The Washington herald., 1907-06-29


These noble animals had such a narrow
escape from complete determination that
in 1889 there remained only ninety sur
vlvors from the herds Of millions that
formerly roamed mt will on the Ameri-
can plains The remnants Of these nerds
have been guarded so carefully that there
are now 1,-oo full-blooded bison in the
United States, Canada, and Europe. As
every effort viii now be made 90 pro-.
tect him. there is little probability that
the American king Of beasts viii become
extinct. unless s5u2e unforeseen disaster
OvertaEes him.
When the first American buffalo that
crossed the Atlantic Ocean was received
in Germany, in 1772 it attracted wide at
tention in Europe. not only because Il
was of a species new 90 a majority of
Europeans. and interesting 10 naturaists
but also because il was a representative
of the largest herd OF wild animals OF
great economic value ever discovered In
any country. A century later, the buffa-
10. long since driven from its former
ranges between the Appalachian Noun
tains and the Mississippi. was being
ruthlssslv slaughtered. The Western
prairies were Uttered with the bones of
animals shot down for their hides and
left 20 the coyotes. or killed for mere
sport
Naturalists and plainsmen who have
been asked TO estimate the number of
bufaIoes that existed in the United
States fifty years age have always ac-I
knowledged themselves unequal TO theI
task Many men now living, and hardly
beyond middle age. can remember when
a hunter could climb TO the top OF the
tallest tree upon the edge Of a pTairieI
and see the ground black with the graz
ing animals as far rs the eve coUlG
reach. A man on horseback might ride
for DAYS and weeks without being az any
time out Of sight Of them. At present a
little correspondence between half doz-
en- naturaUsts and park superintendent
in the United States Canada, and Eu-I
rope is all that IS necessary 20 establish
the number Of full-bloods and hybrids
there are now in the world, aside from a
small herd Of wood bison still running
wild I'm the vicinity of Great slave Lake
in Canada. The last named are protect
cd from the Indians Icy the fear Of Brit
fish law. and from the timber wolves bF'
a bounty of 800 a head offered by the.
Canadian government for wolf scdips.
The Athabasca herd, estimated az from
100 10 G.J. is now the only wild herd in
existence and but f0r the fact that the
Canadian forests offered good cover be
fore active steps were taken TO prevent
their slaughter they would have persisted.
Until recently il was believed that a
wild herd still existed In ROutt County,
Colo. but Superintendent Frank Baker,
Of the National Geological Park, in Wash
i1gt0n set on foot systematic inquiry
that proved the persistent statements col
that effect n be untrue. 4 large herd
ran wild il Yellowstone Park at the time
IL was incorporated but no attention was.
paid 10 Federal laws prohibiting hunting
there and only about thirty animals were
LEFT aIire when the policing Of the park
made g. impossible for poachers 70 CON
tiuue the slaughter. The herd now at
large iu the Yellowstone is increasing sat
islactori,v, as IS the one ia the inclosure
provided for under am act of Congress in
1902 In 1876 Congress passed bill APP
prouriatl1g s1In1 10 provide for fcnc-
ing an i7cl0=ure I'm the Wichita Forest
Reserve for the reception OF a herd OF
fifteen bgffaloas presented % the govern
Ineut by the New York Geological Gar
den
Until the sale. this year Of 400 bufaloes
from the Pa5,0-Allard herd at The Flat
head Indian reservation in Montana. the
largest single herd was owned in that
State. il bad its origin I'm six buff6loes
corrarled by a Pend UOreille Indian call
ed sam. IN 1878. In 1852 the herd. which
had grown % fourteen, was bought by
Michel Pablo. a Flathead Indian. and
Charles Auard. Since then perhaps 1000
buifaloes have been sold from the herd.
IN 1878. Col Charles Goodnight, known
as the Father of the Panhandle" r0ped
two buffalo calves near his Texas ranch
and gave them to his wife. From this
beginning grew the Goodnight herd, one
Of She most important in the United
States
The largest herd in the United States
at present Is known as the Austin Cor
bin herd az Blue Mountain Forest y. f.
This herd consists of more than $50 ami
mails and was started from a small num-
Der. The James Philip herd at Pierre s.
Oak. numbers more than ll0 and smaller
herds osist in twenty-five different
States. most of them being in parks or
geological gardens. There are several
small herds in Canada. aside from those
az Rocky Mountain Park and those run
ming wild in the Great Slave Lake region.
belgium boasts two American bumaIoes
IN the National Geological Garden. Lon
don has four. and there are more than
twenty upon the estate Of the Duke of
Bedford. = dozen German cities have
specimens I'm geological gardens Prince
HohenlOhe-O erinEen owns a herd of sew
euteeu in Hungary, and there are two
III Budapest Holland, Russia. SCanli-
navia and Switzerland each have few,
and there is one lonely exile i'm the ZOO
logical gardens Of Buenos Ayres.
Buraloas breed in captivity about as
regularly rs domestic cattle. ami there
IS little difficulty I'm raising good speci-
mems. if the range is large. on restrict
ed range. or in small parks, "a high per-
centage OF male calves are born. for rea-
sons naturalists have not been able to
explain The animals need little or no
shelter. preferring. as a rule. TO lie out
IN the severest storms. rather than go
into sheds provided for them They thrive
upon less feed than cattle require
II the white men had treated the buf-
falo as sensibly as the Indians did. many
thousands Ct the animals would be alive
to-day and their meat. now a high-pricei
delcacy, found rarely I'm the market
would be available to any one who desired
il. The Indians believed that the buffalo
was direct gift from the Great Spirit
The plains tribes are said 10 lave held
the animals sacred. and to have made
sacrifices TO their skulls. The savages
did not hunt the buffalo for sport before
the white men taught them TO- The hides
furnished them with clothes and shelter
and the meat with food. consequently
they killed them only as needed for these