Chapter 1199 Audubon Society (1/2)

Li Du did not know much about Audubon, which proved that to work in warehouse auctions, he needed to keep expanding his erudition.

Audubon was famous in the United States. He had been considered a great bird-painter during his lifetime and got even more appreciation after his death. His very name became a symbol of the cause of animal protection.

Founded in 1886, the Audubon Society was an organization with a history of more than 120 years. It was responsible for teaching generations of Americans to love nature. Since its formation, it has become one of the largest recycling organizations in America.

However, it was a little ironic that Audubon used to make his paintings by hunting birds in large numbers to get specimens. At that time, he did not have the concept of environmental protection or animal welfare, focusing on his hobby and the popularization of ornithology.

Nevertheless, he had become known as a pioneer in protecting animals, birds, and the environment. Li Du wondered what the birds that died at Audubon's hands a long time ago would think of that.

Now he had to entertain Bravo Tompsey and his party. The Audubon society was famous and powerful in America, and he treated its representatives with due respect.

Bravo was a man of gentle manners, and after meeting Li Du, they exchanged pleasantries.

Tompsey was polite and his good breeding showed in his speech and manner. Cole was the one who had told him about Li Du, and he probably knew quite a bit of Li Du's identity and work.

Li Du finally understood where the buyer had come from. When he got the book, he posted about it on his Twitter feed and Facebook page. Cole must have seen it and helped him find a buyer.

”Can we see the book first?” Bravo asked.

Li Du nodded. ”No problem,” He said.

The book was large, and the birds in the illustrations were done in a one-to-one ratio to their real-life counterparts.

The first illustration showed three fat birds with yellow and white markings on them. Bravo saw them and said, ”This is the prairie hazelnut. The two ones who are fighting are definitely cocks, and the one behind is a hen. These are two males fighting for territory and a mate.”

On another page, the drawing above was more beautiful and complex. There was a nest in a tree with four eggs, beside which there were four birds either standing on the treetop or flying in the air. On a branch, there was a large snake with a white belly and black scales.

”These are the nest and eggs of the brown curve-billed mockingbird. They are the most maternal birds. This snake clearly wants to eat the eggs, and they fight their best to protect those.”

In this way, the five men gathered around the desk, turned over the pages, and began to read and discuss what they saw.

On the back cover, there were two birds together. One had blue feathers and the other had purple. Both looked extremely pretty.

Seeing this picture, all five people exclaimed,

”Oh, look here. No prototype has been found yet. This is like an extinct bird of paradise.”

”Look how well-preserved the cover is. Other museums who have copies of this book can't boast of anything in such good condition.”

”Yes, the back cover of the Smithsonian's Birds of America was badly worn, too. It was the first time I see the image so clearly.”

”It is not a real species, is it? It doesn't like any bird I know. ”

”That's the value of Birds of America, man. Audubon would not paint birds he hadn't seen before. This beautiful bird definitely existed once, but unfortunately, it is probably extinct by now...”

The five people browsed through the book for nearly an hour, carefully analyzing the patterns on each page.