INTRODUCTION 



HTHIS journey, which occupied within a few days 

 ■^ of eight months, — from March ii, 1843, to 

 November 6 of the same year, — was undertaken in 

 the interest of the " Quadrupeds of North America," 

 in which the three Audubons and Dr. Bachman 

 were then deeply engaged. The journey has been 

 only briefly touched upon in former publications, 

 and the entire record from August 16 until the 

 return home was lost in the back of an old secretary 

 from the time of Audubon's return in November, 

 1843, until August, 1896, when two of his grand- 

 daughters found it. Mrs. Audubon states in her 

 narrative that no record of this part of the trip 

 was known to exist, and none of the family now 

 living had ever seen it until the date mentioned. 

 Not only is the diary most valuable from the 

 point of view of the naturalist, but also from that 

 of the historian interested in the frontier life of 



those days. 



M. R. A. 



TOL. I. — 29 



