Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-18
GONE TO JOIN THE DODO.
A Story That Shows How Nearly Elk
tinct is the American Bison.
From the Philadelphia Times.


From the Philadelphia Times.
recent suggestion credited to Buffalo
Bill, that the buffalo was almost extinct,
has created some adverse criticism, some
expressions of dissent. Never We're truer
words uttered, and they are most strongly
Illustrated by the remarkably story of the
difficulty experienced by the American Mu-
scum of Natural History, located in New
York city, in procuring even the hid.s of
seven buffaloes with which to form
group which is now completed 1t is claim
ed that it is equaled by no exhibit of it's kind
in the world. except similar and confessed
ly superior one in the National Museum at
Washington.
In order TO give an idea of the value and
rarity of this group of animals it IS neces-
sary 20 tell the story of the difficulties
undergone in obtaining it, and this will
also rsvel the almost incredible scarcity
of the great American bison, the typical
four-footed animal of the American re-
public. Some years ago the idea occurred
to the authorities of the American Mu-
scum of Natural History to secure life
less group of buffaloes, and they were
amazed even a, thai time to find that they
mad undertaken more difficult task than
they imagined. To be sure the various
geological gardens have more or less
mangy-looking nerds, and Buffalo Jones,
the great rancher of Garfield City, Utah,
had 100 corraled, and which he valued as
the hairs of his head, but these highly
priced captives were not accessible for the
purposes of taxidermy.
party was thoroughly equipped and
they searched for three months, and
during that time they covered dis
lance CT twelve hundred miles, dur
ing which they underwent all the rigors
or winter on the prairies. They travers-
ed all the territory between the Yellow
stone and Crooked creek, and yet not a
hn nr1, st
they saw of them We're the whitened bones
which told of indscriminate and idle
slaughter by reckless sportsmen.
The party, after having covered what
was considered the best buffalo country
remaining, finally abandoned the hope of
securing the prizes they We're in search of,
and they returned to Niles City. Montana
loaded heavily with the peltS of deer an
teloDes, and prairie wolves, sufficient al
most to defray the cost of the expedition.
1t is lauShable. If it were not pitiable, that
when they learned at Miles CITY that a
buffalo yearling had been recently killed
and the skin preserved at ranch many
miles away, near Big Porcup:ne creek the
travellers We're thrown into violent state
OF excitement. and they actually made
two trips with the view of securing the
skin, and finally failed in the negotiation
with the owner because he seemed to think
that the hide was worth many times its
weight in gold. Finally, after much diff
nculty, a bargain was made with some
cowboys whereby two buffalo skins were
secured, and with these Mr.. Elliot return
ed to New York.
He had barely arrived in that city when
he received information of the fact that
far down in the Panhandle of Texas and
NO Mans Land Lee Howard a well-known
ranchman, had just slaughtered fifty BIZ
sons. This last slaughter exhausted the
species in that section of the country BY
the time communication was obtained with
howard with view of bartering for his
skins they had been sold to a Kansas man
and he had disposed of them to the
National Museum. in Washington. After
much pleading and negotiation, the New
York naturalists finally secured two of
these skins through the favor of Prof
Hornaday, end later on. through an ex-
change of other SKINS the pelt of a very
fine bull was obtained from the Washing
ton authorities. The following summer a
COW and lis calf which Buffalo Bill had in
his wild west show at Staten Island. died.
and he presented their skins to the Ameri-
can Museum. In this prosaic way, and
with several years of hard endeavor were
obtained the seven skins of an animal
which but few decades ago Numbered
across the American plains in countless
thousands. and which figured as a most
dramatic feature in far western life. There
could be no more convincing demonstra-
ton than is contained in this remarkable
experience Of the fact that the almost
criminal wholesale slaughter of buffaloes
and the failure of the proper authorities
TO give them the protection given almost
every other game animal, whether it flies,
sWlms or runs, has at least placed the
species on the verge of extinction beyond
PROBABLY, the reach of preservation.