8 JOHN JAMES AUDUBON 



That lie realised how crude his early 

 efforts were is shown by his saying : 

 "My pencil gave birth to a family of 

 cripples. 77 His steady progress, too, is 

 shown in his custom, on every birthday, 

 of burning these e Crippled 7 drawings, 

 then setting to work to make better, 

 truer ones. 



His father returning from a sea voy- 

 age, probably when the son was about 

 twenty years old, was not well pleased 

 with the progress that the boy was mak- 

 ing in his studies. One morning soon 

 after, Audubon found himself with his 

 trunk and his belongings in a private 

 carriage, beside his father, on his way to 

 the city of Eochefort. The father oc- 

 cupied himself with a book and hardly 

 spoke to his son during the several days 

 of the journey, though there was no 

 anger in his face. After they *were 

 settled in their new abode, he seated his 

 son beside him and taking one of his 

 hands in his, calmly said : " My beloved 



