CHAPTER III 



DECISIVE HOURS THE STORY OF POOR POLLY AND 



THE MONKEY 



IT was at Mantes, the seaport of France, the ancient 

 home of the dukes of Bretagne, and the resting-place of 

 the old French kings, that young Audubon took up the 

 charmed life of his childhood, doted on by his susceptible 

 stepmother, taught music, dancing, and other polite ac- 

 complishments. But amid all the luxuries of the society 

 of a family of a naval officer in the days of the first em- 

 pire the boy caught the voice of a bird. To him it was 

 as a song from heaven. 



He followed it out into nature, and nature, as on the 

 old Louisiana plantation, began to enthrall him again, 



Nantes was full of noble and delightful promenades 

 that led down to the great harbor. To these, out-of-door 

 life might have tempted him; but no, he must wander 

 into the far woods and hear the new songs of birds and 

 study living colors. He made two hundred pictures of 

 birds. In doing this he formed the pattern of his whole life. 



The old commodore, or " admiral," his father, came 

 sailing back from the scenes of the great sea exploits of 



the time. 



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