82 LEADING AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE 



the Gulf of Mexico in company with Edward Harris, cruising 

 along the coast as far as Galveston, Texas. 



Victor Audubon was sent to England to superintend the publica- 

 tion of the work during his father's absence in October, 1832, and 

 under his direction it went steadily on. The letter press was 

 begun in October, 1830, under the title of the Ornithological 

 Biography and kept pace with the issue of the plates so that the 

 two were finished at nearly the same time, the last volume of the 

 letter press in 1839 and the last fascicle of plates, the eighty-seventh, 

 on June 30, 1838. 



The great work completed, the family had no particular object 

 in remaining longer in England and toward the close of 1839 they 

 all returned to New York. While Audubon had most friendly 

 feelings toward England and Scotland as it was there that the 

 publication of his work was made possible, he nevertheless always 

 looked upon America as his country and his home. 



The family at last in comfortable circumstances purchased an 

 estate known now as Audubon Park, and included within the 

 city limits of New York, but at that time far removed from the 

 city and surrounded by woodland except where it stretched down 

 to the sandy shore of the Hudson. Here Audubon and his wife, 

 his sons * and their families lived together and carried on the pub- 

 lication of the other works which bear the name of the great 

 naturalist. Both sons inherited their father's artistic ability and 

 upon them devolved a large part of the work. 



First there was published an octavo edition of the plates accom- 

 panied by the original letter press but all arranged in systematic 

 order. This was followed by the great work on the Quadrupeds 

 of America which was prepared in conjunction with Bachman. 



Before the preparations for this work were fairly under way the 

 old spirit of unrest which had characterized the whole life of the 

 naturalist again made its appearance. It seemed as if he could 

 not settle down, he longed to penetrate the wilds of the far west 

 where his mind's eye saw endless new birds and quadrupeds. He 

 had procured from John K. Townsend, a Philadelphian orni- 

 1 Both had been left widowers and had married again. 



