JOHK JAMES AUDUBON 125 

 ceived the happy thought of setting up 

 the body of the dead bird by the aid 

 of wires, very much as a taxidermist 

 mounts them. This plan worked well 

 and enabled him to have his birds per- 

 manently before him in a characteristic 

 attitude : "The bird fixed with wires on 

 squares I studied as a lay figure before 

 me, its nature previously known to me 

 as far as habits went, and its general 

 form having been perfectly observed." 

 His bird pictures reflect his own 

 temperament, not to say his nation- 

 ality 5 the birds are very demonstra- 

 tive, even theatrical and melodramatic 

 at times. In some cases this is all right, 

 in others it is all wrong. Birds differ 

 in this respect as much as people do 

 some are very quiet and sedate, others 

 pose and gesticulate like a Frenchman. 

 It would not be easy to exaggerate, for 

 instance, the flashings and evolutions of 

 the redstart when it arrives in May, 

 or the acting and posing of the catbird, 



