NEW ENTERPRISES AND LIFE AT "MINNIE'S LAND"
Settlement in New York—The _Birds_ in miniature,
and work on the _Quadrupeds_—Marriage of Victor
Audubon—Coöperation of Bachman in the _Quadrupeds_
secured—Prospectuses—History of the octavo edition
of the _Birds_—Baird's enthusiasm and efficient
aid—Parkman's wren—Baird's visit to Audubon in New
York—"Look out for Martens!" and wildcats—New home on
the Hudson—Godwin's pilgrimage to "Minnie's Land" in
1842.
After thirteen years of unmitigated labor, Audubon could have basked
in a fame already secure, and could have enjoyed, for a time at least,
a leisure handsomely earned. But no sooner had he settled in New
York than he entered upon two formidable tasks: one of these was the
complete revision of his _Birds of America_, to be issued with its text
in "miniature," as its reduced form was sometimes described; the other,
which he did not live to see brought to completion, was an elaborate
work on the _Quadrupeds of North America_, eventually carried forward
in collaboration with the Reverend John Bachman.
In his confident and characteristic manner, Audubon at once issued a
"Prospectus" of both these undertakings. The more cautious Bachman,
in writing on September 13, 1839, to congratulate him upon their safe
return, "in spite of storms, calms, and hurricane," said:
I am glad that you are about to do something with regard
to the "_Small Edition of Birds_." But are you not
too fast in issuing your prospectus of _The Birds and
Quadrupeds_, without having numbers of both works, by
which the public can judge of their merits? My idea,
in regard to the latter, is that you should carefully
get up, in your best style, a volume about the size of
"Holbrook's Reptiles." This would enable you to decide
on the terms of the book, I think that two thousand
subscribers at $1.00 for each number, might be obtained.
But it must be no half-way affair.
The animals have never been carefully described, and
you will find difficulties at every step. Books cannot
aid you much. Long journeys will have to be undertaken.
Several species remain to be added and their habits
ascertained. The drawings you can easily make, if you
can procure the specimens. I wish I had you here, if
only for two days. I think that I have studied the
subject more than you have. You will be bothered with
the Wolves and the Foxes, to begin with. I have two new
species of Bats and Shrews to add. The Western Deer are
no joke, and the ever varying Squirrels seem sent by
Satan himself, to puzzle the Naturalists.
It is evident from this letter that Audubon was then intending to
proceed with the work on the _Quadrupeds_ alone and that Bachman's
active coöperation was secured later. On September 15, shortly after
his return to America, he wrote to Thomas M. Brewer on this subject as
follows:[173]
Now that I am about to commence the publication of
the _Quadrupeds of North America_, I will expect your
assistance in the procuring for me of all such subjects
as may easily be obtained around you. John Bachman
is about to give the whole of his collections and his
notes to me; and as I intend to open a pretty general
correspondence in different parts of the Union, I
trust to be enabled to proceed roundly on this fresh
undertaking.
Victor Gifford Audubon, who had preceded his father to America early in
1839, was married in that year to Mary Eliza, second daughter of John
and Harriet Bachman. This double union of the two naturalists' families
called forth mutual congratulations, but Bachman, who was inconsolable
at the departure of his children, preferred to talk of birds: "By that
time," said he, "four or five numbers [of the 'Small Edition of the
Birds'] are published, you may turn over the work to your sons; but,
till then, you should carefully review every page and plate. The next
thing will be to get subscribers. This would be purgatory to me; but
it is necessary to success. While drumming up subscribers, you may
obtain specimens for the Quadrupeds." When writing again January 13,
1840, Bachman, whose cooperation in the proposed work had been sought,
continued:
The descriptions in the "Small Edition of Birds" will
have to be abridged—your "_worthy friend_" and other
humbugs may be left out to advantage. I am not at all
surprised at your success at getting subscribers; but
let me say, _cities_ are not the only places to obtain
them. Birds sing and nestle among the groves of the
_country_—The planters and farmers are the men to become
subscribers. An intelligent planter from the up country
said, a few days ago, that if the right person would
thoroughly canvass the whole State of South Carolina,
he would insure three hundred subscribers to the "Small
Work." _Old Jostle_ would be the man, and when his legs
failed, the _Young Jostle_ should go forward. Get the
Editors to notice your work—this is a puffing world—from
the porpoise to the steamboat.
When we meet, we shall talk about the partnership in
the quadrupeds. I am willing to have my name stand
with yours, if it will help the sale of the book. The
expenses and the profits shall be yours or the boys'.
I am anxious to do something for the benefit of Victor
and John, in addition to the _treasures_ I have given
them—and this is all I can do.... Employ yourself now
in drawing every quadruped you can lay your hands upon.
If you can find me a live Ermine, buy it in New York. I
must once more examine and study its change of _pilage_.
Don't flatter yourself that the quadrupeds will be
child's play. I have studied them all my life. We have
much, both in Europe and America, to learn on this
subject. The skulls and the teeth must be studied, and
color is as variable as the wind; down, down in the
earth they grovel, while we, in digging and studying,
may grow old and cross. Our work must be thorough. I
would as soon stick my name to a _forged Bank Note_ as
to a mess of _soupmaigre_.
[Illustration: VICTOR GIFFORD AUDUBON
Published by courtesy of Charles Scribner's Sons.]
[Illustration: JOHN WOODHOUSE AUDUBON
Published by courtesy Of Dr. R. W. Shufeldt.]
The "Prospectus" of Audubon's "miniature" edition of the Birds was as
follows:[174]
To those who have not seen any portion of Mr. Audubon's
Original Drawings, it may be proper to state, that their
superiority consists in the accuracy as to proportion
and outline, and the variety and truth of the attitudes
and positions of the figures, resulting from peculiar
means discovered and employed by him, and his attentive
examination of the objects portrayed, during a long
series of years. Mr. Audubon has not contented himself
with single profile views, but in many instances has
grouped his figures, so as to represent the originals
in their natural avocations, and has placed them on
branches of trees decorated with foliage, blossoms and
fruits, or amidst plants of numerous species—some are
seen pursuing their prey in the air, searching for food
amongst the leaves and herbage, sitting on their nests,
or feeding their young; whilst others, of a different
nature, swim, wade, or glide in or over their allotted
element. The insects, reptiles and fishes that form
the food of some of the birds, have now and then been
introduced in the drawings. In nearly every instance
where a difference of plumage exists between the
sexes, both male and female have been represented, and
the extraordinary changes which some species undergo
in their progress from youth to maturity, have been
depicted.
The plants are all copied from nature, and as many are
remarkable for their beauty, their usefulness, or their
rarity, the Botanist cannot fail to look upon them with
delight.
The particulars of the plan of the work can be reduced
to the following heads:
1. The size of the work is royal octavo, the paper being
of the finest quality.
2. The Plates representing the Birds are correctly
reduced from the original drawings, and are coloured in
the most careful manner.
3. The work will appear in numbers, on the first and
fifteenth of every month.
4. Each number will consist of Five Plates, accompanied
with full descriptions of the habits and localities of
the birds, their anatomy and digestive organs, (with
occasionally wood cuts representing the latter,) and
will be furnished to subscribers for one dollar, payable
on delivery.
5. The work will be published in accordance with a
scientific arrangement of the genera and species, and
will complete the Ornithology of our country, it is
believed, in the most perfect manner.
[Illustration: TITLE PAGE OF PAPER COVERS IN WHICH PARTS
OF THE FIRST AMERICAN (OCTAVO) EDITION OF "THE BIRDS OF AMERICA"
WERE ORIGINALLY ISSUED.]
The octavo edition of Audubon's _Birds_ began to appear, in parts,
late in 1839, and was in press four years. It was illustrated with 500
lithographic plates, which were reduced by John Woodhouse Audubon from
his father's old or new originals, with such changes as the breaking
up of composite plates and other considerations rendered necessary.
Many new flowers and trees made their appearance in these plates, and
seventeen new birds were added to the last volume; the text was also
greatly improved by the process of addition and subtraction, as well
as by the correction of many errors which it was then possible to
effect: as twelve species were noticed without figures, this brought
the total number of American birds finally recognized by Audubon
to 507.[175] The first considerable list of American birds with any
pretense to accuracy appeared in _Notes on Virginia_, published in
1782, by Thomas Jefferson, who then named 109 species peculiar to
the United States; William Bartram, in 1791, gave 191; Alexander
Wilson, 278; Wilson and Ord, in 1808-14, 320, and Charles Bonaparte,
in 1825-33, is said to have extended the number to 382. The present
number of North American birds, omitting sub-species, admitted to the
third revised edition of the "Check-List," prepared by a Committee of
the American Ornithologists' Union and published in New York in 1910,
is 768. To this is added a hypothetical list of 26 names, the validity
of which is still in doubt; these embrace Townsend's Bunting—_Spiza
townsendi_ (Audubon); Carbonated Warbler—_Dendroica carbonata_
(Audubon), Blue Mountain Warbler—_Dendroica montana_ (Wilson), known
only in the works of Wilson and Audubon; the mysterious Small-headed
"Flycatcher," or Warbler—_Musicapa minuta_ (Wilson) or _Wilsonia_ (?)
_microcephala_ (Ridgway), an account of which is given in Chapter XIV
and which is known only in Wilson's and Audubon's works; and Cuvier's
Regulus—_Regulus cuvieri_ (Audubon), which has never been seen beyond
the covers of _The Birds of America_, and its descriptive text: "I
shot _this_ bird," said Audubon, "on my father-in-law's plantation of
Fatland Ford, on the Skuylkill River in Pennsylvania, on the 8th June
1812, while on a visit to my honoured relative Mr. William Bakewell....
I have not seen another since."
Audubon was soon canvassing the principal cities for this work, with
what success is shown by the following letter[176] to his family:
_Audubon to his Family_
BALTIMORE, _Feb. 21. 1840_.
11 o'clock at night.
MY DEAR FRIENDS
So far so good, but alas! I am now out of numbers to
deliver to my subscribers here. Here! where I expected
to procure a good number more. This list is composed
of excellent men and all good pay. I have in my pocket
upwards of one hundred names, whom I am assured are
likely to subscribe. Therefor I will not leave Baltimore
for some days to come at least. I forward a copy of this
list to Chevalier by the same mail and yet you may as
well inquire if he has received it. More numbers I must
have as soon as possible as all my subscribers here are
anxious about receiving their copies, unfortunately I
had only 90 No. 2. I look upon this list as a capital
list. I have sent Mr. Ridgley of Annapolis a No. 1 and a
prospectus, and expect some names tomorrow evening from
that quarter.
I will remit money to Phila. and let you know how much
as soon as I can. The box has arrived here safely and
tomorrow or Monday I will deliver Biographies &c. D.
Potter is very ill and poor and yet I hope to get his
note before I leave here.
I received a note from dear Jonny dated at Norfolk, all
well and going on. I expect they are at this moment at
John Bachman's. I am fatigued beyond description and had
the misfortune last evening of skinning my shin bones,
they bled profusely however, and I hope will soon get
well, though feel rather sore at this very moment, but
I will take care of them.
The amount of attention which I have received here is
quite bewildering, the very streets resound with my
name, and I feel quite alarmed and queer as I trudge
along. Mess. _Meckle_, _Oldfield_ and the Brune family
have all assisted me in the most kind and brotherly
manner, indeed I may say that my success is mostly
derived from these excellent persons.
I have written to Mr. Mifflins. I feel that Theodore
Anderson will not live long. Mr. Morris has not yet
returned from Annapolis. See that the _notice_ in the
Baltimore Patriot which I sent you yesterday is inserted
in the _Albion_, the _New York Gazette_ and if possible
in the _Courrier_ and _Enquirer_.
I have sent one to Chevalier and another to Dr. Parkman.
I ought to have at this moment 300 copies Nos. 1, 2,
3, 4, for Washington City and really I think it would
be better to stop the publication of the work for _one
month_ to effect this. Therefor loose no time in urging
Mr. Bowen (write to him) and Chevalier also on this all
important subject.
If ever I was in want of assistance it is at this
moment and _you_ my dear Victor must be on the alert and
second my endeavors to render you all Happy! I would be
delighted to have a few lines from Mamma and Eliza at
the end of your next letter, which I hope to receive in
immediate answer to this, _Here_. I have marked all your
items in your last letter. Call from time to time at
the Mercantile Library. I am glad you have remitted to
the Rathbone's. Do write to Mr. Hoppenstall and see the
daughter of Capt. Brittan. I was invited last evening to
a great ball, and should have gone had not my accident
of shin bones prevented me. I am told that I would have
had some 20 names there.
Recollect that our agents name is Gideon B. Smith and
a most worthy man he is, highly recommended by Robert
Gilmor and others.
[No signature]
To the gratification of Audubon and his friends, the octavo edition
of his _Birds of America_ was an immediate and great success. Only 300
copies of the plates of the first number, which was ready on December
3, 1839, were printed, but in little more than a month 300 more were
demanded, and the number of plates required rose steadily until January
9, 1841, when it stood at 1,475 copies.[177] The total number of
subscribers given in Audubon's published lists was 1,198, of which 198
are credited to Boston, 164 to Baltimore, 141 to New York, sixty-five
to Philadelphia, and forty-three to foreign countries, ten of which
went to England; Mr. George Oates of Charleston subscribed for seven
copies. Such a reception for an expensive work on natural history was
unprecedented in the United States, and has had few parallels in any
country.
At the very beginning of this new undertaking, the hand of disease and
bereavement rested heavily on the Audubon and Bachman families; they
were obliged to see first one and then another of their daughters swept
by the same terrible malady, tuberculosis, to an early grave. Mrs. John
Woodhouse Audubon died at her old home in Charleston, whither she had
gone for the benefit of her health in the previous winter, on September
23, 1840, at the age of twenty-three; and Mrs. Victor Audubon, after
a long sojourn in Cuba, and shortly after returning to her home in New
York, died there on May 25, 1841, at the age of twenty-two. Audubon was
very fond of his daughters-in-law, and his "beloved Rosy," as Victor's
wife was familiarly called, is said to have been a particular favorite
and the life of his family circle. If work at this time brought no
pleasure, it at least afforded him relief from painful thoughts.
In June, 1840, a boy who lived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, mustered
up courage to write to the naturalist and give him an account of a
new bird, the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, which he and his brother had
discovered, under the very noses, as it were, of all the ornithologists
in America. With that fine sense of modesty which characterized the man
in after life, for his name was Spencer Fullerton Baird, he wrote:[178]
"You see Sir that I have taken (after much hesitation) the liberty of
writing you. I am but a boy, and very inexperienced, as you no doubt
will observe from my description of the Flycatcher."
Audubon, who had just returned from the sick-bed of his
daughter-in-law, replied promptly as follows:
_Audubon to Spencer Fullerton Baird_
NEW YORK, _June 13, 1840_.
DEAR SIR,
On my return home from Charleston S. C. yesterday, I
found your kind favor of the 4th inst. in which you
have the goodness to inform me that you have discovered
a new species of fly-catcher, and which, if the bird
corresponds to your description, is, indeed, likely
to prove itself hitherto undescribed, for although you
speak of yourself as being a youth, your style and the
descriptions you have sent me prove that an old head may
from time to time be found on young shoulders!
I wish you would send me one of the stuffed specimens as
well as the one preserved in spirits, and wish you also
to rest assured that if the little _Muscicapa_ stands as
a nondescript that I shall feel pleased to name it after
your friend.
I have never seen a male of the Cape May warbler with
the upper part of the head pure black. Have you compared
the _Regulus_ with the description of _Regulus Cuvieri_?
Could you not send me your bird to look at? Being on the
eve of publishing the Quadrupeds of our Country, I have
thought that you might have it in your power to procure
several of the smaller species for me, and thereby
assist me considerably. Please write to me again soon,
as I must resume my travels in 8 or 10 days. Have you
seen a copy of the small edition of The Birds of America
which I am now publishing? Believe me, dear sir,
With good wishes, your obt. sert.,
JOHN J. AUDUBON
Thus began a correspondence between the youth of fifteen and the
veteran of fifty-five, which led to an intimate friendship that lasted
during Audubon's active career, and was an undoubted stimulus to young
Baird, whose talents, enthusiasm and industry were quickly appreciated
by the older naturalist. Baird answered Audubon's letter on June 20,
and proffered his services in collecting mammals, saying that while
they were more difficult to find than birds, he hoped "by increased
exertion to make up the difference"; he also added: "I have seen some
numbers of your work now publishing, and admire them very much. I have
no doubt that it will do more to spread a love of Natural history,
than any work ever published. For my part I read the description of
birds and the episodes in your _Ornithological Biography_ with the same
motive of pleasure as I used to read a favorite novel." In Audubon's
immediate reply of the 22nd, he said:
It is impossible at present for me to give you any
precise idea of the work on our quadrupeds which I have
in contemplation to publish, any further than to say
to you, that it is my intention, as well as that of my
friend, the Revd John Bachman, of Charleston, S. C.,
assisted by several others of our best naturalists,
to issue a work on the Mammalia of North America
worthy of the naturalist's attention, both at home
and abroad.—Through our joint efforts, and assisted
as we hope and trust to be, by numerous friends and
acquaintances in different portions of our Wide Union,
we expect to collect, not only new species, but much of
valuable matter connected with their geographical range,
and particular habits. For instance, in your assistance
in this department as well as in ornithology, you may
be able to send us valuable intelligence respecting
the Shrews, Mice, Rats, Squirrels, etc., found in your
immediate vicinity &c.—and by saving and forwarding
specimens to us, be able also, in all probability, to
place into our hands, objects never before known to the
World of Science. Whatever information we thus receive
is sacredly published under the name of the friend
from whom we receive the information, etc. I have sent
you the Zoological report of Docr. De Kay. His _Corvus
cocolotle_ [cacolotl] is really our Raven. _Supposed_ by
some inexperienced European naturalists to be distinct
from the Raven of Europe, which, however, is a gross
error.[179]...
The thrush which you have described, and which you
kindly offer to send me, may be new, but perhaps you
are not acquainted with the Turdus Nanus of my work,
to which it appears, if not the same, probably a new
variety! _Nous verrons_....
Please to collect all the Shrews, Mice, (field or wood),
rats, bats, Squirrels, etc., and put them in a jar in
common Rum, not whiskey, brandy or alcohol. All of the
latter spirits are sure to injure the subjects.
Audubon, who was now "killing two birds with one stone"—collecting
subscribers for one work and mammals for another, had found a strong
and willing helper in the young naturalist of Carlisle. On December 10
of the same year Baird wrote that he had discovered another Flycatcher,
as well as a small Woodpecker, which was apparently new, and had shot a
"Bay Lynx or Wild Cat a mile & a quarter from Carlisle; the cat ... was
2½ feet long & weighed 12½ pounds.... It was a source of great regret,"
said Baird, "that I was not able to meet you in Philadelphia when I was
there during the latter part of September. I saw Mr. Chevalier[180]
several times, and found him a very agreeable gentleman." Audubon
replied to this letter on Christmas Day, as follows:
_Audubon to Spencer Fullerton Baird_
NEW YORK, _December 25, 1840_.
MY DEAR SIR,
On my return yesterday from a tour of a month, I found
your kind favor of the 10th inst. at my house. I regret
exceedingly that you and I should not have met at
Philadelphia, as I feel sure by the style and contents
of your letters to me that you are fond of the study of
natural objects, as much as I am.
I have no doubt that your journey during the last
summer and autumn was a pleasing one to you, as I can
well conceive from the fresh recollections of my many
rambles.
You would oblige me much by sending me (through Mr.
Chevelier) the _Muscicapa_ you obtained Oct. 12th, and
also the small woodpecker "with the very broad bill".
I am anxious to see those birds, and will take especial
care of them, and also return them to you, free of all
expense.
I cannot at this moment return to the specimens you have
already sent me, but in my next letter, I will assure
you of the names of the subjects. I wish I could see
your Bay Lynx, as I feel somewhat confident that we have
more than two species within our limits.
Your anecdote connected with the sagacity of the
Weasel is quite pleasing to me, and will appear in my
biographies of quadrupeds bye and bye. I cannot, as yet,
give you any estimate of my work on the Quadrupeds of
our Country but will do so as soon as possible. With my
best wishes, for your health and prosperity, I pray you
to consider me as your friend and obt. servant,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
In the following letter by William Yarrell,[181] English naturalist and
sportsman, are interesting references to Audubon's smaller edition of
_The Birds of America_ as well as to the writer's _History of British
Birds_, which later became the standard work on the ornithology of
Great Britain:
_William Yarrell to Audubon_
[Addressed] J. J. AUDUBON Esqr
No. 86 White Street
New York.
[Superscribed by Audubon]
_March 10, 1841._
[English postmark] D
Paid
4 MR 4
1841
MY DEAR SIR,
Your letter, and also that of your son, are now before
me, both received so long ago as the middle of last
year—how time flies with those who are fully occupied—I
reproach myself for having allowed them to remain so
long unanswered—and hope my numerous avocations, which
absorb my whole time, will be admitted as my excuse. I
see Mr. B. Phillips every now and then, we meet only
to talk about you—I have received from his hands the
first 17 Nos of your smaller American Birds and like
them much—as I could not afford to have the large work
I make myself content with the small one, and shall
be happy to receive the continuation—pray tell me to
whom shall I make payment for them, shall it be to Mr.
Phillips if so, let me or him know, and it shall be done
immediately—I am quite of your opinion that there would
be some sale for it here—if it was advertised and made
known, but a commission of 10. p cent will not tempt
any London Bookseller who is sufficiently known and
influential to be of any service to you—I exhibited my
numbers at the meetings of the Linnean and Zoological
Socities and gave the loose plates between them to
lay on the table, but without the name of a London
Bookseller on the cover no one knows where to get the
work if Desirous of buying it.
I will now answer your inquiries for English Friends.
Earl Derby remains much the same—very well in health,
but deprived of the use of one side entirely, limbs
as well as body—unable to attend to other things,
he appears to devote himself almost entirely to
Zoology—Thomson his Superintendent of the Aviary is at
this time in London buying some new or rare pheasants
lately arrived here from China—and will have a valuable
addition to the stock to take back with him—Lord Derby
came to London by the Rail Road last March (1840) and
Thomson tells me, his Lordship means to come up again
this Spring. The Prince of Musignano now P. of Canino
I hear of by report from others—He is quite well,
continually publishing, and we hear that he means to
visit London in the course of the present year—of Mr.
Lear we hear the most satisfactory accounts—generally
through Mr. Hullmandill—he is greatly improved in health
and finances—a favorite with every body, patronized by
all who go there—and he too, we hear, means to visit
England in the course of the present year. Mr. Gould
returned safe to England in August last, after an
absence of two years and 8 months—Two years of the time
were passed on Van Diemans land and various parts of New
Holland—he did not go to New Zealand—He has brought home
a very large collection of Birds, with, in many cases,
the eggs and nests—He has commenced the publication of
the Birds on the same scale as his Birds of Europe, but
improved in execution—two parts are out: it is to be
published every three months. I sent off a letter this
day to your Edinburgh friend Mr. MacGillivray—he is a
candidate for the Professorship of Natural History in
the Marischall College of Aberdeen and wrote to ask me
for a testimonial of recommendation—this was the object
of my letter to him.—My second volume of the British
Birds will be complete in July next, I will send it to
you in one lump. Pray remember me to your good lady and
thank your son Victoire for me for his letter. I hope
you are all well, and with best wishes for a continuance
to you of all that is good—I remain very sincerely yours
Wm. YARRELL.
J. J. AUDUBON Esqr
New York—
Spencer Baird and his brother, William, were soon able to announce
another discovery, now well known the country over as the Least
Flycatcher, and in some sections by the onomatopœic name of Chebec. In
referring to it in his letter of June 21, 1841, Baird wrote:
There is one flycatcher respecting which we are in
doubt, and which was very abundant this spring. It is
the one we had considered _M. Pusilla_ but a thorough
examination of the Biography, has thrown doubt on this
supposition, it agrees pretty well with the _M. Acadica_
of Nuttall, but not with the _Acadica_, of the Synopsis.
I will send you one as soon as possible, as there is no
set of Plates in Carlisle to which we might refer.
In conclusion Baird added: "May we not expect to see you in Carlisle
before a great while? It would give us very great pleasure indeed."
Though Audubon gladly admitted this new-found species of bird at a
later day, he was not at first disposed to accept its validity, as will
appear in the following interesting letter which he sent to his young
friend:
_Audubon to Spencer Fullerton Baird_
NEW YORK, _July 29, 1841_.
MY DEAR SIR,—
I have not had time to answer your interesting favor
of the 21st until this morning, being now constantly
engaged in the figuring, &c., of the Quadrupeds of
Our Country; by which I mean that I actually work from
daylight every day until I retire to my necessary repose
at night.
Your observations upon the birds of passage the last
spring are what they have been almost throughout the U.
S. The very backward spring which we have experienced
this year did no doubt retard the coming into the States
the millions of passenger birds that come to us from
beyond our limits. The Fly-catcher of which you are in
doubt is nevertheless the _M. Pusilla_, and you must not
be surprised to find _perhaps_ some discrepancy between
the specimens you have procured and the descriptions you
may have read, as among mine these differences are quite
obvious and belonging to either sex or age, as is indeed
the case with most of our birds as well as among many of
our quadrupeds....
I cannot at present tell you when I may have the
pleasure of meeting you at your own domicile, and yet
this may happen quite unexpectedly.
Do you pay attention to the quadrupeds around you? If
not, I wish you would!—and moreover I should be highly
pleased to hear of your procuring for us all such as may
be found in your vicinity. You have _Bats, Wood Rats,
& Mice, Weasels, &c., &c._, all of which I should like
to possess specimens at your hands. Could you not save
all that you come across with in this way, place them
in _common good Rum_, and forward them to me at once or
as soon as you have some 2 or three species. I will most
cheerfully pay all expenses to Philadelphia addressed to
_J. B. Chevalier_, No. 70 Dock Street.
I am now as anxious about the publication of the
Quadrupeds as I ever was in the procuring of our Birds,
indeed my present interest in Zoology is altogether
bent toward the Completion of this department of Natural
Science.
Do please write to me often as I am always glad to hear
from you, and when I am somewhat slow in answering your
letters, be assured that it is altogether on a/c of the
excess of Labour that I have to go through.
Believe me with sincere good wishes
Your friend and servant,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
[Illustration: AUDUBON
AFTER A PORTRAIT PAINTED BY JOHN WOODHOUSE AND VICTOR GIFFORD
AUDUBON ABOUT 1841, NOW IN POSSESSION OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF
NATURAL HISTORY, NEW YORK. PUBLISHED BY COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.]
Although Audubon never went to Carlisle, young Baird, as we shall
see, repeatedly visited him in New York and became a favorite with his
family. A description of the new Flycatchers was published by the Baird
brothers in 1843, and represented Spencer's first contribution to his
favorite science; Audubon included their discovery in the Appendix to
the seventh and last volume of _The Birds of America_ in 1844.
Audubon's occupations in the summer of this year are clearly reflected
in the following letter:[182]
_Audubon to Dr. George Parkman_
NEW YORK, _June 20th 1841_
MY DEAR FRIEND.—
I intended having written to you yesterday by Miss
Shatuck, who was good enough to spend the day with
us, but I was so deeply engaged on a drawing of
Rocky Mountain Flying Squirrels, that the time of her
departure came suddenly and I could merely ask of her
to say to you, that your last letter and remittance had
reached us in safety, and with the unexampled promptness
shewn by you on the three occasions you have been
troubled with the delivery of 46 parts of our work to 46
of our Boston subscribers; and for which as I have said
before I am very sorry to have nought but our sincerest
thanks and gratitude to you for this, so remarkable,
proceeding. May God reward you and yours for all your
generous actions.
I thank you also for your memorandums about the
quadrupeds in the Boston Museum as I see that our animal
there may save me the trouble of going to the State of
Maine for it. When I was last under the hospitable roof
of our Friend Docr Shattuck, I saw in George's room a
No. of the "Penny Magazine" in which there is a plate
representing a family of Beavers at work, that reminded
me greatly of what I have seen in the ponds of Indiana
some thirty years ago, and which I should like to have
for a few days to assist in part in the making of the
background to my Drawing of these animals, drawn from
the Individual you procured for me. I will take good
care of the No. and will return it safely very soon.
Should George Shattuck have forwarded that No. to Mr. B.
of Baltimore, pray ask him to write to the later to send
it to me as soon as convenient. If per chance you could
procure for me a live _Hare in the Summer dress_ (It
is pure white in winter) pray do so and do not mind the
price or the cost of its conveyance to me. This animal
is abundant in the northern portions of your State and
is fully double the size of the common _Hare_ called the
"Rabbit."
With sincerest regards and kindest remembrances to all
around you and our mutual Friends,
believe [me] yours always
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
The "Parkman Wren"
well mounted will soon be
on your chimney mantle!
The unique specimen of the little Wren, referred to in the postscript
of this letter, had been discovered on the Columbia River by Dr.
Townsend some years before, and though Audubon had described it in
1839, his figure of it had but just appeared; this was doubtless
included, as Mr. Thayer remarks, in the parts of the octavo edition of
_The Birds of America_, which Dr. Parkman distributed at Boston in the
summer of this year.
As an indication of the zeal and energy with which Audubon undertook
his work on the quadrupeds, the following letter (dated "New York,
August 15, 1841," and addressed to "W. O. Ayres,[183] Esq., Miller's
Place, Suffolk county, Long Island, New York") will be read with
interest:
_Audubon to W. O. Ayres_
I am now closely engaged in conjunction with my friend
the Revd. John Bachman—of Charleston, S. C., in the
preparing of a work on the viviparous quadrupeds of
North America, and I have already drawn about one
hundred figures of these, including thirty-six species.
Now knowing the interest you feel towards the
advancement of Natural Science, in every department, I
have thought that should you assist us in the procuring
specimens, whether in the flesh or skin, dead or alive;
that we would be much benefitted by such aid.—Long
Island possesses rare and valuable species, and although
many of them are plentiful they are rarely procured
unless accidentally as it were. In your Rambles after
the feathered Tribe, you surely come across at times
with quadrupeds, and if you were good enough to shoot
them or to catch them and send them to me in the manner
mentioned below, I personally would feel extremely
obliged to you.
Bats, Wood Rats and Wood Mice, Shrews, Shrew Moles and
all the smaller animals can be forwarded in an earthern
jar immersed in good Yankee Rum.—The larger kinds can
be skinned, preserving the skull entire, and also the
legbone and the clavicles. One fore & one hind foot
ought to be pinned on a board or cork until perfectly
dried, and actual measurements and weights forwarded
with the specimens. Nos. accordingly with the notes of
localities and dates. Young and old are wanted. The Cat
Squirrel is now and then procured about you of a very
large size—the Woodchuck &c. but it is unnecessary for
me to give you a list as we are anxious to procure every
thing we can from every portion of the Union with the
view to ascertain their geographical range.
The expense involved in producing the early numbers of the small
edition of his _Birds_ must have been great, and Audubon was feeling
the strain, when the letter,[184] dated "New York—April 29, 1841," from
which the following extract is taken, was sent to his Boston agent:
"I doubt much if you are _actually aware_ that we have at this moment
in this city and at Philadelphia upwards of _Seventy_ persons employed
upon the present work, and that all these ... are to be paid regularly
each Saturday evening, and that _when we are out of temper_ it is not
without cause."
When Baird visited the Audubons, in New York, in January, 1842, he was
fascinated by the masterly drawings of birds and quadrupeds which were
then being produced, and was determined to pay more attention himself
to an art for which presumably he had little natural aptitude; he seems
also to have received a hint for the improvement of his somewhat loose
chirography. Upon leaving, Audubon presented his pupil with a copy of
the _Biography_ of Birds. After returning to his home, Baird wrote from
Carlisle, on February 8 of that year:
_Spencer Fullerton Baird to Audubon_
After a trial of two weeks I begin to find that I am
getting over the shock caused by the sudden transition
from the bustle of Broadway to the lifelessness of
Carlisle, and hope that by the application of the proper
means I may in time perfectly recover. Philadelphia
seemed dull but Carlisle was death itself. My visit now
however seems but as a dream, and I have settled down
into my old regular monotonous life as if I had never
been absent a day. When I arrived my friends had a great
many questions to ask of course, but almost the first
ones on every lip were about Mr. Audubon,—how he looked?
What was his age, whether the idea they had formed of
him from his writings was correct, many queries also
were respecting Mrs. A. and her sons; and they all
said that they would be ever grateful to them for their
kindness, to one away from home....
For want of other objects I have commenced to draw the
sternal and shoulder apparatus of our birds, a pretty
large collection of which I have been making for a year
past.... Have you heard from Mr. Lyon of Bedford yet
about the money he owes you? I was asking about him the
other day, of an acquaintance of his, who told me that
he was as good as gold in all his debts, & expressed
some surprise at his not having paid, as he generaly is
very punctual.... Last week I walked up to Pinegrove an
iron works about sixteen miles in the mountains where
resides the Mr. Ege I have so often spoken about as
the mighty Nimrod of our county. On my arrival I found
a fine wild cat hanging in the stable which had been
killed a few days before. On returning the next day I
took the cat with me slung across my shoulders, and on
reaching home after measuring & weighing it skinned it.
I am in hopes of getting some more from here, as they
promised to catch all they could for me.
Baird signed himself "Your affectionate pupil," and added in a
postscript: "I forgot to say that I had a fine steak of the wild
cat broiled and it tasted like a tender piece of fresh pork. I will
certainly eat the whole of the next one obtained. I intend to taste all
the Quadrupeds inhabiting this part of the country."
Audubon's interesting reply was in part as follows:
_Audubon to Spencer Fullerton Baird_
NEW YORK, _Feby. 10, 1842_.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIEND.
It is about half an hour since I had the real pleasure
of receiving your letter of the 8th inst. and my earnest
thanks to you for it and its contents; to all of which
I will try to answer at your request.
That beautiful Carlisle, its surrounding hills bordering
its valleys, all within the bosom of quiet nature should
appear to you as a small affair when compared to our
largest city in the Union, is not at all remarkable,
but let me ask you the following questions. Did you
meet all your dear Parents and Friends quite well? Did
they not receive you with the kindest of welcomes? Were
not their _hearts_ and feelings towards you the same as
ever? Surely all this was fact, and being so, would you
not after all prefer _Little Carlisle_ than _Great New
York_ with all its humbug, rascality, and immorality?
Surely or do I mistake your nature sadly, you do! It
is now a good long time since I was young, and resided
near Norristown in Pennsylvania. It was then and is now
a very indifferent place as compared with New York;
but still my heart and mind oftentime dwell in the
pleasure that I felt there, and it always reminds me
that within a few miles of that village, my Mother[185]
did live, and it was there also that my good fortune
led me to know and to marry the excellent Wife I have
yet, at whose hands yourself have tried to be rendered
comfortable. Say what you will. "there is nothing like
home"... I wish I could be with you, if only for one
week, for then I imagine that between your friends of
the mountains, yourself, and myself, we could Tree a
"Catamount" and soon untree him. The tugging part of
that far-famed animal, I would cheerfully give up to
your youthful shoulders, but not so with the figuring of
it, yet for a while. Is there such a Beast in existence?
Do let me know as soon as you can. I am heartily glad
that you have procured a wild cat from the mountainous
part of Pennsylvania, and that you have preserved its
skin, which I beg you to forward as soon as you please,
along with whatever other quadrupeds you may have
in hand, that we may say more on those Beasts of the
Central States, than has ever been before told....
_Look out for Martens_, and try to find me some youself!
I am glad that you find wild cat meat pretty good, as it
corroborates the sayings of many others, who pronounce
it equal to young veal.
Let me say to you ("en passant") that your handwriting
is considerably improved, and depend upon it that
your attention _to Drawing_ will soon enable you as of
"copper plate." Go ahead!
I now wish you earnestly to offer our joint respects,
regards, and best wishes to all your family and friends,
and to believe me always,
Yours most truly,
JOHN J. AUDUBON.
86 White Street.
P. S. Thank you for what you say of the Bedford
gentleman. When I write next, I will mention him at
greater length. I wish you could let me know whether we
could procure first rate peach trees from your vicinity,
and how much 50 of them would cost. I should like to
have them assorted, soft, and clings yellow, or red, or
blood-red. We wish to plant these as early in March as
possible, if young trees, two years old could be had,
we might, perhaps, have fruit on some of them during
the next summer? Try what you can do for your New York
friend. [The following on outside of letter-sheet] I
will make up a box for you in a few days, and send it to
you through Mr. Chevalier.
Audubon, who ever found city life irksome, as early as 1841 had begun
to look about for a farm, or some retired spot within easy access to
New York, where he could establish the families of himself, of his two
sons, and have about him many of the animals which he then wished to
study and depict for his new work. Edward Harris would have been glad
to have had him for a neighbor, and wrote from Moorestown, New Jersey,
on July 5, 1841, suggesting that he examine "a small farm close to
_his_ village, containing about 25 acres of very good land," which
the owner was then willing to sell for $3,500, though, added Harris,
"when Mr. Havell was here, he asked $5,000 for it." A spot more to his
liking, however, was found on the Hudson River, in Carmansville, later
known as Washington Heights, where he purchased from thirty to forty
acres of land which had a river frontage of a thousand feet, from the
present One Hundred and Fifty-fifth to One Hundred and Fifty-eighth
Streets, and extended to the easterly limits of the village at the old
Bloomingdale Road, near the present Amsterdam Avenue. This tract was
well wooded, and among the grand forest trees on the place a large
tulip or white wood attracted general attention from its great girth
and commanding height. Audubon decided to place his house at the
foot of the river bluff, amid a cluster of fine oaks, chestnuts and
evergreens, and a clearing had to be made before the site could be laid
off; it was some years before the railroad came to mar his river view
and interrupt access to the beach. Audubon began to build in 1841, and
on February 24, 1842, Victor wrote to Edward Harris: "Our house in the
country is going on well, and will probably be ready for us in about
two months. John is at work out there every day"; they were planning,
he said, to raise pigs and poultry, and he inquired after "draining
tiles, such as are made near Philadelphia."
Audubon named his new estate "Minnie's Land," in honor of his wife,
Lucy, to whom he deeded the property, the Scotch form of her name
having no doubt come into familiar use during their residence abroad.
In April, 1842, they turned their backs on the city and occupied their
new home. Spencer Baird, when writing on May 3 of that year, said:
I have been in some doubt where this letter should be
addressed, since "86 White St." will not reach you, and
you must by this time be snugly fixed I hope in your
beautiful place up the River. Do not laugh therefore if
I prefix "Formerly" to the old superscription....
I suppose that the First Number of the "Quadrupeds of
North America" is out by this time, I hope that it will
be hailed by a large list of subscribers, and will do
what I can for this desirable end.
Submerged as Audubon was, with painting the _Quadrupeds_, keeping the
small edition of his _Birds_ in motion, and canvassing for subscribers
to both works, which he published himself, he nevertheless found
time for an extraordinary number of letters, which were written with
an elegance of chirography that diverts our attention from their
orthographic defects. In the labor of drawing and in all his business
affairs he was constantly aided by his sons.
In Audubon's time the center of Carmansville was a quarter of a mile to
the east of his house, while at a short distance below, on the river,
lay Manhattanville, at the present One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street,
from which men frequently came on summer evenings to help handle the
seine, fish then being plentiful in that part of the Hudson. The place
came to possess a good garden and orchard, with stable, dairy, and
poultry yards; enclosures also were made for deer, elk, wolves, foxes
and other wild animals. The old barn of the Audubon place stood higher
on the slope where the naturalist built his studio or painting house,
but no traces of either now exist. Though standing low, the house
commanded a wide sweep of the river with the Palisades on its opposite
shore, and such attractive surroundings were a never failing source of
delight and inspiration to the naturalist to his dying day.
In describing Audubon's activities, Parke Godwin made this note in the
spring of 1842:[186]
During the last winter, which he spent in this city, he
has worked on an average fourteen hours a day, preparing
a work on the Quadrupeds of America, similar to his work
on the Birds. The drawings already finished, of the size
of life, are master-pieces in their way, surpassing if
that be possible, in fidelity and brilliancy, all that
he has done before. Early in the summer he will depart
to continue his labors in the woods.
[Illustration: "MINNIE'S LAND" AS IT APPEARED IN 1865.
After a lithograph published in D. T. Valentine's _Manual of the
Council of the City of New York_.]
[Illustration: "MINNIE'S LAND" AS IT APPEARS TO-DAY FROM THE RIVER
FRONT, POCKETED BY THE RETAINING WALL OF RIVERSIDE DRIVE.]
Before we glance at the half-submerged relic of Audubon's old house as
it stands today in upper New York,[187] we shall follow the same writer
in a visit which he made to "Minnie's Land" in the summer of 1842 but
did not describe until eleven years later;[188] we will only add that
at this time Audubon was in his fifty-eighth year, and not over sixty,
as this writer surmised. After passing beyond the outposts of the city
of that day, and turning into a rustic road which led directly to the
river, his walk
soon brought a secluded country house into view,—a house
not entirely adapted to the nature of the scenery,
yet simple and unpretending in its architecture, and
beautifully embowered amid elms and oaks. Several
graceful fawns and noble elk were stalking in the shade
of the trees, apparently unconscious of the presence of
a few dogs, and not caring for the numerous turkeys,
geese, and other domestic animals that gabbled and
screamed among them....
"Is the master at home?" I asked of the pretty
maid-servant who answered my tap at the door, and who
after informing me that he was, led me into a room on
the left side of the broad hall. It was not, however,
a parlor, or any ordinary reception-room that I
entered, but evidently a room for work. In one corner
stood a painter's easel, with a half-finished sketch
of a beaver on paper; in the other lay the skin of an
American panther. The antlers of elks hung upon the
walls, stuffed birds of every description of gay plumage
ornamented the mantle-piece; and exquisite drawings
of field-mice, orioles, and woodpeckers were scattered
promiscuously in other parts of the room, across one end
of which a long rude table was stretched to hold artist
materials, scraps of drawing paper and immense folio
volumes filled with the delicious paintings of birds
taken in their haunts.
The master, who soon appeared,
was a tall, thin man, with a high arched and serene
forehead, and a bright penetrating gray eye; his white
locks fell in clusters upon his shoulders, but were
the only signs of age, for his form was erect, and his
step as light as that of a deer. The expression of his
face was sharp, but noble and commanding, and there was
something in it, partly derived from the aquiline nose
and partly from the shutting of the mouth, which made
you think of the imperial eagle.
His greeting, as he entered, was at once frank and
cordial, and showed you the sincere and true man. "How
kind it is," he said with a slight French accent, and
in a pensive tone, "to come and see me; and how wise,
too, to leave that crazy city!" He then shook me warmly
by the hand. "Do you know," he continued, "how I wonder
that men can consent to swelter and fret their lives
away amid those hot bricks and pestilent vapors, when
the woods and fields are all so near?"
When writing in 1845, Godwin gave further intimations of the
naturalist's appearance: "His forehead [was] high, arched, and
unclouded; the hairs of the brow prominent, particularly at the root
of the nose, which was long and aquiline; chin prominent, and mouth
characterized by energy and determination. The eyes were deep-gray, set
deeply in the head, and as restless as the glance of an eagle."