YOUNG AUDUBON'S CAVE 33 



ral positions. The bird once fixed with wires on squares, 

 I studied as a lay figure before me, its nature, previously 

 known to me as far as habits went, and its general form 

 having been frequently observed. Now I could examine 

 more thoroughly the bill, nostrils, eyes, legs, and claws, as 

 well as the structure of the wings and tail; the very tongue 

 was of importance to me, and I thought the more I under- 

 stood all these particulars the better representations I made 

 of the originals. 



" My drawings at first were made altogether in water- 

 colors, but they wanted softness and a great deal of finish. 

 For a long time I was much dispirited at this, particularly 

 when vainly endeavoring to imitate birds of soft and downy 

 plumage, such as that of most owls, pigeons, hawks, and 

 herons. How this could be remedied required a new train 

 of thought or some so-called accident, and the latter came 

 to my aid. 



" One day, after having finished a miniature portrait of 

 the one dearest to me in all the world, a portion of the 

 face was injured by a drop of water, which dried where it 

 fell; and although I labored a great deal to repair the dam- 

 age, the blur still remained. Recollecting that when a 

 pupil of David I had drawn heads and figures in different- 

 colored chalks, I resorted to a piece of that material of 

 the tint required for the part, applied the pigment, rubbed 

 the place with a cork stump, and at once produced the 



desired effect. 

 3 



