AUDUBON 



59 



from his winter's work. With this, and the greater part 

 of the savings of his wife, which she had hoarded to for- 

 ward this journey, so long the goal of their hopes, an- 

 other farewell was taken, the many valued drawings 

 packed up, and on April 26, 1826, the vessel with the 

 naturalist and his precious freight left New Orleans for 

 England. 



The journals from this date, until May i, 1829, are kept 

 with the usual regularity, and fortunately have escaped the 

 destruction which has befallen earlier volumes. They tell 

 of one of the most interesting periods of Audubon's life, 

 and are given beyond, — not entire, yet so fully that I 

 pass on at once to the last date they contain, which marks 

 Audubon's return to America, May 5, 1829. 



His time abroad had seen the publication of the " Birds 

 of America"^ successfully begun, had procured him sub- 



1 Of the great folios, parts i.-v., containing plates 1-25, were originally 

 published at successive dates (not ascertained) in 1827 ; parts vi.-x., plates 

 26-50, appeared in the course of 1828, — all in London. The whole work 

 was completed in 1838; it is supposed to have been issued in 87 parts of 

 S plates each, making the actual total of 435 plates, giving 1065 figures of 

 birds. On the completion of the series, the plates were to be bound 

 in 4 vols. Vol. 1., pll. i-ioo, 1827-30; vol. ii., pU. 101-200, 1831-34; 

 vol. iii., pll. 201-300, 1834-35; vol. iv., pll. 301-435, 1835-38 (com- 

 pleted June 30). These folios had no text except the title-leaf of each 

 volume. The original price was two guineas a part ; a complete copy is now 

 worth $1,500 to 52,000, according to condition of binding, etc., and is scarce 

 at any price. The text to the plates appeared under the different title of 

 "Ornithological Biography," in 5 large 8vo volumes, Edinburgh, 1S31-39; 

 vol. i., 1S31 ; vol. ii., 1834; vol. iii., 1835; vol. iv., 1838; vol. v., 1839. In 

 I840--44, the work reappeared in octavo, text and plates together, under 

 the original title of "Birds of America;" the text somewhat modified 

 by the omission of the " Delineations of American Scenery and Manners," 

 the addition of some new matter acquired after 1839, and change in the 

 names of many species to agree with the nomenclature of Audubon's 

 Synopsis of 1839 ; the plates reduced by the camera lucida, rearranged and 

 renumbered, making 500 in all. The two original works, thus put together 

 and modified, became the first octavo edition called " Birds of America," 

 issued in 100 parts, to be bound in 7 volumes, 1840-44. There have been 

 various subsequent issues, partial or complete, upon which I cannot here 

 enlarge. For full bibliographical data see Dr. Coues' "Birds of the 



