Audubon had an eye for the picturesque in his fellow-men as well as for the
picturesque in Nature. On the Levee in New Orleans, he first met a painter
whom he thus describes: "His head was covered by a straw hat, the brim of
which might cope with those worn by the fair sex in 1830; his neck was
exposed to the weather; the broad frill of a shirt, then fashionable,
flopped about his breast, whilst an extraordinary collar, carefully
arranged, fell over the top of his coat. The latter was of a light green
colour, harmonising well with a pair of flowing yellow nankeen trousers,
and a pink waistcoat, from the bosom of which, amidst a large bunch of the
splendid flowers of the magnolia, protruded part of a young alligator,
which seemed more anxious to glide through the muddy waters of a swamp than
to spend its life swinging to and fro amongst folds of the finest lawn. The
gentleman held in one hand a cage full of richly-plumed nonpareils, whilst
in the other he sported a silk umbrella, on which I could plainly read
'Stolen from I,' these words being painted in large white characters. He
walked as if conscious of his own importance; that is, with a good deal of
pomposity, singing, 'My love is but a lassie yet'; and that with such
thorough imitation of the Scotch emphasis that had not his physiognomy
suggested another parentage, I should have believed him to be a genuine
Scot. A narrower acquaintance proved him to be a Yankee; and anxious to
make his acquaintance, I desired to see his birds. He retorted, 'What the
devil did I know about birds?' I explained to him that I was a naturalist,
whereupon he requested me to examine his birds. I did so with much
interest, and was preparing to leave, when he bade me come to his lodgings
and see the remainder of his collection. This I willingly did, and was
struck with amazement at the appearance of his studio. Several cages were
hung about the walls, containing specimens of birds, all of which I
examined at my leisure. On a large easel before me stood an unfinished
portrait, other pictures hung about, and in the room were two young pupils;
and at a glance I discovered that the eccentric stranger was, like myself,