S8 AUDUBON 



Haines, Le Sueur,^ Dr. Mease, and many another honored 

 name might be given. 



In August Philadelphia was quitted, and another period 

 of travel in search of birds was begun. Of this next year, 

 1825, no record whatever can be found besides the episodes 

 of "Niagara" and " Meadville," and two detached pages 

 of journal. Audubon went to New York, up the Hudson, 

 along the Great Lakes, then to Pittsburg, and finally to 

 Bayou Sara, where, having decided to go to England, he 

 made up his mind to resume at once his classes in drawing, 

 music, and dancing, to make money for the European jour- 

 ney, for which he never ceased to accumulate pictures of his 

 beloved birds. Reaching Bayou Sara in December, 1825, 

 this work at once began by giving lessons in dancing to 

 the young ladies under my grandmother's care ; and Judge 

 Randolph, a near neighbor, had his sons take lessons in 

 fencing. In these branches Audubon was so successful 

 that the residents of the village of Woodville, fifteen miles 

 distant, engaged him for Friday and Saturday of each 

 week, and here he had over sixty pupils. From the ac- 

 count of this class I take the following: "I marched to 

 the hall with my violin under my arm, bowed to the com- 

 pany assembled, tuned my violin ; played a cotillon, and 

 began my lesson by placing the gentlemen in a line. Oh ! 

 patience support me ! how I labored before I could pro- 

 mote the first appearance of elegance or ease of motion ; 

 in doing this I first broke my bow, and then my violin ; I 

 then took the ladies and made them take steps, as I sang 

 in time to accompany their movements." 



These lessons continued three months, and were in 

 every sense a success, Audubon realizing about $2000 



1 Charles Alexandre Le Sueur, 1778-1846, distinguished French natu- 

 ralist. Best biography in Youman's "Pioneers of Science in America," 

 8vo, N. Y., 1896, pp. 128-139, with portrait. The same volume contains a 

 biographical sketch of Audubon, pp. 152-166, with portrait after the oil 

 painting by George P. A. Healy, belonging to the Boston Society of Natural 

 History. — E. C. 



