16 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
From Zuni, Coronado and his captains explored the pueblo region of Arizona and 
New Mexico—visiting Moqui and Hopi—and after twenty days in the desert, dis 
covered the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. In New Mexico the various 
parties visited and conquered some sixty-six Indian villages, among them, Acoma, 
Cochiti, San Domingo, San Felipe, Santa Ana, Sia, Jemez, Chamita, and Taos, after 
which winter quarters were taken up in the Rio Grande pueblos of the Tigueans. 
During their stay in the Pueblo region, the Spanish soldiers did much to outrage 
the Indians, even to burning villages and killing the inhabitants. As it is said by 
General Simpson, “no more barbarous treachery was ever shown to a submissive foe 
than that accorded the Rio Grande Indians by these faithless Spaniards.” 1 
As the result, after an unsuccessful general uprising, a plan was made to destroy 
the army, and when the winter was over, Coronado, incited by the planned false 
representations of gold and silver in the Gran Quivira country, left the Rio Grande 
for Pecos, whence he was decoyed far out across the great plains through herds of 
buffalo “as far as the eye could see.” Finding himself deceived, however, Coronado 
sent back to the Rio Grande all but thirty of the best equipped horsemen, with whom 
he pressed on to Quivira. Here again finding none of the mineral of which they were 
in search, they turned back and rejoined the army for a second winter on the Rio 
Grande; after which, thoroughly discouraged in their search for gold, in the spring of 
1542 they started back to Mexico. 
As Winship says, “Coronado found no gold in the land of the Seven Cities or in 
Quivira, but his search added much to the geographic knowledge of the Spaniards. 2 
Not only had they explored the Pueblo country of Arizona and New Mexico, and 
seen the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, but they had journeyed across the great 
plains to northern Kansas. 
All Spanish explorers were expected to record their scientific observations, but the 
natural history notes recorded by Castenada, from whose narrative most of our 
knowledge of the Coronado expedition is derived, were meagre, dealing mainly with 
animals whose skins were found in the pueblos, especially the buffaloes or “cows 
covered with a frizzled hair which resembles wool.” 
The few birds noted are of peculiar interest as being the first recorded not only 
from New Mexico, but the first recorded from the United States. We are told that 
“quail” w'ere given to Friar Marcos by the Indians. Of other birds seen by the way, 
Castenada notes that in the fields “a very large number of cranes and wild geese and 
starlings [blackbirds ?] live on what is sown.” Summing up, he writes, “There are a 
great many native fowl in these provinces, and cocks [wild turkeys] with great hang¬ 
ing chins.” Long robes and dresses made “of the feathers of the fowles” were seen 
in the pueblos. Also “tame eagles, which the chiefs estimated to be something 
fine. Coronado, writing to Mendoza, from Zuni, August 3, 1540, shows less interest 
in the subject, saying “We found fowles, but only a few, and yet there were some. 
The indians tell me that they do not eat these in any of the seven villages, but that 
they keep them merely for the sake of procuring the feathers.” Ignorant of the 
sacred, ceremonial uses of the feathers, he comments as a cynical epicure, “I do not 
believe this, because they are very good [italics mine], and better than those of 
Mexico.”—F. M. B. 
1820. Stephen Harriman Long (1784-1864). 
The famous Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, under the com¬ 
mand of Maj. Stephen Harriman Long of the Engineer Corps, divided forces at their 
camp on the Arkansas River, 18 miles above the mouth of the Purgatory (now 
