Margot Leon, age 13, of Henderson, Nev., for her question:
WHO WAS JOHN AUDUBON
John James Audubon was one of the first to study and paint the birds of the United States. Fame and fortune went to him for his lifelike paintings of birds in their natural surroundings.
Audubon was born in 1785 in Santo Domingo which is now Haiti. His mother was a Creole who died shortly after he was born. His father, a sea captain named Jean Audubon, took him to France. These records disprove claims made by Audubon's descendants that he was the Lost Dauphin of France.
In 1803 young Audubon went to live near Philadelphia where he spent much time drawing pictures of birds. He had a great artistic talent.
In 1807, Audubon and a friend named Ferdinand Rozier opened a general store in Louisville, Ky., and the next year he married a Philadelphia neighbor named Lucy Bakewell. He failed in several business ventures. But he spent his time wandering through the countryside looking for birds.
In 1820, Audubon conceived the idea of publishing a collection of paintings of birds. His wife worked as governess and teacher to support the family and Audubon drew portraits and taught music and drawing.
Unable to find an American publisher, Audubon went to England in 1826. His pictures created a sensation and he published "Birds of America (1826 1838)," a work of 87 parts containing 435 life sized, colored engravings made from his water colors. Audubon and a Scottish naturalist named William MacGillivary wrote the text, "Ornithological Biography."
Audubon returned to the United States in 1839 and published American editions of his bird paintings. Later Audubon worked with John Bachman on "The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1842 1854)."
Audubon made his last collecting trip, along the Missouri River, in 1843.
One of the oldest and largest national conservation organizations in North America was named to honor Audubon. Founded in 1905, the organization is called the National Audubon Society.
The major purpose of the National Audubon Society is to advance public understanding of the value and need of conservation of soil, water, plants and wildlife, and the relation of their intelligent treatment and wise use to human welfare.
Wardens of the society patrol more than 1 million acre of land and water in the United States to protect birds. The society also publishes "Audubon," a magazine, and distributes Audubon Wildlife Films, color motion pictures of wildlife and scenery around the world.
The society also provides teaching aids on natural history and conservation.