174 Life of Audubon. 



" September 24. To-day I was told that Gerard, the. 

 great Gerard, the pupil of my old master David, wished 

 to see me and my works. I propose to visit him to-mor- 

 row. 



'■'■ Seiitemher 25. I have trotted from pillar to post 

 through this big town, from the Palais Royal to the Jar- 

 din du Luxembourg, in search of Mons. Le M^decin Ber- 

 trand, after a copy of Cuvier's Report ; such is man, all 

 avaricious of praise by nature. Three times did I go to 

 the ' Globe ' office, from places three miles apart, until at 

 last, wearied and brought to bay, I gave up the chase. 

 At last I went to the king's library, and I learned from 

 the librarian, a perfect gentleman, that the court had in- 

 spected my work, and were delighted with it ; and he told 

 me that kings were not generally expected to pay for 

 works j and I gave him to understand that I was able 

 to keep the work if the king did not purchase. 



" To-day I saw the original copy of Cuvier's report on 

 my work. It is quite an eulogium, but not as feelingly 

 written as Mr. Swainson's j nevertheless, it will give the 

 French an idea of my work, and may do good. 



" The following is an extract translated from the re- 

 port : — 



" ' The Academy of Sciences have requested me to 

 make a verbal report on the work of Mr. Audubon, laid 

 before it at a former session, on the "Birds of North 

 America." It may be described in a few words as the 

 most magnificient monument which has yet been erected 

 to ornithology. The author, born in Louisiana, and devot- 

 ed from his youth to painting, was twenty-five years ago 

 a pupil in the school of David. Having returned to his 

 own country, he thought he could not make abetter use of 

 his talents than by representing the most brilliant pro- 

 ductions of that hemisphere. The accurate observation 

 necessary for such representations as he wished to make 

 soon rendered him a naturalist. 



