Audubonian Sketches. 



Pulling it out of the hole, and seeing what 

 it was, he immediately let go, and he and 

 the snake both fell to the ground. Mr. Au- 

 dubon used to tell this story, with a good 

 deal of humor, to the many who often won- 

 dered at the great risk he would take in 

 pursuit of this great study." 



When I was a child in arms, my father 

 had his home on Washington Heights; and 

 here the Audubons lived in the very house 



MRS. J. J. AUDUBON. 



next door to us, where my mother and her 

 sister knew them all intimately. 



It was thus that I came in possession of 

 a number of very valuable Audubonian re- 

 lics. These now consist chiefly of a letter 

 of the naturalist, given me by his wife a 

 short time before she died, she having done 

 me the honor of having written my name 

 across the end of it with her own hand. It 

 was the last one she had in her possession, 

 and as it is directed to Dr. Richard Harlan 

 of Philadelphia, it must have reverted in 

 some way back to the family. At all events, 

 it contains in the P. S. the original descrip- 

 tion of Harlan's hawk {^B. harlani), Audu- 



bon having reopened the letter to announce 

 its capture and dedication. 



As I have elsewhere said, I also have in 

 my possession the courteous little note from 

 Mrs. Audubon presenting me with the above 

 letter; it is dated from Scarsdale, Sept. 2, 

 1869, and in the postscript she begs that 

 the tremulousness so evident in her hand- 

 writing may be overlooked, as she declares 

 that she "is very blind I assure you." 



JOHN WOODHOUSE AUDUBON. 



This was some five years before Mrs. 

 Audubon died, as we learn from a Louis- 

 ville (Ky.) paper dated June 19, 1874, which 

 inakes the statement that "Mrs. Audubon, 

 widow of the celebrated naturalist, John J. 

 Audubon, died in Shelbyville, Kentucky, 

 yesterday, aged 88. She was a lady of un- 

 usual attainments, and constant companion 

 of her husband in his labors and travels, 

 visiting the principal courts of Europe in 

 his company. For many years past, since 

 his death, she has lived with her relatives 

 in this city and State." 



Space will hardly admit of my giving 

 here in full the contents of the Audubon 



