860 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Aebil 27, 1893. 



AUDUBON MONUMENT CEREMONIES. 



The ceremonies connected, with ttie dedication of the 

 Audubon monument took place yesterday in Trinity Cem- 

 etery in the afternoon, and at the American Museum of 

 Natural History in the evening. The hour set for the 

 opening of the exercises was 3:30, and by that time a 

 large number of spectators and invited guests had gathered 

 about the monument, which stands in Trinity Cemetery, 

 between Tenth ajid Eleventh avenues, and directly oppo- 

 site the gate which opens from 155th street. On the plat- 

 form which was reserved for invited guests were Dr. 

 Morgan Dix, representing Trinity corporation, the Misses 

 Audubon, granddaughters of the naturalist, and many 

 members of scientific societies in and near New York, 

 among whom, were Dr. H. Carrington Balton, Dr. Egles- 

 ton, Mr. D. G. EUiot, Dr. J. A. Allen, Prof. Bickmore, Mr. 

 William Dutcher, Mr. L. S. Foster, Dr. C. S. Allen, Geo. 

 E. Ashly, Clark Bell. W. BeutenmuUer, E. P. Bicknell, 

 Prof. A. Brineman, Hon. Addison Brown, Prof. C. T. 

 Chandler, Frank M. Chapman, Hon. Edward Cooper, 

 Hon. Chas. P. Dalv, Prof. C. A. Doremus, Jonathan 

 Dwight. Jr.. Thos. A. Edison, Hon. Hamilton Fish, Hon. 

 Abram S. Hewitt. Prof. Walter HoUaday, Prof. T. W. 

 Hooper, Dr. O. P. Hubbard, Hon. John Jay and many 

 others. 



Invitations to the ceremonies had been issued to mem- 

 bers of the American Ornithologists' "Union, members of 

 the Scientific Alliance of New York, of the American 

 Museum of Natural History, subscribers to the fund, 

 officials of neighboring colleges and scientific societies, 

 and a few city officials. . i • t. 



Dr. Thomas Egleston made a brief address, in which, 

 on behalf of the contributors to the fimd, and especially 

 on behalf of the New York Academy of Sciences, he ex- 

 pressed his gratification at the completion of the monu- 

 ment, and turned it over to the Eev. Morgan Dix, repre- 

 senting the Trinity Cemetery corporation. It was then 



living, but nature has carefully preserved these creatures 

 in stone to remain forever, objects for our wonder and 

 our admiration. Unknown ages rolled along and man 

 appeared on the scene, but in the evidence of their exist- 



JOHN wooDaotrsE addtjbos", 

 His Youngest Son. 



unveiled by Miss Audubon, a daughter of the natiuraUst's 

 eldest son, Victor Gifford. Dr. Dix spoke feelingly but 

 briefly in accepting the monument. ^ 



The monument is a monolith, terminating in a Runic 

 cross, of North River bluestone, which stands on a pedi- 

 ment of the same and this upon a gi-anite foundation. 

 On the northern face of the pediment is sculptured a bust 

 of the naturalist in veiy high relief, with the name Audu- 

 bon in raised letters beneath it. On the east side are 

 carved hunting implements, guns, a game band and pow- 

 der horn; on the west side a palette and brushes, and on 

 the south face is an inscription: 



: ERECTED : 



; TO THE MEMORY OF 



: JOHN JAMES AUDUBON : 



: In- thb Yeab 1893 : 



: ny HU ASCRIPTIONS BAlKED : 



: BY THE : 



; Nw York Academy OF Sciences. : 



At the base of the shaft on the north side is the text 

 from the Benedicite: 



O, all ye Fovyles of the Air, bless ye the Lord; praise Him and mag 

 nlfy Him forever. 



Above this, running up to the cross are carved a number 

 of figures of different birds. On the south side of the shaft 

 are figures of mammals, a bison, an elk, a beaver, and 

 others, and beneath them, at the foot of the shaft, an- 

 other verse from Benedicite: 



O, all ye Beasts and Gattle, bless ye the Lord; praise Him and 

 magnify Him for ever. 



The height of the monument is about 16ft., and the 

 whole effect is very graceful, pleasing and artistic. 



In the evening at the American Museum of Natural 

 History Mr. D. G. Elliot pronounced an eloquent address, 

 in which he said in part: 



' 'Shotild we desire to see the beginnings of ornithology 

 we must look for them in the period when our old earth 

 was yet young, when that strange creature, more bird 

 than reptile, more reptile than bird, which left its remains 

 in the slab of Solenhofen, the Archceopteryx, Avinged its 

 feeble flight over the unfamiliar landscape of the Jurassic 

 age. Evolved from wholly reptilian ancestors, this, so 

 far as Ave know, was the first creature provided with 

 wings composed of feathers which could bear it up in 

 the atmosphere. There were no artists upon the earth in 

 those days to transmit to us the portraits of animals then 



ence the pre-historic races have left behind them no relic 

 of stone or bone or ivory containing any representations 

 of birds. Only when Ave i-each what may be deemed 

 modern times do we meet with colored portraits, although 

 it is noAV more than three thousand years since artists 

 painted their portraits. A fresco of six figures taken 

 from a dome in Egypt, and now in the museum at 

 Boulak is so fresh and depicted with such marvelous fidel- 

 ity of form and coloring, that four of these figures can 

 without hesitation be referred to two species liAang in the 

 old world to-day, one of which has a very near relative 

 in our own land, and known to many as the brant of our 

 western prairies. There Avere probably most learned and 

 excellent naturalists among the learned people on the 

 banks of the old Nile, but their names have been lost in 

 the overthroAV of their nation, and it was not until the 

 fourth century before Christ that the first serious ornitho- 

 logical author appeared in the person of Aristotle. He 

 Avas followed in the first century of our era by Pliny the 

 elder, and then we come to tlie sixteenth centurj^ before 

 Ave find any at all familiar to us. The seventeenth and 

 eighteenth centuries produced a host of naturalists, some 

 prominent in ornithology, and it Avas toward the close of 

 this century that he appeared upon the scene in honor of 

 Avhose memory Ave are assemblpd herp this evening. 



It Avas at the resurrection period, the most beautiful 

 season of the year, Avhen all the groves were echoing with 

 melody issuing from countless feathered throats, and the 

 air was redolent Avith the perfume of the flowers, that on 

 the 4th of May, 1780, in the then French province of 

 Louisiana, on his father's plantation, John James Audu- 

 bon was born . A few years after his birth Mrs. Aiidubon 

 accompanied her husband to San Domingo, and there 

 perished during the insun-ection of the negroes. The 

 elder Audubon returned to France Avith his family, and 

 the naturalist's son was sent to school, but young Audu- 

 bon spent his time in the fields and Avoods collecting 

 objects of natural history, and made about 800 drawings 



THE AUDUBON MONUMENT. 



TJnveiled Yesterday. 



of birds. Declining to enter the army of General 

 Napoleon, his father sent him to America to look after 

 some property called Mill Grove, Avhich he had near 

 Philadelphia. "Here he led an idle existence, and most of his 

 time was occupied in himting and fishing and drawing. 

 In a description of himself written at this time, he says: 

 "I had no vices, but was fond of shooting, fishing and 

 riding, and had a passion for raising all sorts of fowls, 

 which som-ce of interest and amusement occupied all of 

 the time." 



He would wander over little known poi-tions of the 

 land, intent only upon the discovery of some new feature 

 of the capttire of some specimen already known but not 

 yet added to his collection. In after years, looking back 

 upon this happy period of his youth he says, "Why could 

 I not have kept to this delicious mode of living?" 



One morning he entered the residence of his neighbor, 

 Mr. Wm. BakcAA-eU. He was shown into the drawing- 

 room where a young lady rose to welcome him. This 

 was his introduction to Miss Lucy Bakewell, his fviture 

 wife, who proved to be a most fitting mate to such a man 

 as Audubon. Affectionate, patient, sympathetic, enter- 

 ing with her whole heart into her husband's pursuits. 

 Self-sacrificing, ever ready to encoitrage him when op- 

 pressed by disappointments, jealous of his reputation, 

 cheerfully submitting to any privation, endviring without 

 a mm'mur long separations from husband and children, 

 and accepting at times the tmcon genial labor of teaching 

 to gain means to advance the pubhcation of his book, 

 she was a type of that woman of whom it is written, 

 "Her children shall rise up and call her blessed," and 

 whatever wreath shall be twined for the brow of the 

 natm-ahst, sprays from it must be taken to form a 

 similar crown to adorn the head of his faithful devoted 

 wife. 



He was married in AprU, 1808. Later he entered 

 into partnership with his brother-in-law under the firm 



MADAM AUDUUON. 



His Wlte. 



name of Audubon & Go., and aiter passing through many 

 experiences and vicissitudes, on the 26th of AprU, 1826, he 

 sailed from New Orleans to Li\'erpool, and reached his 

 destination on the SOth of July. In Edinboro he met Mr. 

 Lizars, who offered to bring out the first part of the 

 "Birds of North America," and on the 28th of November 

 he was presented with proof of the first plate. He now 

 issued his prospectus of the "Burds of North America." 

 There being no text to his book he began to prepare an 

 ornithological biography, in which he Avas assisted by Mr, 

 Wm. McGillavray. In three months the fii-st part was 

 finished and offered to some publishers, none of whom 

 would give a shilling for it, and he issued it himself. In 

 the autumn of 1839 the "Birds of North America," the 

 most magnificent ornithological work the w^orld has ever 

 seen, with the ornithological biography, being finished, he 

 came back to America. 



In the s]n-ing of 1843 he started on his last exi^edition 

 to visit the Yellowstone River to procure material for his 

 Avork, the "Quadrupeds of North America." Tavo years 

 afterAvard appeared the first volume of this great Avork. 

 The other tAvo Avere prepared mostly by his sons, Victor 

 and John, the last one appearing in the year Audubon 

 died. In this hasty sketch of the naturalist's life I have 

 touched upon some of the most important and interesting 

 incidents of his career, exhibiting in various lights the 

 impulsive, peculiar disposition of the man, which ui-ged 

 him often to enter upon impracticable and unwise under- 

 takings, and yet perverted him never from the steadfast 

 pursuit of his material. He was born to accomplish 

 a certain task, and no matter what the condition of his life 

 may have been, nothing could divert his mind from the 

 subject in which his whole heart wasAvrapped, nor any 

 privation discourage from following the study of liis be- 

 loved birds. He was a> woodsman, not a scientific natural- 

 ist according to the idea prevalent to-day. As an artist 

 and pupil of David we must judge him, and the masters 

 influence is frequently seen in his plates. 



As a naturalist we must not judge Audubon by the 

 standard of to-day any more than we ourselves shall be 

 measured by that "employed by naturalists half a century , 

 hence. He Avas an ornithological artist, not a scientific 

 naturalist, and no one appreciated thi.s fact and was more 

 ready to acknowledge it than the simple, frank and en- 

 thusiastic author of the "Birds of North America." He 

 never made pretenses to be more than he really was. He i 

 never claimed to be anything higher than a lover of) 

 animals, but in this road he occupied the foremost place 

 and has gathered imperisha.ble fame. He Avas a pams- : 

 taking observer, a field naturahst, who, daunted by no 

 difficulties, penetrated the unknoAAm forests, encountered 

 Avith cheerful courage unknoAvn perils, privations, hunger, , 

 cold, storms and heat to procure specimen. s which after- 

 wards were made to five again in the pages of lii.s great 

 tAvork. He was the type of that class of ualuraliHih; whose 



