The sun., 1898-01-23

| he profcssed nevor to be able to saS, but In
an nautobiographical fragment he tells us that
In ono OF his fathers excursions from Hayti TO
Louisiana he married lady of Spanish ex-
traction and In Louisiana was born tho
youngest OF his three sons, who was christened
John James Laforest Audubon, though tho
namo Laforest was ultimately dropped. Soon
after his birth tho family removed to Hayti,
where Audubon's mother was victim OF one of
the negro uprisings which preceded tho final
insurrection OF the blacks. Not long aftcrward
the future naturalist was taken to France by
his father. who thero married q second time.
and, leaving his boy in charge OF his second
wife. who evinced toward him the tcndcrest nt-
tachment, he returned to the United States as an
officer under Rochamboau. 1t is extraordinary
I that neither his father nor his second mother.
who, as we have said, was devoted to him,
should have been ablc to give John James Au-
dubon the date Of his birth. We do not know,
either, when 1t was that Jean Audubon pur.
chased in Pennsylvania his farm of Mill Grove.
at the junction Of the Schuylkill and perkomon.
1t was to this farm that John James Audubon
was sent whom he was apparently about II years
old. and here he mado the acquaintance Of a
Mr.. Bakewell. an Epglishman who owned tho
adjoining place. one of whose daughters he
subsequently married. 1t seems that oven
during his first sojourn In Pennsylvania
young Audubon began series OF draw.
ings Of the birds OF America, and also a
study Of their habits. After his marriage In
1908 he moved to Louisville for tho purpose
Of engaging In mercantile business, but ho
was already too much absorbed In ornith-
oogy to prosper as man Of affairs, and
oil his business ventures proved Improbable.
1t was not however, until he visited Great
Britain in 1926 that ho definitely entered
on the great work Of his life. being there en-
couraged to publish the birds of America"
the plates Of which were originally issued with
out text in eiRhty.seven parts. Of five plates
each. The original price two guineas u
| part 174 guineas for the whole work.
| A complete copy Is now worth from 81 800
to $4,000. The text first appeared under
| tho different title of "Ornithological Biog-
| raphiles;" in this he greatly assisted by
| William MacGillivray. The brilliant French
American naturalist was himself little of a
scientist. In the joint work the beauties Of
form and color and movement are his, but to
MacGillivray belong tho hidden anatomical
| parts beneath the attractive surface, tho no.
menclature. the classification, and all the tech
| nicalities Of pathological science. Tine text
| and plates put together and modified became
| the first octave edition published in 1S4O-44
] There have been various subsequent Issues,
| partial or complete.
| Audubon and his wife returned in May. 1929,
| and remained in Louisiana until January, 1880,
| when they went to New York and thence sailed
| for England By September, s3l they were again
| in tho United States. While Mrs. Audubon re.
| maired in Louisville with her son, the naturalist
visited Florida and the adjacent islands. In the
| spring of 1881 long proposed trip to Labrador
was undertaken In 1884 Audubon made a third
| visit to England and Scotland, but tho journals
| which he kept ut this time were destroyed by
| fire. In 1897 the indefatgable naturalist ex-
| plored part Of the coast Of the Gulf of
Mexico. and at this time projected the Quad.
| rupeds of North America" in which he had the
cooperation OF DR.. Bachman. In 1912 tho coun.
| try place now known Audubon Park was
| purchased, and this remained Audubon's home
during the rest Of his life. visit to Canada was
made. however. in the autumn of the year last
| named and in March of the following year he
started on long journey up the Missouri River.
He died in 1851, and is buried in Trinity Church
Cemetery. During the last years of his life not
! only his sight but his intellect was to some ex-
tent impaired. and he was obliged to leave the
completion of the "Quadrupeds' largely to other
| hands. Although his age was not known. as we
| have said, even to himself, close scrutiny Of
| the data mentioned in the autobiography leads
to the conclusion that he was born considerably
earlier than was generally supposed. and that he
| may have been not far from 30 when he died.
| He tells us that when his father married Span
| ish lady in Louisiana that territory was then
| owned by the French Government. Now. Louis
| lana cedcd by France to Spain in l763 at
which time the naturalist's father was already
| 40 years old.
II.