The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-04-24
NEARLY WIPED OUT.
Existence Of the Few Surviving
Buiialoes Threatened.
Bringing the Yellowstone Park
Animals TO Washington.

ANtHt' "A " hHMlNNt0n are
much alarmed at the possible exiinc-
ton Of the buffalo. Mr. Langley the
head Of tho Smithsonian institute.
writes Frank c. Carpenter in the
Washington Star, does not think that
there are as many as 100 bu1aloes
left In The United States. There are
few here in the National park, aud
small herd at Philadelphia. Austin
Oorbin, the New York millionaire. has
several, and It may be that there arc
some small scattering herds In differ.
ent parts Of the vest or those, how
ever, the Smithsonian Institution has
no record, and such as exist are pro-
badly half-breeda The only pure
buiialoes outside Of the above are
those Of tho Yellowstone park, which
two years ago numbered about 300
head, and which are now reduced to
fifty. Mr. Langley has just
received letters stating that
ten Of these animals have
been killed within the past four
months, and that the others are in
danger. The chances are that they
will last only a short time, and Con-
gress has been notified that if some
thing is not done at once this wonder
full animal will disappear from the
face Of the earth. There are no other
bufaloes on the earth but these. The
small herds Of the East cannot be
made to perpetuate the buffalo without
lnbreeding, which will deteriorate the
species, and its only salvation is the
bringing Of these from the Yellow
stone Park to some point where they
can be carefully watched and cared
for.
1t is Mr.. Langley's idea that they
should be brought to Washington and
put in the National geological park
here. The main purpose of purchas-
ing this park was for the protection
of such things as the buffalo and of
other American animals liable to be-
tinct. 1t contains plenty of ground
for a good buffalo park, and if these
buffaloes can be put in. it, they will
serve as a neucles for the raising OF
buffaloes, which can be supplied to
the different geological gardens of the
United States and furnished to col
onies Of them over the country, by
which the species can be perpetuated.
Professor Goode, the head of the Ma
tional museum, says that we ought to
have at least 100 buffaloes in order to
maintain the species, and that there
should be herds in different sections
of the country, the animals of which
might be lnterchanged to prevent the
deterioration which the inbreeding eff
single colony would certainly pro-
-duce.
One of the largest buffaloes ever
known was shot by Mr.. Hornaday. 1t
is now preserved in the National
Museum. 1t is five feet eight inches
high at the shoulders, and is ten feet
two inches long from nose to tail.
Many butfaloes weigh over sixteen
hundred pounds The natural life of
the animal is about twenty years.
The COWS usually breed once year
and begin breeding at the age OF two
years. The buffalo calf at birth is
covered with red hair. This hair
changes after time to brown and
then black. The hair on the head Of
buffalo is very long. Many woman,
in fact, would be glad to have as long
hair as that Of one Of the stuffed buff
faloes in the National museum, which
measures, am told, twenty-five
inches. The buffalo COWS weigh less
than the bulls, a good fat one weigh
ing from a thousand to twelve hun
bred pounds. They have small udders,
but their milk is very rich. 1t
requires, in fact, the milk Of
two COWS to satisfy one buffalo calf.
The best time to look at buffalo il
in the fall or winter. In the summer
he is as ragged, ugly and dirty as any
animal on earth. He sheds his hair
every year, beginning about February.
The hair comes off little at time,
1t often hangs in punches to his black