202 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



1, 1837," and was reprinted in America a few weeks 

 later: 20 



The number of perfect copies at present subscribed for does 

 not exceed 190, of which upwards of 80 are subscribed for in 

 America ; and the expense of getting them up is so great, that 

 not more than ten or fifteen copies, above the number sub- 

 scribed for, will be prepared. 



The Establishment necessary for its publication will be 

 broken up when the last Number is coloured ; and any applica- 

 cation for the Work must be made to the Author, 4, Wimpole 

 street, London; or Mr. R. Havell, Engraver, 77 Oxford 

 street, before the first of May next, as after that time no sub- 

 scription can be received. 



Assuming that Audubon's final published lists, call- 

 ing for 166 copies, were correct, and that ten additional 

 sets were prepared, this would bring the total original 

 number known to have been complete to 176, which 

 agrees with an estimate attributed to Victor Audubon, 

 who once expressed the belief that "about 175 copies" 

 were in existence, of which about 80 were in America. 21 

 It is probable, however, that of the 118 persons who 

 allowed their subscriptions to lapse, a number completed 

 their sets from the residual stock, which must have been 

 great, though the later plates would be the hardest to 

 obtain; in this event the number of perfect sets of Au- 

 dubon's Birds probably never exceeded 190 or 200. 



20 See Samuel N. Rhoads (Bibl. No. 231) The Auk, vol. xxxiii, p. 130 

 (1916) ; transcript of a clipping which apparently had been taken from 

 a New York newspaper of January, 1838; the reading of the American 

 notice is the same, excepting the statement that applications in this 

 country should be made to "N. Berthoud, Esq., New York; Dr. George 

 Parkman, Boston; Rev. Jno. Bachman, Charleston, S. C.; James Grimshaw, 

 Esq., New Orleans, or W. G. Bakewell, Esq., Louisville." It is dated "New 

 York, 11 Jan, 1838." 



21 Maria R. Audubon, Audubon and his Journals (Bibl. No. 86), vol. i, 

 p. 71. 



