Biographical Memoir 23 



his father sailed for England in 1826, while John 

 remained in Louisiana with his mother at Bayou 

 Sara, where she was then teaching. 



At this period of his life John spent much time 

 drawing from nature, and playing the violin, of 

 which he was passionately fond all his life. While 

 his father was pushing the publication of "The 

 Birds of America" in England and Scotland, he 

 at one time supplemented the slender finances of 

 the family, in a small way, by taking occasional 

 trips on the Mississippi river steamboats as a clerk. 

 It was very uncongenial work to the restless youth, 

 and, from what can be learned, was rather indiffer- 

 ently done; but he was a great favorite with all 

 with whom he came in contact, and usually found 

 some one to help him over his mistakes, and indeed 

 on occasion to do his work, while he, with his violin 

 was in great demand on the decks of the steam- 

 boats, in those days scenes of much gaiety, some of 

 which was of more than doubtful quality. After a 

 comparatively short season of mingled work and 

 play, Mrs. Audubon withdrew him from what 

 Louisianians called "the river," and he returned to 

 his work in painting and in collecting specimens 

 which his father wanted for the various friends and 

 scientists with whom he was now constantly in 

 touch. 



The elder Audubon upon his return from 

 Europe took the family, after a few weeks in 



