The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-10

The Gradual Extinction Of an Animal that
Once Ron med the Continent.


paragraph in Sunday MORNINGS
Pton,er Press and Tribune announced the fact
that the st. Paul fur house OF II l.. Young A 20
had now In store something like I2 OOo bufyan
robes, which were preparing for the ,narke,a ~
the United States The trlf1c In buffalo robes
formerly passed through St. Paul In bulk to chi
cago, Now YORK, and other stern cities, where
they were overhauled and prepared for mi rket
NOW. however, very large proportion OF the
the house alluded to above securing annually
from R.WO to 1000 robes direct from the Ind ian
traders Several other firms In 81. Paul consume
large quantities OF robes In the manufacture OF
overcOats and other articles, which are distrlb-
uted to dealers throughout the country.
Major II. III. Eastman Ia the collector OF robes
for the mouse OF YoeDg 3 Co., and he secures
his collections personally from the original
sources OF supply, the principal one being Fort
benton. Prom this point the robes are shipped
by boat to Bismarck aud thence To st. Paul and
from -. Paul to Chicago aud New York.
more circumscrDed and their ultimate exhaus-
ton Is merely question Of time. Formerly the
bison rOamed all over the North American CONT
nent: while now. according to Ms1or Eastln an
this animal can only be found IN about three
localiti g. One herd nees along the head waters
browses among the Big Horn mountains and
the valleys ana plains In that region. while the
great mass make their home north Of the Mis-
souri, and spread themselves To the Saskatche-
wan and westward to the Rocky mountains.
Formerly, too, 1t was supposed that the buffalo
spent the winter on the plains Of Texas and the
south west, but iatterly the buffalo have changed
Their HABITS. and the Immense nerds north OF
seems to be no difficulty In securing forage In
the North during the winter, for buffalo killed
In January are as fat rs at any other season,
whlle the meat II much better In winter than
summer. The buffalo. with their feet aud horns,
scrape the snow from the priiries and eat the
dried grass with relish. Major Eastman says
that domestic cattle In Montana also run Wild.
aud live through the winter unprotected ana
uucnred for, and IN the spring are found 10 COM
piraiively good condition.
The theory OF those most familiar with the
subject is that the buffalo and the Indian will
perish together Though the Indian IL 10 con
slant pursuit Of this NOBLE game, the buffalo
never avoids his savage prosecutor. On the
contrary, the Indian Will establish his camping
ground and then actually drive the buffalo to
within snort distance OF his wigwam before
ne Kills MN, thus avoiding any extended trans
portation ~ the raw hides to the place where
thct are dressed uy the squ,ws Now, on the
10 have an instructive aversion to the white man.
aud when the emigrant wagon and the railroad
car snail people the West and Northwest, the
BUN lo VIII seek new and more inaccessible
NEEDS and nnaiY. when no Is surrounded on all
sides, he viii lie down ana die, and we'll have
member when the Pacific slope was one vast
buffalo range, while to-day there Is scarcely n
BUN 10 To be seen west of the Rocky Mountains
But II 10 admitted that II may he long while
oetore the last buffalo shall pass In his robe, for
vast range OF country spreads out between the
missouri river and the Saskatchewan, which "
a natural feeding ground for the buffalo, and
there IL no perceptible diminution OF the prOdi-
glous nerd that roams over TINS space. There
are collected annually at Fort Benton alone
ABOUT laOVp robes. nearly all OF which are taken
from the great Northern herd, and vet the
IN ilans ana traders 1nd no greater difficulty
now IN getting them from their original owners
tuau they did