The Audubon Magazine. 



place on the 8th of April, 1808. The busi- 

 ness journey to Louisville thus became as 

 well a wedding tour, and was made for the 

 most part on a flat boat. 



Now followed nearly twenty years of 

 wandering life, interspersed with attempts 

 in commercial pursuits, which were never 

 .successful, Audubon was by turns mer- 

 chant, portrait painter, curator of a museum, 

 dancing master and school teacher. Dur- 

 ing all this time he was making collections. 



observations, drawings. When his money 

 quite gave out he would put his skillful 

 hand to something which would bring in 

 bread, and then, when his accumulations 

 were enough to last for a little while, would 

 turn his back on civilization and take to the 

 woods again. Though often depressed, he 

 was never discouraged, but kept the main 

 object of his life steadily in view. Through 

 the adventures of those years we will follow 

 him in subsequent chapters. 



THE AUDUBON MAGAZINE. 



THE purpose of the Audubon Maga- 

 zine is to advance the interests of 

 the Audubon Society. The Society has a 

 roll of more than 20,000 members, scattered 

 among more than 400 towns, so that there 

 is very evident need of a special medium 

 of ready communication between officers 

 and members. Present methods of personal 

 letter writing and circular distribution are 

 slow and cumbersome. The strength and 

 growth of the work will be promoted by a 

 regular monthly journal recognized as its 

 exponent. The magazine will give stability 

 to the Society, foster the zeal of the thous- 

 ands now on its rolls, increase the member- 

 ship, aid in carrying out the Society's spe- 

 cial work, and broaden the sphere of effort 

 in such directions as may be approved. 



While directly concerned with the attain- 

 ment of the specific purpose for which the 

 Audubon Society was established, the mag- 

 azine will deal with bird life and other natural 

 history, and discuss the general economic 

 problems of animal life in relation to agri- 

 ■culture and human welfare. It will aim to 

 be practical, instructive and helpful; but it 

 will never be prosy. With inspiration drawn 

 from the great book of nature, how can its 

 pages have other than variety, freshness and 

 charm? Competent ornithologists are as- 

 sociated with the editor in the work, and 

 •every effort will be made to place before its 

 readers the results of the most reliable ob- 



servations on birds, and the nature of their 

 services to man. But the Magazine will 

 not confine itself to birds alone. It will take 

 a far wider range and will discuss many 

 other interesting points in animated nature. 



The Audubon will be illustrated, and 

 everything done to render it attractive to 

 the young folks; but while its language will 

 be simple, it is intended to convey the most 

 reliable information on the little known sub- 

 ject of man's dependence on the services- 

 of the lowliest creatures that live: a subject 

 of first-class importance to every student of 

 nature, and above all to the farmer. 



The Audubon will be a family magazine, 

 and as the young folks have rendered most 

 material aid in advancing the Society's 

 work, each number will be prepared with 

 special care that there be for young readers 

 a full share of entertainment. 



To spread the Audubon movement as 

 widely as possible, and in every way to fos- 

 ter its growth, is the purpose of the Maga- 

 zine. This can best be done by giving it 

 the widest possible currency, and it is hoped 

 that each one who is interested in the Soci- 

 ety's work will not only send in a subscrip- 

 tion, but will induce others to do the same. 

 The price being merely nominal can at best 

 only cover the cost of production, while a 

 large subscription will do much to instruct 

 young and old in the important part played 

 by our birds in the economy of Nature. 



