; at  the  end  he  added:  "When  I  return  to  our 
beloved  land,  I  intend  to  spend  a  full  season  about  the 
lakes  in  Northern  Vermont,  for,  from  what  I  hear,  much 
knowledge  is  to  be  acquired  there  and  thereabouts." 
After  returning  to  New  York  in  September  of  the 
following  year,  he  again  alluded  to  the  ramble  he  would 
like  to  take  "along  the  borders  of  the  famous  lakes 
of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,"  but  was  unable  to 
bring  it  to  pass  at  that  time. 

To  depart  but  slightly  from  the  chronological  se- 
quence, the  last  to  be  preserved  of  Audubon's  letters  to 


176       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

William  Swainson,5  written  at  a  time  when  his  great 
work  was  drawing  to  a  close,  will  be  given  at  this  point: 

Audubon  to  Wittiam  Swainson 

LONDON  llth  Jan  1838 
MY  DEAR  MR  SWAINSON, 

The  severe  indisposition  of  my  good  wife  which  has  con- 
tinued almost  unabated  now  since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you,  is  my  excuse  for  not  having  ere  this  answered  your  two 
notes,  especially  the  last  of  the  8th  instant. — 

Your  box  &  contents  came  perfectly  safe  to  hand,  and  I 
think  will  soon  again  be  in  your  possession  in  like  good  order. 
I  certainly  should  like  to  see  the  Buteo  [  ?]  vulgaris  to  compare 
it  with  mine  (that  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia)  and  the  one 
described  by  Nuttall  before  the  return  from  America  of  D.  [Dr. 
John]  Richardson  &  of  which  it  seems  you  were  not  aware. — 
I  am  glad  nevertheless  that  if  differing  from  the  European 
bird  of  that  name  the  Transatlantic  bird  will  be  honoured  by 
your  own  name. 

Charles  Bonaparte  is  at  Paris  &  is  to  remain  there.  I  am 
well  informed  for  about  a  fortnight. — He  left  London  in  great 
haste  and  I  assure  you  has  left  no  parcels  or  letters  for  you 
or  anybody  else  either  with  us  or  with  Havell. — I  am  sorry 
that  he  should  have  disapointed  you  &  your  dear  Children 
but . 

I  cannot  say  just  now  whether  I  have  a  specimen  of  Mus- 
cicapa  Trailli  "the  Prince"  having  two  of  my  giving,  if  how- 
ever, I  have  another  I  will  send  it  to  you  with  great  good  will  & 
pleasure —  As  regards  your  queries  respecting  several  species 
of  quiscalus  or  Crow  black  birds  You  are  correct  for  I  have 
myself  discovered  two  in  America  one  in  the  Floridas  the  other 
in  the  Arkansaw  River,  both  of  which  will  be  given  in  my  work. 
— That  more  exist  I  have  no  doubt  especially  further  South  and 
West. 

You  have  described  a  swan  in  the  Fauna  Boriali  Americana 

6  The  Linnsean  Society's  MSS.     See  Chapter  XXIII,  Note  13. 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     177 

under  the  name  of  the  Cygnus  Bewicki,  but  as  your  measure- 
ments there  and  then  given  are  very  far  from  those  of  the  swan 
now  known  under  the  name  of  Old  Bewick  I  should  feel  obliged 
to  you  to  let  me  know  whether  the  specimen  you  described  from 
was  the  identical  bird  procured  by  Captain  Lyons,  and  of  which 
that  gentleman  described  the  nest?  And  again  I  should  like 
you  to  tell  me  whether  you  have  seen  the  Clangula  vulgaris 
of  Linn,  that  in  the  months  of  April  &  May? 

Many  thanks  for  all  your  kind  wishes  &  may  you  and  yours 
enjoy  the  like  return  of  many  many  new  &  happy  years. — Call 
upon  us  when  you  come  to  Town  and  believe  me  my  dear  Mr 
Swainson  ever  sincerily 

yours  attached  friend 

JOHN  J.  AUDUBON 

I  have  had  the  j  awache  for  nearly  one  week  &  have  not  been 
out  of  the  house 

4  WIMPOLE  STREET 


Audubon's  day  of  greatest  triumph  came  on  June 
20, 1838,  when  he  had  the  supreme  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  last  plate  of  his  "Book  of  Nature,"  The  Birds  of 
America,  completed.  Having  been  begun  virtually  in 
the  autumn  of  1826,  it  was  in  press  nearly  twelve  years. 
The  sumptuous  character  of  this  work,  its  commanding 
beauty,  as  well  as  its  surprising  accuracy,  considering  all 
the  obstacles  of  time  and  circumstance,  mark  it,  when 
combined  with  its  letterpress,  as  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able and  interesting  undertakings  in  the  history  of  litera- 
ture and  science  in  the  nineteenth  century.  Unique 
as  it  was  in  every  detail  of  its  workmanship,  it  will 
remain  for  centuries  a  shining  example  of  the  triumph 
of  human  endeavor  and  of  the  spirit  and  will  of  man. 
This  is  true  in  spite  of  any  errors  it  may  disclose,  and 
even  if  it  be  conceded  that  bare  bones  and  plain  photo- 
graphs are  more  valuable  for  elucidating  the  technical!- 


178       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

ties  of  science  than  the  most  artistic  productions  of  the 
pen.  pencil  or  brush. 

Audubon's  labors  in  England,  however,  did  not  end 
with  the  completion  of  his  plates,  for  two  volumes  of 
his  "Biographies"  still  remained  to  be  published.  He  was 
in  London  during  the  early  summer  of  1838,  when  he 
recorded  a  visit  from  John  Bachman,  who  had  come  to 
Europe  for  the  recuperation  of  his  health.  He  was  then 
obliged  to  hasten  to  Edinburgh,  where  he  was  soon 
joined  by  both  Bachman  and  Victor  Audubon  and 
later  by  other  members  of  his  family.  For  the  con- 
venience of  work  he  took  rooms  near  the  museums,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  city,  not  far  from  Lauriston  Place 
and  within  easy  reach  of  "The  Meadows,"  a  well  known 
recreation  ground. 

The  following  letter,6  sent  to  his  son  John  soon  after 
his  arrival  at  the  Scottish  capital,  and  addressed  "No.  4 
Wimpole  Street,  London,"  abounds  in  interesting  per- 
sonal details,  but  the  student  of  birds  would  find  more 
significant  its  clear  statement  of  his  relations  with  Mac- 
Gillivray ;  it  shows  us  the  anatomist  at  work,  and  Audu- 
bon as  his  student  and  "secretary."  "Under  his  kind 
tuition,"  he  said,  when  writing  at  a  little  later  time,  "I 
think  I  have  learned  something  of  anatomy,  which  may 
enable  me,  at  some  future  period,  to  produce  observa- 
tions that  may  prove  interesting  .  .  ." 

Audubon  to  his  Son,  John 

EDINBURGH,  July  1  st,  1838,  Sunday. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIENDS 

Your  joint  letter  of  the  27  th  Wednesday,  did  not  reach 
me  until  yesterday  afternoon,  probably  because  the  steamer 

•First  published  by  R.  W.  Shufeldt  (Bibl.  No.  45),  in  The  Auk,  xi 
(1894);  see  also  Maria  R.  Audubon,  Audubon  and  his  Journals  (Bibl.  No. 
86). 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     179 

which  brought  it  did  not  leave  London  on  that  evening  on  a/c 
of  the  coronation  etc.,  Here  the  festivals  were  poor  beyond 
description,  and  although  scarcely  anything  was  to  be  seen,  the 
whole  population  was  on  foot  the  entire  day,  and  nearly  the 
whole  night,  gazing  at  each  other  like  lost  sheep. — No  illumina- 
tions except  at  two  shops,  Mr.  Henderson's  and  another  close 
by  him. — The  fireworks  at  the  castle  consisted  merely  of  about 
one  hundred  rockets,  not  a  gun  was  fired  from  the  batteries. 
MacGillivray  &  I  went  to  see  the  fireworks  at  10  p.m,  and  soon 
returned  disgusted. — His  museum  (College  of  Surgeons)  and 
the  Edinburgh  Museum  were  thrown  open  gratis,  and  were 
thronged  to  excess  Upwards  of  20000  in  the  first,  and  about 
25000  in  the  other;  all  was  however  quite  orderly.  The  day 
was  showery ;  cloudy  and  dismal  at  times,  but  the  evening  was 
clear  and  fine. — Mr.  Hill's  father  died  on  the  morning  of  the 
27th  and  I  have  not  seen  Alexander  H.,  since.  Many  thanks 
to  Maria  for  her  bunch  of  letters,  and  the  few  lines  of  her  own 
to  me,  I  hope  that  everything  will  go  on  well  with  you  all. 

We  begin  printing  tomorrow  2d  of  July,  1838!!  remember 
that  Mesdames  et  Messieurs !  and  I  intend  to  proceed  with  all 
possible  despatch  and  care.  All  the  birds  in  rum  will  be  in- 
spected as  far  as  internal  or  digestive  organs,  trachea  &c  are 
concerned,  and  as  I  am  constantly  present  in  the  dissecting 
room,  I  think  I  shall  know  something  about  the  matter  anon. — 
I  am  almost  in  hopes  to  see  Victor  tomorrow  night  but  cannot 
be  sure.  There  are  somewhere  at  home  the  nests  of  the  birds 
found  on  the  Columbia  by  Nuttall  and  Townsend,  I  believe  that 
of  Bewick's  Wren  is  among  them ;  send  them  all,  very  carefully 
packed.  I  want  the  journal  of  my  first  trip  to  the  Floridas, 
which  was  cut  out  of  my  large  leather  journal,  previous  to 
~  going  to  Labrador,  also  a  letter  on  the  habits  of  the  Yellow- 
d  bellied  Cuckoo,  by  a  gentleman  at  Charleston.  If  it  cannot  be 
found  perhaps  Maria  will  recollect  his  name,  being  a  friend  of 
John  Bachman,  if  so  send  me  that,  in  "full  if  possible.  It  is  the 
gentleman  in  whose  garden  I  procured  the  small  and  large 
cuckoos  in  the  same  nest. — 

I  have  written   fortyfour  articles   for  my  appendix  and 


180       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

will  continue  whenever  I  am  not  otherwise  engaged,  so  as  to 
save  time  at  last. — I  am  sorry  for  the  death  of  poor  Wickliffe 
but  glad  that  his  brother  was  with  him  at  New  York  previously, 
and  that  we,  at  least,  have  done  all  that  we  could  for  him. 
MacGillivray  is  quite  well,  and  works  very  hard,  poor  fellow — 
I  am  glad  of  John's  repainting  the  head  by  VanDyke,  two  cop- 
ies of  such  heads  are  valuable  to  him,  besides  his  improving  by 
so  working — When  Victor  has  left  for  this  place,  John  must 
pay  much  attention  to  the  colourers  and  call  also  at  the  book- 
binder. Havell  ought  to  exert  himself  in  having  some  4th  vols ; 
delivered  as  soon  as  possible. 

My  last  letter  which  was  written  last  Sunday,  was  put  too 
late  in  the  office,  which  closed  on  that  day  at  two  o'clock,  and 
did  not  therefore  leave  this  till  four  o'clock  on  Monday  after- 
noon ;  this  one  will  have  a  better  chance,  for  I  will  take  it  myself 
to  the  general  office.  I  have  seen  no  one  hardly  since  my  last, 
I  am  indeed  as  busily  engaged  as  ever,  and  rarely  go  to  bed 
before  eleven — being  with  Mr.  MacGillivray  until  generally 
past  ten,  describing  etc.,  I  rise  at  four  or  earlier,  he  at  ten; 
but  I  go  to  bed  at  eleven,  he  at  two.  I  discovered  that  he  was 
adverse  to  the  examination  of  the  intestinal  canals  etc.,  because 
many  of  my  birds  which  are  common  to  both  countries  will  be 
published  before  his  2d  vol.,  can  now  possibly  be;  but  as  soon 
as  I  told  him  that  I  had  already  said  in  my  introduction,  that 
the  anatomical  structure  was  declared  to  be  his,  he  was  much 
pleased  and  began  on  the  instant. 

Today  is  very  dismal,  and  it  will  rain  probably  until  night ; 
I  wish  we  had  here  some  of  the  warm  weather  of  which  dearest 
Mamma  speaks.  I  have  had  but  one  walk  to  Arthur's  Seat,  but 
now  and  then  I  stroll  to  the  meadows  which  are  close  to  me,  and 
now  look  well. — From  the  window  of  my  sitting  room  I  overlook 
the  garden  of  Mr.  Frazer  our  printer,  and  now  and  then  speak 
to  him  there,  I  have  not  yet  however  visited  him. — I  will  recol- 
lect the  Queen's  farthing  when  next  I  see  Professor  Wilson,  but 
doubt  much  if  he  will  recollect  the  least  idea  of  it.  Has  Charley 
written  or  said  anything  to  Victor  about  the  review  of  the 
work ;  remember  me  to  Healey. — 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     181 

I  suppose  that  the  crown  of  England  sits  very  quietly  down, 
and  that  all  was  very  superfine.  I  have  not  so  much  as  seen  a 
paper  since  I  left  you. 

God  bless  you  all,  dearest  friends,  and  take  good  care  of 
Mamma  and  Maria, 

Ever  your  firmly  attached  father  and  friend 

J.    J.    AuDUBON. 

No.  7  Archibald  Place, 
Lauriston. 

Audubon's  fourth  volume,  the  printing  of  which 
was  announced  in  this  letter,  was  published  in  Novem- 
ber, and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  introduction  he  said: 

I  believe  the  time  to  be  fast  approaching  when  much  of  the 
results  obtained  from  the  inspection  of  the  exterior  alone  will 
be  laid  aside;  when  museums  filled  with  the  stuffed  skins  will 
be  considered  insufficient  to  afford  a  knowledge  of  birds;  and 
when  the  student  will  go  forth  not  only  to  observe  the  habits 
and  haunts  of  animals,  but  to  procure  specimens  of  them  to  be 
carefully  dissected. 

These  prophetic  remarks,  which  were  no  doubt  inspired 
by  the  studies  of  MacGillivray,  have  found  ample  justi- 
fication in  the  later  history  of  ornithology;  to  give  a 
single  illustration,  it  was  through  the  aid  of  anatomy 
only,  in  this  instance,  of  the  vocal  organs,  that  modern 
students  have  been  able  to  define  the  true  Passerine  or 
Oscine  birds,  as  distinguished  from  all  others,  and  as 
the  highest  representatives  of  the  avian  class. 

In  the  autumn  of  1838,  when  Mrs.  Audubon  was  still 
suffering  from  impaired  health,  the  naturalist  paused 
in  his  work  to  indulge  in  a  short  vacation,  the  first  in 
many  years.  On  September  14,  he  wrote  to  Edward 
Harris,  who  was  then  in  Scotland :  7 

7  See  S.  N.  Rhoads  (Bibl.  No.  46),  loc.  cit. 


182       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Audubon  to  Edward  Harris 

EDINBURGH,  14  Sep'.,  1838. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND  : 

Not  having  heard  anything  from  you  in  answer  to  my  last, 
I  suppose  that  you  may  yet  be  away  from  Glasgow,  but  as  we 
ourselves  are  going  off  tomorrow  to  the  "Highlands,"  with  a 
view  to  be  at  Glasgow  on  Thursday  next,  I  write  to  you  now, 
with  the  hope  of  meeting  you  then.  Nothing  of  importance  has 
occurred  here  since  my  last,  but  the  book  has  considerably 
swollen  in  its  progress  towards  completion. 

We  all  unite  in  best  wishes  to  you  and  I  remain  as  ever 
your  most  truly  attached  and  sincere  friend, 

JOHN  J.  AUDUBON 
We  intend  being  home  again  on  Saturday  next. 

[Addressed]     To  EDWARD  HARRIS  Esqr. 

Comrie's  Royal  Hotel, 
Glasgow. 

With  MacGillivray  as  guide,  Audubon  and  his  fam- 
ily visited  Stirling,  Doun  and  Callander,  where  they 
"marched  in  a  body  to  the  Falls  of  Bracklin,  guided  by 
a  rosy-cheeked  Highland  lassie,  stopping  now  and  then 
by  the  way  to  pick  up  a  wild  flower, — a  blue-bell,  a 
'gowan,'  or  a  dog-rose,  or  to  listen  to  the  magpies  and 
titmice."  From  Callander  they  ascended  to  Loch  Kat- 
rine, and  explored  the  Trossachs,  "admired  by  many, 
chiefly  or  entirely  on  account  of  Scott's  description  of 
them";  at  the  tavern  there,  said  Audubon,  "with  that 
most  curious  innate  desire  which  there  is  in  us  of  becom- 
ing older,  for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  the  morrow,  I 
went  to  rest,  anxious  to  see  the  morn,  and  discover  what 
existed  beyond  the  crags  that  had  bounded  my  view." 

From  the  wild  and  beautiful  scenes  about  Loch 
Katrine,  which  stirred  the  naturalist's  emotions  and 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     183 

evoked  the  desire  to  remain  until  the  curtain  of  night 
had  gradually  and  peacefully  closed  the  landscape  from 
their  view,  they  proceeded  to  the  rocky  shores  of  Loch 
Lomond,  where  they  found  "a  few  small  stone  cabins, 
some  fat  bairns,  abundance  of  ale,  and  a  sufficiency  of 
capital  whisky."  After  crossing  to  Tarbet  and  exam- 
ining both  the  head  and  the  foot  of  the  lake,  they  went 
on  from  Balloch  to  Dumbarton  by  stage,  and  thence  by 
steamer  to  Glasgow;  there  they  spent  a  few  days,  and 
returned  to  Edinburgh  by  way  of  Dunbarton  and  La- 
nark. Steamers  and  coaches,  slow  as  they  then  were, 
were  all  too  fast  for  Audubon  on  this  journey,  and  he 
declared  that  if  ever  again  he  visited  the  Highlands, 
it  should  be  on  foot,  "for  no  man,  with  nerve  and  will, 
and  an  admirer  of  the  beauties  of  nature,  can  ever  truly 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  travelling,  unless  he  proceed  in 
this  manner." 

Mrs.  Audubon's  health  had  not  improved  by  the 
journey,  for  shortly  after  their  return  she  was  again 
taken  ill;  she  was  placed  in  the  care  of  Dr.  John  Argyle 
Robertson,  for  whose  efficient  aid  and  "kind  and  gentle 
treatment,"  said  Audubon,  "we  can  never  cease  to  cher- 
ish the  most  lively  feelings  of  affection."  "It  is  a  curious 
part  of  my  history,"  he  continues,  "that  during  the 
whole  of  my  sojourn  in  Britain,  none  of  the  principal 
medical  advisers  whom  we  had  occasion  to  employ  would 
receive  any  recompense  from  us." 

By  the  5th  of  November,  1838,  but  a  few  days  after 
the  issue  of  the  fourth  volume  of  his  "Biographies,"  the 
printing  of  the  fifth  and  last  had  already  begun.  The 
following  letter8  is  interesting  for  its  personal  details, 
and  in  showing  that  his  confidence  in  the  existence  of 
the  "bird  of  Washington"9  had  not  been  shaken: 

8 See  ibid.  "See  Vol.  I,  p.  241. 


184       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Awdubon  to  Edward  Harris 

EDINBURGH  December  19th.,  1838. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND  : 

Your  letter  of  the  13  th.  instant  to  Victor  reached  us  this 
morning,  and  glad  were  we  all  to  hear  from  you. 

My  object  in  writing  to  you  is,  for  the  purpose  of  assuring 
you  that  I  feel  great  [pleasure]  in  preparing  a  box  of  bird 
skins  for  you  according  to  your  desire.  It  is  true,  however, 
that  I  am  now  on  the  eve  of  commencing  my  synoptical  arrange- 
ment of  our  birds,  I  shall  not  be  able  to  show  you  as  many  of 
my  specimens  [as]  I  could  otherwise  have  done,  but  you  must 
take  the  will  for  the  deed.  The  Box  will  be  taken  as  far  as 
London  by  Victor,  who  will  leave  us  on  the  first  of  January. 
You  will  find  in  it  a  list  of  the  contents,  and  I  trust  such  bird 
skins  as  may  answer  your  purpose  well.  Besides  these  Victor 
will  also  attend  to  your  request  as  soon  as  in  New  York  and 
will  ship  to  you  by  way  of  Havre  as  you  direct. 

I  am  glad  that  you  should  have  seen  what  you  conceive  to 
be  the  great  rara  avis  F.  Washingtonii.  I  am  sorry  you  could 
not  have  pocketed  it,  but  who  knows  if  it  is  not  left  yet  in  store 
for  you — and  I  to  shoot  a  pair  of  these  noble  birds  at  The 
West,  and  that,  after  having  satisfactorily  examined  its  habits, 
its  eggs,  or  its  young!  Bonaparte,  between  you  and  I,  is  ex- 
ceedingly ignorant  as  regards  our  birds,  as  I  found  to  my  cost 
when  he  was  in  London,  and  where  he  pumped  me  sadly  too 
much,  but  it  is  now  over  and  I  forgive  him  as  I  do  all  others  who 
have  or  who  may  try  to  injure  me. 

John  Bachman  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  left  in  commission 
to  Trudeau,  the  purchase  for  me  of  a  copy  of  Vieillot's  Oiseaux 
de  PAmerique  Septentrionale,  and  also  a  copy  of  Boie  or  Boje 
work 10  on  birds  generally,  but  I  have  received  neither  books  or 

10  Voyage  Autour  du  Monde,  execute  par  ordre  de  sa  Majestt  I'Em- 
pereur  Nicholas  ler,  sur  la  Corvette  Le  Seniavine,  1826-1829.  Par  Frederic 
Lutk6,  Capitaine  de  vaisseau.  Partie  Historique,  avec  un  atlas,  lithographic^ 
d'apres  les  dessins  originaux  d'Alexandrie  Postels  et  du  Baron  Kittlitz. 
Traduit  du  Russe  sur  le  manuscrit  original,  sur  les  yeux  de  1'auteur,  par 
Le  Conseiller  D'Etat  F.  Boye.  Text  in  3  vols.  8vo.  Paris,  1835-36.  The 
first  two  volumes  are  historical,  and  the  third,  entitled  "Travels  of  the 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     185 

promises  of  them  from  Trudeau  as  yet,  perhaps  you  would 
undertake  the  task  yourself,  and  show  to  Havell  as  soon  as 
possible,  for  I  shall  be  sadly  in  want  of  them  in  a  few  weeks 
more.  I  should  also  like  you  to  try  to  find  Mr.  Augustus 
Thorndike  of  Boston,  to  whom  Victor  wrote  a  few  days  ago, 
with  the  view  to  inquire  from  that  Gentleman  when  he  wished 
his  copy  of  the  Birds  of  America  to  be  delivered.  Victor  ad- 
dressed his  letter  to  "his  Hotel"  or  to  the  care  of  the  "American 
Embassy."  We  are  not  sure,  however,  whether  he  is  in  Paris 
at  present,  and  let  me  know  what  discoveries  you  have  made 
as  regards  this. — Victor  will  remain  ten  days  in  London  and 
wishes  you,  should  you  write  to  him  there,  to  put  your  letter 
under  cover  to  Havell  and  request  him  to  keep  it.  Victor  will 
write  you  from  thence, 

I  cannot  account  why  Trudeau  has  not  written  to  me  in 
answer  to  my  last,  now  full  two  months  old?  Should  you  per- 
chance  discover  a  specimen  of  the  Bird  of  Washington  in  Paris 
and  purchase  the  same,  I  should  like  you  to  send  it  to  me  on 
loan  to  enable  me  to  compare  it  with  mine,  and  the  Immature 
of  the  F.  Albicilla  of  Europe! 

I  have  got  twelve  sheets  of  the  5  th.  Vol.  of  Biographies 
already  printed,  and  I  expect  to  have  quite  finished  by  the  1st. 
of  April  next.  I  have  decided  on  the  Trichas  resembling  Sylvia 
Philadelphia  of  Wilson.  It  is  a  distinct  species,  but  what  will 
probably  surprise  you  more,  the  S.  A  gills  of  the  same  author  is 
also  perfectly  distinct  from  either.  All  this  you  will  plainly  see 
when  you  read  their  separate  descriptions  and  compare  the 
three  species. 

I  wish  you  would  ask  Trudeau  whether  he  recollects  the 
specimen  of  an  Eagle  send  by  Townsend  in  his  first  collection, 
numbering  54  and  which  the  latter  has  lost,  though  he  con- 
sidered it  as  a  new  species.  It  was  procured  in  California. 
Townsend  speaks  sorrowfully  of  the  loss  of  this  specimen.  It 
never  came  under  my  eye,  did  it  come  under  yours  ?  Ask  Tru- 

Naturalists,"  is  translated  by  Alexandre  Postels.  The  expedition  traversed 
the  Behring  Sea,  touched  at  some  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  then  ex- 
plored South  America  as  far  as  the  coast  of  Chili. 


186       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

deau  whether  he  ever  saw  my  Hirundo  Serripennis  in  America. 
Bachman  wrote  to  me  that  Trudeau  thought  he  had  in  the  skins 
of  Frederick  Ward.  I  think  Trudeau  will  be  pleased  with  the 
anatomy  of  our  birds,  as  it  opens  misteries  hitherto  unknown 
in  connection  with  the  relative  affinities  of  some  species  toward 
others  and  assists  in  the  formation  of  groups  &c.,  in  what  some 
day  or  other,  will  be  called  a  Natural  arrangement! 

I  wish  I  could  have  spent  a  few  weeks  in  Paris  with  you 
and  Trudeau,  as  I  readily  imagine  that  some  new  species  of 
North  American  birds,  may  yet  be  found  there  unknown  to  the 
World  of  Science.  I  have  written  to  Mr.  Chevalier  and  to 
Townsend,  but  will  not,  I  dare  say,  hear  anything  more  of  the 
former  until  through  Victor,  who  intends  to  see  him  very  shortly 
after  his  arrival  in  America. 

My  Dear  Wife  is  much  better  than  when  you  saw  her,  and 
I  hope  that  when  once  again  she  has  been  safely  landed  on  our 
shores  and  enjoyed  the  warmth  of  our  own  Summers,  her  health 
will  be  quite  restored. 

The  Little  Lucy  has  grown  as  fat  as  butter,  and  the  rest  of 
us  are  well. 

We  all  unite  in  kindest  best  wishes  to  you  and  to  Trudeau, 
and  I  remain  as  ever,  my  Dear  Friend, 

Yours, 

JOHN  J.  AUDUBON. 
6  Alva  Street. 

In  May,  1839,  Audubon's  fifth  and  last  volume  of 
the  Ornithological  Biography,  consisting  of  704  pages, 
was  issued.  It  was  followed  almost  immediately  by  A 
Synopsis  of  the  Birds  of  North  America,  in  which  the 
efficient  aid  of  MacGillivray  was  again  enlisted.  On 
May  4  Audubon  wrote  to  Havell  that  this  work  was 
in  press  and  would  be  ready  in  about  a  month's  time; 
again,  on  the  30th  of  June  he  announced  that  it  was 
finished  and  in  the  hands  of  the  binder.  With  this 
methodical  catalogue  of  the  birds  of  North  America 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     187 

then  known  and  described,  to  the  number  of  491,  fifty- 
two  of  which  were  new,  Audubon's  life  and  labors  in 
England  were  brought  to  a  close. 

The  introduction  to  the  last  volume  of  his  "Biog- 
raphies" begins  as  follows: 

How  often,  Good  Reader,  I  have  longed  to  see  the  day  on 
which  my  labours  should  be  brought  to  an  end!  Many  times, 
when  I  had  laid  myself  down  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  the 
western  forests,  have  I  been  suddenly  awakened  by  the  appari- 
tion of  dismal  prospects  that  have  presented  themselves  to  my 
mind.  Now,  sickness,  methought,  had  seized  me  with  burning 
hand,  and  hurried  me  away,  in  spite  of  all  my  fond  wishes,  from 
those  wild  woods  in  which  I  had  so  long  lingered,  to  increase 
my  knowledge  of  the  objects  which  they  offered  to  my  view. 
Poverty,  too,  at  times  walked  hand  in  hand  with  me,  and  on 
more  than  one  occasion  urged  me  to  cast  away  my  pencils, 
destroy  my  drawings,  abandon  my  journals,  change  my  ideas, 
and  return  to  the  world. 

Later  on  he  says:  "You  may  well  imagine  how  happy 
I  am  at  this  moment,  when  .  .  .  I  find  my  journeys  all 
finished,  my  anxieties  vanished,  my  mission  accom- 
plished"; and  he  concludes:  "I  have  pleasure  in  saying 
that  my  enemies  have  been  few,  and  my  friends  numer- 
ous. May  the  God  who  granted  me  life,  industry,  and 
perseverance  to  accomplish  my  task,  forgive  the  former, 
and  forever  bless  the  latter!" 

Audubon's  introductions  to  the  five  volumes  of  his 
"Biographies,"  from  which  we  have  frequently  quoted, 
are  characteristic;  in  them  he  cheers  his  subscribers,  calls 
all  his  helpers  and  correspondents  by  name,  and  takes 
the  public  into -his  confidence  by  recording  the  acts  which 
marked  the  steady  progress  of  his  work.  Frequent  ap- 
peals to  the  "good"  and  "gentle  reader"  have  gone  out 
of  fashion,  but  in  this  instance  they  seem  in  keeping  with 


188       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

the  style  and  character  of  the  man,  and  they  were  not 
made  in  vain.  Audubon's  belief  in  his  mission  was  so 
plainly  sincere,  his  power  so  manifest  and  his  enthusiasm 
so  ardent,  that  there  were  few  who  did  not  gladly  ac- 
claim the  extraordinary  success  of  the  man  who  twelve 
years  before  had  landed  in  Liverpool  poor  and  unknown. 
In  the  winter  and  spring  of  1839,  while  Audubon 
was  engaged  in  Edinburgh  and  Victor  was  in  America, 
the  settlement  of  his  business  affairs  in  London  was 
entrusted  mainly  to  Robert  Havell,  his  engraver.  At 
that  time  Havell  was  also  pulling  up  roots,  for  he  had 
caught  the  spirit  of  his  patron  and  had  decided  to  emi- 
grate with  his  family  to  the  United  States ;  this  involved 
disposing  of  his  stock  and  breaking  up  his  engraving 
and  printing  establishment  at  77  Oxford  Street.  Havell 
had  acquired  distinction  as  well  as  a  competence  through 
his  long  engagement  with  Audubon,  and  being  then  in 
his  forty-sixth  year,  he  doubtless  looked  to  America 
as  a  field  for  the  fuller  expression  of  his  artistic  aspira- 
tions and  talents.  How  anxious  Audubon  was  at  this 
juncture  regarding  the  disposition  of  the  residual  stock 
of  his  plates,  his  drawings,  and  his  books,  then  in  Ha- 
vell's  hands,  is  seen  by  the  following  letter,11  written  at 
Edinburgh,  in  the  winter  of  this  year. 

Audubon  to  Robert  Havell 

EDINBURGH,  Feb.  20th,  Monday,  1839. 
MY  DEAR  MR.  HAVELL 

I  perceive  by  the  date  of  your  letter  of  the  16th  instant 
that  you  must  have  been  some  days  beyond  my  expectations, 

"First  published  by  Ruthven  Deane  (Bibl.  No.  225),  in  The  Auk, 
vol.  xxv  (1908).  Mr.  Deane  writes  me  that  he  has  a  copy  of  a  receipt  from 
William  MacGillivray  to  Audubon  for  the  final  amount  due  him  for  work 
on  the  technical  parts  of  Volume  V  of  the  Ornithological  Biography;  at  the 
bottom  of  this  paper  Audubon  made  a  memorandum,  under  date  of  Novem- 
ber 21,  1838,  to  the  effect  that  the  total  amount  which  he  had  paid  MacGil- 
livray for  his  work  upon  this  volume  was  £47-11-1. 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     189 

in  the  receiving  of  my  parcel  to  you,  and  that  on  that  account 
my  letter  of  Saturday  last  crossed  yours  of  the  same  date.  I 
thank  you  for  what  you  say  as  regards  the  balance  in  my  favor 
at  Wright  and  Co. 

Does  Henry  sail  from  London  Docks  or  from  Portsmouth? 
and  pray  what  is  the  name  of  the  Captain  of  the  "Wellington"  ? 
I  do  not  precisely  understand  what  you  mean  by  the  loose  sets 
which  you  desire  to  know  how  they  should  be  packed?  let  me 
hear  what  they  are  and  how  many  of  them  by  return  of  mail. 
The  -five  perfect  sets  I  think  might  all  go  into  one  case,  tinned 
as  usual  and  insured  of  course  to  the  full  amount  of  their  value, 
as  well  as  all  others  and  to  which  I  pray  you  to  attend  as  if 
for  your  own  self.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  go  to  London  at 
present  and  indeed  I  cannot  exactly  tell  when  I  will,  and  I  trust 
to  you  entirely  for  the  seeing  that  all  the  volumes  are  fair  and 
good  and  passed  through  your  own  inspection  of  them  before 
they  are  packed.  No  volumes  of  Biographies  must  be  put  in 
the  same  boxes. 

When  you  have  disposed  of  your  business,  what  will  you  do 
with  what  you  have  on  hand  belonging  to  us?  This  requires 
an  answer  from  you  at  once.  You  have  a  great  number  of 
volumes  of  Biographies,  Pictures,  &c.  &c.,  a  regular  list  of 
which  you  ought  to  send  me.  I  cannot  yet  say  when  the  5th 
vol.  of  Biographies  will  be  finished,  but  will  let  you  know  as 
soon  as  I  can.  I  received  yesterday  morning  a  letter  from  a 
gentleman  who  has  procured  a  copy  of  the  work  through  Mr. 
Eame  the  bookseller,  he  says  that  he  has  called  upon  you  to  say 
that  he  is  missing  one  plate  and  begs  to  have  a  copy  of  the 
plate  struck  and  remitted  to  Mr.  Eame  who  will  pay  you  what- 
ever price  the  extra  trouble  on  this  account  may  amount  to,  but 
he  does  not  say  what  plate  it  is,  and  I  therefor  suppose  that 
you  do?  If  so  as  he  is  the  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Walker  of 
Ravensfield  Park,  one  of  our  good  subscribers  I  would  say  do 
it  for  him !  My  wife  begs  of  you  to  save  all  the  loose  prints 
which  were  returned  to  you  by  our  son  Victor,  as  well  as  any 
others  whatever,  perhaps  among  them  you  might  find  one  to 
send  Mr.  Eame's  subscriber? 


190       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

On  the  4th  of  this  month  the  'Great  Western'  was  nearly 
half  way  across  the  Atlantic ! !  Sir  William  Jardine  has  pub- 
lished a  capital  review  of  the  work !  What  a  strange  world  we 
do  learn  in!  Be  sure  to  let  me  know  about  the  original  draw- 
ings at  Henry's,  if  he  has  finished  them,  where  they  are  &c.  &c. 
We  all  remain  as  usual  with  kind  good  wishes  to  you  all, 

Your  friend 

JOHN  J.  AUDUBON. 

6  Alva  St. 
[Superscribed] 

ROBERT  HAVELL  Esq. 
Engraver. 

77  Oxford  st 
London. 

How  fully  Audubon's  injunctions  in  regard  to  his 
residual  stock,  and  particularly  to  scattered  plates  of 
the  Birds ,  were  followed,  is  not  known,  but  it  is  certain 
that  a  part  of  this  residuum  remained  in  England,  where 
it  is  occasionally  turned  up  even  at  the  present  day.  In 
a  considerable  number  of  the  original  plates  which  were 
found  in  a  bookshop  in  New  Oxford  Street  in  August, 
1912,  twelve  were  in  the  uncolored  state,  and  several 
had  the  appearance  of  rejects;  moreover,  in  a  collection 
of  these  plates  received  from  England  in  1910,  there 
were  nine  copies  of  the  same  subject,  the  Painted  Bunt- 
ing (No.  11,  Plate  53).  Though  a  complete  set  of  the 
plain  plates  is  known,12  and  a  considerable  number  were 
probably  dispersed  in  America,  they  are  very  rare. 

Audubon  wrote  to  H-avell  again  on  the  13th  of 
March,  when  he  complained  of  the  gross  mistakes  made 

"See  Note  5,  Vol.  II,  p.  7.  Mr.  John  Hardin  (see  Vol.  II,  p.  295) 
showed  me  an  uncolored  print  of  the  Hen  Turkey  which  John  W.  Audubon 
had  given  him,  and  a  correspondent  in  New  Orleans  informs  me  that  a  rel- 
ative possesses  a  number  in  this  condition,  which  were  received  many  years 
ago  as  a  gift  from  Mrs.  Audubon.  Mr.  Charles  E.  Goodspeed,  of  Boston, 
was  the  recipient  of  the  Painted  Bunting  plates,  noticed  above. 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     191 

by  the  "idle  rascals"  who  were  employed  in  filling  orders 
in  his  shop,  and  who  had  so  sadly  mixed  matters  that 
no  less  than  twelve  numbers  of  his  Birds  had  come  back 
to  him,  some  of  them  containing  one,  three,  and  five 
copies  of  the  same  plate,  instead  of  a  "Number,"  and 
mixtures  of  the  most  incongruous  sort;  he  thought  that 
"a  clever  young  man  as  a  clerk  was  worth  a  hundred 
thick  heads,"  and  begged  Havell  again  to  send  him  "a 
correct  list  of  what  he  shipped  to  America  on  his  ac- 
count, and  that  list  not  made  by  any  other  person  than 
either  himself  or  Mrs.  Havell."  His  next  injunction, 
on  May  4,  was  to  insure  his  copper-plates  of  The  Birds 
of  America  for  £5,000,  and  to  send  them  to  either  Vic- 
tor Audubon  or  Mr.  N.  Berthoud,  Number  2  Hanover 
Street,  New  York.  At  that  moment  Audubon  was 
planning  to  return  to  America  with  his  family  by  the 
Great  Western  on  July  6.  In  writing  again  on  June 
30,  he  remarked  that  he  was  not  at  all  certain  that  Ha- 
vell, who  was  then  visiting  at  his  native  Reading,  in 
Berkshire,  would  really  sail  on  the  25th  of  July,  since 
he  had  already  postponed  the  journey  so  many  times; 
he  added  that  it  would  not  even  surprise  him  if  his  work 
on  the  Quadrupeds  of  America  might  not  be  out  before 
they  could  fish  and  shoot  together  in  his  "native  land." 
Havell  eventually  came  to  America  with  his  wife 
and  daughter  on  the  ship  Wellington,  in  September, 
1839;  they  landed  at  New  York  after  the  15th  of  that 
month,  and  for  a  time  were  the  guests  of  the  Audubons 
at  Number  86  White  Street.  His  brother,  Henry,13 
who  visited  the  United  States  in  1829,  returned  at 
about  this  time  and  established  a  print  shop  in  Broad- 
way, New  York,  but  according  to  Robert's  biographer, 

"Henry  Augustus  Havell   (1803-1840),  painter,  engraver,  and  at  one 
time  assistant  to  his  elder  brother,  Robert  Havell,  Junior. 


192       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

his  enterprise  was  ruined  by  a  fire,  when  he  went  back 
to  England  and  he  died  there  about  1840.  After  a  brief 
residence  in  Brooklyn,  Robert  Ha,vell  settled  at  Sing 
Sing,  now  Ossining,  at  a  beautiful  spot  on  the  Hudson, 
overlooking  the  Palisades,  which  he  named  "Rocky 
Mount."  There  he  devoted  himself  with  characteristic 
energy  to  painting  and  sketching,  but  he  also  engraved 
and  published  a  number  of  excellent  views  of  his  favorite 
river,  the  Hudson,  as  well  as  of  New  York  and  other 
American  cities.  In  1857  he  established  himself  at 
Tarrytown,  where  he  built  a  house  and  studio,  and  where 
in  his  later  years  he  produced  many  meritorious  works 
in  oils.  "He  never  tired,"  says  his  biographer,  "of  the 
great,  broad,  sweeping  Hudson,  and  propped  up  in  bed, 
that  he  might  gaze  at  will  on  this  mighty  river,"  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  November  11,  1878.14 

Havell  has  been  described  as  quite  the  opposite  of 
Audubon  in  many  of  his  characteristics,  calm,  deliberate, 
not  easily  discouraged,  and  fully  his  equal  in  industry, 
perseverance  and  determination.  Audubon  sometimes 
complained  of  his  friend's  lax  business  habits,  but  their 
long  sustained  and  cordial  relations  were  never  broken 
during  life,  and  their  mutual  debt  was  great.  The  en- 
graver's first  son,  who  lived  but  a  year,  was  named 
Robert  Audubon,  and  the  naturalist,  who  was  his  god- 
father, held  the  child  at  its  baptism  at  old  St.  James 
Church,  Oxford  Street,  in  1827.  A  descendant  of  Luke 
Havell,  who  was  a  drawing  master  at  Reading,  uncle  of 
Robert  the  second,  possesses  a  silver  loving-cup  which 
Audubon  presented  to  his  engraver  upon  the  completion 
of  the  second  volume  of  his  illustrations ;  it  is  inscribed 
"To  Robert  Havell,  from  his  friend  J.  J.  A.  1834." 

"George  Alfred  Williams  (Bibl.  No.  232),  Print-Collectors  Quarterly, 
vol.  vi,  p.  225  (1916). 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     193 

When  we  consider  the  size  of  Audubon's  plates, 
which  required  for  the  portrayal  of  his  largest  subjects, 
such  as  the  Whooping  Crane  or  Wild  Turkey,  an  area 
of  no  less  than  five  square  feet,  it  will  be  seen  that  his 
engraver  was  compelled  to  adopt  the  most  expeditious 
methods.  This  and  kindred  difficulties  were  overcome 
by  HavelFs  skillful  union  of  aquatint  with  etching  and 
line  engraving,  but  some  of  his  smaller  figures,  as  the 
Snow  Birds  (Plate  13),  appear  to  have  been  etched 
in  the  usual  way,  with  but  slight  use  of  either  aquatint, 
dry-point  or  burin.  In  aquatinting  the  plate  was  usual- 
ly bitten  to  the  desired  depth  for  the  softer  shading  of 
feathers  or  foliage,  or  for  the  entire  expression  of  sky, 
water  or  landscape.  Says  George  Alfred  Williams : 15 

Aquatint  proper  consists  entirely  of  gradations  of  tone 
produced  by  biting  with  aquafortis  into  the  copper  through  a 
resinous  ground  broken  into  a  multitude  of  fine  granules,  that 
render  the  personal  touch  practically  negligible,  and  in  con- 
sideration of  this  we  can  appreciate  the  exceptionally  skillful 
use  Havell,  Junior,  made  of  the  difficult  process.  The  graining 
of  the  aquatint  grounds  is  produced  by  allowing  fine  dust  par- 
ticles to  settle  upon  the  freshly  prepared  plate.  It  is  to  these 
grainings  of  different  degrees  of  fineness  that  the  engraver  must 
look  for  the  subtlety  of  the  tonal  surfaces,  but  strength  is 
obtained  usually  through  the  use  of  the  etched  line.  The  chief 
limitation  of  the  aquatint  process  lies  in  the  great  difficulty  of 
getting  more  than  a  few  differences  of  shade,  as  the  ground 
goes  to  pieces  rather  rapidly  under  successive  bitings,  and  the 
transitions  from  one  tone  to  another  are  very  few,  so  that  half 
tones  are  not  readily  obtainable.  It  is  in  the  economical  use 
of  these  half  tones  that  Havell,  Junior,  achieved  so  much  and 
thereby  produced  a  chiaroscuro  seldom,  if  ever,  equaled  in 
aquatint. 

"Loc.  dt. 


194       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Artists  have  sometimes  frowned  upon  this  combina- 
tion of  aquatint  with  other  forms  of  engraving,  especial- 
ly when  executed  with  the  burin,  for  "like  the  perma- 
nent misery  of  a  quarrelling  married  couple,  they  may 
ruin  everything  with  discord";  but  any  such  lack  of  har- 
mony, when  not  overcome  by  Havell's  skill,  was  usu- 
ally completely  subdued  by  the  color  which  was  subse- 
quently applied  to  the  printed  sheet.  This  is  seen  by 
a  comparison  of  the  plain  proof  of  such  an  elaborate 
plate  as  that  of  the  rattlesnake  attacking  the  mocking 
birds  (Plate  xxi)  with  the  result  attained  in  the  finished 
impression.  In  replying  to  a  criticism  of  Havell's  work 
in  1830,  Audubon  expressed  his  conviction  that  "no  birds 
were  ever  so  beautifully  and  softly  represented  on  cop- 
per," and  any  hardness,  which  his  plates  rarely  showed, 
was  not  due  to  aquatinting,  the  inherent  quality  of  which 
is  softness.  To  quote  our  authority  again: 

In  Havell's  hands  aquatint  gave  the  essential  structure  of 
forms  by  a  judicious  use  of  the  process  called  "feathering." 
This  he  often  did  upon  the  bare  copper  plate  without  a  ground, 
allowing  the  acid  to  bite  its  own  granular  surface.  In  this 
way  he  produced  the  soft  gradations  and  telling  accents  so 
necessary  to  the  portrayal  of  birds,  but  by  a  further  judicious 
use  of  line  the  accurate  forms  of  both  bird  and  plant  life  were 
given  with  great  force  and  delicacy. 

When  Audubon  first  proposed  to  present  the  Congres- 
sional Library  at  Washington  with  a  copy  of  his  Birds, 
he  asked  Havell  to  do  all  the  coloring  himself;  Havell 

colored  his  prints  in  the  usual  manner  by  flowing  washes  of 
pure  water-color  tints  over  the  monochrome  proof  which  was 
printed  from  the  copper  plate.  In  this  phase  of  the  process 
the  great  charm  of  his  genuine  talent  for  water-color  painting 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     195 

asserted  itself.  Aside  from  the  first  crude  washes,  put  on  by 
artists  or  colorists  employed  for  the  purpose,  he  himself  ap- 
plied the  salient  tones  and  all  the  more  delicate  tints. 

Much  misunderstanding  has  arisen  in  regard  to  the 
engraving  and  publication  of  Audubon's  earlier  plates 
owing  to  the  complex  relations  which  existed  between 
Lizars,  the  two  Havells  of  the  same  name,  and  the  nat- 
uralist himself;  this  involved  the  reissue  of  the  first  two 
numbers  of  the  work,  and  a  confusing  series  of  legends 
upon  the  plates  themselves,  occasioned  partly  by  a  divi- 
sion of  labor  between  father  and  son,  and  by  the  death 
of  Robert  Havell,  Senior,  in  1832.  The  errors  into 
which  some  commentators  have  fallen,  however,  are  due 
to  their  examination  of  but  one  set  of  plates.  The 
account  which  follows  is  based  upon  a  collation  of  com- 
plete copies  at  the  British  Museum,  the  Radcliffe  Li- 
brary, Oxford,  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  Paris,  and  the 
Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  and  of  numerous 
scattered  plates.  Lizars  engraved  the  first  ten  plates 
only  of  the  large  folio,  but  before  the  summer  of  1827 
a  considerable  number  of  these  early  impressions  had 
been  distributed.  The  Havells,  as  we  have  seen,  started 
the  work  anew,  and  Robert,  the  younger,  retouched  the 
greater  part  of  Lizars'  plates,  so  that  their  reissue  in 
London  constitutes  for  the  bibliophile  a  second,  and  in 
some  cases  a  third,  edition.  Moreover,  the  plates  which 
were  eventually  executed  by  the  younger  Havell,  to  the 
number  of  425,  were  repeatedly  printed  from  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  new  subscribers;  on  such  occasions 
errors  were  corrected,  minor  changes  in  the  artist's  or 
engraver's  name  introduced,  and  the  nomenclature  of 
the  birds  and  plants  more  or  less  completely  revised. 
Frequently  the  Whatman  water-marks,  or,  indirectly, 


196       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Audubon's  titles,  postdate  the  year  of  publication  as 
printed  on  the  plate  itself.  Conflicting  legends,  par- 
ticularly on  the  earlier  plates,  which  have  often  puzzled 
collectors,  are  mainly  due  to  one  or  another  of  the  con- 
ditions named.  Nearly  every  plate  underwent  altera- 
tions of  some  sort,  but  the  various  legends  show  con- 
clusively whether  the  print  belongs  to  a  first  or  a  subse- 
quent impression.  In  the  British  Museum  copy,  the 
younger  Havell's  first  independent  legend  appears  on 
Plate  Ixxvi  (Virginia  Partridge),  as  "Engraved, 
Printed,  &  Coloured  by  R.  Havell  Junr.  1830."  The 
word  "London"  was  later  added,  but  was  eventually  dis- 
carded. After  the  senior  Havell's  death  in  1832,  the  son 
naturally  dropped  the  suffix  from  his  own  name ;  there- 
after his  brief  designation  of  name  and  date  became 
gradually  stereotyped.  It  should  be  noticed,  however, 
that  when  Robert  Havell  needed  to  reprint  from  plates 
which  were  executed  before  his  father's  death,  he  would 
frequently  remove  only  the  "Junior,"  -and  let  the  orig- 
inal date  stand,  so  that  legends  like  the  following  are 
not  uncommon:  "Engraved,  Printed,  &  Coloured  by 
R.  Havell,  London — 1831";  to  avoid  the  lacuna, 

designation  of  place  and  date  were,  at  times,  erased  also. 
The  naturalist's  name  underwent  a  different  evolution 
on  the  plates,  but  after  1830,  the  date  of  his  election  to 
membership  in  the  Royal  Society,  his  designation  gradu- 
ally settled  into  the  phrase :  "Drawn  from  nature  by  J.  J. 
Audubon,  F.  L.  S.  F.  R.  S."  (as  in  Plate  Ixxxi,  1830) ; 
accordingly,  all  plates  which  bear  these  titles,  but  an 
earlier  date,  are  second  or  later  editions.  The  previous 
hints,  with  examples  to  be  given  presently,  will  enable 
collectors  to  determine  whether  a  given  plate  is  a  first 
or  subsequent  impression. 

Lizars'  first  edition  of  plates,  Numbers  i  to  x,  bore 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     197 

no  dates,  and,  so  far  as  known,  the  first  date  of  the 
entire  series  was  "1828,"  which  was  added  to  Plate  31 
(the  White-headed  Eagle),  but  was  erased  from  later 
issues.  When  Robert  Havell,  Junior,  retouched  Lizar's 
engraving  of  the  Turkey  Hen  (No.  II,  Plate  vi),  he 
added  the  date  "1829,"  but  in  a  third  or  later  edition  the 
name  was  changed  and  the  date  removed.  This  same 
date  appears  also  on  the  retouched  Plate  ii,  of  the  Yel- 
low-billed Cuckoo,  and  on  that  of  the  Purple  Grackle 
or  Crow  Blackbird  (Plate  vii).  A  curious  error  crept 
into  the  first  impressions  of  the  former  plate,  which 
was  mislabeled  "Black-billed  Cuckoo,"  a  bird  then  rec- 
ognized as  quite  distinct.16  Plates  xxxi  to  Ixxv  (1828- 
29)  were  all  dated  in  the  first  issue,  and  bore  the  names 
of  both  Havells;  the  legends  are:  "Engraved,  Printed  & 
Coloured  by  R.  Havell  &  Son,  London,  1828,"  and  "En- 
graved by  Rob1.  Havell,  Junr.  Printed  &  Coloured  by 
R.  Havell  Senr.  London,  1828,"  or  "1829"  (British 
Museum  copy),  but  when  later  printed  by  Robert,  the 
younger,  the  dates  were  erased.  All  subsequent  dating 
of  the  plates  was  somewhat  irregular  until  1834  (Plate 
ccii),  but  from  that  point  to  the  end  of  the  series,  the 
year  of  issue  was  consistently  added  to  each  plate.  Or- 
nithologists are  specially  interested  in  the  time  of  publi- 
cation, since  forty-seven  new  specific  names  occur  on 
Audubon's  large  plates,  and  should  date  from  them 
and  not  from  the  letterpress  which  followed. 

To  illustrate  what  has  been  said  of  successive  edi- 
tions of  Audubon's  plates,  we  shall  give  the  legends  of 
two  or  three  of  the  most  famous,  taken  from  copies  in 

16  In  1914  Dr.  Samuel  Henshaw  showed  me  an  impression  of  this  sup- 
pressed plate,  and  also  a  large  printed  label,  cut  from  a  board  backing, 
which  bore  within  an  ornamental  border  the  title  "Audubon's  Birds  of 
America — Engraved,  printed,  and  colored  by  Lizars  &c.  &c."  This  sug- 
gests that  Lizars  may  have  issued  the  first  two  numbers,  which  he  en- 
graved, in  portfolio. 


198       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

the  British  Museum  and  Boston  Society  of  Natural  His- 
tory libraries  or  from  detached  plates  obtained  in  Lon- 
don, in  1903: 

Plate  i  (1st  edit.,  Lizars ;  Brit.  Mus.). — "Great  American  Cock 
Male-Vulgo  (Wild  Turkey)  Meleagris  Gallopavo.  Drawn 
by  J.  J.  Audubon,  M.  W.  S.  Engraved  by  W.  H.  Lizars 
Edinr." 

Plate  i  (2nd  or  later  edit.,  Havell;  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.). — 
"Wild  Turkey.  Meleagris  Gallopavo.  Linn.  Male  Ameri- 
can Cane.  Miegia  macrosperma.  Drawn  from  nature  by 
J.  J.  Audubon  F,  R,  S.  F,  L,  S.  Engraved  by  W.  H. 
Lizars  Edinr.  Retouched  by  R.  Havell  Junr." 

Plate  vi  (1st  edit.,  Lizars;  Brit.  Mus.). — "Great  American 
Hen  &  Young,  Vulgo,  Female  Wild  Turkey — Meleagris 
Gallopavo.  Drawn  from  Nature  by  John  J.  Audubon 
F.R.S.E.  M.W.S.  Engraved  by  W.  H.  Lizars  EdinV 

Plate  vi  (2nd  or  later  edit.,  Havell;  detached  plate).— The 
same  with  the  exception  of  "F.L.S.,"  added  to  Audubon's 
name,  and  "Retouched  by  R.  Havell.  Junr.  London, 
1829." 

Plate  vi  (3rd  or  later  edit.,  Havell;  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.).— 
"Wild  Turkey,  Meleagris  Gallopavo.  Linn  Female  and 
Young."  (Artist's  name  apparently  cut  off  by  binder.) 
"Engraved  by  W.  H.  Lizars.  Retouched  by  R.  Havell. 
Junr." 

Plate  31.  (1st  edit.,  Havell.  Brit.  Mus.).— "White-headed 
Eagle,  male.  Falco  Leucocephalus.  Fish  Fulgo — Yellow 
mud  Cat.  Drawn  from  Nature  &  Published  by  John  J. 
Audubon,  F.R.S.E.,  F.L.S.,  M.W.S.  Engraved,  Printed 
&  Coloured  by  R.  Havell  &  Son,  London,  1828." 

Plate  xxxi  (2nd  or  later  edit.,  Havell;  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist). 
— "White-headed  Eagle,  Falco  Leucocephalus.  Linn,  Male. 
Yellow  Cat-fish.  Drawn  from  Nature  and  Published  by 
John  J.  Audubon.  F,R,S.  F,L,S.  Engraved,  Printed  & 
Coloured,  by  R.  Havell." 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH    199 

Plates  which  were  wholly  the  work  of  Lizars  have 
naturally  become  extremely  rare;  they  were  evidently 
disregarded  by  Audubon  when  he  recorded  on  July  2, 
1827,  that  he  had  given  Mr.  Children  a  proof  of  his 
first  number,  which  he  called  "the  first  in  existence," 
and  declared  that  the  two  guineas  then  received  was  the 
first  money  that  had  been  returned  to  his  hands.  Lizars' 
initial  number  had  actually  been  finished  in  the  previous 
winter,  and  a  copy  of  this  is  recorded  as  having  been 
given  to  the  daughter  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  on  the  9th 
of  March,  1827. 

When  Audubon  had  finally  closed  all  his  business 
affairs  in  Edinburgh  and  London,  late  in  the  summer 
of  1839,  he  returned  to  America,  with  the  remaining 
members  of  his  family,  and  settled  in  New  York,  where 
he  purchased  a  house  at  Number  84  White  Street,  then 
in  the  uptown  district. 

An  anonymous  writer  in  the  London  Aihenceum l7 
in  giving  a  final  review  of  Audubon's  labors  in  1839, 
paid  this  interesting  tribute: 

It  seems  but  as  yesterday  that  we  were  walking  about  with 
a  transatlantic  stranger,  picturesque  enough  in  his  appearance 
and  garb,  to  arrest  the  eye  of  every  passing  gazer;  a  tall 
stalwart  man,  with  hair  sufficiently  long  to  qualify  him  to  serve 
as  a  model  to  Gray's  "Bard,"  and  trousers  ample  almost  as 
petticoats  of  "good  Harmony  cloth,"  so  absorbed  in  the  en- 
thusiastic prosecution  of  his  gigantic  plan — a  life's  labour — 
as  to  be  heedless  of  the  singularity  of  those  meteoric  locks,  and 
those  liberal  nether  garments.  Some  dozen  of  years,  however, 
have  elapsed  since  that  day ;  the  American  Woodsman's  hair — 
long  since  cut  short — has  grown  white;  his  magnificent  under- 
taking is  completed,  and  he  is  now  on  the  point  of  quitting 
England,  to  settle  himself  for  the  remainder  of  his  days  whether 

17  See  Bibliography,  No.  142. 


200       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

by  the  side  of  a  bayou,  in  some  forest  clearing,  or  as  an  in- 
habitant of  one  of  the  American  cities  which  have  learned  to 
know  his  value,  report  saith  not. 

We  shake  hands  with  the  author,  tendering  him  our  hearty 
congratulations  on  the  completion  of  a  task  almost  as  arduous 
as  has  ever  been  proposed  to  a  literary  man.  .  .  . 

The  confidential  simplicity  of  Mr.  Audubon's  own  prefaces 
would  make  yet  more  personal  leave-takings  and  farewells,  on 
the  critic's  part,  natural  and  graceful, — but  it  must  suffice  to 
say,  that  few  have  quitted  England,  carrying  with  them  a  larger 
portion  of  honest  regard  and  sincere  good  wishes. 

Possibly  it  was  the  same  writer  who  gave  this  strik- 
ing picture  of  Audubon  in  the  pages  of  the  same  jour- 
nal, thirty  years  later: 


18 


We  can  remember  when  his  portfolio  excited  delight  in 
Edinburgh,  London,  and  Paris,  rivalling  in  smaller  circles  a 
new  Waverley  novel.  The  man  also  was  not  a  man  to  be  seen 
and  forgotten,  or  passed  on  the  pavement  without  glances  of 
surprise  and  scrutiny.  The  tall  and  somewhat  stooping  form, 
the  clothes  not  made  by  a  West-end  but  by  a  Far  West  tailor, 
the  steady,  rapid,  springing  step,  the  long  hair,  the  aquiline 
features,  and  the  glowing  angry  eyes, — the  expression  of  a 
handsome  man  conscious  of  ceasing  to  be  young,  and  an  air  and 
manner  which  told  you  that  whoever  you  might  be  he  was  John 
Audubon,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  anyone  who  knew  or  saw 
him. 

We  will  add  to  this  the  musings  of  an  anonymous 
American  writer 19  in  the  North  American  Review  for 
the  following  year  (1840) : 

It  must  have  been  with  mingled  and  varied  feelings  that 
Audubon  published  his  concluding  volume.  He  was  sure  then 

18  See  Bibliography,  No.  152. 

19  W.  B.  O.  Peabody;  see  Bibliography,  No.  143. 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     201 

that  he  had  raised  an  imperishable  monument  to  commemorate 
his  own  renown.  All  anxieties  and  fears  which  overshadowed 
his  work  in  its  beginning  had  passed  away.  The  prophecies  of 
kind  but  overprudent  friends,  who  did  not  understand  his  self- 
sustaining  energy,  had  proved  untrue;  the  malicious  hope  of 
his  enemies,  for  even  the  gentle  lover  of  nature  has  enemies, — 
had  been  disappointed;  he  had  secured  a  commanding  place 
in  the  respect  and  gratitude  of  men ;  he  had  secured  a  treasure 
of  rich  and  glowing  recollections,  to  warm  his  own  heart  in  his 
declining  years,  and  to  kindle  enthusiasm  in  his  children's  chil- 
dren. .  .  . 

On  the  other  hand  he  had  lost  an  employment  which  for 
years  had  kept  all  the  powers  of  body  and  mind  in  healthy 
though  intense  exertion;  whatever  else  he  might  do,  the  great 
work  of  his  intellectual  life  was  finished.  «,  .  .  His  trumpet  of 
victory  at  the  result  must  have  given  an  uncertain  sound, 
partly  exulting  in  his  success,  and  partly  lamenting  that  his 
great  work  was  finished. 

It  has  often  been  asked,  how  many  complete  sets 
of  Audubon's  folio  of  The  Birds  of  America  were  dis- 
tributed, and  how  many  are  in  existence  today.  No 
definite  answer  can  be  given  to  either  question.  His 
final  lists,  appended  to  the  last  volume  of  his  "Biog- 
raphies" in  1839,  and  reproduced  in  Appendix  III  to 
the  present  work,  gave  the  number  of  standing  names 
as  161  (calling  for  166  copies),  of  which  79  (with  84 
copies)  pertained  to  Europe,  and  82  were  American; 
inasmuch  as  118  subscribers  had  dropped  off,  with  in- 
completed  sets  on  their  hands,  this  brought  the  total 
number  of  original  patrons  at  that  time  to  279,  and  the 
number  of  copies  which  had  been  originally  ordered  to 
284.  On  the  other  hand,  the  following  advertisement, 
evidently  from  the  hand  of  Audubon  himself,  appeared 
in  The  Athenceum,  under  date  of  "London,  November 


202      AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

1,  1837,"  and  was  reprinted  in  America  a  few  weeks 
later:20 

The  number  of  perfect  copies  at  present  subscribed  for  does 
not  exceed  190,  of  which  upwards  of  80  are  subscribed  for  in 
America ;  and  the  expense  of  getting  them  up  is  so  great,  that 
not  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  copies,  above  the  number  sub- 
scribed for,  will  be  prepared. 

The  Establishment  necessary  for  its  publication  will  be 
broken  up  when  the  last  Number  is  coloured ;  and  any  applica- 
cation  for  the  Work  must  be  made  to  the  Author,  4,  Wimpole 
— street,  London;  or  Mr.  R.  Havell,  Engraver,  77  Oxford — 
street,  before  the  first  of  May  next,  as  after  that  time  no  sub- 
scription can  be  received. 

Assuming  that  Audubon's  final  published  lists,  call- 
ing for  166  copies,  were  correct,  and  that  ten  additional 
sets  were  prepared,  this  would  bring  the  total  original 
number  known  to  have  been  complete  to  176,  which 
agrees  with  an  estimate  attributed  to  Victor  Audubon, 
who  once  expressed  the  belief  that  "about  175  copies" 
were  in  existence,  of  which  about  80  were  in  America.21 
It  is  probable,  however,  that  of  the  118  persons  who 
allowed  their  subscriptions  to  lapse,  a  number  completed 
their  sets  from  the  residual  stock,  which  must  have  been 
great,  though  the  later  plates  would  be  the  hardest  to 
obtain;  in  this  event  the  number  of  perfect  sets  of  Au- 
dubon's Birds  probably  never  exceeded  190  or  200. 

30  See  Samuel  N.  Rhoads  (Bibl.  No.  231)  The  Auk,  vol.  xxxiii,  p.  130 
(1916);  transcript  of  a  clipping  which  apparently  had  been  taken  from 
a  New  York  newspaper  of  January,  1838;  the  reading  of  the  American 
notice  is  the  same,  excepting  the  statement  that  applications  in  this 
country  should  be  made  to  "N.  Berthoud,  Esq.,  New  York;  Dr.  George 
Parkman,  Boston;  Rev.  Jno.  Bachman,  Charleston,  S.  C.;  James  Grimshaw, 
Esq.,  New  Orleans,  or  W.  G.  Bakewell,  Esq.,  Louisville."  It  is  dated  "New 
York,  11  Jan,  1838." 

21  Maria  R.  Audubon,  Audubon  and  his  Journals  (Bibl.  No.  86),  vol.  i, 
p.  71. 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH     203 

The  proprietor  of  a  well  known  Philadelphia  book- 
shop 22  has  stated  that  during  his  experience  as  an  anti- 
quary, he  has  had  personal  knowledge  of  forty  or  fifty 
copies  of  the  folio  edition  of  Audubon's  Birds  in  Amer- 
ica, and  he  thought  it  probable  that  a  single  New  Eng- 
land print  dealer,  in  the  course  of  twenty  years,  had 
broken  up  thirty  or  forty  volumes  for  the  purpose  of 
selling  the  plates.  This  is  not  surprising,  since  from 
the  sale  of  a  single  volume  upwards  of  $1,500  might  be 
realized  in  this  way,  but  no  reputable  dealer  would  now 
think  of  breaking  up  an  unimpaired  set. 

Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  who  has  compiled  a  careful  rec- 
ord of  copies  of  The  Birds  of  America  known  to  exist 
in  the  United  States,  recorded  in  1908  that  he  had  ascer- 
tained the  resting-place  of  seventy-five  sets  which,  with 
few  exceptions,  were  complete  and  in  good  condition. 
"A  set  in  the  library  of  the  Mechanics-Mercantile  Insti- 
tute, San  Francisco,  California,  which  had  been  there 
for  some  thirty  years,  and  another  set  in  the  San  Fran- 
cisco Art  Association,  presented  in  1894  by  Mr.  Edward 
F.  Searles,  Methuen,  Massachusetts,  were  both  de- 
stroyed by  the  disastrous  earthquake  and  fire  which  vis- 
ited that  city  April  18,  1906."  23 

Audubon's  own  copy  of  his  Birds,  the  plates  of  which 
were  naturally  selected  with  the  greatest  care,  was  sold  by 
Mrs.  Audubon  after  the  death  of  her  last  surviving  son, 
in  1862,  to  John  T.  Johnson,  of  New  York,  for  $1,200; 
the  subsequent  history  of  these  volumes  has  not  been 
traced.  Havell  brought  with  him  to  America  a  copy, 
every  plate  of  which  is  said  to  have  been  selected  by 
himself,  and  it  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest  sets  in 
existence.  It  passed  from  the  family's  possession  to  the 

"See  Rhoads  (Bibl.  No.  231),  loc.  cit. 

"Ruthven  Deane  (Bibl.  No.  225),  The  Auk,  vol.  xxv,  p.  401  (1908). 


204       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

hands  of  the  publishers  and  booksellers,  Messrs.  C.  S. 
Francis  &  Company,  of  554  Broadway,  New  York,  who 
in  1856  had  charge  of  the  sale  of  all  of  Audubon's 
works,24  and  was  later  purchased  by  Dr.  W.  Gurdon 
Russell,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  who  presented  it  to 
Trinity  College,  July  10,  1900.25 

After  recording  the  facts  of  the  case,  so  far  as  they 
have  been  ascertained,  the  following  extract  from  the 
minutes  of  a  meeting  of  the  New  York  Historical  So- 
ciety, held  October  3,  1865,  will  be  read  with  interest: 26 

The  Librarian  presented  the  following  copy  of  a  manu- 
script memorandum  preserved  in  the  first  volume  of  Audu- 
bon's Ornithological  Biography,  formerly  belonging  to  the  late 
J.  Prescott  Hall,27  and  now  in  possession  of  David  G.  Francis, 
Esq.: 

24  Eight  in  number,  the  aggregate  cost  of  which  was  then  $1,624:  The 
Birds  of  America,  with  its  letterpress,  was  offered  at  $1,000;  library,  or 
octavo  edition,  with  reduced  plates,  in  100  Parts,  at  $100;  The  Quadrupeds 
of  North  America,  %  vols.,  folio,  with  3  vols.  text,  in  8vo.,  $300;  text  of  the 
same,  according  to  binding,  from  $31   (paper)  to  $40   (full  Turkey  mor.) ; 
Birds  and  Quadrupeds,  library  ed.,  10  vols.,  650  plates,  $150  to  $160,  accord- 
ing to  style;  Synopsis  of  Birds  of  America,  $4;  The  Viviparous  Quadrupeds 
of  North  America,   3  vols.,  text  only,  $9.     See  Mrs.   Horace   St.   John, 
Life  of  Audubon    (Bibl.   No.   71),  in  advertisement  inserted   in  volume. 
These  prices  were  similar  to  those  that  prevailed  during  the  lifetime  of 
the  naturalist. 

According  to  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  Audubon's  account  books  show 
that  on  January  8,  1840,  a  box  was  sent  to  Dr.  George  Parkman,  of  Boston, 
containing  a  set  of  The  Birds  of  America,  in  full  binding,  at  $1,075;  a 
set  of  the  same,  half  bound,  at  $950 ;  and  the  "Biographies"  at  $27. 

The  highest  recorded  price  of  The  Birds  of  America  is  believed  to  be 
$4,350,  which  the  Kemble  set  brought  at  auction  at  Philadelphia,  in  1906 
(See  Prices  Current  for  1906)  ;  the  highest  price  paid  for  a  single  plate, 
that  of  the  Turkey  Cock  (Plate  No.  1)  upwards  of  $140;  and  the  highest 
price  asked  for  the  octavo  edition  of  the  Birds  (in  original  parts),  $750. 
The  Quadrupeds  in  2  vols.,  original  folio,  now  brings  about  $500. 

25  Ruthven  Deane   (Bibl.  No.  225),  loc.  cit. 

28  For  a  copy  of  this  minute,  the  substance  of  which  was  published 
in  1877  (See  Bibliography,  No.  179),  I  am  indebted  to  the  present 
librarian,  Mr.  Kelby. 

27  Jonathan  Prescott  Hall  (1796-1862),  eminent  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
at  one  time  district  attorney  for  the  southern  district  of  New  York,  and 
author  of  Reports  of  Cases  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  City  of  New  York — 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH    205 

"This  work  is  presented  to  J.  Prescott  Hall  by  his 
poor  Friend  and  sincerely  attached  servant 

JOHN  J.  AUDUBON" 
"New  York  April  4,  1844." 

"Mr  Audubon  told  me  in  the  year  184 —  that  he  did 
not  sell  more  than  40  copies  of  his  great  work  in  England, 
Ireland,  Scotland,  and  France,  of  which  Louis  Phillippe 
took  10. 

"The  following  received  their  copies  but  never  paid 
for  them:  George  IV.,  Dutchess  of  Clarence,  Marquis  of 
Londonderry,  Princess  of  Hesse  Homburg. 

"An  Irish  lord  whose  name  he  would  not  give,  took 
two  copies  and  paid  for  neither.  Rothschild  paid  for  his 
copy,  but  with  great  reluctance. 

"He  further  said  that  he  sold  75  copies  in  America,  26 
in  New  York  and  24  in  Boston;  that  the  work  cost  him 
£27,000  and  that  he  lost  $25,000  by  it. 

"He  said  that  Louis  Phillippe  offerred  to  subscribe  for 
100  copies  if  he  would  publish  the  work  in  Paris.  This 
he  found  could  not  be  done,  as  it  would  have  required  40 
years  to  finish  it  as  things  were  then  in  Paris.  Of  this 
conversation  I  made  a  memorandum  at  the  time  which  I 
read  over  to  Mr.  Audubon  and  he  pronounced  it  correct. 

"J.  PRESCOTT  HALL." 

As  regards  the  subscription  of  Rothschild  the  follow- 
ing account  of  his  interview  with  the  famous  banker  has 
been  recorded  by  Audubon  himself.28  The  naturalist,  it 
appears,  received  a  letter  to  Baron  Rothschild  from  the 
American  banking-house  of  Prime,  Ward  &  King,  and 
presented  it  in  the  summer  of  1834.  The  banker  was 

1828-29   (2  vols.,  New  York,  1831-33).     Mr.  Hall  was  a  subscriber  to  the 
octavo  editions  of  Audubon's  Birds  and  Quadrupeds. 

28  According  to  Lucy  B.  Audubon,  ed.,  The  Life  of  John  James  Audu- 
bon (Bibl.  No.  73),  from  which  we  have  drawn  numerous  extracts  from 
his  journals;  see  p.  381,  under  date  of  May  12,  1834. 


206       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

not  in  when  Audubon  and  his  son,  Victor,  called  upon 
him,  but  "soon  a  corpulent  man  appeared,  hitching  up 
his  trousers,  and  a  face  red  with  the  exertion  of  walk- 
ing, and  without  noticing  any  one  present,  dropped  his 
fat  body  into  a  comfortable  chair,  as  if  caring  for  no  one 
else  in  this  wide  world  but  himself."  When  Audubon 
presented  his  credentials,  the  banker  asked:  "Is  this  a 
letter  of  business,  or  is  it  a  mere  letter  of  introduction?' ' 
As  Audubon  had  not  read  the  letter,  he  was  obliged  to 
answer  rather  awkwardly  that  he  could  not  tell.  "The 
banker  then  opened  the  letter,  read  it  with  the  manner 
of  one  who  was  looking  only  at  the  temporal  side  of 
things,  and  after  reading  it  said,  'This  is  only  a  letter  of 
introduction,  and  I  expect  from  its  contents  that  you  are 
the  publisher  of  some  book  or  other  and  need  my  sub- 
scription.' '  Audubon  continues : 

Had  a  man  the  size  of  a  mountain  spoken  to  me  in  that 
arrogant  style  in  America  I  should  have  indignantly  resented 
it;  but  where  I  then  was  it  seemed  best  to  swallow  and  digest 
it  as  well  as  I  could.  So  in  reply  ...  I  said  I  should  be 
honored  by  his  subscription  to  the  "Birds  of  America."  "Sir," 
he  said,  "I  never  sign  my  name  to  any  subscription  list,  but 
you  may  send  in  your  work  and  I  will  pay  for  a  copy  of  it. 
Gentlemen,  I  am  busy,  I  wish  you  good  morning."  We  were 
busy  men,  too,  and  so  bowing  respectfully,  we  retired,  pretty 
well  satisfied  with  the  small  slice  of  his  opulence  which  our 
labor  was  likely  to  obtain. 

A  few  days  afterwards  I  sent  the  first  volume  of  my  work 
half  bound,  and  all  the  numbers  besides,  then  published.  On 
seeing  them  we  were  told  that  he  ordered  the  bearer  to  take 
them  to  his  house,  which  was  done  directly.  Number  after 
number  was  sent  and  delivered  to  the  Baron,  and  after  eight 
or  ten  months  my  son  made  out  his  account  and  sent  it  by 
Mr.  Havell,  my  engraver,  to  his  banking-house.  The  Baron 
looked  at  it  with  amazement,  and  cried  out,  "What,  a  hundred 


AUDUBON'S  GREATEST  TRIUMPH    207 

pounds  for  birds !  Why,  sir,  I  will  give  you  five  pounds,  and 
not  a  farthing  more!"  Representations  were  made  to  him  of 
the  magnificence  and  expense  of  the  work,  and  how  pleased  his 
Baroness  and  wealthy  children  would  be  to  have  a  copy;  but 
the  great  financier  was  unrelenting.  The  copy  of  the  work 
was  actually  sent  back  to  Mr.  Havell's  shop,  and  as  I  found 
that  instituting  legal  proceedings  against  him  would  cost  more 
than  it  would  come  to,  I  kept  the  work,  and  afterwards  sold 
it  to  a  man  with  less  money  but  a  nobler  heart,  What  a  dis- 
tance there  is  between  two  such  men  as  Baron  Rothschild  of 
London  and  the  merchant  of  Savannah! 


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  Bachman 
in  the  Quadrupeds  secured — Prospectuses — History  of  the  octavo  edi- 
tion 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 — Godwin's  pilgrimage  to 
"Minnie's  Land"  in  1842. 

After  thirteen  years  of  unmitigated  labor,  Audubon 
could  have  basked  in  a  fame  already  secure,  and  could 
have  enjoyed,  for  a  time  at  least,  a  leisure  handsomely 
earned.  But  no  sooner  had  he  settled  in  New  York 
than  he  entered  upon  two  formidable  tasks:  one  of 
these  was  the  complete  revision  of  his  Birds  of  America, 
to  be  issued  with  its  text  in  "miniature,"  as  its  reduced 
form  was  sometimes  described;  the  other,  which  he  did 
not  live  to  see  brought  to  completion,  was  an  elaborate 
work  on  the  Quadrupeds  of  North  America,  eventually 
carried  forward  in  collaboration  with  the  Reverend  John 
Bachman. 

In  his  confident  and  characteristic  manner,  Audubon 
at  once  issued  a  "Prospectus"  of  both  these  undertak- 
ings. The  more  cautious  Bachman,  in  writing  on  Sep- 
tember 13,  1839,  to  congratulate  him  upon  their  safe 
return,  "in  spite  of  storms,  calms,  and  hurricane,"  said: 

I  am  glad  that  you  are  about  to  do  something  with  regard 
to  the  "Small  Edition  of  Birds."  But  are  you  not  too  fast  in 
issuing  your  prospectus  of  The  Birds  and  Quadrupeds,  with- 

208 


LIFE  AT  "MINNIE'S  LAND"          209 

out  having  numbers  of  both  works,  by  which  the  public  can 
judge  of  their  merits?  My  idea,  in  regard  to  the  latter,  is 
that  you  should  carefully  get  up,  in  your  best  style,  a  volume 
about  the  size  of  "Holbrook's  Reptiles."  This  would  enable 
you  to  decide  on  the  terms  of  the  book,  I  think  that  two  thou- 
sand subscribers  at  $1.00  for  each  number,  might  be  obtained. 
But  it  must  be  no  half-way  affair. 

The  animals  have  never  been  carefully  described,  and  you 
will  find  difficulties  at  every  step.  Books  cannot  aid  you  much. 
Long  journeys  will  have  to  be  undertaken.  Several  species  re- 
main to  be  added  and  their  habits  ascertained.  The  drawings 
you  can  easily  make,  if  you  can  procure  the  specimens.  I  wish 
I  had  you  here,  if  only  for  two  days.  I  think  that  I  have 
studied  the  subject  more  than  you  have.  You  will  be  bothered 
with  the  Wolves  and  the  Foxes,  to  begin  with.  I  have  two  new 
species  of  Bats  and  Shrews  to  add.  The  Western  Deer  are  no 
joke,  and  the  ever  varying  Squirrels  seem  sent  by  Satan  him- 
self, to  puzzle  the  Naturalists. 

It  is  evident  from  this  letter  that  Audubon  was  then 
intending  to  proceed  with  the  work  on  the  Quadrupeds 
alone  and  that  Bachman's  active  cooperation  was  se- 
cured later.  On  September  15,  shortly  after  his  return 
to  America,  he  wrote  to  Thomas  M.  Brewer  on  this  sub- 
ject as  follows: l 

Now  that  I  am  about  to  commence  the  publication  of  the 
Quadrupeds  of  North  America,  I  will  expect  your  assistance  in 
the  procuring  for  me  of  all  such  subjects  as  may  easily  be 
obtained  around  you.  John  Bachman  is  about  to  give  the 
whole  of  his  collections  and  his  notes  to  me ;  and  as  I  intend 
to  open  a  pretty  general  correspondence  in  different  parts  of 
the  Union,  I  trust  to  be  enabled  to  proceed  roundly  on  this 
fresh  undertaking. 

*See  Thomas  M.  Brewer  (Bibl.  No.  79),  Harper's  New  Monthly 
Magazine,  vol.  Ixi,  p.  666  (1880). 


210       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Victor  Gifford  Audubon,  who  had  preceded  his 
father  to  America  early  in  1839,  was  married  in  that 
year  to  Mary  Eliza,  second  daughter  of  John  and  Har- 
riet Bachman.  This  double  union  of  the  two  naturalists' 
families  called  forth  mutual  congratulations,  but  Bach- 
man, who  was  inconsolable  at  the  departure  of  his  chil- 
dren, preferred  to  talk  of  birds:  "By  that  time,"  said  he, 
"four  or  five  numbers  [of  the  'Small  Edition  of  the 
Birds']  are  published,  you  may  turn  over  the  work  to 
your  sons;  but,  till  then,  you  should  carefully  review 
every  page  and  plate.  The  next  thing  will  be  to  get 
subscribers.  This  would  be  purgatory  to  me;  but  it  is 
necessary  to  success.  While  drumming  up  subscribers, 
you  may  obtain  specimens  for  the  Quadrupeds."  When 
writing  again  January  13,  1840,  Bachman,  whose  co- 
operation in  the  proposed  work  had  been  sought,  con- 
tinued: 

The  descriptions  in  the  "Small  Edition  of  Birds"  will  have 
to  be  abridged — your  "worthy  friend"  and  other  humbugs  may 
be  left  out  to  advantage.  I  am  not  at  all  surprised  at  your 
success  at  getting  subscribers;  but  let  me  say,  cities  are  not 
the  only  places  to  obtain  them.  Birds  sing  and  nestle  among 
the  groves  of  the  cowntry — The  planters  and  farmers  are  the 
men  to  become  subscribers.  An  intelligent  planter  from  the  up 
country  said,  a  few  days  ago,  that  if  the  right  person  would 
thoroughly  canvass  the  whole  State  of  South  Carolina,  he 
would  insure  three  hundred  subscribers  to  the  "Small  Work." 
Old  Jostle  would  be  the  man,  and  when  his  legs  failed,  the 
Yotvng  Jostle  should  go  forward.  Get  the  Editors  to  notice 
your  work — this  is  a  puffing  world — from  the  porpoise  to  the 
steamboat. 

When  we  meet,  we  shall  talk  about  the  partnership  in  the 
quadrupeds.  I  am  willing  to  have  my  name  stand  with  yours, 
if  it  will  help  the  sale  of  the  book.  The  expenses  and  the  profits 


LIFE  AT  "MINNIE'S  LAND"          211 

shall  be  yours  or  the  boys'.  I  am  anxious  to  do  something 
for  the  benefit  of  Victor  and  John,  in  addition  to  the  treasures 
I  have  given  them — and  this  is  all  I  can  do.  .  .  .  Employ 
yourself  now  in  drawing  every  quadruped  you  can  lay  your 
hands  upon.  If  you  can  find  me  a  live  Ermine,  buy  it  in  New 
York.  I  must  once  more  examine  and  study  its  change  of 
pUage. 

Don't  flatter  yourself  that  the  quadrupeds  will  be  child's 
play.  I  have  studied  them  all  my  life.  We  have  much,  both  in 
Europe  and  America,  to  learn  on  this  subject.  The  skulls 
and  the  teeth  must  be  studied,  and  color  is  as  variable  as  the 
wind ;  down,  down  in  the  earth  they  grovel,  while  we,  in  digging 
and  studying,  may  grow  old  and  cross.  Our  work  must  be 
thorough.  I  would  as  soon  stick  my  name  to  a  forged  Bank 
Note  as  to  a  mess  of  soupmaigre. 

The  "Prospectus"  of  Audubon's  "miniature"  edition 
of  the  Birds  was  as  follows :  2 

3  From  last  page  of  paper  covers,  in  which  parts  of  the  work  were 
originally  issued. 

Below  are  the  following  notices: 

"Persons  desirous  of  subscribing  to  the  above  work  are  respectfully  re- 
quested to  apply  to  /.  /.  Audubon,  86  White  street,  Henderson  Greene, 
377  Broadway,  or  W.  A.  Caiman,  Broadway,  New  York;  to  /.  B.  Chevalier, 
70  Dock  street,  or  Orrin  Rogers,  67  South  Second  street,  Philadelphia; 
C.  C.  Little  or  James  Brown,  Boston;  /.  P.  Beile,  or  Oeo.  Oates,  Charleston, 
S.  C. ;  Gideon  B.  Smith,  Baltimore;  David  Ridgely,  Annapolis,  Md.;  /.  S. 
Kellogg  $  Co.,  Mobile,  Ala." 

"S.  H.  Stevenson,  Travelling  Agent  for  Kentucky  and  Virginia;  and 
William  A.  Pierce  for  Pennsylvania." 

This  first  octavo  edition  of  Audubon's  Birds  was  issued  by  J.  J.  Audu- 
bon, and  J.  B.  Chevalier,  Philadelphia,  in  100  parts,  of  five  plates  each, 
to  be  bound  in  7  volumes,  1840-44.  Complete  sets  in  parts  are  now  very 
rare;  previous  to  1907  a  set  is  said  to  have  been  sold  for  $500;  in  1914 
one  was  offered  in  Philadelphia  for  $750.  The  introduction  to  No  1, 
is  dated  "New  York,  Nov.  1839,"  and  the  fifteenth  number,  beginning 
volume  ii,  "N.  Y.,  Aug.,  1840."  The  first  five  volumes  (1840-42)  were 
issued  with  the  cooperation  of  J.  B.  Chevalier,  lithographer,  70  Dock 
Street,  Philadelphia,  but,  according  to  Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  he  was  an 
agent  who  received  a  commission  on  sales,  and,  for  a  time,  a  share  in 
the  profits,  but  not  a  co-publisher  with  Audubon;  it  is  also  stated  that 
when  misfortune  visited  Chevalier  in  later  life,  he  was  cared  for  by 
Audubon  or  his  sons,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  For  fuller  details, 
see  Bibliography,  No.  4. 


212       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

To  those  who  have  not  seen  any  portion  of  Mr.  Audubon's 
Original  Drawings,  it  may  be  proper  to  state,  that  their  supe- 
riority consists  in  the  accuracy  as  to  proportion  and  outline, 
and  the  variety  and  truth  of  the  attitudes  and  positions  of  the 
figures,  resulting  from  peculiar  means  discovered  and  employed 
by  him,  and  his  attentive  examination  of  the  objects  portrayed, 
during  a  long  series  of  years.  Mr.  Audubon  has  not  contented 
himself  with  single  profile  views,  but  in  many  instances  has 
grouped  his  figures,  so  as  to  represent  the  originals  in  their 
natural  avocations,  and  has  placed  them  on  branches  of  trees 
decorated  with  foliage,  blossoms  and  fruits,  or  amidst  plants 
of  numerous  species — some  are  seen  pursuing  their  prey  in  the 
air,  searching  for  food  amongst  the  leaves  and  herbage,  sitting 
on  their  nests,  or  feeding  their  young;  whilst  others,  of  a  dif- 
ferent nature,  swim,  wade,  or  glide  in  or  over  their  allotted  ele- 
ment. The  insects,  reptiles  and  fishes  that  form  the  food  of 
some  of  the  birds,  have  now  and  then  been  introduced  in  the 
drawings.  In  nearly  every  instance  where  a  difference  of  plum- 
age exists  between  the  sexes,  both  male  and  female  have  been 
represented,  and  the  extraordinary  changes  which  some  species 
undergo  in  their  progress  from  youth  to  maturity,  have  been 
depicted. 

The  plants  are  all  copied  from  nature,  and  as  many  are 
remarkable  for  their  beauty,  their  usefulness,  or  their  rarity, 
the  Botanist  cannot  fail  to  look  upon  them  with  delight. 

The  particulars  of  the  plan  of  the  work  can  be  reduced  to 
the  following  heads: 

1.  The  size  of  the  work  is  royal  octavo,  the  paper  being 
of  the  finest  quality. 

2.  The  Plates  representing  the  Birds  are  correctly  reduced 
from  the  original  drawings,  and  are  coloured  in  the  most  care- 
ful manner. 

3.  The  work  will  appear  in  numbers,  on  the  first  and  fif- 
teenth of  every  month. 

4.  Each  number  will  consist  of  Five  Plates,  accompanied 
with  full  descriptions  of  the  habits  and  localities  of  the  birds, 
their  anatomy  and  digestive  organs,  (with  occasionally  wood 


THE 


BIRDS  OF  AMERICA, 


DRAWINGS  MADE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


AND  THEIR  TERRITORIES. 


BY  JOHN  JAMES  AUDUBON,  F.  R.  SS/L.  &  E. 

Fellow  of  the  Linnenn  anl  Zoological  Societies  of  I/>ndon;  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. 


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LETTEE  OF   EDWARD  HARRIS  TO   AUDUBON,  REGARDING   HIS  INTENTION   OP  JOINING 
THE    EXPEDITION   TO   THE    UPPER    MISSOURI,   JANUARY   31,    1843. 

From  the  Deane  MSS. 


251 


252       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

But  I  wish  you  would  assure  your  good  mother  that  to  go  to 
Yellow  Stone  River,  in  a  good  Steamer,  as  passengers  by  the 
courteous  offers  of  the  President  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany who  himself  will  go  along  with  us,  that  the  difficulties  that 
existed  some  30  years  ago  in  such  undertakings  are  now  rend- 
ered as  Smooth  and  easy  as  it  is  to  go  to  Carlisle  and  return  to 
N.  Y.  as  many  times  as  would  make  up  the  Sum  in  Miles  of 
about  3000:  Our  difficulties  (if  any  there  are)  will  be  felt  on 
our  return;  when  we  must  come  back  to  St.  Louis  in  one  or  2 
open  boats  in  Sepr  and  part  of  Octr  next.  The  passage  being 
longer  or  shorter  accordingly  with  the  state  of  the  Missouri  at 
that  Season.4 

Young  Baird  would  gladly  have  accompanied  Au- 
dubon, but  the  fears  of  his  friends  for  his  health  and 
safety  interposed,  and  the  party  as  eventually  made  up 
comprised,  beside  the  naturalist,  John  G.  Bell,  as  tax- 
idermist, Isaac  Sprague,  artist,  Lewis  Squires,  general 
assistant  and  secretary,  and  his  old  friend  Edward  Har- 
ris. 

Audubon  left  his  home  on  March  11,  1843,  with  Vic- 
tor, who  accompanied  him  as  far  as  Philadelphia,  where 
a  rendezvous  was  made  before  starting  west.  The  party 
went  first  to  Baltimore,  and  by  steam  cars  to  Cumber- 
land, then  by  coach  through  the  Gap,  and  across  the 
Alleghanies  to  Wheeling,  where  a  steamer  took  them 
down  river  to  Cincinnati.  On  March  19  they  reached 
Louisville,  where  Audubon  spent  four  days  with  his 
brother-in-law,  William  G.  Bakewell,  and  on  the  28th 
they  arrived  at  St.  Louis,  where  the  party  completed 
their  outfit.  On  April  25  they  began  their  ascent  to  the 
Missouri,  in  the  steamer  Magnet,  a  small  vessel  belong- 

4  See  William  H.  Ball,  Spencer  Fullerton  Baird,  a  Biography  (Bibl. 
No.  52),  pp.  88-91,  for  the  complete  letters  from  which  the  preceding 
extracts  have  been  taken. 


EXPEDITION  TO  THE  MISSOURI      253 

ing  to  the  American  Fur  Company,  with  a  motley  crowd 
of  trappers,  employed  by  the  Company,  representing 
French  Creoles,  Canadian  French,  Indians,  and  other 
nationalities. 

During  this  journey,  which  lasted  eight  months,  Au- 
dubon  kept  a  voluminous  journal,  which  was  written  in 
a  fine  hand  on  large  sheets  of  linen  paper  that  could  be 
easily  rolled  and  carried  in  his  pocket;  this  was  after- 
wards sent  to  Bachman,  was  returned,  and  was  lost  for 
fifty  years,  or  until  1896,  when  it  was  recovered  from  an 
old  secretary  by  Audubon's  granddaughters,  one  of 
whom  published  it  in  1898.5  It  is  a  highly  interesting 
and  spirited  narrative  from  beginning  to  end,  and 
abounds  in  graphic  pictures  of  the  Indians  and  trappers, 
the  military  posts  and  pioneer  settlements,  the  abundant 
bird  life  and  big  game,  the  biggest  of  which,  the  buffalo, 
was  then  seen  by  Audubon  in  a  state  of  nature  for 
the  first  time,  the  grand  and  turbulent  rivers,  and  the 
smiling  or  frowning  face  of  the  great  wilderness  so 
soon  to  be  changed  by  the  devastating  hands  of  civilized 
man. 

What  Audubon  thought  to  be  a  new  finch,  discov- 
ered near  the  Snake  Hills  in  Missouri,  was  named  for 
Edward  Harris,  and  though  it  proved  to  have  been  pre- 
viously described,  the  bird  is  still  known  as  "Harris' 
Finch";  a  few  days  later  a  new  vireo,  Vireo  bellii^  re- 
ceived the  name  of  John  G.  Bell,  his  taxidermist,  and 
similar  honors  were  passed  to  artist  Isaac  Sprague,  to 
whom  was  dedicated  the  little  titlark,  Alauda  spragueii, 
now  Anihus  spraguei. 

In  those  days  of  river  navigation,  the  frequent  tying 
up  for  fuel  or  necessary  repairs,  not  to  speak  of  ground- 

6  See  Maria  R.  Audubon,  Audubon  and  his  Journals  (Bibl.  No.  86), 
vol.  i,  pp.  453-532,  and  vol.  ii,  pp.  1-196. 


254       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

ing  in  a  treacherous  channel,  gave  almost  daily  oppor- 
tunities for  the  hunters  to  go  ashore,  and  these  occa- 
sions seldom  failed  to  produce  something  interesting, 
new,  or  rare.  In  the  Indian  country,  at  Belle vue, 
Nebraska,  where  they  touched  to  land  a  part  of  their 
cargo,  Audubon  "saw  a  trick  of  the  trade,  which  made 
him  laugh.  Eight  cords  of  wood  were  paid  for  with 
five  tin  cups  of  sugar  and  three  of  coffee — value  at  St. 
Louis  about  twenty-five  cents." 

They  began  to  meet  with  buffalo  about  the  mouth 
of  the  James  River,  in  South  Dakota,  on  May  20 ;  the 
ground,  said  Audubon,  was  literally  covered  with  their 
tracks,  and  the  bushes  with  their  hair.  On  the  same  day 
they  discovered  "Meadow  Larks  whose  songs  and  single 
notes  were  quite  different  from  those  of  the  Eastern 
States,"  and  this  proved  to  be  the  first  notice  of  the 
Western  Meadow  Lark,  which  later  appeared  as  the 
Sturnella  neglecta  in  the  small  edition  of  his  Birds  of 
America,  then  in  course  of  publication. 

Audubon's  opinion  of  the  Indian  was  modified  con- 
siderably after  having  seen  him  in  the  western  wilder- 
ness, and  his  confidence  in  George  Catlin's  descriptions 
was  completely  shattered;  "His  book,"  he  said,  "must, 
after  all,  be  .altogether  a  humbug.  Poor  devil!  I  pity 
him  from  the  bottom  of  my  soul;  had  he  studied,  and 
kept  up  to  the  old  French  proverb  that  says,  'Bon 
Renomme  vaut  mieux  que  ceinture  dore,'  he  might  have 
become  an  honest  man — the  quintessence  of  God's 
works." 

After  forty-eight  days  and  seven  hours  out  of  St. 
Louis,  on  the  12th  of  June,  they  reached  Fort  Union, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  where  the  Omega  left 
them  and  returned  down  river.  The  country  proved  so 
interesting  that  the  naturalist  remained  two  months  at 


EXPEDITION  TO  THE  MISSOURI      255 

the  fort,  where  he  occupied  the  room  which  had  been 
used  by  Maximilian,  Prince  of  Neuwied,  when  traveling 
through  the  western  parts  of  America  ten  years  before ; 
here  Audubon  made  many  drawings.  Buffalo  were 
abundant  on  all  sides,  and  a  favorite  occupation  was 
shooting  wolves  from  the  ramparts  of  the  fort.  On 
June  18  they  killed  two  antelope  and  two  deer  before 
noon,  and  "immediately  after  dinner,"  he  said,  "the 
head  of  the  old  male  was  cut  off,  and  I  went  to  work 
outlining  it;  first  small,  with  the  camera  lucida,  and 
then  by  squares."  On  the  30th  he  wrote:  "I  began 
drawing  at  five  this  morning,  and  worked  almost  with- 
out cessation  till  after  three,  when  becoming  fatigued 
for  want  of  practice,  I  took  a  short  walk,  regretting  that 
I  could  no  longer  draw  twelve  or  fourteen  hours  without 
a  pause,  or  thought  of  weariness." 

On  the  15th  of  July  they  started  up  the  shore  of  the 
Yellowstone  in  a  cart.  The  party  soon  had  had  enough 
of  buffalo  hunting,  and  on  one  day  the  naturalist  was 
nearly  speared  by  a  charging  bull  that  had  been  wound- 
ed. "What  a  terrible  destruction  of  life,"  he  says,  "as 
it  were  for  nothing,  or  next  to  it,  as  the  tongues  only 
were  brought  in,  and  the  flesh  of  these  fine  animals  was 
left  to  beasts  and  birds  of  prey,  or  to  rot  on  the  spots 
where  they  fell.  The  prairies  are  literally  covered  with 
the  skulls  of  the  victims,  and  the  roads  the  Buffalo 
make  in  crossing  the  prairies  have  all  the  appearance  of 
heavy  wagon  tracks."  Foreseeing  the  departure  of  the 
buffalo,  he  wrote : 

One  can  hardly  conceive  how  it  happens,  notwithstanding 
these  many  deaths  and  the  immense  numbers  that  are  mur- 
dered almost  daily  on  these  boundless  wastes  called  prairies, 
besides  the  hosts  that  are  drowned  in  the  freshets,  and  the  hun- 


256       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

dreds  of  young  calves  who  die  in  early  spring,  so  many  are  yet 
to  be  found.  Daily  we  see  so  many  that  we  hardly  notice  them 
more  than  the  cattle  in  our  pastures  about  our  homes.  But 
this  cannot  last;  even  now  there  is  a  perceptible  difference  in 
the  size  of  the  herds,  and  before  many  years  the  Buffalo,  like 
the  Great  Auk,  will  have  disappeared. 

On  the  9th  of  August  he  added:  "I  have  scarcely 
done  anything  but  write  this  day,  and  my  memorandum 
books  are  now  crowded  with  sketches,  measurements, 
and  descriptions."  Those  who  maintain  that  a  "howling 
wilderness"  is  a  place  that  never  howls,  should  read  his 
note  for  August  19:  "Wolves  howling,  and  bulls  roar- 
ing, just  like  the  long  continued  roll  of  a  hundred 
drums";  or  this  for  the  21st:  "Buffaloes  all  over  the 
bars  and  prairies,  and  many  swimming;  the  roaring  can 
be  heard  for  miles." 

At  Fort  Union  they  built  a  Mackinaw  barge  forty 
feet  long,  which  they  christened  the  "Union,"  and  on 
the  16th  of  August  they  started  for  St.  Louis,  which 
was  reached  in  safety  on  the  19th  of  October.  There 
they  unloaded,  and  "sent  all  things  to  Nicholas  Ber- 
thoud's  warehouse."  "Reached  home,"  said  Audubon, 
"at  3  p.  m.,  November  6  th,  1843,  and  thank  God,  found 
all  my  family  quite  well." 

When  Audubon  was  returning  by  the  canal  route 
from  Pittsburgh  to  Philadelphia,  he  was  sought  out  by 
a  young  traveler,  who  afterwards  related  the  following 
incident.6  The  naturalist,  he  was  told,  was  under  "a 
huge  pile  of  green  blankets  and  fur,"  which  he  had  al- 
ready noticed  on  one  of  the  benches,  and  had  taken  for 
the  fat  pile  of  some  western  trader.  Having  waived 

•Charles  Winter-field  (Bibl.  No.  149),  The  American  Review,  vol.  i 
(1845) ;  see  also  Charles  W.  Webber,  Romance  of  Natural  History  (Bibl. 
No.  173)  (1852). 


EXPEDITION  TO  THE  MISSOURI     257 

his  choice  of  a  berth  in  Audubon's  favor,  he  observed 
that  "the  green  bale  stirred  a  little, — half  turned  upon 
its  narrow  resting  place,  and  after  a  while  sat  erect,  and 
showed  us,  to  our  no  small  surprise,  that  a  man  was 
inside  of  it.  A  patriarchal  beard  fell  white  and  wavy 
down  his  breast ;  a  pair  of  hawk-like  eyes  glanced  sharply 
out  of  a  fuzzy  shroud  of  cap  and  collar."  When  this 
stranger,  drawn  by  a  sense  of  irrepressible  curiosity,  had 
ventured  near  enough  to  recognize  the  "noble  Roman 
countenance"  thus  obscured,  he  saw  that  it  was  Audu- 
bon  in  his  wilderness  dress;  he  was  "hale  and  erect,  with 
sixty  winters  upon  his  shoulders,  and  like  one  of  his  old 
eagles,  feathered  to  the  heel."  Audubon's  conversa- 
tion, said  this  writer,  was  impulsive  and  fragmentary, 
but  he  showed  him  with  pleasure  some  of  his  original 
drawings  of  animals,  as  well  as  a  living  collection  of 
foxes,  badgers  and  Rocky  Mountain  deer,  which  he  was 
bringing  home. 

To  follow  this  narrator  further: 

The  confinement  we  were  subjected  to  on  board  the  canal- 
boat  was  very  tiresome  to  his  habits  of  freedom.  We  used  to 
get  ashore  and  walk  for  hours  along  the  tow-path  ahead  of  the 
boat;  and  I  observed  with  astonishment  that,  though  over 
sixty,  he  could  walk  us  down  with  ease.  .  .  .  His  physical 
energies  seemed  to  be  entirely  unimpaired.  .  .  .  Another  strik- 
ing evidence  of  this  he  gave  us.  A  number  of  us  were  stand- 
ing grouped  around  him  on  the  top  of  the  boat,  one  clear  sun- 
shiny morning;  we  were  at  the  time  passing  through  a  broken 
and  very  picturesque  region ;  his  keen  eyes,  with  an  abstracted, 
intense  expression,  peculiar  to  them,  were  glancing  over  the 
scenery  we  were  gliding  through,  when  suddenly  he  pointed  with 
his  finger  towards  the  fence  of  a  field,  about  two  hundred  yards 
off.  "See !  Yonder  is  a  Fox  Squirrel,  running  along  the  top 
rail.  It  is  not  often  I  have  seen  them  in  Pennsylvania."  Now 


258       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

his  power  of  vision  must  have  been  singularly  acute,  to  have  dis- 
tinguished that  it  was  a  Fox  Squirrel;  for  only  one  other  per- 
son .  .  .  detected  the  creature  at  all. 


The  second  Mrs.  Victor  G.  Audubon 7  said  that  on 
the  day  the  naturalist  returned,  "the  whole  family,  with 
his  old  friend,  Captain  Cummings,  were  on  the  piazza 
waiting  for  the  carriage  to  come  from  Harlem  ...  He 
had  on  a  green  blanket  coat  with  fur  collar  and  cuffs; 
his  hair  and  beard  were  very  long,  and  he  made  a  fine 
striking  appearance.  In  this  dress  his  son  John  painted 
his  portrait."8  This  interesting  portrait,  which  is  still 
in  possession  of  the  family,  and  which  is  reproduced  by 
his  granddaughter  in  the  work  from  which  we  have  just 
quoted,  shows  a  man  whose  apparent  age,  as  suggested 
by  his  flowing  white  hair  and  grayish  white  beard,  over- 
shoots the  clearer  testimony  of  his  smooth  face  and 
bright  eye;  as  already  noticed,  Audubon  had  not  then 
attained  his  sixtieth  year. 

Upon  his  return  at  this  time  Audubon  is  said  to 
have  been  mistaken  for  a  Dunker,  or  member  of  a  sect 
of  Quakers  noted  for  their  ample  beards.  On  Novem- 
ber 29  Baehman  wrote:  "I  am  glad  to  hear  that  your 
great  beard  is  now  cut  off.  I  pictured  you  to  myself,  as 
I  saw  you  in  my  home,  when  you  came  from  Florida,  via 
Savannah.  You  jumped  down  from  the  top  of  the 
stage.  Your  beard,  two  months  old,  was  as  gray  as  a 
Badger's.  I  think  a  grizzly-bear,  forty-seven  years  old, 
would  have  claimed  you  as  'par  nobile  fratrum.' '  Bach- 
man was  apparently  disturbed  about  Audubon's  per- 
sonal habits  at  this  time,  for  he  added  in  the  letter  just 
quoted:  "I  am  a  teatotaler.  I  drink  no  wine,  and  do  not 

'See  Vol.  II,  p.  294. 

8  See  Maria  R.  Audubon,  op.  cit.,  vol.  ii,  Note  on  pp.  175-6. 


EXPEDITION  TO  THE  MISSOURI      259 

use   snuff.     I   hope   that   you   are   able   to   say  the 


same." 


Spencer  Baird  wrote  to  Audubon  from  Washing- 
ton, November  24,  1843,  to  congratulate  him  upon  the 
safe  return  of  his  western  party,  saying:  "From  time 
to  time  short  notices  of  your  whereabouts  and  doings 
appeared  in  the  newspaper  and  a  thousand  times  I 
wished  that  the  fears  of  my  friends  had  not  prevented 
me  from  accompanying  you  to  the  scenes  of  action." 
Audubon  thought  that  he  might  well  regret  the  diffi- 
culties that  had  stood  in  his  way;  in  replying  he  said 
that  he  had  seen  "not  one  Rattlesnake  and  heard  not  a 
Word  of  bilious  fever,  or  [experienced]  anything  more 
troublesome  than  Moschitoes  and  of  these  by  no  means 
many";  they  had  brought  home  a  Swift  Fox,  an  Ameri- 
can Badger,  and  a  live  Deer,  which  they  thought  might 
prove  to  be  new,  fifteen  new  birds,  as  well  as  a  certain 
number  of  quadrupeds,  besides  "many  of  the  Birds  pro- 
cured on  the  Western  side  of  the  Big  Rocky  Hills  by 
Nuttall  and  Townsend."  He  felt  that  much  still  re- 
mained to  be  done,  his  only  regret  being  that  he  was 
not  what  he  "was  25  Years  ago,  Strong  and  Active, 
for  willing  he  was  as  much  as  ever." 

In  1844  Audubon  brought  to  a  close  his  octavo  edi- 
tion of  the  Birds  by  adding  seventeen  species,  eleven  of 
which  were  new  and  represented  his  discoveries  on  the 
Upper  Missouri  of  the  previous  year.  The  500th  plate, 
and  last  of  the  series  which  marked  the  end  of  Audu- 
bon's  life-long  labors  in  ornithology,  was  dedicated  to 
"Baird's  Bunting,"  Emberiza  bairdii.  "If  a  trace  of 
sentiment  be  permissible  in  bibliography,"  said  Elliott 

9  At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  Bachman  wrote  to  a  friend:  "I  had 
been  a  snuff-taker  for  forty  years,  and  I  had  tried  three  times  to  wean 
myself  from  the  vice.  I  have  done  it  effectually  now.  .  .  ." 


260       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

Coues,10  "I  should  say  that  the  completion  of  that  splen- 
did series  of  plates  with  the  name  bairdii  was  significant ; 
the  glorious  Audubonian  sun  had  set  indeed,  but  in  the 
dedicating  of  the  species  to  his  young  friend  Spencer 
F.  Baird  the  scepter  was  handed  to  one  who  was  to  wield 
it  with  a  force  that  no  other  ornithologist  of  America 
has  ever  exercised." 

"Bibliographical  Appendix  to  Birds  of  the  Colorado   Valley    (Bibl. 
No.  181). 


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  illustra- 
tions of  the  Quadrupeds — Bachman's  letterpress — Recommendation  of 
Baird — John  W.  Audubon  in  London — Bachman's  assistants — His  life 
and  labors — Decline  of  Audubon's  powers — Dr.  Brewer's  visit — Audu- 
bon's last  letters— His  death  at  "Minnie's  Land." 

After  1844  Audubon's  remaining  energies  were  de- 
voted exclusively  to  his  work  on  the  Quadrupeds,  in 
which  it  is  necessary  to  discriminate  between  the  large 
folio  of  illustrations,  which  began  to  appear,  in  parts, 
as  early  as  1842  and  which  was  completed  in  1846;  the 
text,  of  which  he  lived  to  see  but  one  volume  finished; 
and  lastly,  the  first  and  only  composite  edition  of  both 
text  and  plates,  which  was  published  by  Victor  Audubon 
in  1854.1  This  series  of  works,  as  already  noticed,  was 
produced  in  collaboration  with  the  Reverend  John 
Bachman,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina;  Bachman  as- 
sumed entire  responsibility  for  the  text,  but  owing  to 
his  comparative  isolation  from  large  libraries,  and  to 
the  demands  of  professional  duties,  he  depended  on  the 
Audubons  to  supply  him  with  specimens  and  books. 

Honest  John  Bachman,  whose  motto  was,  "Nature, 
Truth,  and  no  Humbug,"  was  suffering  sadly,  he  said, 
from  lack  of  tools,  when  he  wrote  to  Victor  Audubon  in 
November,  1844:2 

JSee  Bibliography,  Nos.  5-7. 

8  See  C.  L.  Bachman,  John  Bachman.  D.D..  LL.D.,  Ph.D.  (Bibl.  No. 
191). 

261 


262       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

The  books  are  to  be  found  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia, 
but  are  expensive.  I  would  not  have  you  buy  them ;  but  could 
you  not  copy  for  me  such  articles  as  we  need? 

I  enclose  my  plan.  I  wish  always,  a  month  before  the  time, 
that  you  would  give  me  notice  of  the  species  you  intend  to  put 
into  the  hands  of  the  engraver,  and  send  me,  at  the  same 
time,  the  specimen.  I  cannot  describe  without  it ;  I  will  guess  at 
nothing. 

I  find  the  labor  greater  than  I  expected,  and  fear  that  I 
may  break  down  and,  therefore,  cry  in  time,  "Help  me  Cas- 
sius  or  I  sink!"  Writing  descriptions  is  slow  and  fatiguing 
work.  I  cannot,  in  the  careful  manner  that  I  am  doing  them 
write  more  than  three  in  a  week.  My  son-in-law,  Haskell,  has 
copied  forty-two  closely  written  pages  for  me.  I  cannot 
shorten  the  articles,  many  of  them  I  ought  rather  to  lengthen. 
With  patience  and  the  help  of  all,  I  hope,  however,  to  get  on — 
the  work  may  be  lighter  as  we  proceed. 

The  following  is  my  daily  practice:  I  am  up  at  4  A.  M., 
and  work  till  breakfast,  and  recently,  when  parochial  duties 
would  permit,  have  kept  on  until  3  P.  M. 

The  brush  of  my  old  friend,  Audubon,  is  a  truth-teller.  I 
regard  his  drawings  as  the  best  in  the  world.  Let  us  be  very 
careful  to  correct  any  errors  of  description  that  have  crept  in 
on  the  plates — I  see  a  few  in  the  lettering — they  can  be  cor- 
rected in  the  letter-press ;  and  let  us  be  so  cautious  as  to  have 
nothing  in  the  future  to  correct.  There  is  but  one  principle 
on  which  a  just  man  can  act;  that  is,  always  to  seek  the  truth 
and  to  abide  by  it. 

Bachman  wrote  again  on  the  29th  of  that  month: 

About  the  little  mouse — I  cannot  see  a  needle  in  a  haystack ; 
or  give  it  a  name  without  knowing  what  it  is.  Friend,  descrip- 
tions cannot  be  written,  as  a  man  works  at  making  Jews-harps 
— so  many  a  dozen  in  a  given  time.  My  credit,  as  well  as  your 
father's,  is  so  deeply  concerned,  that  /  mil  not  publish  a  day 
before  I  am  ready.  .  .  . 


FINAL  WORK  DAYS  263 

I  have  such  confidence  in  you,  that  I  believe  that  you  will 
do  all  that  I  wish.  In  doing  this,  however,  you  will  have  your 
hands  full.  Mine  are  so — God  knows !  Will  not  my  old  friend, 
Audubon,  wake  up,  and  work  as  he  used  to  do,  when  we  banged 
at  the  Herons  and  the  fresh  water  Marsh-hens  ? 

Bachman  explained  that  he  was  the  "schoolmaster,"  and 
when  the  boys  were  a  little  lazy,  he  would  have  to  apply 
the  whip. 

In  March,  1844,  Spencer  Baird  sent  Audubon  a  live 
Pennant's  Marten  or  Fisher,  a  rather  rare  animal  even 
at  that  time,  and  now  all  but  extinct.  Said  Baird:  8 

It  was  found  in  company  with  an  older  one,  in  Peter's 
mountain,  six  miles  above  Harrisburg  about  five  weeks  ago. 
After  a  most  desperate  resistance  the  old  one  was  killed,  hav- 
ing beaten  off  a  large  pack  of  dogs,  to  whose  assistance  the 
hunters  were  obliged  to  run.  This  individual  ran  up  a  tree, 
and  being  stoned  by  the  men,  jumped  off  to  a  distance  of  forty 
feet!  when  being  a  little  stunned  by  the  leap  they  ran  up 
quickly  and  threw  their  coats  over  it,  and  then  secured  it.  The 
old  one  measured  three  feet  and  a  half  from  nose  to  end  of 
tail,  and  was  about  one  third  larger  than  this.  ...  It  seems 
to  be  in  very  good  health,  and  is  without  exception  the  most 
unmitigatedly  savage  beast  I  ever  saw.  The  Royal  Bengal 
Tiger,  or  the  Laughing  Hyena  are  neither  of  them  circum- 
stances to  it. 

Audubon  used  this  marten  as  the  model  for  his  illustra- 
tion of  the  species  (shown  in  natural  size,  Plate  xli  of 
the  Quadrupeds] ;  in  noticing  its  habits  later,  he  said:  4 

3  See  Ruthven  Deane  (Bibl.  No.  51),  The  Auk,  vol.  xxiv  (1907).  To  Mr. 
Deane  I  am  indebted  for  Audubon's  copy  of  a  letter  to  John  Bachman,  soon 
to  follow;  this  was  written  on  several  blank  sheets  at  the  end  of  his  "Copy 
of  my  Journal  from  Fort  Union  homeward.  Commencing  (Sunday)  Aug. 
16th  (1843)  at  12  o'clock,  the  moment  of  our  departure." 

*  The  Viviparous  Quadrupeds  of  North  America  (Bibl.  No.  6),  vol.  i, 
p.  312  (London,  1847). 


264      AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

We  kept  this  individual  alive  for  some  days,  feeding  it  on 
raw  meat,  pieces  of  chicken,  and  now  and  then  a  bird.  It  was 
voracious,  and  very  spiteful,  growling,  snarling  and  spitting 
when  approached,  but  did  not  appear  to  suffer  much  uneasi- 
ness from  being  held  in  captivity,  as,  like  many  other  preda- 
cious quadrupeds  it  grew  fat,  being  better  supplied  with  food 
than  when  it  had  been  obliged  to  cater  for  itself  in  the  woods. 

Baird  also  tried  to  secure  for  Audubon  the  "far- 
famed  catamount"  alive,  which,  from  stories  related  by 
hunters,  he  thought  might  be  different  from  the  young 
of  the  panther  or  puma,  and  also  a  specimen  of  the  true 
black  fox  in  the  flesh;  though  unsuccessful  in  either 
quest,  his  efficient  aid  was  greatly  appreciated  by  his 
friend.  In  February,  1845,  Baird  paid  a  visit  to  the 
Audubons  at  their  Hudson  River  home,  where  he  was 
warmly  received;  as  his  biographer  relates,5  upon  leav- 
ing he  was  invited  to  select  any  duplicate  bird  skins  he 
desired  from  the  naturalist's  collection,  then  at  John  G. 
Bell's  taxidermist  shop  in  New  York;  he  accepted  this 
generous  offer,  and  chose  about  forty  specimens. 

It  is  evident  that  some  trouble-maker  had  disturbed 
the  serenity  of  John  Bachman's  mind  when  the  follow- 
ing interesting  letter  was  written  by  Audubon  to  balm 
the  feelings  of  his  old  friend.  It  is  evident  that  Audubon 
at  this  time  expected  to  collaborate  in  the  letterpress  of 
their  work,  but  that  plan,  according  to  Bachman's  own 
statement,  was  never  carried  out: 

Audubon  to  John  Bachman 
MY  DEAB,   FRIEND  [MINNIE'S  LAND]  Jan.  8,  1845. 

Never  have  I  been  so  much  astonished  as  I  have  been  at  read- 
ing your  letter  to  Victor,  and  to  which  I  feel  myself  bound  to 
answer  at  once. 

8  William  H.  Dall,  Spencer  Fullerton  Baird,  a  Biography  (Bibl.  No. 
52),  p.  121. 


DRAWINGS  FOR  "THE  VIVIPAROUS  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA":  ABOVE,    AMER- 
ICAN PORCUPINE,  DATED  "NEW  YORK,  MARCH  6,  1842,"  AND  PUBLISHED 
IN   1844;  BELOAV,  RABBITS. 

After  the  originals  in  water  color  in  possession  of  the  American  Museum  of 

Natural  History,  New  York. 
Published  by  courtesy  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History. 


FINAL  WORK  DAYS  265 

In  the  first  place  you  must  have  been  most  unmercifully  mis- 
led by  the  "mutual  friend"  of  whom  you  speak,  when  saying 
that  through  that  individual  you  did  understand  that  I  never 
used  your  name  as  a  coadjutor  in  the  work,  which  is  now  pub- 
lishing on  the  Quadrupeds  of  North  America  under  the  names 
of  both  I  and  you — Why  you  should  have  taken  such  a  report 
or  saying  as  truth  is  actually  beyond  my  most  remote  thought, 
and  again,  why  did  you  not  long  ago,  write  to  me  at  once  on 
this  mysterious  subject. 

But  to  put  an  end  to  all  this  stuff,  let  me  assure  you  that 
nothing  of  the  kind  has  ever  taken  place,  and  this  I  could  well 
prove  by  upwards  of  one  hundred  of  our  last  subscribers,  all  of 
whom  would  be  ready  to  testify  that  before  receiving  their 
names  on  my  list,  I  always  mentioned  your  name  to  each  of 
them,  and  many  that  know  you  were  glad  that  I  had  so  good 
arid  so  learned  a  man  at  my  elbow — I  should  amazingly  be  glad 
to  know  who  the  "mutual  friend"  is,  as  I  think  I  could  give 
him  a  lesson  on  propriety,  being  a  mutual  friend,  that  would 
serve  that  kind  gentleman  for  the  residue  of  his  life — But 
enough  of  this,  and  all  that  I  am  sorry  for  is  that  you  should 
not  have  answered  "my  short  letters,"  in  some  of  which  I  par- 
ticularly requested  you  to  forward  me  a  fine  black  bear  and 
one  or  two  wolves,  by  which  you  would  have  saved  me  fully  fifty 
dollars  as  I  have  had  to  pay  sixty  dollars  for  two  of  these  vile 
rascals,  and  two  hundred  dollars  for  a  pair  of  Elks,  besides 
paying  the  highest  of  prices  to  draw  other  animals-^- 

Now  my  friend  I  wish  you  would  set  in  real  earnest,  and 
whenever  it  is  convenient  to  you  in  preparing  the  letter-press 
for  our  work.  I  have  made  a  beginning  and  have  written  Ten 
articles  already  in  days,  to  wit  all  the  plates  of  N°  1,  and 
the  first  of  N°  2  which  are  as  follows — 

Lynx  Rufus — Wild-Cat 

Arctomys  monax — Maryland  Marmot 

Lepus  Townsendii 

Neotoma  Floridana 

Sciurus  Richardsonii 

Canis  (Vulpes)  fulvus 


266       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

The  Beaver 

The  history  of  the  Bison  28  pages 
and  Fiber  Zybethicus  (muskrat)  12  pages, 
Tamias  quadrivittatus 

This  will  shew  you  that  I  have  not  been  very  Idle  since  I 
began  and  I  should  like  to  know  from  you,  whether  you  would 
like  to  see  what  I  have  said  of  these,  as  if  you  do,  I  will  have 
them  copied  as  soon  as  I  receive  your  letter,  and  will  forward 
the  whole,  and  the  additional  written  in  the  interim,  at  the  same 
time.  I  have  a  beautiful  drawing  of  a  fine  male  moose,  that 
of  the  Elk  is  already  engraved,  and  next  week  we  will  forward 
to  the  engraver  no  less  than  five  or  six  drawings  of  the  best 
quality,  by  the  way  I  am  sorry  that  you  should  look  upon 
the  Texan  Skunk  as  a  bad  figure.  The  animal  is  an  ungraceful 
one  in  its  Singular  Colouring,  but  it  is  nevertheless  quite  true 
to  nature,  with  all  its  specific  characters  to  a  T. 

Victor  wrote  to  you  that  I  was  anxious  to  have  your  opin- 
ion about  the  Title  page  and  I  hope  you  will  send  me  your 
ideas  forthwith  on  that  subject.  I  send  you  now  by  mail  a  long 
article  about  our  work  which  I  conceive  and  hope  will  prove 
to  you  that  the  "mutual  friend"  knew  but  very  little  of  my 
feelings  or  actions  or  sayings  as  regards  you — 

I  really  &  most  truly  regret  that  you  should  have  been  put 
out,  and  mis-led  about  this  our  work  by  a  third  party,  who 
must  to  say  the  least  of  it  [have]  abused  your  credulity  to  the 
very  extreme. 

However,  the  sooner  forgotten,  the  sooner  mended,  it  is 
with  deeply  felt  regret  from  every  one  of  my  Family  that  we 
read  the  account  in  your  letter  of  the  condition  of  your  dear 
wife,  but  hope  that  she  will  accompany  you  early  next  spring 
to  visit  our  humble  but  comfortable  residence.  Now  do  Come ! 
Present  our  joint  regards  to  every  one  of  your  family,  and 
believe  me  when  I  say  that  none  will  ever  feel  more  delighted 
than  I,  to  hear  of  the  welfare  of  the  beautiful  "Rabbit"- 

And  now  that  I  am  exceedingly  fatigued,  having  been  writ- 
ing for  upwards  of  seven  hours,  I  will  wish  you  good  night  & 
all  the  blessings  that  God  may  grant  to  [the]  good  man  and 


FINAL  WORK  DAYS  267 

to  every  member  of  his  family — Do  not  forget  me  near  your 
Sweet  heart. 

Your  ever  faithfully  attached  & 

Sincere  friend 

J.  J.  A. 

In  July,  1845,  a  destructive  fire  devastated  a  large 
section  of  the  city  of  New  York,  including  the  ware- 
house in  which  the  copperplates  of  Audubon's  Birds 
were  stored;  many  believed  that  the  plates  had  been 
ruined,  and  one  of  these  was  the  writer  who  after  wit- 
nessing the  event  gave  the  following  dramatic  account :  6 

But  who  had  lost  most  of  all  that  pale  crowd  that  hung  like 
ghosts  around  the  scene,  and  gazed  with  watery  eyes,  and  blue 
compressed  lips,  over  the  ruin?  An  erect  old  man,  with  long 
white  hair,  glanced  his  strong  bright  eye  as  coldly  over  the 
glowing,  smoking  desolation,  as  an  eagle  would,  who  watched 
the  sunrise  chasing  mists  up  from  the  valley.  J.  J.  Audubon 
looks  over  the  grave  of  the  labor  of  forty  years ! 

The  Plates  of  the  Birds  of  America  are  buried  beneath 
those  smoldering  piles  !  Ye  money  changers  dare  not  break  the 
stillness  with  a  sob,  though  the  last  cent  of  your  sordid  hoards 
be  gone!  ...  go  away!  Ye  have  lost  nothing!  .  .  .  Yet 
that  dauntless  old  man  is  not  dismayed ;  he  and  Fate  knew  each 
other's  faces  in  battle  long  ago.  Let  those  who  know  how  to 
love  and  venerate  such  labors — to  sympathize  with  such  griev- 
ous calamities,  exhibit  it  in  their  prompt  patronage  of  the  new 
work  now  issuing — The  Quadrupeds  of  America — and  in  the 
care  which  shall  be  taken  to  preserve  the  volumes  of  the  Plates 
of  the  Birds,  now  in  existence — the  value  of  which  will  be  five- 
fold increased ! 

When  Baird  heard  the  untoward  news,  he  wrote 
from  Carlisle,  August  4,  1845:  "It  is  with  sincerest  re- 

6  Charles  Winterfield  (Bibl.  No.  150),  The  American  Review,  vol.  ii 
(1845). 


268       AUDUBON,  THE  NATURALIST 

gret  that  I  see  by  the  papers  that  your  copper  plates 
were  injured  or  perhaps  ruined  by  the  fire  which  oc- 
curred a  few  weeks  ago.  Various  reports  are  circulated 
respecting  your  loss,  and  among  so  many  contradictory 
ones  it  is  difficult  to  get  at  the  truth  of  the  case.  Might 
I  ask  you  to  let  me  know  the  truth  of  the  matter."  In 
a  postscript  to  this  letter  he  added:  "I  forgot  to  say 
that  I  have  been  elected  professor  of  Natural  History  in 
Dickinson  College.  The  situation  is  entirely  nominal, 
nothing  to  do  &  no  salary  whatever."  Audubon  replied 
promptly  on  the  7th  of  August: 7  "You  have  been  too 
well-informed  about  the  plates  of  our  large  work.  They 
have  indeed  passed  through  the  great  fire  of  the  19  ul° ; 
but  we  are  now  engaged  in  trying  to  restore  them  to 
their  wonted  former  existence ;  although  a  few  of  them 
will  have  to  be  reingraved  for  use,  if  ever  that  work  is 
republished  in  its  original  size  at  all." 

Bachman,  who  paid  a  long  visit  to  the  Audubons 
in  the  late  summer  or  early  autumn  of  1845,  said  that 
while  he  was  at  "Minnie's  Land,"  Audubon  painted 
"Le  Conte's  Pine  Mouse"  with  his  usual  facility  and 
skill,  but  he  detected  a  change  in  his  mental  powers. 
For  a  long  time  Bachman  had  complained  of  the  want 
of  books,  which  the  younger  Audubons  failed  to  supply, 
and  of  lack  of  specimens,  which  no  doubt  their  father 
wished  to  retain  for  use  in  his  own  studies,  until  at 
length  his  patience  was  gone  and  he  tried  another  form 
of  appeal.  The  following  letter 8  to  their  mutual  friend, 
Edward  Harris,  shows  that  he  was  then  determined  to 
throw  up  the  responsibility  which  had  been  assumed  in 
the  Quadrupeds  unless  what  he  regarded  as  "reasonable 
requests"  were  complied  with  forthwith: 

T  William  H.  Dall,  op.  cit.,  p.  124. 
'Jeanes  MSS.    See  Note,  Vol.  I,  p.  180. 


FINAL  WORK  DAYS  269 

John  Bachman  to  Edward  Harris 

CHARLESTON,  Decent.  $4>   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. 


-£. 

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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 


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OHO 
O    ft    H 


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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  "  " 

<c     3  "  une    medecine    pour    le 

mulatre  joue "         6  "  " 

"     8  "  apozeme  purgatif  pour 

le  negre  Dominique.    "         6  "  " 

66  10  "  une  medecine  pour 

Dominique "          6  "  " 

"  15  "  une  medecine  pour 

Zemire    "         6  "  " 

"  20  "  une  medecine  pour  Rose  "         6  "  " 
apozeme  purgatif  pour 

jupiter    "         6  "  " 

21  "  une  medecine  pour 

Dominique "         6  "  " 

may  "     2  "  une    medecine    pour   la 

negresse  therese "         6  "  " 

"  11  "  pour  soins,  visites  et 
remedes  pendant  la 
petite  verole  du  mu- 
latre joue "  66  "  " 

"  21  "  Liqueur  minerale 
d'hoffman  pour  mlle- 

Rabin     "         6  "  " 

juin  "  20  "  inocule  un  petit  negre 

Bossalnommejoue..  "  30  "  " 
juillet  "  20  "  Remis  a  mr  audubon  le 
compte  du  traite- 
ment  de  la  galle  de 
marianne  et  de  sa 
fille,  tout  acquite. .  .  "  36  "  " 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  317 

la.  Translation  of  the  Sanson  bill — Continued. 

April  "  1  "  Purgative  decoction  for 

Joue,  [the]  mulatto  "  6  "  " 

"  3"Amedicine  for  the 

mulatto,  Joue "  6  "  " 

«  8  "  Purgative  decoction  for 

the  negro  Dominique  "  6  "  " 

"  10  "  A  medicine  for  Do- 
minique    "  6  "  " 

"  15  "  A  medicine  for  Zemire.   "         6  "  " 


"  20  "  A  medicine  for  Rose. . .   "         6  "  " 
Purgative  decoction  for 

Jupiter    "         6  "  " 

"  21  "  A  medicine  for  Do- 
minique   "  6  "  " 

May  "     2  M  A     medicine     for     the 

negress  Theresa.  ..."         6  "  " 

«  11  <«  For  attentions,  visits, 
and  remedies  during 
the  smallpox  of  the 
mulatto  Joue "  66  "  " 

"  21  "  Hoffman's  mineral  wa- 
ter for  MUe.  Rabin.  "  6  "  " 

June  "  20  "  Inoculated  a  little  negro 

Bossal  named  Joue..  "  30  "  " 

July  "  20  "  Account  rendered  to  M. 
Audubon  for  treat- 
ment of  the  gale 2 
in  Marian  and  her 
id  a  u  g  h  t  e  r,  all  re- 
ceipted    "  36  «  " 

1  Or  acariasis,  an  affection  of  the  skin  caused  by  the  mange-mite,  Demo- 
dex  folliculorum,  a  microscopic  arachnid  parasite  found  in  the  sebaceous 
glands  of  dog  and  man. 


318  APPENDICES 

1.  The  original  Sanson  bill — Continued. 

«  14  "  apozeme  purgatif  pour 

le  negre  jean  ma9on.    "          6  "  " 


"  16  "  une  medecine  pour  jean 

mason    «         6  "  " 

"  21  "  saigne  au  bras  mr  audu- 

bon     "         3  "  " 

"  23  "  eau  de  tamarinds 
compee-  pour  mr  au- 
dubon  "  10  "  " 

"  24«  "  une  medecine  en  deux 
Dozes  pour  mr  audu- 

bon     "       10  «  " 

gbre.  «<  gg  «  une    medecine    pour    le 

negrillon  joue "         6  "  " 

"  23  "  traite  soigne  et  fourni 
le  medicament  a  joue 
attaque  de  piano.  . .  "  132  "  " 


L         513  "  " 

[Page  2] 

Suite   de  1'autre   part  L     513  "  " 

gbre.  «  25  «  saigne     au     bras     mlle- 

Rabin    "         3  "  « 

"  26  "  Liqueur      minerale 
d'hoffman  pour  mlle* 

Rabin     "         6  "  " 

"  30  "  une   medecine    pour   le 

negrillon  joue "         6  "  " 

gbre  «  15  «  une    medecine    pour    le 

negrillon  joue "         6  "  " 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  319 

la.  Translation  of  the  Samon  bill — Continued. 

September  "  14  "  Purgative  decoction  for 
the  negro,  John  Ma- 
son [or  John,  ma- 
son(?)]  «  6  "  " 

"  16  "  A    medicine    for    John 

Mason    "         6  "  " 

"  21  "  Bled    M.    Audubon    at 

the  arm "         3  «  « 

"  23  "  Tamarind  water  com- 
pound for  M.  Audu- 
bon    «  10  «  " 

"  24  "  A  medicine  in  two  doses 

forM.  Audubon "       10  "  « 

October  "  22  "  A  medicine  for  the  lit- 
tle negro  Joue "  6  "  " 

"  23  "  Treated,  attended,  and 
furnished  remedies 
for  Joue  attacked  by 
the  pian3 "  132  «  " 


L         513  « 
[Page  2] 

Brought  forward  from 

other  part L    513  " 

October       "  25  "  Bled    Mile.    Rabin    at 

the  arm "         3  "  " 

"  26  "  Hoffman's  mineral  wa- 
ter for  Mile.  Rabin.   "         6  "  " 
"  30  "  A  medicine  for  the  lit- 
tle negro  Joue "         6  "  ** 

November  "  15  "  A  medicine  for  the  lit- 
tle negro  Joue «         6  «  " 

8  A  skin  disease  to  which  negroes  in  Central  America  are  specially 
prone. 


320  APPENDICES 

1.  The  original  Sanson  bill — Continued. 


1785    Janvier 


fevrier 


mars 


avril 


"  8  "  une  medecine  pour  joue 
"  18  "  une  medecine  pour  mr 

audubon  

"  SI  "  une  medecine  pour  le 

negrillon  joue 

«  15  «  gonce.  manne  pour  mlle. 

Rabin     

"  18  "  une    medecine    pour    le 

tonneliere  

"  6  "  une  medecine  pour  le 

tonneliere  

"  10  "  une  medecine  pour  le 

tonneliere  

"  11  "  trois  Dozes  de  kina 

pour  le  tonneliere.  . 
"  12  "  trois  Dozes  de  kina 

pour  le  tonneliere .  . 
"  13  "  trois  Dozes  de  kina 

pour  le  tonneliere.  . 
"  14  "  trois  Dozes  de  kina 

pour  le  tonneliere.  . 
%  "  une  visite  de  nuit  pour 

mlle  Rabin 

3  "  une  Lotion  pour  un 

Eresipele,    que    mlle- 

Rabin  a  a  la  jambe. 
5  "  une  Lotion  pour  mlle> 

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<cAmedicine  for  the 

cooper  "  6  "  " 

4  See  Vol.  I,  p.  54. 


322  APPENDICES 

1.  The  original  Sanson  bill — Continued. 

"     9  "  trois     Dozes     de     kina 

pour  le  tonneliere.  . .    "         9  "  " 

"  10  "  trois     Dozes     de     kina 

pour  le  tonneliere ..."         9  "  " 

<c  11  "  trois     Dozes     de     kina 

pour  le  tonneliere .  .  .   "         9  "  " 

"  12  "  trois     Dozes     de     kina 

pour  le  tonneliere .  .  .   "         9  "  " 

"  24*  "  Passe  la  nuit  pres  de 
mUe-  Rabin,  en  mal 
d  enfant  «  66  "  " 

"  25  "  Passe  la   nuit   pres   de 

mlle-  Rabin "       66  "" 

"  26  "  mlle-    Rabin    est    ac- 

couchee    "        . .   "  « 

may  "  2  "  une  visite  de  nuit  et 
Liqueur  minerale 
d'h.p.mlle-  Rabin "  16  "  " 

"  3  K  Liqueur  minerale 
d'hoffman  p.mlle-  Ra- 
bin   "  6  "  " 

"  4  «  six  Bouteilles  d'eau 
blanche  pour  les 
cataplasmes  neces- 
saires  au  mal  de  sein 

demlle-  Rabin "       18  "  w 

juin  "  19  "  ouvert  un  abces  au  sein 

de  mlle'  Rabin  soins 
et  pour  pansements.   "       36  "  " 

w  26  "  une  medecine  pour  au- 

gustin  negriUon «         6  "  " 

L        897 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  323 

la.  Translation  of  the  Sanson  bill — Continued. 

"     9  "  Three  doses  of  kino  for 

the  cooper «  9  «  " 

"  10  "  Three  doses  of  kino  for 

the  cooper "  9  «  " 

«  11  "  Three  doses  of  kino  for 

the  cooper "  9  «  " 

«  |2  «  Three  doses  of  kino  for 

the  cooper "  9  "  " 

«  24  «  Passed  the  night  with 

Mile.     Rabin     [who 

was]  in  child-birth. .  "  66  "  " 
"  25  "  Passed  the  night  with 

Mile.  Rabin "  66  "  " 

"  26  "  Mile.  Rabin  is  delivered  "  . .  "  " 

May  "     2  "  A  night  visit  and  Hoff- 

man's mineral  water 
for  Mile.  Rabin....   "       16  «  " 
"     3  "  Hoffman's  mineral  wa- 
ter for  Mile.  Rabin.   «         6  "  " 

"  4  "  Six  bottles  of  eau 
blanche  for  poultices 
needed  in  an  affec- 
tion of  the  breast  of 

Mile.  Rabin "       18  "  " 

June  "  19  "  Opened   an   abscess    in 

the  breast  of  Mile. 
Rabin  ;  for  atten- 
tions and  dressings.  "  36  "  " 

"  26  "  A  medicine  for  the  lit- 
tle negro  Augustine.  "  6  "  " 

L         897  "  " 


324  APPENDICES 

1.  The  original  Sawon  bill — Continued. 

[Page  3] 

Suite  de  Pautre  part. .   L     897  tt  " 

juin  "  30  "  une  medecine  pour  au- 

gustin    L         6  "  " 

juillet          "     1  "  une    medecine    pour   la 

vielle  Jeanne "         6  "  " 

"  16  "  une  medecine  pour 

mt116-]  Rabin "       10  "  " 

aout  "  15  "  une  medecine  pour  mUe< 

Rabin    "       10  "" 

"        eau    blanche    pour    mr 

audubon     «         3  "  " 

**  20  "  une  medecine  pour  mr 

aubinais  commis .  . . .   "       10  "" 
"  22  "  une  medecine  pour  mr 

aubinais "       10  "  " 

"  24  "  tinture     de     Rhubarbe 

pour  mr  aubinais ..."         6  "  " 
«  26  "  tinture     de     Rhubarbe 

pour  mr  aubinais ..."         6  "  u 
7bre.  «  ^3  «  une  bouteille  vin  medici- 

nal   pour    le    negre 

enfl6 «       15  "" 

«  gY  "  une    medecine   pour   la 

vielle  Jeanne "         6  "  " 

gbre  «     ^  «  une    medecine    pour    le 

nfcgre  enfl^ «         6  "  " 

"  11  <(  une   medecine   pour   le 

nfcgre  enfle «         6  «  « 

w  16  "  une  medecine  pour 

there-se  .  .   "         6  "  rt 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  325 

la.  Translation  of  the  Sanson  bill — Continued. 

i 
[.Page  3] 

Brought  forward  from 

the  other  part L    897  "  " 

June            "  30  "  A  medicine  for  Augus- 
tine       "         6  «  « 

July  "     1  "  A  medicine  for  old  Jane  "         6  "  " 

«  16  "  A  medicine  for  M[lle.] 

Rabin  «  10  "" 

August  "  15  "  A  medicine  for  Mile. 

Rabin  "  10  «  « 

"  Eau  blanche  for  M.  Au- 

dubon  "  3  «  « 

«  20  "  A  m  e  d  i  c  i  n  e  f  or  M. 

Aubinais,  clerk "  10  "  " 

"  22  "  A  medicine  f  or  M. 

Aubinais  "  10  «" 

«  24«  "  Tincture  of  rhubarb 

for  M.  Aubinais .  . .  .  "  6  "  u 
"  26  "  Tincture  of  rhubarb 

forM.  Aubinais....  «  6  "  " 
September  "  23  "  A  bottle  of  medicinal 

wine    for    a    swollen 


"        15 


negro 

"  27  "  A  medicine  for  old  Jane  "         6  "  " 

October  "  7"Amedicine  for  the 

swollen  negro "  6  " 

"  11  "  A  m  e  d  i  c  i  n  e  for  the 

swollen  negro "  6  " 

«  16  "  A  medicine  for  Theresa  "         6  w  " 


326  APPENDICES 

1.  The  original  Sanson  bill — Continued. 


"  19  "  une  medecine  pour 

therese   .  .   «          6  "  " 


acceptee  apercu  [?]  Le  12  octob  L  1009  "  " 

1786 

AUDUBON     330 


1339  "  " 


Pour  acquit  aux  cayes  ce  7  juin  1787 

SANSON 


Recu  de  Mr 

Sanson 
7.  Juin  1787. 


1784    Janvier  traite  mr.  . . . 

soins  et  f ourni  services .  .  .   330  " 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  327 

la.  Translation  of  the  Sans  on  bill — Continued. 

"  19  "  A  medicine  for  Theresa  "         6  "  " 


Accepted  vised  [?]  October  12        L  1009  "  " 

1786 

AUDUBON     330 


1339  "  " 


Paid  at  Les  Cayes  this  7th  June,  1787 

SANSON 


M.  Sanson's  receipt 
June  7,  1787. 


1784  January  Treated 
M . . .  .  For  care  and  serv- 
ices rendered  . 


328  APPENDICES 

2.  Copy  of  the  Act  of  Adoption  of  Fougere  (John  James 
Audubon)  and  Muguet  (Rosa  Audubon).  Nantes,  March 
7,  1794.  (For  translation,  see  Chapter  IV.) 

Extrait  des  registres  des  naissances  des  sections  de  la  Halle 
et  de  Jean-Jacques  de  la  commune  de  Nantes,  departement  de  la 
Loire-Inferieure,  le  17  Ventose,  an  2  de  la  Republique,  une  et 
indivisible,  10  heures  du  matin. 

Devant  moi  Joseph  Theulier,  officier  public  elu  pour  con- 
stater  Fetat-civil  des  citojens,  ont  comparu  en  la  maison  com- 
mune Jean  Audubon,  commandant  la  corvette  "le  Cerbere," 
batiment  de  la  Republique,  age  de  49  ans,  natif  des  Sables- 
d'Olonne,  departement  de  la  Vendee  et  Anne  Moinet  son  epouse, 
agee  de  58  ans,  native  de  la  ci-devant  paroisse  de  Saint-Leo- 
nard, de  cette  commune,  lesquels  assistes  de  Rene  Toussaint 
Julien  Beuscher,  fabricant,  age  de  25  ans  demeurant  section 
de  la  Halle  rue  Rubens  et  de  Julien  Pierre  Beuscher,  chirurgien 
marin,  age  de  24  ans,  demeurant  section  de  la  Fraternite,  rue 
du  Marchix,  et  employe  par  continuation  sur  la  dite  corvette 
le  Cerbere,  m'ont  declare  adopter  et  reconnaitre  des  ce  moment 
comme  leurs  propres  enfants  savoir: 

Un  enfant  male  nomme  Fougere,  issu  depuis  le  mariage 
d'eux  comparant  controle  le  24  Aout  1772  dans  la  commune 
de  Paimboeuf  en  ce  departement  de  lui  Jean  Audubon  avec  une 
habitante  de  1'Amerique  morte  il  y  a  environ  huit  ans  et  une 
enfant  femelle  nommee  Muguet  issue  aussi  depuis  le  mariage  sus 
dit  de  lui  Jean  Audubon  d'une  autre  habitant  de  1'Amerique 
nommee  Catherine  Bouffard  dont  il  ignore  le  sort. 

Les  deux  enfants  ci-presents,  ages  le  premier  de  9  ans  qui 
echoieront  le  3  Floreal  prochain,  le  second  de  7  ans  que  echoie- 
ront  aussi  au  7  Floreal  prochain  tous  deux  nes  en  Amerique 
d'apres  cette  declaration  que  les  temoins  ci-dessus  ont  certifie 
veritable,  'j'ai  redige  le  present  acte  que  le  pere  naturel  et  la 
mere  adoptive  ainsi  que  leurs  temoins  ont  signe  avec  moi  les 
dits  jour  et  an. 

Signe  au  registre:  AUDUBON  Citoyenne  ANNE  MOINET 
JEAN  AUDUBON,  BEUSCHER  &  BEUSCHER  JEUNE. 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  329 

3.  Copy  of  the  Act  of  Baptism  of  Jean  Jacques  Fougere  Audu- 
bon.  Nantes,  October  83,  1800.  (For  translation,  see 
Chapter  IV.) 


Premier  brumaire,  an  neuvieme. 

Nous  soussignes  certifions  avoir  baptise  ce  jour,  premier 
brumaire,  an  9  de  la  Republique,  Jean  Jacques  Fougere  Audu- 
bon  fils  adoptif  de  Jean  Audubon  lieutenant  de  vaisseau  de  la 
Republique  et  d'Anne  Moinet  sa  legitime  epouse,  presents  et 
certifiant  1'adoption  qu'ils  ont  fait  du  dit  Fougere  ainsi  et  de  la 
meme  maniere  qu'il  est  porte  dans  Facte  ci-dessus. 

Signe:  TARDIVEAU,  pretre  de  Saint- 
Similien  de  la  Ville  de  Nantes. 


330  APPENDICES 

4.  Copy  of  a  bill  of  sale  of  Negroes  rendered  by  Monsieur 
Ollivier  to  Monsieur  Audubon.  Les  Cayes,  Santo  Domingo, 
1785. 

1785. — M.  Audubon  doit  a  Ollivier  ce  qui  suit: 

Juillet  pour  4  negresses  a  1750  7.000 

1         "  1750  1.750 

—       —     1  negresse  borgne  1.600 

*—       —     1  negritte  1.200 

11.590 

Pour  acquit  en  compte  et  billet  a  mon  ordre  sous  la  reserve 
d'une  augmentation  de  cent  livres  sur  la  negritte  si  elle  vit  au 
dela  de  six  mois. 

Aux  Cayes,  le  25  Juillet  1785. 

Signer  QLLIVIEE. 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  331 

5.  Statement  of  Accounts  of  Messrs.  Audubon,  Lacroix,  For- 
mon,  #  Jacques  m  the  purchase  of  negroes  from  M.  Th. 
J ohm ton,  Les  Cayes,  Santo  Domingo,  1785.  (For  com- 
ment, see  Chapter  III.) 


Compte  de  vente  frais  et  net  produit  de  quarante  negres 
achetes  de  Monsieur  Th.  JOHNSTON,  de  compte  a  demi  entre 
MM.  AUDUBON  LACROIX  FORMON  &  JACQUES,  pour 
prix  la  somme  de  soixante  mille  livres,  payee  au  dit  sieurs  la 
dite  somme  comme  suit: 

Par  Monsieur  Audubon  20.000) 

Par  Lacroix  Formon  &  Jacques  40.000} 

60.000 


1785  Vendu  par  Monsieur  AUDUBON,  dont  il  se  charge: 


Fevrier  11  1  a.  .Reynaud  Chateaudun        f  1650 

12  1        -  Garreau  2100 

12  3  —  Bourseret  6000 

12  1  —  Lui-meme  1500 

14  2        -  Cossard  3564 

15  1  Lenoir  1782 

18  1        -  Blanchet  1782 

19  3  —  Jacques  Bourry  6000 
Mars      24  3  —  Bouffard  4950 

24  1  —  Lui-meme  1500 

24  1  —  Ch.  Gettee  1800 

%4  1  _  Bouffard  1650 

19  tetes  34.278 


332 


APPENDICES 


Vendu  par  Lacroix  Formon  &  Jacques 
dont  il  se  charge : 


Fevrier  12  3  a.  Bourseret 

12  I  —  Menard 

12  2  Reynaud  fils 

13  2  —  Peridigon 

13  3  —  Maillet  Lacoste 

15  1  —  Dugay 

19  3  —  Jacques  Bourry 

19  1  —  Lui-meme 

19  1  —  Eux-memes 

19  1  —  Begon  M. 

—         19  2  —  Millet 


6000 
2000 
3780 
3800 
5700 
1712 
6000 
1782 
1500 
1700 
3300 


Mars  2  A.    1  de  mort  chez  Villeneuve  chirurgien 

pour  memoire ;     37.274 


f 71.552 


Frais  a  deduire  payes  par  Lacroix 
Formon  &  Jacques 

Pour  80  regimes  de  bannanes     15 
—       8  tetes  de  boeuf  3 

Paye  a  Villeneuve  chirurgien 
pour  le  traitement  du  negre  mort 


60 


99 


183 


Net  produit:     f     71.369 

35.684.10 
34.278.  " 
II  lui  est  du  pour  Lacroix  Formon  &  Jacques  1.406.10 


La  demi  de  Monsieur  Audubon 
II  a  re9u  en  les  reprises  dont  il 
se  charge : 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  333 

Clos  et  arrete  le  present  compte  en  double  par  lequel  il 
resulte  que  M.  Audubon  doit  a  Lacroix  Formon  &  Jacques  dix 
mille  livres  pour  sa  demi  du  payement  des  dits  negres  dont  il 
les  debite  au  compte  courant  arrete  ce  jour  en  double,  et  les 
dits  Lacroix  Formon  &  Jacques  devant  au  dit  Sieur  Audubon 
celle  de  cent  six  livres  dix  pour  sa  demi  qui  lui  revient  du  net 
produit  de  la  vente  des  dits  negres,  lesquels  portes  au  credit 
des  deux  comptes  courant,  dont  quitte  aux  Cayes,  le  plus  porte 
au  credit  de  M.  Audubon  la  somme  de  dix  sept  cent  quatre- 
vingt  deux  livres  pour  la  demi  du  billet  du  sieur  Collard  qui 
nous  reste  aux  Cayes  le  16  Septembre  1785. 

Pour  MM.  Lacroix  Formon  &  Jacques 
Signe :     CLEEC 

Nous  avons  re$u  ide  M.  Audubon  la  somme  de  trente  mille 
livres  pour  la  portion  d'achat  des  dits  negres  au-dessus. 
Aux  Cayes,  le  16  Septembre  1785. 

Pour  MM.  Lacroix  Formon  &  Jacques 
Signe :     CLEEC. 


334  APPENDICES 

6.  Copy  of  bill  of  sale  of  Negroes  to  Monsieur  Audubon,  and 
a  statement  of  his  account  with  Messrs.  Lucas  Brothers 
<$•  Constant.  Les  Cayes,  Santo  Domingo,  August  7,  1785- 
June  9,  1788.  (For  comment,  see  Chapter  III.) 


Nous  soussignes  declarons  avoir  vendu  et  livre  a  Monsieur 
Audubon,  negociant  de  cette  ville  les  negres  ci-apres,  nation 
Hibo  et  Canga  .... 

Savoir : 

1  nomme  Autron       Etampe  Lucas 

1      —  Jupiter 

1      —  Antoine 

1      —  Pitre 

1      —  Thehimaque    — 

1      —  Jeanpierre       — 

1      —  Magloire         —  Jh.  Lucas 

1      — •  Lagrilade 

1      —  Patte 

1      —  Parisse 

— .Negresses. — 
1  nominee  Fran9oise 
1      —         Lucie 
1      —         Julie 

13  Ensemble  treize  negres  ou  negresses  a  deux  mille  livres 
chaque  formant  la  somme  de  vingt  six  mille  livres  sur  laquelle 
somme  nous  avons  re9u  vingt-quatre  mille  livres  comme  suit: 

16.000     en  un  mandat  en  sucre  sur  MM.  Lacroix  Formon 

&  Jacques. 

7.100 — 17 — 8  en  un  billet  de  Formon  Plumardiere. 
889—24  en  son  billet. 

24.000    pour    payement    et    a    compte    des    treize    negres 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  335 

ci-dessus  detailles,  dans  le  nombre  desquels  le  nomme  Patte  pour 
engagement  de  le  livrer  a  M.  Audubon  des  qu'il  sera  en  etat 
de  se  rendre  aux  Cayes.  Le  dit  sieur  Audubon  se  reservant 
vue  dessus  quand  nous  lui  en  ferons  la  remise  pour  le  prix 
de  la  somme  de  deux  mille  livres  en  argent  comptant  et  moi 
Audubon  accepte  le  dit  marche  et  declare  avoir  re9u  livraison 
des  douze  tetes  de  negres  ou  negresses  que  j'ai  bien  vus  et  visites 
et  desquels  je  suis  satisfait,  aux  Cayes,  le  7  Aout  1785. 

Signe:   AUDUBON — LUCAS  FRERES. 

Nous  avons  re$u  a  compte  de  M.  Audubon  162 

660 

882 

Pour  acquit  porte  en  debit  de  notre  compte  courant  arrete 
ce  jour,  au  Fond,  le  9  Juin  1788. 

LUCAS  FBEBES  &  CONSTANT. 


336  APPENDICES 

7.  Accounts  of  William  Bakezvell,  of  "Fatland  Ford,"  as 
protege  of  his  future  son-in-law  and  as  attorney  or  agent 
for  Audubon  #  Rosier,  giving  certain  exact  indications 

Messrs  Audubon  &  Rozier 

1805 

Jan         4  Cash  for  sundries 11.25 

12  d°  1 

18  Brother    .  150.. 


1807  i 

Apl       22     Cash  Mr  Rozier 66. 

Advertis'ts  in  Philada  &  Norristown  .  .  7. 

Cash  pd  M  Fisher 40. 

d°  paid  Vendreman 8. 


1808 

Adv.ts  &  hand  bills 3.75 

Cash  Mr  Pears 14.50 

May  3  Exps  of  Horses  to  Philada 4.76 

20  Sundries  18.50 

June  8  Cash 3.18 

17  Smith's  work 5.00 

Advertise*  1. .  . 

Oct  10  Exchange  of  Horse 10 

Keep  of  Horses  23  weeks 42.50 

Decr  31  Cash  pd  Mr  Pears 18.92 


NOTE  BY  THE  AUTHOR.  This  record  proves  that  Audubon  upon  his  first 
return  to  France  from  the  United  States,  must  have  left  "Mill  Grove'*  on 
the  12th  of  January,  1805,  or  not  more  than  a  day  later;  three  days  were  re- 
quired to  walk  to  New  York,  which  could  not  have  been  reached  later  than 
the  15th,  and  probably  as  many  more  were  needed  for  a  letter  to  go  to 
"Fatland  Ford."  He  probably  sailed  for  Nantes  shortly  before  January 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  337 

of  ike  naturalist's  movements  and  personal  relations,  before  and 
after  finally  leaving  "Mill  Grove."  January  ^,  1805 — 
April  9,  1810.  (For  further  reference,  see  Chapter  VIII.) 

in  a/c  with  Wm  Bakewell  Cr 

1805 

March  18     Cash  .  5.. 


1807 

Apl         1     Cash  of  Miller 150. 

d°  of  Jackson  .  50. 


1808 

Jan  8     d°  of  Longacre 50. .. 

Apl  2     d°  of  Longacre 50. .. 

do  25     d 100.. . 

May  12     d°  formon 31.84 

Dec  20     Cash  of  Longacre 30 


18,  the  day  when  William  Bakewell  recorded  that  he  had  sent  his  "brother," 
Benjamin  Bakewell,  commission  merchant  in  New  York,  $150;  this  was  un- 
doubtedly in  payment  of  the  loan  which  the  brother  in  New  York  had 
made  to  young  Audubon  for  his  passage  to  France.  The  next  item,  of 
April  22,  1807,  was  for  money  advanced  to  Ferdinand  Rozier,  probably 
when  he  was  acting  as  clerk  to  Laurence  Huron,  in  Philadelphia;  "ad- 


338  APPENDICES 

7.  Accounts  of  Wittiam  Eakewell,  of  "Fatland  Ford"  as 
protege  of  his  future  son-in-law  and  as  attorney  or  agent 
for  Audubon  fy  Rozier,  giving  certain  exact  indications 

Mess"  Audubon  &  Rozier 

1809 

Advertise18  &  Vendue  Exps 12.82 

25  Bills  payable  to  W.  Thomas 607.10 

Cash  pd  Mr  Page  for  powr  of  Attorney  1.37 

13  Paid  Attachment  fees 9.28 

Cash  paid  for  tax 2.91 

25  mortes  [?]  &  half  taxes 7 


Commission  7998  a  1  1-2  per  Cent 119.97 


Jany     23     omitted  Exps  at  Vendue 3.77 


$1176.91 


vertisements  in  Philadelphia  and  Norristown"  possibly  had  reference  to 
the  lease  and  final  sale  of  "Mill  Grove"  of  the  year  before.  Miers  Fisher 
was  the  Quaker  merchant,  who  for  many  years  served  as  Lieutenant  Audu- 
bon's  American  agent  and  attorney,  and  who  was  later  the  adviser  of  his 
son  and  Ferdinand  Rozier.  Thomas  W.  Pears,  a  relative  by  marriage  of 
the  Bakewells,  was  with  Audubon  in  Benjamin  BakewelPs  office  in  New 
York,  and  afterwards  associated  with  him  and  Thomas  W.  Bakewell  in 
their  disastrous  mill  experiment  at  Henderson,  Kentucky.  The  bill  of 
William  Thomas,  former  Quaker  tenant  of  "Mill  Grove,"  was  possibly  in 
liquidation  of  his  claim  against  Lieutenant  Audubon  and  Dacosta  in  their 
mining  operations  at  this  farm  (see  the  letters  to  Dacosta,  Vol.  I,  p.  117). 
The  credit  entry  under  May  12,  1808.  "formon — 31.84,"  may  represent  in- 
terest collected  on  an  unsettled  claim  of  Lieutenant  Audubon  against  Mr. 
Formon,  a  former  partner  in  Santo  Domingo,  in  relation  to  the  sale  of  the 
ships,  the  Count  of  Artois  and  the  Annette  (see  Chapter  II,  p.  33). 
Dacosta  had  been  urged  to  apply  to  Mr.  Formon's  son-in-law,  who  appears 
to  have  lived  at  Philadelphia,  but  was  unable  to  obtain  anything  from  the 
Formon  estate.  The  "Cash  of  Dacosta  299.44"  possibly  represented  inter- 
est on  the  mortgage  which  we  have  assumed  was  given  to  Audubon  and 
Rozier  when  Dacosta  and  his  mining  company  came  into  possession  of 
"Mill  Grove,"  September  15,  1806  (see  Chapter  XI,  p.  148). 


ORIGINAL  DOCUMENTS  339 

of  the  naturalist's  movements  and  personal  relations,  before  and 
after  finally  leaving  "Mitt  Grove."     January  4>  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.