New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-19

=. .ho roupher regions He went to Kentucky
ona mot MANY folk there besides dancing men
| and pretty women. They taught mn" p
| living II they did not teach MIN pruoe"'',
| learned to shoot in buckskin instead vi 'u'".''
| though he was still capable of leaving his pack
horses TO 60 on without him through the WOODS
| while he followed the warnings OF some nc"
| bird. BY the time he reached Europe WI" w
| first of his famous drawings to exhiot " ''
| connoisseurs and specialists OF fu"oo e
London and Paris he was the man whom SCOT
dosor,ha. tho man in whom simplicity Is the
| rrodonirant characteristic" The transition
having been accomplished. Audubon becomes
one of the most fascinating figures in American
| history One forgves the old heedlessness' DIG
| condones the rowing disposition OF man who'"
| we should perhaps prefer to see hHeo HUI
permanently at his wife's side. one reihe'
bers only that after all. his rovings weie
scntiai to the business OF his hre' anu '""
that business meant his genius. that II. '""'
hus,ness was rooted his claim upon the admira-
ton of the world. He pursued IL u '''''.
tent as ne had pursued the interests vi i'
Youth more with instinct than wlth '"e OPP
tudes of a scholar. In one or MS Jou'""s "
talks about his observatory nerves nv
were more to him than any scienti"c ..a"e
could have been For what might be caheo 'he
oaontrv ~ hin subiect he had absolutely no
taste To him the cooperation OF man IKE
MacCil,ivray was invaluable. Abiding 10 this
cooneration Dr. Coues observes: VIVID ana
ardent was his genius, matchless he was DOM
with pen and pencil in giving life ana spirit
IN the beautiful objects he delineated with pas
sionate love: but there was strong anu pa
t,ent worker by his side-William MacHih-
vrav. the countryman of Wilson. destined 10
lend the sturdy Scotch fibre to an Auouoo'''''
epoch. The brilliant French American hatu'a-
fat was little Of a scientist or his WORK 'he
magical beauties Of form and color ana move
mcnt are all his; his page Is redolent OF Nat
ure's fragrance; but MacGilvrays are the
bone ard sinew, the hidden anatomical parts
beneath the lovely face. the nomenclature 'he
lassification-in q word. the technicaiities o'
the science"
This persistence OF instructive over schoias''c
methods In Audubon tells heavily In the present
volumes We know from his monumental worKs
the elastic character Of his genius but the uhih-
structed reader might well be excused for feel
ing some apprehension lest the biography OF
specialist might have too specialized tone AS
q matter Of fact, one could no more be pedantic
about Audubon that he could be about birds.
and these pages are never-ending In their 'itah-
" and charm The journals which are now re-
purity OF text which alone would cause MISS
Audubon's work to supersede the well-known
Life" by Buchanan-which may be thought TO
have sufficiently covered the ground-are rich IN
passages which give all Of the naturaiists
knowledge without trace OF technical heavi-
ness Take for example. the fragment relating
to the dolphin and the flying TWO opJecS
OF familiarity to thousands OF modern travellers
The lines might have been written by mere
tourist only the tourist in this case was man
Of genius.
"Tbe first objects which diverted my thoughts
from the dear ones left behind me were the
beautiful dophns that glided by the vessel like
FURNISHED gold by day and bright meteors by
night Our captain and mate proved experts NJ
alIurInc them with baited hooks. and dexterous
at piercing them with fve-pronged instrument
generally called by seamen grain. II hooked.
the dolphin founces desperately, glides of with
all his natural swftness. rises perpendicuarly
out Of the water several feet, and often shakes
of the hook and escapes: II. however. he Is
well hooked ne is played about for while. soon
exhausted. and hauled into the ship Their flesh
Ia firm. dry. yet quite acceptable at sea. OF
would he interesting to know IL the sailors in
Audubon'a day did as those of the present time
are accustomed to do-if they put piece OF sill
yer in the pot and threw the fish away il the
coin came out discolored) They differ much in
their Sizes being. according to age. smaller or
larger: l saw some four and half feet long.
but A fair average Is three feet. The paunch OF
all we caught contained more or less small fishes
of different varieties. among which the flying
fish is most prevalent. Dolphins move in COM
panies of from four or five to twenty or more.
They chase the flying that. with astonish-
ing rapidly. after having escaped their sharp
awhile i'm the wafer emerge and