Aud'ubon, JOHN JAMES (1780-1851), an American naturalist, born at Mandeville, Louisiana, of French parentage. He was educated in France, and studied painting under David. In 1798 he settled in Pennsylvania, where he lived for ten years, devoting his time to the study of birds and to making drawings in natural history. In 1826 he went to England, exhibited his drawings in Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh, and finally published them in an unrivaled work, containing four hundred thirty-five colored plates of birds the size of life, entitled The Birds of America. Later there appeared an accompanying text entitled Ornithological Biography, partly written by William Macgillivray. On his return to America Audubon labored with Dr. Bachman on a finely illustrated work entitled The Quadrupeds of America. His great merit is the accuracy and extent of his original observations. The Audubon Society, for the protection of American birds, is named for him.