On this day 240 years ago, on April 26, 1785 (March 18, 1785 lunar calendar), American painter and naturalist writer John James Audubon was born. John James Audubon (April 26, 1785 - January 27, 1851), a famous American painter and naturalist, whose drawings of birds are called "America's National Treasure". Born in Haiti in 1785, the illegitimate son of a French captain and his French mistress, Audubon lived in France with his stepmother as a young child. In 1803, at the age of 18, Audubon immigrated to the United States in order to escape the military service of the Napoleon regime. He was soon attracted by the vast North American continent and the colorful American birds. He devoted all his time to the wilderness of the United States, busy observing and drawing birds all day long. During this time, his life was completely dependent on the income of his wife Lucy as a governess. His obsession with nature seriously affected his family life, causing a deep rift between him and his wife. At the age of 34, Audubon was declared bankrupt by the court. In 1826, the struggling Audubon brought his drawings to London, England, where he contacted a publisher to print his first bird painting, "The Wild Turkey." In the following 12 years, one after another beautiful bird drawings flew out of Audubon's pen and printing press, until his famous book "Birds of America" was officially published, at which time Audubon and his bird paintings had been widely recognized by people. In 1840, at the age of 55, Audubon took up the brush again and went into nature and began to paint "The Four-legged Animals of America". In 1848, the masterpiece was completed, and three years later, Audubon left the world. " The three hundred and twenty-five maps of the Bird Bible, selected from Audubon's "Birds of America" book, each of which is regarded as a national treasure of the United States; "Birds of America" is known as one of the greatest and most influential works of the nineteenth century, which makes Audubon the name, a symbol of nature, ecology, environmental protection, wildlife protection, etc. As an important representative of American culture, Audubon's bird map is well-known in the West. His exquisite painting skills have made "Birds of America" regarded as the "Bird Bible", and the book is also one of the most expensive books in the world.