Miscellaneous Intelligence. 151 



vvitli 34 plates; vol. II, pp. xiii, 494, with 24 plates. New York 

 and London, 1917 (D. Appleton and Co.). — Many readers will 

 doubtless learn with surprise that the origin of the gifted bird 

 and quadruped painter, John Jacques Fougere Audubon, or, 

 as he is usually known, John James Audubon, has been hitherto 

 veiled in mystery. Audubon, himself, in writing his autobiog- 

 raphy throws but little light on his earliest years. Careful 

 search for further information has been unsuccessful until by 

 the merest chance the writer of these interesting volumes learned 

 of the existence of documents in the hands of a retired notary in 

 France which reveal the history of Audubon's father and his 

 family. These documents consist of several hundred papers, 

 including letters, deeds, and certificates of birth, baptisms, 

 adoptions, and deaths. From these documents, supplemented 

 by the writings of Audubon himself and of his contemporaries, 

 as well as by later biographers, Professor Herrick has elaborated 

 a graphic account of the famous naturalist's origin, life and 

 environment. 



The long-standing controversy as to when and where Audubon 

 was born is now settled conclusively by the publication of a 

 photograph of the bill rendered by the physician who attended 

 "Mile. Rabin" at Audubon's birth in Haiti in 1785. The 

 author follows the young naturalist through his boyhood days 

 in France to his settlement near Philadelphia at the age of 

 eighteen, when he begins his studies of American birds. We 

 learn of his wanderings through the sparsely settled portions of 

 the country as far west as the upper Missouri seeking new birds 

 for his study. We follow his struggles for a livelihood in unsym- 

 pathetic communities, his failures in business ventures and his 

 final triumph as artist and naturalist. The writer depicts the 

 life and customs of the times as revealed by Audubon's experi- 

 ences, thereby giving the reader an intimate history of the 

 country during the first half of the 19th century. The illustra- 

 tions include places and people familiar to the naturalist and 

 many of his authentic likenesses, as well as several of his famous 

 plates in colors ; also a number of his other drawings, here pub- 

 lished for the first time. 



Appendices contain copies of important documents, including 

 the certificate of Audubon's adoption by his father and foster- 

 mother, of his baptism, etc., together with bills, letters, lists of 

 drawings and an excellent annotated bibliography. 



The painstaking collection of these data and their incorpora- 

 tion into so readable a narrative will prove a lasting service 

 alike to history, literature, and science. w. r. c. 



4. Mammalian Anatomy; with special reference to the cat; 

 by Alvin Davison. Third edition revised by Frank A. Stroni- 

 sten. Pp. xi, 243, with 115 illustrations. Philadelphia, 1917 

 (P. Blakiston's Son & Co.). — The book is designed to accompany 



