Yesterday, the weather in Beijing was sunny, spring and sunshine, so I opened the circle of friends to see, and it was brushed by the blue sky and white clouds... The blue sky alone is enough to make people so excited, does it also show that modern people living in cities lack the opportunity and patience to experience deeply and observe nature up close? Do you still notice the sound of birdsong in the early morning? Even in the city, they live here.
This one, the book reviewer and you, with the way of "painting cake to fill hunger", get close to the beautiful birds in nature, these figures painted by the wonderful brush a hundred years ago, although they can no longer sing, but still charming. Of course, the most hopeful thing is that everyone can go to the countryside to observe their real life and flight agility, do not have to be disturbed, and quietly feel that nature is not only a human world, and beauty is not just a dress.
First, for example, "wild turkeys."
"The turkey is a large, beautiful bird with delicious flesh, and the domesticated bird is now widespread across both continents, so this precious human food is one of the most interesting birds in the United States."
To be able to see it is a "special honor". Audubon's original "Wild Turkey" sold for $185,000 in 1826 and the first print at $11.5 million, and the number of people who could see the painting was limited at the time.
This was a windfall for Audubon, who had been declared bankrupt by the court in 1819 and had been busy observing and painting birds for much of his life, living almost entirely on the income of his wife, Lucy, as a governess.
"Once it rains, it's hard for young birds to survive. In rainy weather, in order to protect the young birds, the female birds will peck the young shoots of mountain pepper to feed their children like a skilled doctor. ”
John James Audubon said, "I hope that my own modest efforts will make the knowledge of these species immortal." Perhaps it was this love that made Darwin see him and say, "[Audubon]'s clothes are rough and simple, and his dark hair is scattered around the collar, and the whole person is a specimen of a bird that has come out alive." Only then can he make a bird atlas known as the "National Treasure of the United States.".
John James Audubon (1785-1851)
This love can be seen in his delicate drawings, every feather, every look, is so vivid. However, how to observe in such detail, it is better to read his bird watching notes "Birds of america". Audubon recorded in great detail the gifts from the American continent's "vast western savannahs, inaccessible canyons and deserts in the Rocky Mountains", the morphology, temperament, habits of birds... Little by little, it is left to those of us who have no chance to see it in person.
Bird watching and painting is a very expensive job, not only consuming, but also time-consuming and labor-intensive. Audubon in the United States went bankrupt, and Le Wayan of France "sacrificed all his money and youth for this science" and even died of poverty in 1824. But unlike Audubon, Le Wayan left his hometown early and dedicated forty years of his life to Africa, his greatest love.
Le Wayan bird watching in Africa
Le Wayan traveled extensively and collected bird specimens in 4,000 locations in Africa. In his eyes, Africa was not a symbol of wealth and power, an opportunity for resource development and colonial plunder. Here, there are only the pristine African people and the birds that fly freely in the sky. His African Birds pioneered the genre of travel writing, and his depiction of bird behavior was groundbreaking; the first time he used color illustrations in his writings, it provided a great reference for later ornithological writers.
The snake vulture in Le Wayan's brush
He was particularly fond of the birds' singing. In Le Wayan's mind, the gentle chirping of the birds seemed to form a choral orchestra one after another:
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Its beautiful voice and the melody of its singing voice make it worthy of such glory, like the nightingale who is famous in our Europe. In the southern Part of Africa that I walked through, this bird was almost a perfect presence. Its singing voice is pleasant, its shape is beautiful and slender, and its demeanor is elegant and moving.
”
He even named them after their voices: "When we hear the cooing of this bird at a certain distance, it is easy to misunderstand that it is a tambourine, and its call simulation is so successful that we call it Tamboourette (French for tambourine)." ”
The African Blue Phoenix Crown painted by Le Wayan
Le Wayan had a rough life, grew up in Africa, returned to Paris in his youth, and then returned to Africa out of a passion for ornithology. After returning to France, he was arrested and imprisoned in Paris, where he was not released until the end of the French Revolution. After his release from prison, Le Valyan returned to a manor house in Sezanalongoué (Marne), where he lived until his death. In the turbulent years, it was these birds that brought him peace and happiness.
After a day of steaming, I lay tired under the deep sky, accompanied by their songs, spent a fresh night, and fully experienced the beauty of rest! These birds bring me so much joy. ”
Unlike Le Wayan and Audubon, Gould, the "father of Australian ornithology", seems to have pushed the boundaries of what he saw and remembered. In his three books, Birds of Australia, Birds of Europe, and Birds of Asia, Birds of Asia is said to have been compiled by him based on correspondence with other naturalists and ornithologists. Among the exquisite books that have taken 33 years, there are many birds that have become extinct, allowing us to imagine the beauty of life at that time.
Gould has been hailed as "the greatest ornithologist since Audubon". And his love for birds is no less than Gould's. He cherished the birds that flew to his window, "When we are thousands of miles away from our hometown, anything that can remind us of our hometown always makes us feel kind and affectionate." So when these charming birds flew into our gardens and even in our windows, they quickly became one of our favorite birds. ”
Gould's Crimson Plover
However, he lamented that with the passage of time, these most beautiful creatures would disappear forever. "Until the end, perhaps like the dodo, many species will become extinct, leaving behind remnants for us to investigate with curiosity and regret."
One or two hundred years ago, when there was no photography, to make these lifelike paintings, it was not only superb painting skills; more importantly, it was the rigorous attitude towards these creatures and the love of nature, and it was these great ornithologists who spent an unknown amount of time, and even spent their whole lives observing, studying, comparing day after day... It is precisely because of their love that today we can get a glimpse of the distant scenery and the time that has passed.
This spring, taking advantage of the daylight, why not go out for a walk and observe this familiar and unfamiliar world from a different perspective? Perhaps if you understand the chirping of birds, you will understand the relationship between humans and nature.
Atlas of the Birds of the World (5 volumes)
Author: [American] Audubon [English] Gould [French] Le Wayan
Edition: Beijing Institute of Technology Press, January 2017
This article is integrated from the Atlas of birds of the world, and the graphic material is provided with permission from the publisher, integrating: Snow Rock; Editor: XiaoYan. Unauthorized reproduction is not permitted.