The herald., 1896-01-01
WILD BISON EXTINCT

A recent suggestion credited to Buf-
falo Bill, that the buffalo was almost
extinct, has Great ed some adverse crit
,cism. some expressions of dissent.
Never we're truer words uttered, and
they are most strongly illustrated by
the remarkable story OF the difficulty
experienced by the American museum
of natural history, located in New York
City, in procuring even the hides OF
seven buffaloes with which to form a
group, which is now completed.
In order to give an idea of the value
aud rarity of this group of animals, IT
is necessary to tell the story of the diff
ticulties undergone in obtaining it, and
this will also reveal the almost inored-
ible scarcity of the great American
bison, the typical four-footed animal
of e. Q American republic. Some years
ago the Idea occurred to the authori-
ties of the American museum of natu-
raj history to secure lifeless group OF
buff .loes, and they were amazed even
at tnat time to find that they had un-
dertaken a more difficult task than
they imagined. To be sure the various
geological gardens have more or less
ngy-looking herds, and "BuHalo
Jones, the lreat raucher OF Garnslo
Uuy, Utah, bad 200 corraled and whicn
he valued as the hairs OF his head, out
those highly priced cap'ives were not
accessible for the purposes OF taXi.
dermy. AS to the ANIMALS in Wild
STATE. Professor Hornaday OF the ma
iionat museum in Washington IN
formed his New York brethren tn t
apart from the clos 4ly protec ed ZOo
buffaloes under the Care OF the Uuiteo
States government in Yellowstone Nd
,ionsl park, he Thought tn re were very
few of the species left within the Inn
It's of the Uui ed States, aud expressed
it as his opinion that within ten years
there would not be solitary bison on
the American plains.
This disco1raging news only maze
the New York naturalisIs more de-
termined, an so,%ith money FURNISHED
10y Morris X. Jesup and Mr.. Consta-
bic, n expedition was fitted up. Inc
scien i,t III charge was u. u. Elliot,
who vas acc >mpanied by an eXper-
i-nced taxidermist and Was joined i'll
Montana by hree hunters and cook.
The scout WAS J4mes McNaney, who
has won con ,iderable fame as buffalo
hunter, and the party was thoroughly
equipped with numerous horses, tents,
guus and all the necessary parapher-
MALTA Of an extended hunting trip.
They started in the early fall. They
searci ed for three months, and during
tn st time they covered distance OF
1900 miles, during which they under
went all IT,. Sors of winter on the
prairies. 1h y traversed all the terri
tory b4taeen the Yellowstone md
Crooked creek and yet not buffalo
did they see, and the oIly signs they
SAW of them We're the whitened to.es
which told O. indiscriminate and idle
slaul h er by rec kless sportsmen.
The party, after having covered what
WAS consid rel the best buffalo coun-
try r, m inii 6, finally abandoned the
b Pc Of secur,ng the prizes they wers
in se, rch Of, and they returned to
Mles CiTy, Mont, loaded heavily viii
the pelts of deer, antelope and prairie
wolves, sufficient almost to defray the
cost of the expedition. 1t is laugha-
bic, il it were not pitisble, that when
they lt armed at Niles City that huf-
falo yearliug had been recently killed
and the tkiu preserved at ranch
many miles Nay, near Dig L oTcupiue
creeS, the travellers we're thrown into a
violei sta Uf excitement, and they
actua ly Il ie two trips with the view
Of securil 6 he skin, and finally failed
in the negotiation with the owner be-
cause he seemed to think that the
| hide was orth many times its weight
i'll gold. Fin .liy. after mach d fiji nifty,
a ba gain VAS made with some cowboys
whereby two buffalo skins were Sc
cured, and with these Mr.. Elliot re-
turned to New York.
H. 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,
we>-knowH ranchman, had just
slaughtered fifty bison. This last
slaughter exhans ed he species in that
section OF the country. By the time
con muuication WAS obtained with
Howard, with view to barterinP for
his skins, they had been sold to Kan
! sas nan and he had di4posed Of them
| to the na ional museum in Washing
ton. After much pleading and negotI-
alton, the New York n 'tnralists fl allv