THE OOLOGIST. 



309 



While at Natchez on December 31, 

 1820, a little incident occurred which 

 well nigh resulted in a catasrophe. A 

 friend proposed a trip to New Orleans, 

 which Audubon acceded to, and soon 

 after they were ploughing along at full 

 speed. Towards evening inquiries 

 were made respecting certain portions 

 of their baggage, among which was one 

 of Audubon's portfolios containing a 

 large number of drawings, many of 

 which represented birds hitherto un- 

 figured. The portfolio was nowhere to 

 be found, and Audubon at last remem- 

 bered that he had handed it to a ser- 

 vant to carry on board, but i'n the hur- 

 ry and turmcil of embarkation it was 

 overlooked and left behind. It was 

 useless for Audubon to fret, so he be- 

 gan to devise a plan for its recovery. 

 He wrote to Mr. Gamier, and his ven- 

 erable friend Charles Carre. After an 

 interval of two months and a half he 

 had the gratification of receiving a let- 

 ter from Mr. A. P. Bodley of Natchez, 

 stating that the missing portfolio had 

 been found and was deposited at the 

 office of the "Mississippi Republican," 

 whence an order from Audubon would 

 liberate it. Through the kindness of 

 Mr. Gamier it was received on April 

 5th, all the drawings present and unin- 

 jured with the exception of one, which 

 Audubon laughingly regarded as for 

 commission. 



Nearly three years have now passed 

 since the Third Volume of the Birds of 

 America made its appearance, and 

 about twelve since the first fasciculus 

 of his Illustrations of the Birds of Amer- 

 ica was submitted to public inspection. 

 This magnificient work, compromising 

 four hundred and thirty-five plates and 

 ten hundred and sixty-five figures, was 

 finished on the 20th day of June, 1838, 

 without the continuity of its execution 

 having been broken for a single day, 

 and the numbers having been delivered 

 with exemplary regularity. 



The adventures and vicissitudes which 



fell to the lot of Audubon, instead of 

 diminishing his enthusiasm, only served 

 to inflame it the more, and imparted a 

 toughness to his naturally strong con- 

 stitution, and to his naturally buoyant 

 mind an elasticity such as to assure 

 him, that, although somewhat old, he 

 could yet perform a journey of any 

 length on foot were he sure that by so 

 doing he could thereby acid a little 

 something to his knowledge of the 

 American fauna. 



When Audubon last left Edinburgh 

 he went to London, full of a desire to 

 visit America once more before his 

 great life-work should be completed. 

 It was the wish and dream of his life 

 that he might cross the Continent of 

 America, gaze on the sublime majesty 

 of the Rockies,, wander along the fertile 

 valleys of the Oregon, and search the 

 shores of the Pacific and a portion of 

 North Carolina; but circumstances were 

 such that it was impossible to follow 

 out this plan. Arriving in London Au- 

 dubon and his family were kindly wel- 

 comed by Audubon's brother-in-law, 

 Alexander Gordon, Esq., and were soon 

 after established in a house on Wimpole 

 street. 



Mr. Audubon was informed by his 

 engraver one day soon after his arrival 

 in London that a gentlenman, a Fellow 

 of the Royal Society, had subscribed 

 for the Birds of America, and in a few 

 days Audubon had the pleasure of see- 

 ing him 'personally. This man \, as a 

 surgeon of the highest merit, and soon 

 after Audubon made his acquaintance 

 he took charge of Audubon's wife's 

 health and attended her for years, but 

 never a farthing would he receive in 

 payment. 



Having been long desirous of intro- 

 ducing into America European birds, 

 Audubon secured about a hundred spec- 

 mens, in perfect health, consisting of 

 Starlings, Skylarks, Jays and Wood 

 Pigeons, with the intention of setting 

 them loose in the Western States. They 



