[148] Samuel Latham Mitchell (1764-1831), physician, naturalist, politician and voluminous writer on many subjects. In 1797 he founded, in association with Dr. Edward Miller and Dr. Elihu H. Smith, the _New York Medical Repository_, and was its chief editor. He began also, at the University of New York, one of the earliest collections in natural history, and in 1817 appealed to the Historical Society of his city for the foundation of a Zoölogical Museum; in the same year he organized the Lyceum of Natural History, and was its first president, Joseph Le Conte serving as corresponding secretary, and John Torrey as one of its curators. On April 9, the following subjects were assigned to different members for investigation, "Ichthyology or fishes, Plaxology or crustaceous animals, Apalology or mollusca, and Geology or the earth" being reserved for the president; Samuel Constantine Rafinesque (see Chapter XIX) took charge of "Helmintology or worms, Polypoligy or polyps, Atmology or Meteorology, Hydrology or waters, and Taxodomy or classification;" John Torrey, who became a distinguished botanist, was more modest, and assumed charge only of "Entomology or insects;" while to John Le Conte were given "Mastodology or mammalia, Erpetology or reptiles, and Glossology or nomenclature." See the _American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review_ (New York) for August, 1817, p. 272. [149] See Vol. I, p. 185. [150] Cuvier stated in his report on Audubon's _Birds_, delivered at the Academy of Sciences, Paris, September 22, 1828, that the author had been twenty-five years before a pupil in the school of David. This would place the date in 1803, but earlier than the autumn of that year, when Audubon started for America. See Note, Vol. I, p. 99. [151] _Ornithological Biography_ (Bibl. No. 2), vol. i, p. viii. [152] F. T. Verger, _Archives curieuses de la ville de Nantes et des départements de l'ouest_ (Nantes, 1837-41); for further references to David in this chapter I am mainly indebted to Georges Cain, _Le Long des Rues_ (Paris, 1812), and Charles Saunier, _Louis David_ (Paris, no date). [153] The implication as to time, which is repeated above, contradicts an earlier statement, which is probably more nearly correct, for when Audubon returned to America in 1806 he was twenty-one. [154] See R. W. Shufeldt, in _The Auk_ and the _Audubonian Magazine_ (Bibliography, Nos. 184 and 190). [155] Referring to the fire of 1835, in New York. [156] See Chapter XXI.