Next month will see the arrival of a new edition of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, the final work of John James Audubon and his collaborator John Bachman. A new article in Smithsonian Magazine examines the legacy of Audubon’s study of mammals, a departure from his famous chronicle The Birds of America. The mission took place in 1843, as Audubon planned to travel the Mississippi River and eventually reach the Rocky Mountains. However, Audubon decided to end the trip after a two-month stay at Fort Union, as he had become disenchanted with hunting, which fundamentally changed his understanding of the mammals. He became especially concerned about the possible extinction of buffaloes. The work that Audubon did manage to complete based on the mission was his last before his eyesight began to slip.
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