SIDELIGHTS ON CONTEMPORARIES 121 



under consideration, the figures of the great works of Mr. 

 John Gould and Mr. Audubon on the Ornithology of the two 

 regions, as they must be considered the standard works of the 

 subject. The merit of Mr. Audubon's work yields only to the 

 size of his book ; while Mr. Gould's work on the Birds of 

 Europe though inferior in size to that of Mr. Audubon is the 

 most beautiful work that has ever appeared in this or any 

 other country. 



A reviewer in America, 28 who could not repress 

 his resentment at the last remark, said: "It would be 

 invidious to make any comment on this to even in- 

 sinuate a wonder that a personage bearing this world 

 renowned name would consent to resign his reputation 

 as a man of science, through all time, to the doubtful 

 association of such an expression of mere professional 

 spite." 



John Gould, to whom Bonaparte referred, was per- 

 haps the only ornithologist who ever grew rich at his 

 profession. He w r as the author of forty large, illustrat- 

 ed folios, produced at the rate of about one a year, on 

 the birds of Great Britain, Europe, Asia, and Australia, 

 as well as those of numerous families of the tropical 

 Orient. Audubon, in response to Bachman, thus re- 

 ferred to him when writing in London, April 30, 1835: 

 "Gould is a man of great industry and has the advan- 

 tage of the Zoological Society, museums, gardens, &c., 

 and is in correspondence with Temminck, Jardine, 

 Selby, James Wilson and the rest of the scientific 

 gentry. His wife makes his drawings on stone. She 

 is a plain, fine woman, and although their works are 

 not quite up to nature, both deserve great credit." 



Acting no doubt upon this expressed belief, Audu- 

 bon became a subscriber to Gould's Century of Birds, 



28 See Note, Vol. II, p. 



