A MEETING OF RIVALS 229 
the drawing of the upper bird only, which he designated 
as a male, and the original still exists, with clearly writ- 
ten notes showing that it was executed in Louisiana in 
1821.7? 
Audubon usually made up his drawings for the en- 
graver with great care, but when pressed for time, Ha- 
vell’s skill was such that he often depended upon him to 
complete or change his figures, to fill in backgrounds, 
or even to combine several distinct figures into one 
plate, specific directions for all such changes being usu- 
ally written on the drawing itself.2® Inasmuch as no 
penciled directions whatever occur on this particular 
drawing, is it possible that Havell, in piecing it out to 
improve the composition, followed his own initiative, 
not fully appreciating the stigma that is rightly attached 
to such methods? The bird in the lower half of the plate, 
which was appropriated from Wilson, is misrepresented 
as a female, so that the composite, as it stands, is a re- 
markable product, supposedly depicting a pair but in 
reality showing two males. Although the apparent dif- 
ference in sex in this bird was admittedly slight, it is 
improbable that so gross an error could have escaped 
the naturalist’s eye had he been directly concerned with 
the result. 
When Audubon was descending the Mississippi in 
December, 1820, he saw the kites busily engaged “in 
catching small lizards off the bark of dead cypress trees,” 
but “having at that time no crayons or paper,” he “did 
27Qn this drawing, which with Audubon’s other originals is in the col- 
lections of the Historical Society of New York, the legends are as follows: 
“Mississippi Kite, Male, Falco mississippiensis; Drawn from nature by 
John J. Audubon, Louisiana, parish of Feliciana, James Perrie’s Esq., 
Plantation. June 28th, 1821. Length 14 inches; Breadth 3 feet, 14 inches; 
Weight 10%, ounces; Tail feathers, 12.” It is drawn in his usual style of 
that period, in pastel, water color and pencil, and has been dismounted. 
See Vol. I, p. 305. 
