308 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ing fresh eggs being found after June 

 28. If the tirst nest and eggs should be 

 taken or destroyed a second attempt at 

 niditication will be made in the vicinity 

 of the first site. The female is not a 

 close sitter and from my observations 

 is rarely surprised on the nest. On on- 

 ly two of the above nests were the 

 birds found sitting, and these two were 

 approached at dusk after most birds 

 had retired for the night; in fact it was 

 so dark that the nests would have been 

 passed had not the birds revealed them 

 by their startled flight. When the nest 

 is disturbed, the parent birds frequent- 

 ly flit about in the foliage in the vicin- 

 ity, protesting with their queet and oft- 

 en betraying much solicitude. Usually 

 however, they appear to take very lit- 

 tle interest in the fate of their home 

 and family. 



P. M SlIXOWAY, 



Virden, 111. 



Notes From Audubon's Biography. 

 Part V. 

 Ten years have now elapsed since the 

 first number of the Illustrations of the 

 Birds of America made its appearance. 

 Audubon estimated at that time that it 

 would take sixteen years to complete 

 the work, and this was so announced 

 in the prospectus which was issued and 

 distributed over the country. His 

 friends did not think there was a pos- 

 sibility of his reachiug the goal which 

 his ambition had placed before him, 

 and he was strongly urged by many 

 of his friends to abandon the enterprise 

 dispose of his drawings, and return to 

 his native country. Having made ar- 

 rangements for meeting the first diffi- 

 culties, Audubon turned his entire at- 

 tention to the improvement of his 

 drawings, and was at length pleased to 

 note that they were steadily increasing 

 in merit. He was pleased to note also 

 that every engraving completed by Mr. 

 Haveli was better than its predecessor. 

 His friends also complimented him on 



his more favorable prospects. Num- 

 ber after number appeared in regular 

 succession, and after four years of anx- 

 iety and hard work, he was presented 

 by Mr. Haveli with the First Volume of 

 the Birds of America. Convinced that 

 there had been no falling off in the en- 

 graving of his plates, but rather a 

 change for the better, he looked eager- 

 ly forward to the time when the second 

 volume should be completed. 



About the eighth year after the com- 

 mencement of his work a nobleman 

 called on Audubon, with his family and 

 requested to be shown some of Audu- 

 bon's original di"awings. This desire 

 was the more readily acceded to by 

 Audubon because his guest was an ad- 

 vanced student of Ornithology. In the 

 course of the conversation Audubon 

 was asked how long it would be before 

 the work was finished. When he said 

 it would be eight years more the noble- 

 man shrugged his shoulders and with a 

 sigh said, "I may not see it finished, but 

 my children will, and you may please 

 to add my name to your list of sub- 

 scribers." This remark sunk deeply in- 

 to Audubon's mind, and the thought 

 often came to him that lie might not see 

 the work finished, although his children 

 might. 



The greater part of the first eight 

 years after the engraving of his draw- 

 ings was commenced was spent in Lon- 

 don and Edinburgh. Audubon's desire 

 to compare his specimens with those of 

 the Zoological Society of London in- 

 duced him to ask permission to do so, 

 which the Counsel freely accorded.'' 



The Ornithology of the United States 

 may be said to have been commenced 

 by Alexander Wilson, whose premature 

 death prevented him from completing 

 his labors. It is unnecessary to state 

 how well he performed his task; but al- 

 though he succeeded in observing and 

 obtaining a large number of our birds; 

 yet he left many which were afterwards 

 discovered through the untiring zeal of 

 Audubon. 



