Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-04-27
AUDUBON AND THE BIRDS.

John James Auoubon knew more
about the birds Of this country than any
one ever had know before. He was
born in the State Of Louisiana. His
father took him 20 France when he
was boy and there he went to
school
AS boy John James was fond OF
studying about wild animals, but most
of all he wished TO know about birds.
Seeing that the boy liked such things
his father took pains to get birds and
flowers for him.
While he was yet boy in school,
he began TO gather birds and other
animals for himself. He learned to
skin and stuff them, but his stuffed
birds did not please him. Their feath-
ers did not look bright, like those Of
live birds. He wanted living birds to
study.
His father told him that he could not
keep so many birds alive and to please
the boy he got him book with pic
lures in it. Looking at these pictures
made John James wish to draw. He
thought that he could make pictures
that would be like the live birds, but
when he tried to paint picture Of
bird, it looked worse than his stuffed
birds. The birds he drew were not
much like real birds and he called
them family of cripples."
All OF this time he was learning to
draw birds. They were not just like
the real birds. So when he grew to
be a man he went to French painter
whose name was David. David taught
him to draw and paint things as they
are. Then he came back to this coun-
try, and lived while in Pennsylvania,
where his chief study was the wild
creatures of the woods.
He gathered many birds eggs and
made pictures of these eggs He did
not take the eggs to break up the
nests. He was not cruel. He took
only what he needed to study.
He made up his mind to write
great book about American birds, and
in another book to print pictures Of
birds just as they are, as large as the
birds themselves. He meant to have
them look Just like living birds.
To do this he must travel thousands
Of miles and live for years amost all
Of the time in the woods. He would
have to find the birds in order to
make pictures Of them, and he must see
how the birds lived, and how they
built their nests, so that he could tell
all about them. 1t would take great
deal OF work and trouble, but he was
not afraid Of trouble.
That was years ago. Much Of our
country was then covered with great
trees, and Audubon often had to travel
on foot through woods where there
we're no roads. Many a time he had
TO sleep out-of-doors.
Finally he lost his money and be-
came poor. Sometimes he had te paint
portraits to ct money to live en-, but
he did not give up his great idea. He |
still studied birds, and worked TO make /
his book about American birds.
After years of hard work he made
paintings Of nearly thousand birds, /
which were almost enough to fill his |
books. But, while he was travelling .
two rats got into the box in which he
kept his pictures, and cut up all Of his |
paintings with their teeth and made |
nest of the pieces. This almost broke |
his, heart for while. For many ,
nights he could not sleep, because he .
had lost all his work But he did not
give up. After some days he went in /
to the woods, saying to himself, 81
will begin all over again. can make
better paintings than those the rats |
spoiled" But it took him four and a.
half years to find the birds and make
the pictures again.
He was so careful to have his draw
ings Just like the birds that he would /
measure them in every way. Thus /
he made his pictures just the size of
the birds themselves.
At last the great books were print
ed. In this country, in France, and in
England, people praised the wonderful
books. They knew that Audubon was
indeed a great man.