THORNS ON THE ROSE 81 



1838, there is represented a yellow water lily, under the 

 name of Nymphaea lutea. Since this lily was then quite 

 unknown to botanists, it was ignored and treated as a 

 fable, or as an extravagant vagary of the naturalist's 

 imagination, until the summer of 1876, when it was re- 

 discovered in Florida by Mrs. Mary Treat. Audubon's 

 long lost lily was then identified and acknowledged by 

 Professor Asa Gray, the botanist, who, with poetic jus- 

 tice, proposed to rename it after the discredited enthusi- 

 ast, in view of the fact that it had been originally dis- 

 covered and faithfully depicted by him a generation 

 before. 



While the snake controversy was acute in America, 

 another of a purely academic character, which assumed 

 even wider proportions, was started on the smelling 

 powers of the vulture. We have already seen a reference 

 to this in the naturalist's letter to his son, Victor, written 

 at Charleston, where he was conducting with Bachman 

 a new series of experiments to settle the question.^ ^ The 

 idea, commonly accepted, that the scavengers of the 

 Southern States were possessed of a keenness of scent 

 comparable with that of a beagle hound, had been vig- 

 orously combated by Audubon, who showed by numer- 

 ous experiments ^® that they were guided to their prey 



"See Vol. II, p. 55. 



^"Bachman's account of these experiments is interesting: "A coarse 

 painting," he said, was made on canvas, "representing a sheep skinned and 

 cut open. This proved very amusing — no sooner was this picture placed 

 on the ground than the Vultures observed it, alighted near, walked over 

 it, and some of them commenced tugging at the painting. They seemed 

 much disappointed and surprised, and after having satisfied their curiosity, 

 flew away. This experiment was repeated more than fifty times, with 

 the same result. The painting was then placed within two feet of the 

 place where the oifal was deposited — they came as usual, walked around 

 it, but in no instance evinced the slightest symptoms of their having 

 scented the offal which was so near them. 



"The most offensive portions of the offal were now placed on the earth; 

 these were covered over by a canvass cloth — on this were strewn several 

 pieces of fresh beef. The Vultures came, ate the flesh that was in sight. 



