6 JOHN JAMES AUDUBON 

 fields and woods, hunting birds' nests, 

 fishing and shooting and returning home 

 at night with his basket filled with 

 various natural specimens and curiosi- 

 ties. The collecting fever is not a bad 

 one to take possession of boys at this 

 age. 



In his autobiography Audubon relates 

 an incident that occurred when he was 

 a child, which he thinks first kindled 

 his love for birds. It was an encounter 

 between a pet parrot and a tame mon- 

 key kept by his mother. One morning 

 the parrot, Mignonne, asked as usual for 

 her breakfast of bread and milk, where- 

 upon the monkey, being in a bad humour, 

 attacked the poor defenceless bird, and 

 killed it. Audubon screamed at the 

 cruel sight, and implored the servant to 

 interfere and save the bird, but without 

 avail. The boy's piercing screams 

 brought the mother, who succeeded in 

 tranquillising the child. The monkey 

 was chained, and the parrot buried, but 



