Audubon,  John  James,  born  in  Louisiana  (1782-1851).  As  an
artist,  distinguished  for  his  drawings  of  the  **  Birds  of  America."
He  studied  painting  in  Paris  under  the  celebrated  David.  His  plates
are  very  perfect,  of  the  size  and  color  of  life,  and  the  beaks,  talons,
and  legs  are  of  accurate  dimensions.  The  book  was  thirteen  years
in  preparation  and  was  published  in  Edinburgh;  this  time  does  not
include  the  making  of  a  large  portion  of  Audubon's  pictures.  It  has
435  plates,  containing  1,065  figures.  Cuvier  pronounced  it  **  the
most  gigantic  and  most  magnificent  monument  that  had  ever  been
erected  to  Nature.*'  Audubon  was  also  the  author  of  **  Ornitholog-
ical Biography,"  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  at  work  upon  the
**  Quadrupeds  of  America."

Augur,  Hezekiah,  son  of  a  carpenter,  bom  in  New  Hampshire
(1791-1858).  He  was  first  a  shoemaker's  apprentice,  then  a  trades-
man in  New  Haven,  where  he  failed.  He  partly  paid  his  debts  by
carving  ornamental  furniture,  and  invented  a  machine  for  weaving
worsted  lace.  Gradually  he  turned  his  attention  to  sculpture.  He
copied  a  **  Head  of  Apollo,"  and  in  1827  executed  a  **  Washing-
ton "  and  a  **  Sappho,"  which  established  his  local  fame.  His  best
work  was  the  group  of  *'  Jephtha  and  his  Daughter,"  still  preserved
in  Yale  College  Gall.  This  obtained  for  him  several  commissions  for
busts  and  monuments.
Austin,  "William,  born  in  London  about  1740.  An  engraver  and
a  pupil  of  George  Bickham.  He  engraved  some  landscapes  after
Ruysdael  and  other  artists,  but  his  principal  work  was  a  set  of
plates,  of  views  of  Palmyra  and  its  Ruins,  and  of  Ancient  Rome.

Let me follow your three steps:

### Language ###
English

### Assessment ###
Could ask about Audubon's major ornithological work and how long it took to prepare it

### Query ###
How many years did it take to prepare Audubon's Birds of America?

Note: This is a natural question someone might ask without knowing about this specific text, and it has a clear, factual answer (13 years) contained in the passage.
How many years did it take to prepare Audubon's Birds of America?

Note: This is a natural question someone might ask without knowing about this specific text, and it has a clear, factual answer (13 years) contained in the passage.