^^^914^'^'^] Rockwell and Wetmore, Birds of Golden, Colorado. 309 



A LIST OF BIRDS FROM THE VICINITY OF GOLDEN, 



COLORADO. 



BY R. B. ROCKWELL AND ALEX WETMORE. 



Plates XXXI-XXXIIL 



Fore-word. 



In any section of the country, where an appreciable amount of 

 ornithological field work has been done, it is more or less difficult 

 to plan a season's work, which will not conflict with, or duplicate, 

 that already done by others. It was only after some thought, 

 therefore, that the section in eastern Colorado covered in this 

 paper was decided upon, because of its accessibility, and for the 

 results which we hoped to obtain. Here we were enabled to study 

 the conditions found from the plains level to an altitude of 7600 

 feet, presenting characters of the greatest interest to the naturalist 

 and giving considerable diversity of forms. 



General Account of the Region. 



The region as a whole which we covered, extended from Turkey 

 Creek Canon, three miles south of Morrison, to Tucker's Gulch, 

 four miles north of Golden, and reached from the eastern extremity 

 of the Table Mountains at Golden, to a point about seven miles 

 west of Golden. Clear Creek runs through the northern part of 

 the area, coming out of the foothills through a steep, precipitous 

 canon, and flows eastward between the two Table Mountains, 

 where its gravelly bed occupies a flat valley. , These Table Moun- 

 tains (known respectively as the North and South) are huge, flat- 

 topped buttes, with their sides covered with thickets of plum brush, 

 etc., and their stony tops supporting level expanses of grass with a 

 few alkaline pools, furnishing brackish water. 



Bear Creek comes out of another deep canon at the town of 

 Morrison, and flows through a level valley, sunken perhaps fifty 

 feet below the surrounding plains level. Turkey Creek next to 



