Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-04-19
THE BUFFALO NEARLY GONE.


Ing the Extinction OF the Bison.
Although not single live buffalo
was seen by Mr.. Richardson in his trip
extending over two months in II por-
ton of Montana, where only five years
ago herd of ten thousand was rang
ing Says The NeO. York. 1ribune). yet
he was able to secure ten complete
skeletons and several good skins. Some
idea of the labor of the search may be
obtained from the fact these ten skelc-
tons were obtained from about $50 car
casses which were bleaching on the
plains the relics of the mighty herds
which once roamed there. 1t was still
more difficult to get good buffalo skins.
1--WE stopped at the house of a young
man." said Mr. Richardson, "who had
the skins of three buffalos which he
had shot the year before. He wanted
500 apiece for the skins. Being some
thing of naturalist h G had determin-
ed to mount them himself, and in this
condition he expected to get a good
price for them. But he had reno we'd
the skins in manner that would have
prevented anyone but an expert taxid-
ermist from mounting them. l saw
the fact ut glance. and told him that
the skins would be of no use for his
purpose. He had proba bly, realized
this himself, for just rs we were going
away he cam Q to me and said: Il will
let YOU have a choice of the skins at
your own price if you will give me in
addition some points on mounting the
others l got one fair skin for S45.
and the young man rode with me about
twenty miles over the country while L
gave him the instruction he desired "
There is no question in Mr.. Richard
sons opinion that the buffalo is well
nigh extinct on the plains. There are
a few in Yellowstone park protected by
the government. but they are likely to
be killed at any time. In Texas herd
of about thirty is owned by n ranch
man; several other small punches may
be found, but the days when they ram
bled at large over the country have
been numbered. Unless some means
of protecting them is adopted, within
ten years the American bison must be-
come an extinct species. In Central
park Director Conklin has several
specimens of buffalo but the COW is
getting old and another one has not
been secured The buffalo will not
breed i'm captivity unless. Ike other
domestic animals. it has abundant room
for feeding and exercise. In Central
park the animals are confined in mar
row stalls because the space ut the dis
posal of the manager is SO cramped.
There is a practical solution of nc
buffalo question. Mr.. Richardson thinks
which. if adopted at once, may pre-
vent the extinction of tho animal. The
buffaloes are easily domestcated. and if
accustomed from birth 20 domestic sur
rOundings they become quite rs easy to
control as ordinary domestic cattle.
In the northwest. where the winters
are long aud the thermometer
sinks below zero at the slightest prov
ocatiOn, 5uffaloes subsist without any
Il sComfOrt. while the winters there are
general y fatal 10 domestic cattle unless
housed and looked after with the great
est care.
"In Manitoba" said Mr. Richardson.
'fhere is herd of about fiftv buffaloes
owned bv S. L. Bedson. Ernest +.
Thompson, who is assisting me in the
museum. has written an interesting ac-
count of them in recent pamphlet on
the Mammals of Manitoba A por-
ton of this herd are half-breeds cross
ed with common cattle, another por-
on are threc-quarters bred, and the
rest are pure bred. 1t may be ques-
ton whether the pure breed will con-
tinue itself but il certainly could be
maintained If looked after. This herd
has been developed from five buffalo
calves, brought bv some Indians from
Winnepeg in 1873. 1t requires no
care beyond what is necessaryso keep
the q flerent animals from wandering.
or being stolen or shot. Tho bulfaloes
arc as hardy MS in their wild state Mr..
Thompson saw them late in January
last year. when they were able TO dig
down in the snow and find grass
enough to keep them fat. During n
blizzard they would lie down in
group and let the snow drift over
them. The snow and their woody
coats kept them perfectly comfortable,
In January 1884, one of the cows calv-
cd in an open prairie. where the Their
mometer registered SO degrees below
zero. and both COW and calf surviv ed
and did not appear to suffer.
lit seems TO me that this is an i'm
portant question for the farmers of the
northwest and the national govern
ment ought to take measures for tho
encouragement of the raising of buffa o
stock. An ordinary cowhide is worth
81 but it is useless as robe. while
an average buffalo hide is worth so.
and rs n robe is almost indispensable
in the northern climate. Tho buffalo
sheds its woollv hair once n wear. The
wool is easily gathered and it works up
well into n coarse yarn. One animal
will yield ten to twelve pounds of raw
wool. AT one time there were facto-
ries for the manufacture of buffalo
wool, but thew have sappenred with
the buffalo. The wool of the hybrid
animal becomes darker and finer, and
the buffalo hump disappears in the
mixed breed. The animal itself be-
comes more docilc. though retaining
its hardhood, and is better mixer