The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1900-11-09
WILL THE BISON SURVIVE?

When DR.. William T. Hornaday
in 1887, told the story of the slaugh-
ter Of 20,000,OOO bufaloes, it was
generally supposed that the species
was practically terminated. DIR
Hornaday could then find only 1901
living bisons remaining from the
vast herds that once filled the plains
from the Rio Grande to the Yellow
stone 1t was believed then that the
end Of the century would find sur
viving only few forlorn museum
specimens. Mark Sullivan, in re-
cent issue of the Boston Transcript,
shows that fears entertained thirteen
years ago have not been realized.
The bison still lives in practically
the same numbers as in 1887.
After careful investigation Mr..
Sullivan feels justified in asserting
that there are at least 1924 buffaloes
in existence. But one herd is now
known to be running wild in its ma
tive haunts. This is west Of the
Great Slave lake, and is estimated by
Mr.. Sullivan at 200 head. The
game warden of Colorado claims
about thirty wild buffaloes in that
state, but on various grounds Mr..
Sullivan doubts the accuracy Of his
statement. The largest herd in cap
tivity is the Allard, containing $50
on the Flathead Indian res
ervation in Montana. In Armstrong
county, Texas, is the Jones-Good-
night herd, numbering ITO full
bloods. The Austin Corbin herd.
Blue Mountain forest, New Hamp-
shire, contains ninety-eight. There
are probably thirty head in Yellow
stone park The rest are scattered
in private collections and in zoologi-
cal gardens.
Here would seen to be stock
enough to keep up the breed, but
there are several practical Difficult
ties. The owners Of these various
herds may be trusted not to slaugh-
ter them, for a live buffalo is now
worth $400 to 5000. But the poach-
er is a constant danger in those very
districts where sparse population
gives apparently the best chance for
buffalo breeding. The poacher has
reduced the 400 bison which Grin
nell found in Yellowstone park in
1892 to the present remnant. Pub
lie sentiment in these Western
states often opposes national parks
and forest reservations, and protects
the poacher. The New Mexico and
Arizona delegates in the last con-
gress bitterly opposed the Lacey bill
to set aside 10000 acres of I'M
claimed land as a buffalo range.
Until the people of these mountain
states change their ideas no public
reservation will preserve the bison.
The danger Of deterioration byl
inbreeding also threatens the bison.
On this point experts disagree, not
as to the fact, but as to the immi- |
hence of the danger. There is an
other law Of animal life that may
aXterlinate the bison. This law is |
not yet fully understood, but may
be stated as follows: When envir-
onment is favorable a large majority |
Of animals born are females, and the
race propagates freely; when envir-
Onment is unfavorable this condi-
ton is reversed. Mr.. Sullivan finds |
that out Of fifty-eight buffalo calves
born in captivity thirty-fve were
males, And, finally, if all these
dangers be escaped, the bison bred
in captivity will no longer be the
magnificent animal it was when
wild. ''In captivity says Dr.
Hornaday, 'the buffalo fails to de-
velop as finely as in his wild state.
He gets fat and short bodied, and
Of the wild specimens"
Scientific interest and the com
mercial profit to be found in supply
ing the demands Of public curiosity
may enable the bison to survive,
but he will no longer be the embod-
iment Of vital power as when he
swept in countless thousands
through the valleys Of the Platte
and the Republican. Only those
who saw the bison then can realize
how the description Of the warhorse
in the book Of Job applied to him.
His neck was "clothed with thun-
der" He paved in the valley and
rejoiced in his strength. He swal-
lowed the ground in ferceness and
rage Such was the bison, but we
shall never again see him in all his
glory.-Inter Ocean.