The record-union., 1897-01-11
ANTELOPE ISLAND HERD.
History of the Now Famous Buffalo
Remnant.

History of the Now Famous Buffalo
Remnant.
The herd of buffaloes TO which wide
public attention has been drawn by the
recent tragic fate of one of its bulls,
has been grazing on Antelope Island for
three years. 1t is owned by the Island
Improvement Company. which is COM
posed of John Z. Dooly and White &
Sons. When Buffalo Bill Glassanan gave
up his ambition to replenish the West
with the American bison, the Improve
ment Company took the little herd he
had gathered at Lake Point and trans
ported it to the island The Antelope
range is admirably suited ito it's wants,
and ON the nutritious grasses elbounding
there vt bias fed and fasotened. Though
nominally in captivity it's freedom Is
only limited by the waters that sur
round the island and by the stout fences
built to protect the cultivated spots ON
the ranch from being overrun- Unlike
the elk that swami away from the island
the buffaloes have made no effort to es-
cape. Their domain is large enough to
satisfy their migratory instinct. From
end to end 1t is nearly thirty miles, and
at Its widest point 1T Is six miles across
1t has a surface varied enough TO suit
the most adventurous buffalo; nature
has provided watering places In most
convenient spots; delightful depressions
abound in which the herd may wallow
to it's hides content, and altogether An
telope Is AN ideal home for semi civil
ized bison.
The herd has grown over there until
=
calves were born this year, and the IN
terest of visitors to the island is most
excited by these shy young buffaloes.
The domestic affairs of the herd have
undergone two upheavals during its Life
ON Antelope. These experiences have
cow1oborated the theory disputed by
some buffalo authorities that one bull
rules the herd and that the question of
supremacy is settled from time to time
on the field of honor. The head of the
family does not long enjoy his cham
pionship in peace. Some young, ambi-
tious bull challenges him to a contest,
and the buffalo code requires him to
accept forthwith. He always does, for
his cows are looking at him and even If
he could remain among them without
fighting, which he could not, he would
henceforth be despised. So he locks
horns with his rebellious antagonist,
and the fight goes on to a finish. Either
the challenger is subdued, or the reign
ing bull is driven from THE herd, and
thereafter is an outcast- The bull in
command at the time the herd was
placed ON the island was driven out
about a year later by a fierce young
il,,y xxrIoA IkalI h11r
The struggle I'm which he was defeated
lasted for two days, and then he, too.
became wanderer. 1t was cule Of these
deposed bulls that was killed In the
desperate combat OF Tuesday Iast-
The present king of the herd Is a.
mammoth fellow, ONE of the finest spec
linens of his kind. but he will not be
allowed to remain much longer unmo-
losted in his sovereignty. Already
there are Indications that the younger
bulls are growing restive under his rule
and one of them may amy day rebel.
and when he does a struggle Will en-
sue that will be worth encountering the
perils Of voyage to the battle-ground
to see. This system OF rotation In office
Is the way the buffalo has of applying
the principle of the survival of the fit
test, and Is held by philosophers to
have been designed TO insure the vigor
of the offspring.
The disappearance from the plains of
the race of which this small bunch is
one of few remnants, was caused by
the greatest slaughter of wild animals
the world has ever seem 1t has been
said by a statistical expert that 'tof all
-
the earth probably no other species
has ever marsha1ed such innumerable
hosts as those of the American bison" !"
Before 1870, millions upon millions Of
buffaloes moved over the plains from
Manitoba to Mexico. In one great herd
that was encountered in Kansas by
one of the first trains that crossed that
State, it is estimated that there were
4. 100000 of these animals, whose de-
struction was soon caused by the value
of their hides. After the war an army
Of hunters spread over the feeding
grounds of the buffalo, and from river
bluffs and hill tops hidden sharp
shooters brought down beast after
beast until whole herds were dead. So
vigorous was this execution during four
years succeeding 1870 that live buffa-
loes had become scarce, but everywhere
along the old trails skinned carcasses
were rotting. In 1870 the large profits
of the previous years were no longer
obtainable, but the slaughter was con-
tinued until nearly all the producers
of robes were gone. Now only a few
hundred remain. Most of these are In
national and city parks OF like the
Dooly herd, are held by private own
ers. One of the largest Of the herds
is that of the Austin Corbin estate at
Newport, N. H. Until recently there
were ninety buffaloes in this preserve,
but about a month ago thirty of them
were given to the city of New York and
placed i'm Van Courtland Park. The
Corbin estate consists of $4,000 acres,
and in addition to the buffaloes it con-
tains 1,200 deer, 1000 elk 500 wild
boars and $50 moose.-Salt Lake Trib-
une.