io6 



R EC RE A TION. 



in my teens, it was his works that re- 

 vealed to me the fact that, next to man, 

 birds and quadrupeds were the most beau- 

 tiful and interesting things in the world. 

 Now, however, I can see that as to Audu- 

 bon's wonderful personality, I have never 

 half known it previous to the perusal of 

 these 2 splendid volumes. To some of 

 those who read them — carelessly, shall I 

 say? — the effect will be like the cleaning 

 of a dim old portrait, whose details and 

 colors once more stand forth in their for- 

 mer vividness in response to the awakening 

 touch of the friendly brush and oil. To 

 others — those who read carefully the whole 

 of the European Journals — the effect is 

 more powerful than that. It is the figure 

 stepping out of the canvas — Audubon re- 

 called to life. He is literally brought back 

 to us for the benefit of the generations that 

 have been since he passed from earth. 



To write of this book a " notice," as of 

 other books, is impossible. I might as 

 well try to write a conventional review of 

 Shakspeare. The reading of these " Jour- 

 nals " has stirred me as I have not been for 

 years. They make me young again; they 

 give me fresh courage for my tasks; they 

 stimulate anew my ambition to "do things." 



For the benefit of young readers, let me 

 say that Audubon lived when nearly all our 

 glorious birds were " new " ; that the de- 

 sire to know them, to paint them life size 

 and then give them to the world possessed 

 him as an overmastering passion; that his 

 life is one splendid story of ambition and 

 achievement, of labor and success, of de- 

 light in nature and in man. He painted 

 his birds so well that, although his great 

 " double elephant folio " work, of 435 

 plates, in 4 volumes, was completed as long 

 ago as 1838, and his " Quadrupeds of North 

 America " in 1854, both stand to-day quite 

 unrivalled. Like the return of the yacht 

 " America " when she won the cup — 

 "There is no second! " 



Personally, Audubon was a wonderful 

 combination. With the instincts of a born 

 naturalist and worshipper of nature he dis- 

 liked hollow conventionality and useless 

 forms. He loved his friends ardently, ig- 

 nored his few enemies, and reviled no one. 

 He attracted intelligent people as a magnet 

 attracts nails, and to know him was to 

 love him. It was said that things were 



freely given to him which others could not 

 buy. In his " European Journal " his 

 whole inner self is laid bare, most ingenu- 

 ously. It is the heart history of a great 

 achievement. The manner in which the 

 " American backwoodsman " was received 

 by the best people of Liverpool, Man- 

 chester, Edinburgh and London, the affec- 

 tion, the honors and the " subscriptions " 

 that were showered upon him, warm one's 

 heart through and through. It is syrup to 

 the soul to see genius so handsomely rec- 

 ognized, so substantially rewarded. Would 

 to heaven that a tithe of such recognition 

 and support might now come from our 

 wealthy countrymen to Ernest Thompson, 

 to J. Carter Beard, to Carl Rungius, and 

 others I could name! 



The first volume of Miss Audubon's de- 

 lightful book devotes 77 pages to general 

 biography. The " European Journals " fill 

 265 pages, the " Labrador Journal " oc- 

 cupies 103, and the first part of the " Mis- 

 souri River Journal " fills the remaining 

 87 pages. Of the 22 full page illustrations 

 in Vol. I., 8 are portraits of Audubon. 

 The onewhich appeals to me most strong- 

 ly, the one which seems most like Audu- 

 bon as he was in his prime (1841) is that 

 by his son, John Woodhouse, father of 

 Miss Audubon. It is reproduced herewith. 



The second volume concludes the " Mis- 

 souri River Journals " — now published for 

 the first time — and is followed by the " Epi- 

 sodes." The latter consist of 58 short 

 stories of adventure, and sketches of travel 

 and natural history. What a feast for the 

 American Boy is here! What fresh enter- 

 tainment for all who are weary of the 

 " demnition grind " of to-day. No right 

 minded person can peruse these volumes 

 without being freshened, encouraged and. 

 made better by thus coming within touch- 

 ing distance of Audubon — the incarnation 

 of ambition, of energy and endurance, and 

 yet one of the gentlest, most generous and 

 lovable of men. 



AUDUBON AND HIS JOURNALS. 



By Maria R. Audubon. With Zoological 

 and other Notes by Elliott Coues. Vol. I. 

 pp. xiv. + 552. 22 illustrations. Vol. II., 

 pp. 554. 15 illustrations, 9 fac-similes of 

 Diplomas. 8vo. Cloth, $7-50. Charles 

 Scribner's Sons, New York. 



HER BROTHER. 



TAYLOR. 



Before I bought my blessed wheel, 

 When e'er 1 called on fair Lucille, 

 A little brother with rumpled hair, 

 Sat looking at us with open stare. 



Now things are better to my joy, 

 The wheel outside attracts the bov. 



He pumps the tires, he lowers the seat, 

 He counts the gear, then dusts it neat. 



He oils the wheel with ready knack, 

 Then rides it up the street and back, 

 Therefore I vote for this king of fads, 

 May the gods protect all wheel-cracked 

 lads! 



