A20 SlIUFELDT ou ail Old Portrait of Audubov. [October 



Several months after receiving tliis letter, Mrs. Walker came to 

 Fort Wingatc to visit her daughter, and to ray great pleasure 

 brought with her the oil-painting of Audubon she speaks of in 

 the letter Just quoted. I hold this valued little art-treasure in my 

 left hand as I pen these words. It is a quaint and winning 

 picture, painted on -rather thin canvas, and tacked to a rough, 

 wooden frame, some 26 cms. by 31 cms., and evidently hand- 

 made. But the hair, tJie eyes, the mouth, the nose, are Audu- 

 bon's ! Not only that, but given us by Audubon's hand, and that 

 grand old naturalist's face grows upon us as we look into it. He 

 wears an old-fashioned dark-gi"een coat, and a still more old- 

 fashioned neck-cloth and collar. The background is filled in by 

 rather a rosy-tinted sky, shading ofl'into a blue above. 



I was permitted to have a photograph made of this picture, 

 which was kindly and handsomely executed for me by Mr. Ben 

 Wittick of Albuquerque, N. Mex. The negative was at once 

 forwarded by me to my friend Mr. A. Richmond Hart of the 

 famous photo-engraving establishment of Park Place, New York, 

 and we are to thank the skill of his workmen for the reproduction 

 of the photograph in the illustration of this old oil painting which 

 now accompanies this article. 



Taking everything into consideration, I believe the members 

 of the A. O. U. will pardon the pride that arises within me, at 

 having succeeded in reproducing such a picture as this of Audu- 

 bon in the publication of an organization that we must all 

 appreciate he would rejoice to know existed in this his own, and 

 well-beloved country. I only hope, too, it will give others as 

 much pleasure on seeing his face in 'The Auk,' as it has me in 

 introducing it there, and I believe it will. 



My Audubon relics hold a high place, in my eyes, among my 

 earthly treasures, and I have in my possession at the present 

 writing a long letter of his, written to Richard Harlan, and an- 

 nouncing in the P. S. his just having secured a "New Hawk" 

 which he describes and names as Harlan's Buzzard. This letter 

 was presented to me by Mrs. Audubon herself many years ago, 

 and accompanied by a charming little note of presentation from 

 the old lady, saying it was the last letter of her husband's that she 

 possessed, etc., etc. This valued note I also have, and naturally 

 prize it very highly. The letter itself has already been publisb.ed 

 in the 'Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club,' Vol. V. 18S0, 

 pp. 302, 203. 



