The Washington critic., 1888-03-10
AN INTERESTING EXHIBIT.
Magnificent Group of Bison in Case
at the National Museum,

Magnificent Group of Bison in a Case
at the National Museum.
A magnificent group of bison or
American buffalo has Just been
completed at the National Museum
and will be ready for public inspec-
ton on Monday. The buffalo were
collected in various parts of Montana by
the Smithsonian expedition in 1886, the
expedition sent out by Professor Baird,
and IN which he took so much interest.
Thegroup was mounted by Taxidermist
w. Il. Hornaday, and the surroundings
which he designed are extremely realistic.
The most striking member of the group
IS an adult bull, eleven years old, who ate
his last morsel of sage-brush on the 9th
of December, 1856. That day was to be
the last day of the hunt. The wagons
were being loaded for the start home, and
while waiting for the start Professor Hor.
naday and two or three cowboys started
out for their last hunt. THIS BULL with
COW and a calf was found, and Professor
IIornaday Immediately gave chase to the
bull, overlook him and shot him from the
saddle, breaking his shoulder. The bull
fell, recovered his feet and started to run,
but soon stopped and stood at bay, and
was sketched in isposition by Professor
Hornaday and then killed.
The sketch was printed in a magazine
article describing the hunt, and the bull
has been mounted in almost the same po-
sition in which he stood at bay. The bull
is very muscular, but not fat, and the
pelage is of extraordinary length and fine
ness. He is believed to be the largest
bull ever measured and recorded. He is
five feet eight inches high at the shoul-
ders to the skim and to the top of the
hair six feet. His weight is estimated at
1,600 pounds
Next this big bull in the case is an eight
year-old COW killed in November. She is
four feet ten inches high. Near by is an
other, younger, COW, killed in October.
On little hillock which overhangs the
imitation pool of water, stands a fine
young "spike" bull, two and half years
old, killed in October The name spike"
applies to male buiialoes until they are
four years old, because until that age is
reached the tip of their horns is straight,
not curved, as in adults.
The other members of the group are q
yearling calf, killed in October, and q
sucking calf that was taken alive and
brought here when the expedition re.
turned. For some time it was one of the
interesting things to be seen around the
Museum, and became q great favOrite
with the visitors especially the children.
But the climate was too much for him,
and one day "Sandy" lay down and
sighed his young life out. His spirit is
now in land where there are no Buffalo
Bills, but Sandy is in the case with the
rest of the buffaloes, looking just as
'cute" as he did when he was tugging at
his rope and eating grass in the Smith
sonian grounds.
The case is very handsome one prob
ably the largest glass case in this country
and the surroundings of the group inside
the case are very realistic.
The scene represents typical alkalian
"water-hole" on the great northern
buffalo range, such as are resorted to by
wild animals and also by man. The time
indicated is the month of November,
when the small streams are all dry and
only these holes of water remain. In
front of the hole passes a typical buffalo
trail, such as were made by herds of
as they travelled down water courses,
single file, in search of water.
The ground is covered with "bunch-
grass" or brown sedge, buffalo grass,
sage brush and pricllly pear all brought
from Montana and arranged in the case
with the greatest fidelity to nature.
On the east side of the case lies the skull
of defunct bull buffalo, and across
on the other side is the skull of COW,
lying just as they were when found by
the members of the buffalo expedition.
In the centre of the case is a pool of
water, once part of stream, of which the
buffalos were in search. At one side of
this is small hillock, one side of which
has been cut sharply away by the water,
which has uncovered some fossil bones
| the remains of long dead buflalos. The
animals are oontentedly grouped around,
the "spike'' buffalo standing on top Of the
hillock.
The twenty-five specimens killed and
preserved by the Smithsonian expedition
were the last of the great Northern herd,
excepting those in the National Park, and
were taken so that they might be pre-
served in the interest of science instead of
being totally destroyed by cowboys and
hide-hunters. The species is now praoti-
cally extinct.
The group is by far the largest and
| handsomest ever mounted, and 1t would
be almost impossible to duplicateit at any
| cost