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 24 .' VOL. xi THE HISTORY OF COLORADO ORNITHOLOGY* By ROBERT B. ROCKWELL WITH TWO MAPS N choosing the history of Colorado ornithology as my subject tonight, my desire is to place before my hearers the present status of ornithological knowledge in Colorado, rather than to enter into a discussion of the purely historical phase of the subject. In order to make the present status clear it is necessary to go back to the beginning and trace the gradual development of the subject down to the present time. MAP OF COLORADO SHOWING THE ROUTES FOLLOWED BY THE VARIOUS EXPEDITIONS WHICH HAVE coNTRIBUTED TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF COLORADO ORNITHOLOGY Publisht by permission of Clason Map Co., Denver In a state like Massachusetts or New York, where naturalists have been at work for over two centuries, and great masses of data and infoPmation on the sub- ject have been publisht which are not now available, it would be practically im- possible to make a close examination of all the contributory elements; but in our own state, where less than half a century has elapsed since the first systematic study of our birds was begun, and where the greater part of the early investigations were recorded in the government reports, the task is much simpler. The first definite reference to Colorado birds is found in Lieutenant Pike's ac- count of his historic trip thru this state during 1806-7. He mentions the raven,
 * Read before Ihe December meeting of the Colorado Biological 1society.