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 THE. CO.I'IB.R olume X111  anuar-lebruar, 1916 Number I PHILADELPHIA TO THE COAST IBI EARLY DAYS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF WESTERi ORIITHOLOGY PRIOR TO 1850 By WITMER STONE T IS ]f PRIVILEGE at this meeting to represent the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. On the long journey from coast to coast that_the eastern members have just completed, the names both of localities that we passed and of birds that we saw, have constantly called to mind the fact that other and more worthy Philadelphia ornithologists had made this trip before. They came not to participate in scientific meetings nor to enjoy the generous hospitality of friends and fellow students, but as pioneers in investigating the natural resources of one of the richest sections of our continent; to search out in the wilderness the new species of birds, mammals, plants, etc., to bring home specimens upon which scientific descriptions and names might be established. They came, not surrounded by all the comforts of modern travel, but on foot or on horseback, picking their way through unexplored wilds, exposed to indian attack and at the mercy of the elements, dependent largely upon t'e country through which they passed for sustenance. Some of them gave up their lives in the pursuit of our favorite science, and to one and all we owe a debt of gratitude for the part they played in developing our knowledge of the ornithology of the Pacific Coast. Though we are inclined to think of these early explorers as men of mature years, they were mostly young fellows from 19 to 21 or 30 years of age, ready for any hardships or danger in the pursuit of their object. Does it not seem that this is the proper time and'place for us to pause in the activities of today to review the achievements of these early pioneers and in so doing pay a well merited tribute to their memory I think you will agree with me that it is, and will bear with me while I briefly review their labors in the west. 'Read at the Thirty-third Stated Meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union, San Francisco, May 15, 1915.