Beschreibung:

AUDUBON, JOHN JAMES Autograph manuscript, a portion of the description of "The Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo," (Plate 1 of The Birds of America, published as the first chapter of Ornithological Biography ), the working manuscript, comprising approximately 3500 words (approximately 17 paragraphs) with many authorial emendations and deletions, pencilled notes by William MacGillivray in about six places, one page with five brief notes in ink by MacGillivray, n.d. [ c. 1830], 6 pages, folio, two leaves watermarked "J. Whatman 1829," and J. Whatman 1830," two pages with light stains, two small marginal tears neatly repaired [ Bound after :] WILLIAM MACGILLIVRAY AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT OF THE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF "THE WILD TURKEY," A FAIR COPY, COMPRISING APPROXIMATELY 6,000 WORDS, 11 PAGES, FOLIO, PAPER WATERMARKED "FELLOWS 1829," PAGINATED 9-19, TITLED AT THE TOP OF PAGE 9 [ WITH :] J.J. AUDUBON. Autograph manuscript, the description of "The Red Phalarope Phalaropus Fulicarius" (Plate 255 of The Birds of America , published in Ornithological Biography ), the working manuscript, comprising approximately 1000 words, with several deleted passages and word substitutions, n.d. [ c .1835] 1 1/8 page, folio, paper watermarked "Smith and Allnutt 1835," small clean tear at bottom, two minor repairs at folds, the second page with a small ink drawing of three birds and a fish (by Audubon?) and docketed by Audubon at center; together 3 manuscripts, each on guards in an album, red half morocco . Audubon's manuscript description of the Wild Turkey, the first of the "Bird Biographies," although incomplete, corresponds to roughly one-half of that article in its published form, and it is conceivable that the missing portion was discarded in the process of editing. William MacGillivray (1796-1852) the Aberdeen naturalist, a specialist in comparative anatomy, provided valuable assistance to Audubon "in completÿing the scientific details, and smoothing down the asperities of my Ornithological Biographies" (Audubon's Introductory Address, Ornithological Biography , Edinburgh, 1831-1839, v.1, p.xix). The first page of the Audubon's manuscript carries a note by MacGillivray which, because it dates from the very beginning of their collaboration, illuminates this interplay between the two scientists. MacGillivray, apparently trying to systematize the organization of the biographies, writes "1st Manners, 2nd Food, 3rd Methods of destroying, 4th Weight, size, value." In general, subsequent biographies followed this general scheme. "The Wild Turkey" is published (with some slight differences) in Ornithological Biography , vol.1, pp.1-17; "The Red Phalarope" in vol.3, 404-407; both with added taxonomic description by MacGillivray." Provenance : Colonel John Eliot Thayer (1862-1933), the gift of Maria R. and Florence Audubon of Salem, N.Y., grand-daughters of John J. Audubon, as recorded in a letter dated 19 January 1905 inlaid at front of the album, along with a signature ("John J. Audubon") clipped from a letter. The 1905 letter explains that "the accompanying mss. is, so far as can be determined, part of the original draft for the article by John J. Audubon...written in Edinburgh in 1834-35...." Dr. Evan Morton Evans (1870-1955) Daniel Webster Evans (1907-1966)