THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



characteristics, the plates having been 

 copied from the author's paintings. 



It was no easy matter to get sub- 

 scribers for the price of the book was 

 one thousand dollars.* Many of the 

 most celebratad people of Europe be- 

 come the author's friends as well as 

 subscribers and among these were Sir 

 Walter Scott, Humboldt and Cuvier, 

 and it is no wonder that the latter ex- 

 claimed on first seeing a copy of the 

 " Birds of North America," " This is 

 the most magnificent monument that 

 art has ever erected to ornithology!" 

 And truly it is a monument that will 

 not crumble with the lapse of the ages. 

 From obscurity Audubon had risen to 

 fame and now his name was on the lips 

 of the people of both continents. 



No longer was he unnoticed, but was 

 sought after and soon became a promi- 

 nent figure in the drawing rooms of 

 Europe and people were proud if they 

 could but take the hand of this ardent 

 lover of nature. 



Not satisfied, Audubon went to work 

 on another book, " The Quadrupeds of 

 America;" but the last volume was not 

 issued until after his death. The 

 "American Woodsman," as Audubon 

 sometimes called himself, now decided 

 to settle down and enjoy home life, to 

 rest, as he had spent most of his days 

 in the woods, so accordingly he pur- 

 chased a piece of land in New York 

 City fronting on the Hudson river. 

 (This is now known as Audubon Park. ) 

 Hither he brought his wife and two 

 sons and his declinig days were passed 

 on this beautiful river of many legends. 



In November, 1851, death visited 

 the Audubon household and the liirds 

 lost their friend and lover. 



Words of mine cannot tell the loss 

 he was to the world, this great pioneer 

 of ornithology : but now, on this No- 

 vember day the mission for which he 

 came was finished. 



A WELL KNOWN BIRD. 



The Antcrlcan Goldfinch. 



Xj. k. s.. lititz, pa. 



A copy recently sold in Ne 



rb city for *1,500. 



The lover of birds must have noticed 

 in some of his rural walks, this ani- 

 mated bird as it went about on some 

 thistle plant picking out the seeds of 

 this noxious weed. How beautiful he 

 is, dressed in a coat of bright yellow, 

 his wings and tail of a pretty black. 

 On his head he wears a glossy black 

 cap. Near him we find his mate ar- 

 rayed in diiller colors and without the 

 beautiful cap that adorns the head of 

 the male. The birds are disturbed, 

 they fly up from the thistle weed 

 and away. While flying the birds take 

 long bounding curves all the while utter- 

 ing their familiar notes, " tid-tid-di-die, 

 tse-hee-tse, tee-hee, tee-hew," now and 

 then adding an " I've cheated ye, I've 

 cheated ye." Seated on some tree branch 

 he pours forth a flood of song in great 

 haste and in a way it would seem he 

 wants to invite general attention. Rev. 

 Langille says of his song, " When he 

 sings, he seems so brimful of his song, 

 and in such haste to deliver it, that he 

 cannot articulate distinctly, but runs 

 one note into another, and breaks oth- 

 ers otf so abruptly that, notwithstand- 



