The Yale expositor., 1908-02-28

exceptions are for sale tc anyone Of
fering a reasonable price. Many are
sold every year, some for propagatins
purposes, and others to the butcher
and the taxidermist. Moreover. most
Of them are in a few comparatively
large herds, and should contagious
disease at any time strike one OF
these, so great a percentage OF the
now remaining bufaloes might be
wiped out at one blow as to make the
perpetuation of the remainder prac-
tically an impossibillty.
"In the belief that Americans gen.
orally will be found in sympathy with
carefully planned movement to save
what might we'll be termed their ma
tional animal, and in order that all
who desire may take part in the work
of preservation, there was recently or
ganized in New York city the Ameri-
can Bison society, which in accord
ance with its constitution has for its
object the permanent preservation
and increase of the American bison.
This society will seek to have es.
tablished in widely separated locali-
ties. under government auspices, sew
eral herds of buffalo. on suitable
ranges preferably government land),
such ranges to be chosen from a large
number that have been recommended
by competent persons. These herds.
under proper management should in
crease until the race was no longer in
danger of extinction.
With this end in view, the Ameri-
can Bison society has now begun an
active campaign. A bill calling for
national aid in the establishing of sew
eTal buffalo herds is already under
consideration. In the meantime the
society purposes to make deter
mined effort TO organize the interest
of the public in the fate Of the Ameri-
can buffalo. and presently bring IL to
bear in such a manner that 1t will re-
suit in the governments of both the
United States and Canada taking ac-
tive measures to insure that animals
preservation and increase.
THE officers of the society are pre-
pared to do the work incidental to
this campaign, but, in order that this
work may be carried on promptly and
vigorously, they must have the sup
port of those whom they believe to
be in sympathy with them. This sup
port can best be given by joining the
American Bison society and by urging
others TO join it. The work to be done
requires money, and for this the So
ciety depends entirely upon member
ship fees and dues and occasional pri-
vate subscriptions.
The extinction of the buffalo would
be an irreparable less to American
fauna; more than that, it would be a
disgrace to our country. The passing
of any great and noble animal is a
calamity which all thoughtful persons
should seek to avert. But the buff
falo has a special claim upon us, mas
much as the great service he rendered
the country in early times were repaid
with indescribable brutality and perse-
cution. BY a series of cold blooded
massacres never equaled by any other
nation calling itself civilized, a great
race OF animals numbering countless
millions was reduced to numbers so
pitifully small that for time it was
regarded as practically extinct. The
least we can do now to partly atone
for this ruthless slaughter is to join in
measures to prevent what must other
wise be the fiDNl result of perhaps the
greatest wrong ever inflicted by man
upon a valuable wild animal"