CHAPTER XXV. 



BIOGRAPHICAL OUTLINES 



John J. Audujbon 



JOHN J. Audubon, author of ''Birds of America" 

 has been termed a "man of mystery." The date 

 and place of his birth has been variously given, his 

 parentage and antecedents, as well as his early life have 

 been described at most as "shadowy." Thanks to 

 Prof. Francis H. Herrick of Western Reserve Univer- 

 sity, the gifted author of "The Home Life of Wild 

 Birds," all the doubt and mystery have been cleared 

 away and set before the public in a substantial two 

 volume biography, issued in 1917', entitled "Audubon 

 the Naturalist." It appears that Audubon was the 

 natural son of a wealthy Frenchman, and was born in 

 Haiti, April 26, 1785. His mother was a French Cre- 

 ole girl known as Miss Rabin. At four years of age 

 he was taken to France, with his little half sister Mu- 

 guet, where both children were cordially received by 

 the childless wife of the substantial Frenchman, and 

 were later legally adopted by the couple. The boy 

 studied art under the great master J. L. David in 

 Paris, and returned to America in 1808. He settled at 

 "Mill Grove," on Perkiomen Creek, in Pennsyl- 

 vania, and for a time resided at Lititz, Lancaster 

 County. In 1806 he returned to France and for a short 

 period served in the French navy. In 1808 he married 



160 



