Audubon Made Up At Least 28 Fake Species To Prank A Rival
The prank's full extent—11 fake fish, 3 fake snails, 2 fake birds, 1 fake mollosc, 2 fake plants, and 9 fake rats—is only now clear.
A page from Rafinesque's field notebook.
Pranks are meant to be discovered—what’s the point in fooling someone if they never notice they’ve been fooled? But one 19th century prank, sprung by John James Audubon on another naturalist, was so extensive and so well executed that its full scope is only now coming to light.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles...-prank-a-rival