Bachman completes his text on the _Quadrupeds_—Victor Audubon's success in canvassing—John Woodhouse Audubon's family—New houses at "Minnie's Land"—Second octavo edition of the _Birds_—Victor Audubon's illness and death—Attempt to reissue _The Birds of America_ in America—The residual stock of this imperfect edition—Death of John Woodhouse Audubon—His career and work as an artist and field collector—Mrs. Audubon resumes her old vocation—Fate of "Minnie's Land"—Death of Mrs. Audubon—Her share in her husband's fame—Story written on Audubon's original drawings—Fate of the original copper plates of the _Birds_—A boy comes to the rescue—"Minnie's Land" today—The "Cave"—A real "Audubon Park." After the death of the elder Audubon, his sons, under the leadership of Bachman, continued the work on the _Quadrupeds_ until the third and last volume of the letterpress was completed in 1852. On March 13 of that year Bachman wrote to Edward Harris:[229] Rejoice with me, the book is finished. I did not expect to have lived to complete it. But Victor Audubon came on, and I made him hold the pen, while I dictated with specimens and books before me, and we went on rapidly; we worked hard, and now we are at the end of our labors. I have, at last, prevailed on them to give the Bats. At the end of the work, I intend to give a synopsis and scientific arrangement of all our American species, including seals, whales and porpoises. This will be included in the letter-press of the Third Volume. Here I will venture to consult you in regard to the publication of additional plates of species, not figured in the Large Work. A very small Arvicola and Shrews, we may not obtain, and they cannot be figured; but nearly all are within our reach. Some of the subscribers have bound up their plates, and there cannot be a sufficient number to make even half of another Volume. I propose, as all these figures will be contained in the _Small Work_, that they should be inserted in the letter-press of the _Large Work_, so that subscribers, by merely paying the cost of the small plates, would have the work complete—what do you think of this? What do you think of Victor's obtaining one hundred and twenty-nine subscribers in about three days, and I think he will double the number, next week; so, if the "Large Work" will not pay, the "Small" one, and this is large enough, is sure to do it. When Victor was canvassing the South for the second or composite edition of this work, Bachman wrote to a friend in Savannah, on March 25, 1852:[230]