Alabama state intelligencer., 1831-10-15
From Blaekwood's Magazine. AUDUBON'S ORNITHOLOGY.

AUDUBONS ORNITHOLOGY.
 Before speaking of the magnificent design of Au- dnbon fast being accomplished let us first &C., quaint readers with the Man. In an autobiogra- phica sketch-would that it had been finished pie ture-prefxed to the volume now before US, he ex- hibits many traits of his simple, snglehearted en- thusastc, enterprising, and perseverng character, which it is impossible to regard without affectionate admiration. He calls himself in the pride of genius and patriotism, an " American Woodsman." And when, some five years ago, we first set eyes on him Tn party of iterat, in stately Ednborough thron. ed on Crags," he was such an American woodsman as took the shine out of us modern Athenians. Tho dressed, of course, somewhat after the fashion of ourselves his long raven locks hung curling over his shoulders, yet unshorn from the wilderness. They were shaded across his open forehead with simple elegance, such civilized Christian might be sup posed to give his "fell of hair" when practising "every man his own peruquier," in some liquid mir TOT in the forest-glade, employing, perhaps for a comb, tho claw of the Bald Eagle His saow, fine featured face, bespoke sort of wild independence, and then such an eye, keen that of the falcon!- His foreign accent and broken English speech-for he Is of French descent-removed him still farther outof the commonplace circle ofthis every day world of ours-and his whole demeanor-it might be with us partly maginaon-was colored to our thought by character of conscious freedom and dignity which he had habitually acquired in hs long and lonely wandering among the woods where he had lvodin ne uncompanloned love aDd delgh: of Ma ture, and in the studous observation of all the ways of her winged children that forever futtered over his paths, and roasted the tree at whose feet he lay at night beholding them still the sole images that haunted his dreams. All this, we admit, must have had over it a strong tncture of imagination for we had been told of his wandering life and his wonder full pencil but the entire appearance of the man most appropriate to what had for so many years been his calling and bore upon it, not to be mistaken for moment or overlooked the impress not of sin guarty but of originality; in one word of genius self-nursed, selfrpened and selEtuored among the lnexhaustible treasures of the Forest, on which, in one soulengrossing pursuit it had lavshed its dear | est and divinest passion. Nor will this language sound extravagant to those who know Audubon. and that the man is never for an hour distinct in his be- ing, from the Ornithoogist But hear him speak of himsell-
 "I received life and light in the New World When had hardly yet learned to walk, and to arti- cuate those first words endearing to parents the productions of Nature that lay spread all around, were constantly pointed out to me. They soon be- came my playmates; and before my ideas were sui
 cently formed to enable me to estimate the differ ence between the azure tnts of the sky and the emerald hue of the bright foliage, felt that an | intimacy with them, not consisting of friendship merely, but bordering on frenzy, must accompany my steps through life; and now more than ever, am persuaded of the power of those early impressions They laid such hold upon me, that when removed from the woods, the prares and the brooks, shut up from the view ofthe wide Atlantic, experienced none of those pleasures most congenla to my mind. None but erial companions suited by fancy. No | roof seemed so serene to me that formed of the dense foliage under which the feathered tribes were seen to resort the caves and Assures of the massy | rocks, to which the dark-winged cormorant and the cuew retired to rest prOtectthemseves fromthe fury ofthe tempest. My father generally accompani- Tod, hirl. ,, great eagcrness,-point out the elegant movements of the former the beauty and soness of their plu- mage, the manifestations their pleasure of danger-dnd the always perfect forms and splendid attire of the latter. My valued preceptor would then speak of the departure and return of birds with the seasons, would describe their haunts and more won- derful than all their change of livery; thus exciting me to study them and to raise my mind towards their creator.
 " A vivid pleasure shone upon those days of my early youth attended with camness offeeling, that seldom failed to rive my attention for hours, whilst gazed in extacy upon the pearly and shining eggs, as they lay embedded in the softest down among dried leaves and twigs, or exposed upon the burning sand weather beaten rocks four Atlantic shores.
 was taught to look upon them as flowers yet in the bud. watched their opening to see how Nature has provided each different species with eyes, either open at birth, closed for time after; to the slow progress of the young birds to perfection, or admire the ceerty with which some of them, while yet unhedged, removed themselves from dan ger to security.
 "I grew up, and my wishes grew with my form. These wishes, kind reader, for the entire pos session of all that saw. was ervently desrcus of becoming acquainted with Nature. For many years, however, l was sadly disappointed and forever, doubtless, must have desires which cannot be gra- tifed. The moment a bird was dead, however beau tiful it had been when in life, the pleasure arising from the possession oft became blunted; and aho' the greatest cares were bestowed on endeavors to preserve the appearance of nature, looked upon its vesture more than sullied as requiring constant attention and repeated mendings, while, after all, it could no longer be said to be fresh from the hands of its maker. I wished to possess the productions of Nature, but wished life with them. This was i'm possible. Then what to be done9 turned to my father, and made known to him my disappoint- ment and anxiety. He produced book of Mustra- tiOns. A life ran in my veins ] turned over the leaves with anxiety; and although what saw not what longed for, it gave me desire to CO., py Nature. To Nature l went and tried to initiate her, as in the days of my childhood had tried to raise myself from the ground and stand erect, before Nature had mpared the vgor necessary for the suc- cess of such an undertaking.
 "How sorely disappointed did feel for many years, when saw that my productions were worse than those which ventured (perhaps n silence) to regard as bad in the book given me by my father | NY pencll gave Drtn to Iaiiiiy ol cripples. DO maimed were most of them that they resembled the mangled corpses on field of battle, compared with the integrity of living men. These difficulties and disappontments irritated me- but never for moment destroyed the desire of obtaining perfect representa- tions of Nature. The worse my drawings were the more beautiful did see the originals. To have been torn from the stuIy would have been as death to me- My time was entirely occupied with it. Iproduced hundreds of these rude sketches annually, and for long time, at my request they made bonfres on the anniversaries of my birth day'
 Whilst yet boy, he was sent to Paris, and studied