184 JOHN JAMES AUDUBON. 



The oldest son, Victor, was placed in the count- 

 ing-house of a friend at Louisville, and Audubon 

 sought Philadelphia, " as a desperate venture," he 

 says, to see if means could not be obtained to 

 further his work. He took a room, and began 

 to give lessons in drawing. He said plaintively in 

 his journal, " I have now been twenty-five years 

 pursuing my ornithological studies," and yet the 

 book was not written. Fortunately he obtained 

 a letter of introduction to the portrait-painter 

 Sully, "a man after my own heart, and who 

 showed me great kindnesses." He gave Audubon 

 instruction in oil, and would take no pay for it, 

 and the naturalist was " overwhelmed with his 

 goodness." Audubon found another warm-hearted 

 friend, Edward Harris, a young ornithologist, 

 who, as he was bidding Audubon good-by, 

 squeezed a hundred-dollar bill into his hand, say- 

 ing, "Mr. Audubon, accept this from me; men 

 like you ought not to want for money." "I could 

 only express my gratitude," says Audubon, "by 

 insisting on his receiving the drawings of all my 

 French birds, which he did, and I was relieved." 



A friend now took him to visit Mill Grove. " As 

 we entered the avenue leading to Mill Grove," he 

 says, " every step brought to my mind the memory 

 of past years, and I was bewildered by the recollec- 

 tions until we reached the door of the house, which 

 had once been the residence of my father as well 

 as myself. . . . After resting a few moments, I 

 abruptly took my hat, and ran wildly towards the 



