1893.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 51 



In three months the first volume was finished and offered to 

 some pul:)lishers, none of whom would give a shilling for it, and 

 the author issued it himself. In his search for subscribers he 

 relates his experience with Baron Rothschild. He called at the 

 banking house, and soon the Baron entered and, he says, 

 " dropped his fit bod_y into a comfortable chair as if caring for 

 no one in the world but himself" Audubon presented his letter 

 of introduction and was met with the question, " Pray, sir, is 

 this a letter of business, or is it a mere letter of introduction ?" 

 As he had not read it, Audubon could not say; the Baron 

 opened it, glanced at the contents and said, " This is only a 

 letter of introduction, and I expect from its contents you are 

 the publisher of some work or other, and need my subscription." 

 " Had a man the size of a mountain," sa^^s Audubon, "spoken 

 to me in that arrogant style in America, I should have indig- 

 nantly resented it, but where I then was it seemed best to swal- 

 low and digest it as best I could." The Baron then said, '• I 

 never sign my name to any subscription list, but you may send 

 in your work, and I will pay for a copy of it." The numbers 

 were regularly delivered, and in about a year's time Victor 

 Audubon made out the account and sent it by Mr. Havel to the 

 banking house. The Baron looked at it with amazement : 

 " What! a hundred pounds for birds ! Why, sir, I will give you 

 five pounds and not a farthing more." Explanations were un- 

 availing, and the work was actually returned to Mr. Havel's 

 shop from the Baron's residence, and Audubon remarks, " I 

 kept the work, and sold it afterwards to a man with less money, 

 but a nobler heart." 



Leaving his wife and son in London, Audubon again visited 

 America, and went to Texas, where he passed most of the 

 winter in search of material for his work, and in May returned 

 to England, and in the autumn of 18.39 the Birds of America, 

 the most magnificent ornithological work the world has ever 

 seen, and the Ornithological I>iography being both finished, he 

 came back to America and settled in New York, not, however, 

 to be idle, that was impossible for a nature like Audubon's, Imt 

 he immediately began an edition of his large work in 4to size. 

 This was completed in seven volumes in 1843. 



In the spring of this year he started on his last expedition, to 

 visit the Yellowstone river, and procure material for a work on 

 the Quadrupeds of North America, and he went as far as Fort 

 Union on the Missouri, at that time an outpost on the borders 

 of civilization. Two years afterwards appeared the first volume 

 of this great work, the other two were prepared mostly by his 

 sons, Victor and John, the last one api)earing the year Audul)on 



