xxxii AUDUBON THE NATURALIST 



In less than a week is invited to exhibit his drawings at the 

 Royal Institution, and is at once proclaimed as a great 

 American genius. 



Exhibits at Manchester, but with less success. 



Plans to publish his drawings, to be called The Birds of Amer- 

 ica, in parts of five plates each, at 2 guineas a part, all to 

 be engraved on copper, to the size of life, and colored after 

 his originals. The number of parts was at first fixed at 80, 

 and the period of publication at 14 years ; eventually there 

 were 87 parts, of 435 plates, representing over a thousand 

 individual birds as well as thousands of American trees, 

 shrubs, flowers, insects and other animals of the entire con- 

 tinent ; the cost in England was 174, which was raised by 

 the duties to $1,000 in America. 



Paints animal pictures to pay his way, and opens a subscription 

 book. 



October 26. Reaches Edinburgh, where his pictures attract 

 the attention of the ablest scientific and literary characters 

 of the day, and he is patronized by the aristocracy. 



November, early. William Home Lizars begins the engraving 

 of his first plates at Edinburgh, and on the 28th, shows 

 him the proof of the Turkey Cock. 



Honors come to him rapidly, and he is soon elected to mem- 

 bership in the leading societies of science and the arts in 

 Great Britain, France and the United States. 



1827 



February 3. Exhibits the first number of his engraved plates 

 at the Royal Institution of Edinburgh. 



March 17. Issues his "Prospectus," when two numbers of his 

 Birds are ready. 



April 5. Starts for London with numerous letters to distin- 

 guished characters and obtains subscriptions on the way. 



May 21. Reaches London, and exhibits his plates before the 

 Linnaean and Royal Societies, which later elect him to fel- 

 lowship. 



Lizars throws up the work after engraving ten plates, and it is 

 transferred to London, where, in the hands of Robert 



