I. THE EXPLORATION.
During the first three months of the year 1886 it was ascertained by the
writer, then chief taxidermist of the National Museum, that the
extermination of the American bison had made most alarming progress. By
extensive correspondence it was learned that the destruction of all the
large herds, both North and South, was already an accomplished fact.
While it was generally supposed that at least a few thousand individuals
still inhabited the more remote and inaccessible regions of what once
constituted the great northern buffalo range, it was found that the
actual number remaining in the whole United States was probably less
than three hundred.
By some authorities who were consulted it was considered an
impossibility to procure a large series of specimens anywhere in this
country, while others asserted positively that there were no wild
buffaloes south of the British possessions save those in the Yellowstone
National Park. Canadian authorities asserted with equal positiveness
that none remained in their territory.
A careful inventory of the specimens in the collection of the National
Museum revealed the fact that, with the exception of one mounted female
skin, another unmounted, and one mounted skeleton of a male buffalo, the
Museum was actually without presentable specimens of this most important
and interesting mammal.
Besides those mentioned above, the collection contained only two old,
badly mounted, and dilapidated skins, (one of which had been taken in
summer, and therefore was not representative), an incomplete skeleton,
some fragmentary skulls of no value, and two mounted heads. Thus it
appeared that the Museum was unable to show a series of specimens, good
or bad, or even one presentable male of good size.
In view of this alarming state of affairs, coupled with the already
declared extinction of _Bison americanus_, the Secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution, Prof. Spencer F. Baird, determined to send a
party into the field at once to find wild buffalo, if any were still
living, and in case any were found to collect a number of specimens.
Since it seemed highly uncertain whether any other institution, or any
private individual, would have the opportunity to collect a large supply
of specimens before it became too late, it was decided by the Secretary
that the Smithsonian Institution should undertake the task of providing
for the future as liberally as possible. For the benefit of the smaller
scientific museums of the country, and for others which will come into
existence during the next half century, it was resolved to collect at
all hazards, in case buffalo could be found, between eighty and one
hundred specimens of various kinds, of which from twenty to thirty
should be skins, an equal number should be complete skeletons, and of
skulls at least fifty.
In view of the great scarcity of buffalo and the general belief that it
might be a work of some months to find any specimens, even if it were
possible to find any at all, it was determined not to risk the success
of the undertaking by delaying it until the regular autumn hunting
season, but to send a party into the field at once to prosecute a
search. It was resolved to discover at all hazards the whereabouts of
any buffalo that might still remain in this country in a wild state,
and, if possible, to reach them before the shedding of their winter
pelage. It very soon became apparent, however, that the latter would
prove an utter impossibility.
Late in the month of April a letter was received from Dr. J. C. Merrill,
United States Army, dated at Huntley, Montana, giving information of
reports that buffalo were still to be found in three localities in the
Northwest, viz: on the headwaters of the Powder River, Wyoming; in
Judith Basin, Montana; and on Big Dry Creek, also in Montana. The
reports in regard to the first two localities proved to be erroneous. It
was ascertained to a reasonable certainty that there still existed in
southwestern Dakota a small band of six or eight wild buffaloes, while
from the Pan-handle of Texas there came reports of the existence there,
in small scattered hands, of about two hundred head. The buffalo known
to be in Dakota were far too few in number to justify a long and
expensive search, while those in Texas, on the Canadian River, were too
difficult to reach to make it advisable to hunt them save as a last
resort. It was therefore decided to investigate the localities named in
the Northwest.
Through the courtesy of the Secretary of War, an order was sent to the
officer commanding the Department of Dakota, requesting him to furnish
the party, through the officers in command at Forts Keogh, Maginnis, and
McKinney, such field transportation, escort, and camp equipage as might
be necessary, and also to sell to the party such commissary stores as
might be required, at cost price, plus 10 per cent. The Secretary of the
Interior also favored the party with an order, directing all Indian
agents, scouts, and others in the service of the Department to render
assistance as far as possible when called upon.
In view of the public interest attaching to the results of the
expedition, the railway transportation of the party to and from Montana
was furnished entirely without cost to the Smithsonian Institution. For
these valuable courtesies we gratefully acknowledge our obligations to
Mr. Frank Thomson, of the Pennsylvania Railroad; Mr. Roswell Miller, of
the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul; and Mr. Robert Harris, of the
Northern Pacific.
Under orders from the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the
writer left Washington on May 6, accompanied by A. H. Forney, assistant
in the department of taxidermy, and George H. Hedley, of Medina, New
York. It had been decided that Miles City, Montana, might properly be
taken as the first objective point, and that town was reached on May 9.
Diligent inquiry in Miles City and at Fort Keogh, 2 miles distant,
revealed the fact that no one knew of the presence of any wild buffalo
anywhere in the Northwest, save within the protected limits of the
Yellowstone Park. All inquiries elicited the same reply: "There are no
buffalo any more, and you can't get any anywhere." Many persons who were
considered good authority declared most positively that there was not a
live buffalo in the vicinity of Big Dry Creek, nor anywhere between the
Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers. An army officer from Fort Maginnis
testified to the total absence of buffalo in the Judith Basin, and
ranchmen from Wyoming asserted that none remained in the Powder River
country.
Just at this time it was again reported to us, and most opportunely
confirmed by Mr. Henry E. Phillips, owner of the =LU=-bar ranch on
Little Dry Creek, that there still remained a chance to find a few
buffalo in the country lying south of the Big Dry. On the other hand,
other persons who seemed to be fully informed regarding that very region
and the animal life it contained, assured us that not a single buffalo
remained there, and that a search in that direction would prove
fruitless. But the balance of evidence, however, seemed to lie in favor
of the Big Dry country, and we resolved to hunt through it with all
possible dispatch.
On the afternoon of May 13 we crossed the Yellowstone and started
northwest up the trail which leads along Sunday Creek. Our entire party
consisted of the two assistants already mentioned, a non-commissioned
officer, Sergeant Garone, and four men from the Fifth Infantry acting as
escort; Private Jones, also from the Fifth Infantry, detailed to act as
our cook, and a teamster. Our conveyance consisted of a six-mule team,
which, like the escort, was ordered out for twenty days only, and
provided accordingly. Before leaving Miles City we purchased two
saddle-horses for use in hunting, the equipments for which were
furnished by the ordnance department at Fort Keogh.
During the first two days' travel through the bad lands north of the
Yellowstone no mammals were seen save prairie-dogs and rabbits. On the
third day a few antelope were seen, but none killed. It is to be borne
in mind that this entire region is absolutely treeless everywhere save
along the margins of the largest streams. Bushes are also entirely
absent, with the exception of sage-brush, and even that does not occur
to any extent on the divides.
On the third day two young buck antelopes were shot at the Red Buttes.
One had already commenced to shed his hair, but the other had not quite
reached that point. We prepared the skin of the first specimen and the
skeleton of the other. This was the only good antelope skin we obtained
in the spring, those of all the other specimens taken being quite
worthless on account of the looseness of the hair. During the latter
part of May, and from that time on until the long winter hair is
completely shed, it falls off in handfuls at the slightest pressure,
leaving the skin clad only with a thin growth of new, mouse-colored hair
an eighth of an inch long.
After reaching Little Dry Creek and hunting through the country on the
west side of it nearly to its confluence with the Big Dry we turned
southwest, and finally went into permanent camp on Phillips Creek, 8
miles above the =LU=-bar ranch and 4 miles from the Little Dry. At that
point we were about 80 miles from Miles City.
From information furnished us by Mr. Phillips and the cowboys in his
employ, we were assured that about thirty-five head of buffalo ranged in
the bad lands between Phillips Creek and the Musselshell River and south
of the Big Dry. This tract of country was about 40 miles long from east
to west by 25 miles wide, and therefore of about 1,000 square miles in
area. Excepting two temporary cowboy camps it was totally uninhabited by
man, treeless, without any running streams, save in winter and spring,
and was mostly very hilly and broken.
In this desolate and inhospitable country the thirty-five buffaloes
alluded to had been seen, first on Sand Creek, then at the head of the
Big Porcupine, again near the Musselshell, and latest near the head of
the Little Dry. As these points were all from 15 to 30 miles distant
from each other, the difficulty of finding such a small herd becomes
apparent.
Although Phillips Creek was really the eastern boundary of the buffalo
country, it was impossible for a six-mule wagon to proceed beyond it, at
least at that point. Having established a permanent camp, the Government
wagon and its escort returned to Fort Keogh, and we proceeded to hunt
through the country between Sand Creek and the Little Dry. The absence
of nearly all the cowboys on the spring round-up, which began May 20,
threatened to be a serious drawback to us, as we greatly needed the
services of a man who was acquainted with the country. We had with us as
a scout and guide a Cheyenne Indian, named Dog, but it soon became
apparent that he knew no more about the country than we did.
Fortunately, however, we succeeded in occasionally securing the services
of a cowboy, which was of great advantage to us.
It was our custom to ride over the country daily, each day making a
circuit through a new locality, and covering as much ground as it was
possible to ride over in a day. It was also our custom to take trips of
from two to four days in length, during which we carried our blankets
and rations upon our horses and camped wherever night overtook us,
provided water could be found.
Our first success consisted in the capture of a buffalo calf, which from
excessive running had become unable to keep up with its mother, and had
been left behind. The calf was caught alive without any difficulty, and
while two of the members of our party carried it to camp across a horse,
the other two made a vigorous effort to discover the band of adult
animals. The effort was unsuccessful, for, besides the calf, no other
buffaloes were seen.
Ten days after the above event two bull buffaloes were met with on the
Little Dry, 15 miles above the =LU=-bar ranch, one of which was
overtaken and killed, but the other got safely away. The shedding of the
winter coat was in full progress. On the head, neck, and shoulders the
old hair had been entirely replaced by the new, although the two coats
were so matted together that the old hair clung in tangled masses to the
other. The old hair was brown and weather-beaten, but the new, which was
from 3 to 6 inches long, had a peculiar bluish-gray appearance. On the
head the new hair was quite black, and contrasted oddly with the lighter
color. On the body and hind quarters there were large patches of skin
which were perfectly bare, between which lay large patches of old,
woolly, brown hair. This curious condition gave the animal a very
unkempt and "seedy" appearance, the effect of which was heightened by
the long, shaggy locks of old, weather beaten hair which clung to the
new coat of the neck and shoulders like tattered signals of distress,
ready to be blown away by the first gust of wind.
This specimen was a large one, measuring 5 feet 4 inches in height.
Inasmuch as the skin was not in condition to mount, we took only the
skeleton, entire, and the skin of the head and neck.
The capture of the calf and the death of this bull proved conclusively
that there were buffaloes in that region, and also that they were
breeding in comparative security. The extent of the country they had to
range over made it reasonably certain that their number would not be
diminished to any serious extent by the cowboys on the spring round-up,
although it was absolutely certain that in a few months the members of
that band would all be killed. The report of the existence of a herd of
thirty-five head was confirmed later by cowboys, who had actually seen
the animals, and killed two of them merely for sport, as usual. They
saved a few pounds of hump meat, and all the rest became food for the
wolves and foxes.
It was therefore resolved to leave the buffaloes entirely unmolested
until autumn, and then, when the robes would be in the finest condition,
return for a hunt on a liberal scale. Accordingly, it was decided to
return to Washington without delay, and a courier was dispatched with a
request for transportation to carry our party back to Fort Keogh.
While awaiting the arrival of the wagons, a cowboy in the employ of the
Phillips Land and Cattle Company killed a solitary bull buffalo about 15
miles west of our camp, near Sand Creek. This animal had completely shed
the hair on his body and hind quarters. In addition to the preservation
of his entire skeleton, we prepared the skin also, as an example of the
condition of the buffalo immediately after shedding.
On June 6 the teams from Fort Keogh arrived, and we immediately returned
to Miles City, taking with us our live buffalo calf, two fresh buffalo
skeletons, three bleached skeletons, seven skulls, one skin entire, and
one head skin, in addition to a miscellaneous collection of skins and
skeletons of smaller mammals and birds. On reaching Miles City we
hastily packed and shipped our collection, and, taking the calf with us,
returned at once to Washington.
II. THE HUNT.
On September 24 I arrived at Miles City a second time, fully equipped
for a protracted hunt for buffalo; this time accompanied only by W.
Harvey Brown, a student of the University of Kansas, as field assistant,
having previously engaged three cowboys as guides and hunters--Irwin
Boyd, James McNaney, and L. S. Russell. Messrs. Boyd and Russell were in
Miles City awaiting my arrival, and Mr. McNaney joined us in the field a
few days later. Mr. Boyd acted as my foreman during the entire hunt, a
position which he filled to my entire satisfaction.
Thanks to the energy and good-will of the officers at Fort Keogh, of
which Lieutenant-Colonel Cochran was then in command, our
transportation, camp equipage, and stores were furnished without an
hour's delay. We purchased two months' supplies of commissary stores, a
team, and two saddle-horses, and hired three more horses, a light wagon,
and a set of double harness. Each of the cowboys furnished one horse; so
that in our outfit we had ten head, a team, and two good saddle-horses
for each hunter. The worst feature of the whole question of subsistence
was the absolute necessity of hauling a supply of grain from Miles City
into the heart of the buffalo country for our ten horses. For such work
as they had to encounter it was necessary to feed them constantly and
liberally with oats in order to keep them in condition to do their work.
We took with us 2,000 pounds of oats, and by the beginning of November
as much more had to be hauled up to us.
Thirty six hours after our arrival in Miles City our outfit was
complete, and we crossed the Yellowstone and started up the Sunday Creek
trail. We had from Fort Keogh a six-mule team, an escort of four men, in
charge of Sergeant Bayliss, and an old veteran of more than twenty
years' service, from the Fifth Infantry, Private Patrick McCanna, who
was detailed to act as cook and camp-guard for our party during our stay
in the field.
On September 29 we reached Tow's ranch, the =HV=, on Big Dry Creek
(erroneously called Big Timber Creek on most maps of Montana), at the
mouth of Sand Creek, which here flows into it from the southwest. This
point is said to be 90 miles from Miles City. Here we received our
freight from the six-mule wagon, loaded it with bleached skeletons and
skulls of buffalo, and started it back to the post. One member of the
escort, Private C. S. West, who was then on two months' furlough,
elected to join our party for the hunt, and accordingly remained with us
to its close. Leaving half of our freight stored at the =HV= ranch, we
loaded the remainder upon our own wagon, and started up Sand Creek.
[Illustration: SKETCH MAP OF THE HUNT FOR BUFFALO. MONTANA 1886.]
At this point the hunt began. As the wagon and extra horses proceeded up
the Sand Creek trail in the care of W. Harvey Brown, the three cowboys
and I paired off, and while two hunted through the country along the
south side of the creek, the others took the north. The whole of the
country bordering Sand Creek, quite up to its source, consists of rugged
hills and ridges, which sometimes rise to considerable height, cut
between by great yawning ravines and hollows, such as persecuted game
loves to seek shelter in. Inasmuch as the buffalo we were in search of
had been seen hiding in those ravines, it became necessary to search
through them with systematic thoroughness; a proceeding which was very
wearing upon our horses. Along the south side of Sand Creek, near its
source, the divide between it and Little Dry Creek culminates in a chain
of high, flat-topped buttes, whose summits bear a scanty growth of
stunted pines, which serve to make them conspicuous landmarks. On some
maps these insignificant little buttes are shown as mountains, under the
name of "Piny Buttes."
It was our intention to go to the head of Sand Creek, and beyond, in
case buffaloes were not found earlier. Immediately westward of its
source there is a lofty level plateau, about 3 miles square, which, by
common consent, we called the High Divide. It is the highest ground
anywhere between the Big Dry and the Yellowstone, and is the starting
point of streams that run northward into the Missouri and Big Dry,
eastward into Sand Creek and the Little Dry, southward into Porcupine
Creek and the Yellowstone, and westward into the Musselshell. On three
sides--north, east, and south--it is surrounded by wild and rugged butte
country, and its sides are scored by intricate systems of great yawning
ravines and hollows, steep-sided and very deep, and bad lands of the
worst description.
By the 12th of October the hunt had progressed up Sand Creek to its
source, and westward across the High Divide to Calf Creek, where we
found a hole of wretchedly bad water and went into permanent camp. We
considered that the spot we selected would serve us as a key to the
promising country that lay on three sides of it, and our surmise that
the buffalo were in the habit of hiding in the heads of those great
ravines around the High Divide soon proved to be correct. Our camp at
the head of Calf Creek was about 20 miles east of the Musselshell River,
40 miles south of the Missouri, and about 135 miles from Miles City, as
the trail ran. Four miles north of us, also on Calf Creek, was the line
camp of the =STV= ranch, owned by Messrs. J. H. Conrad & Co., and 18
miles east, near the head of Sand Creek, was the line camp of the
=N=-bar ranch, owned by Mr. Newman. At each of these camps there were
generally from two to four cowboys. From all these gentlemen we received
the utmost courtesy and hospitality on all occasions, and all the
information in regard to buffalo which it was in their power to give. On
many occasions they rendered us valuable assistance, which is hereby
gratefully acknowledged.
We saw no buffalo, nor any signs of any, until October 13. On that day,
while L. S. Russell was escorting our second load of freight across the
High Divide, he discovered a band of seven buffaloes lying in the head
of a deep ravine. He fired upon them, but killed none, and when they
dashed away he gave chase and followed them 2 or 3 miles. Being mounted
on a tired horse, which was unequal to the demands of the chase, he was
finally distanced by the herd, which took a straight course and ran due
south. As it was then nearly night, nothing further could be done that
day except to prepare for a vigorous chase on the morrow. Everything was
got in perfect readiness for an early start, and by daybreak the
following morning the three cowboys and the writer were mounted on our
best horses, and on our way through the bad lands to take up the trail
of the seven buffaloes.
Shortly after sunrise we found the trail, not far from the head of Calf
Creek, and followed it due south. We left the rugged butte region behind
us, and entered a tract of country quite unlike anything we had found
before. It was composed of a succession of rolling hills and deep
hollows, smooth enough on the surface, to all appearances, but like a
desert of sand-hills to traverse. The dry soil was loose and crumbly,
like loose ashes or scoriæ, and the hoofs of our horses sank into it
half-way to the fetlocks at every step. But there was another feature
which was still worse. The whole surface of the ground was cracked and
seamed with a perfect net-work of great cracks, into which our horses
stepped every yard or so, and sank down still farther, with many a
tiresome wrench of the joints. It was terrible ground to go over. To
make it as bad as possible, a thick growth of sage-brush or else
grease-wood was everywhere present for the horses to struggle through,
and when it came to dragging a loaded wagon across that 12-mile stretch
of "bad grounds" or "gumbo ground," as it was called, it was killing
work.
But in spite of the character of this ground, in one way it was a
benefit to us. Owing to its looseness on the surface we were able to
track the buffaloes through it with the greatest ease, whereas on any
other ground in that country it would have been almost impossible. We
followed the trail due south for about 20 miles, which brought us to the
head of a small stream called Taylor Creek. Here the bad grounds ended,
and in the grassy country which lay beyond, tracking was almost
impossible. Just at noon we rode to a high point, and on scanning the
hills and hollows with the binocular discovered the buffaloes lying at
rest on the level top of a small butte 2 miles away. The original bunch
of seven had been joined by an equal number.
We crept up to within 200 yards of the buffaloes, which was as close as
we could go, fired a volley at them just as they lay, and did not even
kill a calf! Instantly they sprang up and dashed away at astonishing
speed, heading straight for the sheltering ravines around the High
Divide.
We had a most exciting and likewise dangerous chase after the herd
through a vast prairie-dog town, honey-combed with holes just right for
a running horse to thrust a leg in up to the knee and snap it off like a
pipe-stem, and across fearfully wide gullies that either had to be
leaped or fallen into. McNaney killed a fine old bull and a beautiful
two year old, or "spike" bull, out of this herd, while I managed to kill
a cow and another large old bull, making four for that day, all told.
This herd of fourteen head was the largest that we saw during the entire
hunt.
Two days later, when we were on the spot with the wagon to skin our game
and haul in the hides, four more buffaloes were discovered within 2
miles of us, and while I worked on one of the large bull skins to save
it from spoiling, the cowboys went after the buffalo, and by a really
brilliant exploit killed them all. The first one to fall was an old cow,
which was killed at the beginning of the chase, the next was an old
bull, who was brought down about 5 miles from the scene of the first
attack, then 2 miles farther on a yearling calf was killed. The fourth
buffalo, an immense old bull, was chased fully 12 miles before he was
finally brought down.
The largest bull fell about 8 miles from our temporary camp, in the
opposite direction from that in which our permanent camp lay, and at
about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. There not being time enough in which
to skin him completely and reach our rendezvous before dark, Messrs.
McNaney and Boyd dressed the carcass to preserve the meat, partly
skinned the legs, and came to camp.
As early as possible the next morning we drove to the carcass with the
wagon, to prepare both skin and skeleton and haul them in. When we
reached it we found that during the night a gang of Indians had robbed
us of our hard-earned spoil. They had stolen the skin and all the
eatable meat, broken up the leg-bones to get at the marrow, and even cut
out the tongue. And to injury the skulking thieves had added insult.
Through laziness they had left the head unskinned, but on one side of it
they had smeared the hair with red war-paint, the other side they had
daubed with yellow, and around the base of one horn they had tied a
strip of red flannel as a signal of defiance. Of course they had left
for parts unknown, and we never saw any signs of them afterward. The
gang visited the =LU=-bar ranch a few days later, so we learned
subsequently. It was then composed of eleven braves(!), who claimed to
be Assinniboines, and were therefore believed to be Piegans, the most
notorious horse and cattle thieves in the Northwest.
On October 22d Mr. Russell ran down in a fair chase a fine bull buffalo,
and killed him in the rough country bordering the High Divide on the
south. This was the ninth specimen. On the 26th we made an other trip
with the wagon to the Buffalo Buttes, as, for the sake of convenience,
we had named the group of buttes near which eight head had already been
taken. While Mr. Brown and I were getting the wagon across the bad
grounds, Messrs. McNaney and Boyd discovered a solitary bull buffalo
feeding in a ravine within a quarter of a mile of our intended camping
place, and the former stalked him and killed him at long range. The
buffalo had all been attracted to that locality by some springs which
lay between two groups of hills, and which was the only water within a
radius of about 15 miles. In addition to water, the grass around the
Buffalo Buttes was most excellent.
During all this time we shot antelope and coyotes whenever an
opportunity offered, and preserved the skins and skeletons of the finest
until we had obtained a very fine series of both. At this season the
pelts of these animals were in the finest possible condition, the hair
having attained its maximum length and density, and, being quite new,
had lost none of its brightness of color, either by wear or the action
of the weather. Along Sand Creek and all around the High Divide antelope
were moderately plentiful (but really scarce in comparison with their
former abundance), so much so that had we been inclined to slaughter we
could have killed a hundred head or more, instead of the twenty that we
shot as specimens and for their flesh. We have it to say that from first
to last not an antelope was killed which was not made use of to the
fullest extent.
On the 31st of October, Mr. Boyd and I discovered a buffalo cow and
yearling calf in the ravines north of the High Divide, within 3 miles of
our camp, and killed them both. The next day Private West arrived with a
six mule team from Fort Keogh, in charge of Corporal Clafer and three
men. This wagon brought us another 2,000 pounds of oats and various
commissary stores. When it started back, on November 3, we sent by it
all the skins and skeletons of buffalo, antelope, etc., which we had
collected up to that date, which made a heavy load for the six mules. On
this same day Mr. McNaney killed two young cow buffaloes in the bad
lands south of the High Divide, which brought our total number up to
fourteen.
On the night of the 3d the weather turned very cold, and on the day
following we experienced our first snow-storm. By that time the water in
the hole, which up to that time had supplied our camp, became so thick
with mud and filth that it was unendurable; and having discovered a fine
pool of pure water in the bottom of a little cañon on the southern slope
of the High Divide we moved to it forthwith. It was really the upper
spring of the main fork of the Big Porcupine, and a finer situation for
a camp does not exist in that whole region. The spot which nature made
for us was sheltered on all sides by the high walls of the cañon, within
easy reach of an inexhaustible supply of good water, and also within
reach of a fair supply of dry fire-wood, which we found half a mile
below. This became our last permanent camp, and its advantages made up
for the barrenness and discomfort of our camp on Calf Creek. Immediately
south of us, and 2 miles distant there rose a lofty conical butte about
600 feet high, which forms a very conspicuous landmark from the south.
We were told that it was visible from 40 miles down the Porcupine.
Strange to say, this valuable landmark was without a name, so far as we
could learn; so, for our own convenience, we christened it Smithsonian
Butte.
The two buffalo cows that Mr. McNaney killed just before we moved our
camp seemed to be the last in the country, for during the following week
we scouted for 15 miles in three directions, north, east, and south,
without finding as much as a hoof-print. At last we decided to go away
and give that country absolute quiet for a week, in the hope that some
more buffalo would come into it. Leaving McCanna and West to take care
of the camp, we loaded a small assortment of general equipage into the
wagon and pulled about 25 miles due west to the Musselshell River.
We found a fine stream of clear water, flowing over sand and pebbles,
with heavy cottonwood timber and thick copses of willow along its banks,
which afforded cover for white-tailed deer. In the rugged brakes, which
led from the level river bottom into a labyrinth of ravines and gullies,
ridges and hog-backs, up to the level of the high plateau above, we
found a scanty growth of stunted cedars and pines, which once sheltered
great numbers of mule deer, elk, and bear. Now, however, few remain, and
these are very hard to find. Even when found, the deer are nearly always
young. Although we killed five mule deer and five white-tails, we did
not kill even one fine buck, and the only one we saw on the whole trip
was a long distance off. We saw fresh tracks of elk, and also grizzly
bear, but our most vigorous efforts to discover the animals themselves
always ended in disappointment. The many bleaching skulls and antlers of
elk and deer, which we found everywhere we went, afforded proof of what
that country had been as a home for wild animals only a few years ago.
We were not a little surprised at finding the fleshless carcasses of
three head of cattle that had been killed and eaten by bears within a
few months.
In addition to ten deer, we shot three wild geese, seven sharp-tailed
grouse, eleven sage grouse, nine Bohemian waxwings, and a magpie, for
their skeletons. We made one trip of several miles up the Musselshell,
and another due west, almost to the Bull Mountains, but no signs of
buffalo were found. The weather at this time was quite cold, the
thermometer registering 6 degrees below zero; but, in spite of the fact
that we were without shelter and had to bivouac in the open, we were,
generally speaking, quite comfortable.
Having found no buffalo by the 17th, we felt convinced that we ought to
return to our permanent camp, and did so on that day. Having brought
back nearly half a wagon-load of specimens in the flesh or half skinned,
it was absolutely necessary that I should remain at camp all the next
day. While I did so, Messrs. McNaney and Boyd rode over to the Buffalo
Buttes, found four fine old buffalo cows, and, after a hard chase,
killed them all.
Under the circumstances, this was the most brilliant piece of work of
the entire hunt. As the four cows dashed past the hunters at the Buffalo
Buttes, heading for the High Divide, fully 20 miles distant, McNaney
killed one cow, and two others went off wounded. Of course the cowboys
gave chase. About 12 miles from the starting-point one of the wounded
cows left her companions, was headed off by Boyd, and killed. About 6
miles beyond that one, McNaney overhauled the third cow and killed her,
but the fourth one got away for a short time. While McNaney skinned the
third cow and dressed the carcass to preserve the meat, Boyd took their
now thoroughly exhausted horses to camp and procured fresh mounts. On
returning to McNaney they set out in pursuit of the fourth cow, chased
her across the High Divide, within a mile or so of our camp, and into
the ravines on the northern slope, where she was killed. She met her
death nearly if not quite 25 miles from the spot where the first one
fell.
The death of these four cows brought our number of buffaloes up to
eighteen, and made us think about the possibilities of getting thirty.
As we were proceeding to the Buffalo Buttes on the day after the "kill"
to gather in the spoil, Mr. Brown and I taking charge of the wagon,
Messrs. McNaney and Boyd went ahead in order to hunt. When within about
5 miles of the Buttes we came unexpectedly upon our companions, down in
a hollow, busily engaged in skinning another old cow, which they had
discovered traveling across the bad grounds, waylaid, and killed.
We camped that night on our old ground at the Buffalo Buttes, and
although we all desired to remain a day or two and hunt for more
buffalo, the peculiar appearance of the sky in the northwest, and the
condition of the atmosphere, warned us that a change of weather was
imminent. Accordingly, the following morning we decided without
hesitation that it was best to get back to camp that day, and it soon
proved very fortunate for us that we so decided.
Feeling that by reason of my work on the specimens I had been deprived
of a fair share of the chase, I arranged for Mr. Boyd to accompany the
wagon on the return trip, that I might hunt through the bad lands west
of the Buffalo Buttes, which I felt must contain some buffalo. Mr.
Russell went northeast and Mr. McNaney accompanied me. About 4 miles
from our late camp we came suddenly upon a fine old solitary bull,
feeding in a hollow between two high and precipitous ridges. After a
short but sharp chase I succeeded in getting a fair shot at him, and
killed him with a ball which broke his left humerus and passed into his
lungs. He was the only large bull killed on the entire trip by a single
shot. He proved to be a very fine specimen, measuring 5 feet 6 inches in
height at the shoulders. The wagon was overtaken and called back to get
the skin, and while it was coming I took a complete series of
measurements and sketches of him as he lay.
Although we removed the skin very quickly, and lost no time in again
starting the wagon to our permanent camp, the delay occasioned by the
death of our twentieth buffalo,--which occurred on November 20,
precisely two months from the date of our leaving Washington to collect
twenty buffalo, it possible,--caused us all to be caught in a
snow-storm, which burst upon us from the northwest. The wagon had to be
abandoned about 12 miles from camp in the bad lands. Mr. Brown packed
the bedding on one of the horses and rode the other, he and Boyd
reaching camp about 9 o'clock that night in a blinding snow-storm. Of
coarse the skins in the wagon were treated with preservatives and
covered up. It proved to be over a week that the wagon and its load had
to remain thus abandoned before it was possible to get to it and bring
it to camp, and even then the task was one of great difficulty. In this
connection I can not refrain from recording the fact that the services
rendered by Mr. W. Harvey Brown on all such trying occasions as the
above were invaluable. He displayed the utmost zeal and intelligence,
not only in the more agreeable kinds of work and sport incident to the
hunt, but also in the disagreeable drudgery, such as team-driving and
working on half-frozen specimens in bitter cold weather.
The storm which set in on the 20th soon developed into a regular
blizzard. A fierce and bitter cold wind swept down from the northwest,
driving the snow before it in blinding gusts. Had our camp been poorly
sheltered we would have suffered, but at it was we were fairly
comfortable.
Having thus completed our task (of getting twenty buffaloes), we were
anxious to get out of that fearful country before we should get caught
in serious difficulties with the weather, and it was arranged that
Private C. S. West should ride to Fort Keogh as soon as possible, with a
request for transportation. By the third day, November 23, the storm had
abated sufficiently that Private West declared his willingness to start.
It was a little risky, but as he was to make only 10 miles the first day
and stop at the =N=-bar camp on Sand Creek, it was thought safe to let
him go. He dressed himself warmly, took my revolver, in order not to be
hampered with a rifle, and set out.
The next day was clear and fine, and we remarked it as an assurance of
Mr. West's safety during his ride from Sand Creek to the =LU=-bar ranch,
his second stopping-place. The distance was about 25 miles, through bad
lands all the way, and it was the only portion of the route which caused
me anxiety for our courier's safety. The snow on the levels was less
than 6 inches deep, the most of it having been blown into drifts and
hollows; but although the coulées were all filled level to the top, our
courier was a man of experience and would know how to avoid them.
The 25th day of November was the most severe day of the storm, the
mercury in our sheltered cañon sinking to -16 degrees. We had hoped to
kill at least five more buffaloes by the time Private West should arrive
with the wagons; but when at the end of a week the storm had spent
itself, the snow was so deep that hunting was totally impossible save in
the vicinity of camp, where there was nothing to kill. We expected the
wagons by the 3d of December, but they did not come that day nor within
the next three. By the 6th the snow had melted off sufficiently that a
buffalo hunt was once more possible, and Mr. McNaney and I decided to
make a final trip to the Buffalo Buttes. The state of the ground made it
impossible for us to go there and return the same day, so we took a
pack-horse and arranged to camp out.
When a little over half-way to our old rendezvous we came upon three
buffaloes in the bad grounds, one of which was an enormous old bull, the
next largest was an adult cow, and the third a two-year-old heifer. Mr.
McNaney promptly knocked down the old cow, while I devoted my attention
to the bull; but she presently got up and made off unnoticed at the
precise moment Mr. McNaney was absorbed in watching my efforts to bring
down the old bull. After a short chase my horse carried me alongside my
buffalo, and as he turned toward me I gave him a shot through the
shoulder, breaking the fore leg and bringing him promptly to the ground.
I then turned immediately to pursue the young cow, but by that time she
had got on the farther side of a deep gully which was filled with snow,
and by the time I got my horse safely across she had distanced me. I
then rode back to the old bull. When he saw me coming he got upon his
feet and ran a short distance, but was easily overtaken. He then stood
at bay, and halting within 30 yards of him I enjoyed the rare
opportunity of studying a live bull buffalo of the largest size on foot
on his native heath. I even made an outline sketch of him in my
note-book. Having studied his form and outlines as much as was really
necessary, I gave him a final shot through the lungs, which soon ended
his career.
This was a truly magnificent specimen in every respect. He was a
"stub-horn" bull, about eleven years old, much larger every way than any
of the others we collected. His height at the shoulder was 5 feet 8
inches perpendicular, or 2 inches more than the next largest of our
collection. His hair was in remarkably fine condition, being long, fine,
thick, and well colored. The hair in his frontlet is 16 inches in
length, and the thick coat of shaggy, straw-colored tufts which covered
his neck and shoulders measured 4 inches. His girth behind the fore leg
was 8 feet 4 inches, and his weight was estimated at 1,600 pounds.
[Illustration: TROPHIES OF THE HUNT. Mounted by the author in the U. S.
National Museum. Reproduced from the _Cosmopolitan Magazine_, by
permission of the publishers.]
I was delighted with our remarkably good fortune in securing such a
prize, for, owing to the rapidity with which the large buffaloes are
being found and killed off these days, I had not hoped to capture a
really old individual. Nearly every adult bull we took carried old
bullets in his body, and from this one we took four of various sizes
that had been fired into him on various occasions. One was found
sticking fast in one of the lumbar vertebræ.[79]
[Note 79: This specimen is now the commanding figure of the group of
buffalo which has recently been placed on exhibition in the Museum.]
After a chase of several miles Mr. McNaney finally overhauled his cow
and killed her, which brought the number of buffaloes taken on the fall
hunt up to twenty-two. We spent the night at the Buffalo Buttes and
returned to camp the next day. Neither on that day nor the one following
did the wagons arrive, and on the evening of the 8th we learned from the
cowboys of the =N=-bar camp on Sand Creek that our courier, Private West,
had not been seen or heard from since he left their camp on November 24,
and evidently had got lost and frozen to death in the bad lands.
The next day we started out to search for Private West, or news of him,
and spent the night with Messrs. Brodhurst and Andrews, at their camp on
Sand Creek. On the 10th, Mr. McNaney and I hunted through the bad lands
over the course our courier should have taken, while Messrs. Russell and
Brodhurst looked through the country around the head of the Little Dry.
When McNaney and I reached the =LU=-bar ranch that night we were greatly
rejoiced at finding that West was alive, although badly frost-bitten,
and in Fort Keogh.
It appears that instead of riding due east to the =LU=-bar ranch, he
lost his way in the bad lands, where the buttes all look alike when
covered with snow, and rode southwest. It is at all times an easy matter
for even a cowboy to get lost in Montana if the country is new to him,
and when there is snow on the ground the difficulty of finding one's way
is increased tenfold. There is not only the danger of losing one's way,
but the still greater danger of getting ingulfed in a deep coulée full
of loose snow, which may easily cause both horse and rider to perish
miserably. Even the most experienced riders sometimes ride into coulées
which are level full of snow and hidden from sight.
Private West's experience was a terrible one, and also a wonderful case
of self-preservation. It shows what a man with a cool head and plenty of
grit can go through and live. When he left us he wore two undershirts, a
heavy blanket shirt, a soldier's blouse and overcoat, two pairs of
drawers, a pair of soldier's woolen trousers, and a pair of overalls. On
his feet he wore three pairs of socks, a pair of _low shoes_ with canvas
leggins, and he started with his feet tied up in burlaps. His head and
hands were also well protected. He carried a 38-caliber revolver, but,
by a great oversight, only six matches. When he left the =N=-bar camp,
instead of going due east toward the =LU=-bar ranch, he swung around and
went southwest, clear around the head of the Little Dry, and finally
struck the Porcupine south of our camp. The first night out he made a
fire with sage-brush, and kept it going all night. The second night he
also had a fire, but it took his last match to make it. During the first
three days he had no food, but on the fourth he shot a sage-cock with
his revolver, and ate it raw. This effort, however, cost him his last
cartridge. Through hard work and lack of food his pony presently gave
out, and necessitated long and frequent stops for rest. West's feet
threatened to freeze, and he cut off the skirts of his overcoat to wrap
them with, in place of the gunny sacking, that had been worn to rags.
Being afraid to go to sleep at night, he slept by snatches in the
warmest part of the day, while resting his horse.
On the 5th day he began to despair of succor, although he still toiled
southward through the bad lands toward the Yellowstone, where people
lived. On the envelopes which contained my letters he kept a diary of
his wanderings, which could tell his story when the cowboys would find
his body on the spring round-up.
On the afternoon of the sixth day he found a trail and followed it until
nearly night, when he came to Cree's sheep ranch, and found the solitary
ranchman at home. The warm-hearted frontiersman gave the starving
wanderers, man and horse, such a welcome as they stood in need of. West
solemnly declares that in twenty-four hours he ate a whole sheep. After
two or three days of rest and feeding both horse and rider were able to
go on, and in course of time reached Fort Keogh.
Without the loss of a single day Colonel Gibson started three teams and
an escort up to us, and notwithstanding his terrible experience, West
had the pluck to accompany them as guide. His arrival among us once more
was like the dead coming to life again. The train reached our camp on
the 13th, and on the 15th we pulled out for Miles City, loaded to the
wagon-bows with specimens, forage, and camp plunder.
From our camp down to the =HV= ranch, at the mouth of Sand Creek, the
trail was in a terrible condition. But, thanks to the skill and judgment
of the train-master, Mr. Ed. Haskins, and his two drivers, who also knew
their business well, we got safely and in good time over the dangerous
part of our road. Whenever our own tired and overloaded team got stuck
in the mud, or gave out, there was always a pair of mules ready to hitch
on and help us out. As a train-master, Mr. Haskins was a perfect model,
skillful, pushing, good-tempered, and very obliging.
From the =HV= ranch to Miles City the trail was in fine condition, and
we went in as rapidly as possible, fearing to be caught in the
snow-storm which threatened us all the way in. We reached Miles City on
December 20, with our collection complete and in fine condition, and the
next day a snow-storm set in which lasted until the 25th, and resulted
in over a foot of snow. The ice running in the Yellowstone stopped all
the ferry-boats, and it was with good reason that we congratulated
ourselves on the successful termination of our hunt at that particular
time. Without loss of time Mr. Brown and I packed our collection, which
tilled twenty-one large cases, turned in our equipage at Fort Keogh,
sold our horses, and started on our homeward journey. In due course of
time the collection reached the Museum in good condition, and a series
of the best specimens it contains has already been mounted.
At this point it is proper to acknowledge our great indebtedness to the
Secretary of War for the timely co-operation of the War Department,
which rendered the expedition possible. Our thanks are due to the
officers who were successively in command at Fort Keogh during our work,
Col. John D. Wilkins, Col. George M. Gibson, and Lieut. Col. M. A.
Cochran, and their various staff officers; particularly Lieut. C. B.
Thompson, quartermaster, and Lieut. H. K. Bailey, adjutant. It is due
these officers to state that everything we asked for was cheerfully
granted with a degree of promptness which contributed very greatly to
the success of the hunt, and lightened its labors very materially.
I have already acknowledged our indebtedness to the officers of the
Pennsylvania; the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul; and Northern Pacific
railways for the courtesies so liberally extended in our emergency. I
take pleasure in adding that all the officers and employés of the
Northern Pacific Railway with whom we had any relations, particularly
Mr. C. S. Fee, general passenger and ticket agent, treated our party
with the utmost kindness and liberality throughout the trip. We are in
like manner indebted to the officers of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St.
Paul Railway for valuable privileges granted with the utmost cordiality.
Our thanks are also due to Dr. J. C. Merrill, and to Mr. Henry R.
Phillips, of the Phillips Land and Cattle Company, on Little Dry Creek,
for valuable information at a critical moment, and to the latter for
hospitality and assistance in various ways, at times when both were
keenly appreciated.
Counting the specimens taken in the spring, our total catch of buffalo
amounted to twenty-five head, and constituted as complete and fine a
series as could be wished for. I am inclined to believe that in size and
general quality of pelage the adult bull and cow selected and mounted
for our Museum group are not to be surpassed, even if they are ever
equaled, by others of their kind.
The different ages and sexes were thus represented in our collection: 10
old bulls, 1 young bull, 7 old cows, 4 young cows, 2 yearling calves, 1
three-months calf[80]; total, 25 specimens.
[Note 80: Caught alive, but died in captivity July 26, 1886, and now in
the mounted group.]
Our total collection of specimens of _Bison americanus_, including
everything taken, contained the following: 24 fresh skins, 1 head skin,
8 fresh skeletons, 8 dry skeletons, 51 dry skulls, 2 foetal young;
total, 94 specimens.
Our collection as a whole also included a fine series of skins and
skeletons of antelope, deer of two species, coyotes, jack rabbits, sage
grouse (of which we prepared twenty-four rough skeletons for the
Department of Comparative Anatomy), sharp tailed grouse, and specimens
of all the other species of birds and small mammals to be found in that
region at that season. From this _matériel_ we now have on exhibition
besides the group of buffaloes, a family group of antelope, another of
coyotes, and another of prairie dogs, all with natural surroundings.
III. THE MOUNTED GROUP IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
The result of the Smithsonian expedition for bison which appeals most
strongly to the general public is the huge group of six choice specimens
of both sexes and all ages, mounted with natural surroundings, and
displayed in a superb mahogany case. The dimensions of the group are as
follows: Length, 16 feet; width, 12 feet, and height, 10 feet. The
subjoined illustration is a very fair representation of the principal
one of its four sides, and the following admirable description (by Mr.
Harry P. Godwin), from the Washington _Star_ of March 10, 1888, is both
graphic and accurate:
A SCENE FROM MONTANA--SIX OF MR. HORNADAY'S BUFFALOES FORM A PICTURESQUE
GROUP--A BIT OF THE WILD WEST REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL
MUSEUM--SOMETHING NOVEL IN THE WAY OF TAXIDERMY--REAL BUFFALO-GRASS,
REAL MONTANA DIRT, AND REAL BUFFALOES.
A little bit of Montana--a small square patch from the wildest part of
the wild West--has been transferred to the National Museum. It is so
little that Montana will never miss it, but enough to enable one who has
the faintest glimmer of imagination to see it all for himself--the
hummocky prairie, the buffalo-grass, the sage-brush, and the buffalo. It
is as though a little group of buffalo that have come to drink at a pool
had been suddenly struck motionless by some magic spell, each in a
natural attitude, and then the section of prairie, pool, buffalo, and
all had been carefully cut out and brought to the National Museum. All
this is in a huge glass case, the largest ever made for the Museum. This
case and the space about it, at the south end of the south hall, has
been inclosed by high screens for many days while the taxidermist and
his assistants have been at work. The finishing touches were put on
to-day, and the screens will be removed Monday, exposing to view what is
regarded as a triumph of the taxidermist's art. The group, with its
accessories, has been prepared so as to tell in an attractive way to the
general visitor to the Museum the story of the buffalo, but care has
been taken at the same time to secure an accuracy of detail that will
satisfy the critical scrutiny of the most technical naturalist.
THE ACCESSORIES.
The pool of water is a typical alkaline water-hole, such as are found on
the great northern range of bison, and are resorted to for water by wild
animals in the fall when the small streams are dry. The pool is in a
depression in the dry bed of a coulée or small creek. A little mound
that rises beside the creek has been partially washed away by the water,
leaving a crumbling bank, which shows the strata of the earth, a very
thin layer of vegetable soil, beneath a stratum of grayish earth, and a
layer of gravel, from which protrude a fossil bone or two. The whole
bank shows the marks of erosion by water. Near by the pool a small
section of the bank has fallen. A buffalo trail passes by the pool in
front. This is a narrow path, well beaten down, depressed, and bare of
grass. Such paths were made by herds of bison all over their pasture
region as they traveled down water-courses, in single file, searching
for water. In the grass some distance from the pool lie the bleaching
skulls of two buffalo who have fallen victims to hunters who have
cruelly lain in wait to get a shot at the animals as they come to
drink. Such relics, strewn all over the plain, tell the story of the
extermination of the American bison. About the pool and the sloping
mound grow the low buffalo-grass, tufts of tall bunch-grass and
sage-brush, and a species of prickly pear. The pool is clear and
tranquil. About its edges is a white deposit of alkali. These are the
scenic accessories of the buffalo group, but they have an interest
almost equal to that of the buffaloes themselves, for they form really
and literally a genuine bit of the West. The homesick Montana cowboy,
far from his wild haunts, can here gaze upon his native sod again; for
the sod, the earth that forms the face of the bank, the sage-brush, and
all were brought from Montana--all except the pool. The pool is a glassy
delusion, and very perfect in its way. One sees a plant growing beneath
the water, and in the soft, oozy bottom, near the edge, are the deep
prints made by the fore feet of a big buffalo bull. About the soft,
moist earth around the pool, and in the buffalo trail are the
foot-tracks of the buffalo that have tramped around the pool, some of
those nearest the edge having filled with water.
THE SIX BUFFALOES.
The group comprises six buffaloes. In front of the pool, as if just
going to drink, is the huge buffalo bull, the giant of his race, the
last one that was secured by the Smithsonian party in 1888, and the one
that is believed to be the largest specimen of which there is authentic
record. Near by is a cow eight years old, a creature that would be
considered of great dimensions in any other company than that of the big
bull. Near the cow is a suckling calf, four months old. Upon the top of
the mound is a "spike" bull, two and a half years old; descending the
mound away from the pool is a young cow three years old, on one side,
and on the other a male calf a year and a half old. All the members of
the group are disposed in natural attitudes. The young cow is snuffing
at a bunch of tall grass; the old bull and cow are turning their heads
in the same direction apparently, as if alarmed by something
approaching; the others, having slaked their thirst, appear to be moving
contentedly away. The four months' old calf was captured alive and
brought to this city. It lived for some days in the Smithsonian grounds,
but pined for its prairie home, and finally died. It is around the great
bull that the romance and main interest of the group centers.
* * * * *
It seemed as if Providence had ordained that this splendid animal,
perfect in limb, noble in size, should be saved to serve as a monument
to the greatness of his race, that once roamed the prairies in myriads.
Bullets found in his body showed that he had been chased and hunted
before, but fate preserved him for the immortality of a Museum exhibit.
His vertical height at the shoulders is 5 feet 8 inches. The thick hair
adds enough to his height to make it full 6 feet. The length of his head
and body is 9 feet 2 inches, his girth 8 feet 4 inches and his weight
is, or was, about 1,600 pounds.
THE TAXIDERMIST'S OBJECT LESSONS.
This group, with its accessories, is, in point of size, about the
biggest thing ever attempted by a taxidermist. It was mounted by Mr.
Hornaday, assisted by Messrs. J. Palmer and A. H. Forney. It represents
a new departure in mounting specimens for museums. Generally such
specimens have been mounted singly, upon a flat surface. The American
mammals, collected by Mr. Hornaday, will be mounted in a manner that
will make each piece or group an object lesson, telling something of the
history and the habits of the animal. The first group produced as one of
the results of the Montana hunt comprised three coyotes. Two of them are
struggling, and one might almost say snarling, over a bone. They do not
stand on a painted board, but on a little patch of soil. Two other
groups designed by Mr. Hornaday, and executed by Mr. William Palmer, are
about to be placed in the Museum. One of these represents a family of
prairie-dogs. They are disposed about a prairie-dog mound. One sits on
its haunches eating; others are running about. Across the mouth of the
burrow, just ready to disappear into it, is another one, startled for
the moment by the sudden appearance of a little burrowing owl that has
alighted on one side of the burrow. The owl and the dog are good friends
and live together in the same burrow, but there appears to be strained
relations between the two for the moment.
MAP ILLUSTRATING THE EXTERMINATION OF THE AMERICAN BISON.
Prepared by W. T. Hornaday.
INDEX.
A.
Abundance of the American bison, 387-393.
Accidents to bison herds, 420.
Affection, instinct of, in the bison, 433.
_Agropyrum_, 429.
Alabama, 380.
Albinism in the bison, 411.
Allard, Mr. Charles, 461.
Allen, Mr. J. A., on the American bison, 377, 381, 385, 387, 450, 480.
"American Field," quotation from, 433.
Fur Company, 488.
Andrews, Mr. Harry, 502.
_Andropogon provincialis_, 427, 429.
_scoparius_, 429.
Argoll, Capt. Sam'l, discovery of bison by, 375, 378.
Arkansas, 375.
_Aristida purpurea_, 428
Ashe, Mr. Thomas, on the buffalo, 420, 485.
_Astragalus molissimus_, 429.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé Railway, 493, 496, 498, 499.
Athabasca, buffaloes in, 523-524.
_Atriplex canescens_, 429.
Audubon and Bachman, observations by, 400.
Aurochs, or European bison, 394.
B.
Bailey, Lieut. H. K., 545.
Baird, Prof. S. F., expedition for buffaloes, sent out by, 529.
Baker & Co., Messrs. I. G., 411, 506.
Bedson, Mr. S. L., buffalo-breeding by, 452, 454-456.
herd owned by, 458, 460.
Berlandier, Dr., on bison in Mexico, 381.
Bismark Grove, Kans., buffaloes at, 461.
Bison, the American.
abundance of, 387-393.
accidents to herds of, 420.
adult bull of, 402-406.
cow of, 406, 436.
affection in the 433.
albinism in the, 414.
as a beast of burden, 457.
bones of the, 445.
breeding habits of, 425.
season of, 396, 415.
calf of the, 366-401, 425, 433.
change of form in, 377, 394, 409.
character of, 393.
color of, 396-403.
courage of, 432.
cow of, 406-436.
Bison, cross-breeding, 451-458.
domestication of, 379, 451-458.
fear in 432.
food of, 426-429.
habits of, 415-426.
in running, 422, 430-431.
in winter, 423.
when wounded, 426.
hair of, 449.
"hide" of, 445, 505-507.
horns of, 405, 406.
hunting the, 405, 470, 478, 480, 483, 484, 536-542.
meat of, 446, 448.
mental capacity of, 429-434.
migrations of, 389, 420, 424-429.
monograph of, by J. A. Allen, 387.
"mountain" form of, 407-412.
mounted skins of, 396, 412, 546-548.
pelage of, 412-414.
protection of, possible, 435.
rank of, with other _Bovidæ_, 393.
reasoning powers of, 429.
robe of, 441-415, 453, 470.
shedding of pelage of, 412-414.
size of, 405, 407.
slaughter of the, 486-513.
Smithsonian expedition for, 529-546.
"spike bull" of, 401.
"wood" variety of, 407-412.
"yearling" of, 401.
Blackford, Mr. E. G., buffaloes presented by, 463, 527.
Bones, buffalo, utilization of, 445.
Boskowitz, Messrs. J. & A., 394.
_Bouteloua oligostachya_, 427, 428.
Boyd, Mr. Irvin, 534, 537, 538, 540.
Breeding of the buffalo, 390, 415, 425.
with domestic cattle, 452-458, 528.
British Possessions, buffalo in the 384, 408, 489, 504, 523.
Brown, Mr. W. Harvey, 534, 535, 541.
_Buchloë dactyloides_, 428.
Buffalo (see Bison, American.)
Buffalo Bill (see Cody, Hon. W. F.)
Buffalo Buttes, 538, 540, 542.
Buffalo "chips," 541.
Buffalo grass, 427, 428.
Byrd, Col. William, 376, 449.
C.
Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Nuñez, 373.
Calf of the buffalo, 396-401, 425, 433.
pelage of, 396-398.
capture of a, 532.
Calf Creek, Montana, 535, 536.
Canadian Pacific Railway, 504.
Captivity, list of buffaloes in, 458-464.
Carey, Hon. Joseph M., 522.
Carolina, North, 376, 379.
South, 379.
Castañeda, description of American bison by, 374.
Catlin, George, on buffalo calves, 398.
on buffalo hunting, 472, 481.
on extermination of the buffalo, 488.
on habits of the buffalo, 419, 423, 434.
stopped by herd, 392.
Cattle-growers, value of bison to, 451-458.
Cattle, Western range, 452.
Central Park menagerie, New York, 463.
Change of form in American bison, 377, 394, 409.
Character of the American bison, 393.
Chase of the buffalo, on horseback, 470-478.
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, courtesies extended by, 530.
"Chips," buffalo, 451.
Christy, Mr. Miller, on the buffalo, 523.
Cochran, Lieut. Col. M. A., 534, 545.
Cody, Hon. W. F., 460, 477.
Cole, the Hon. Mr., of California, 514.
Color of the American bison, 396, 403.
Colorado, 488, 523.
Completeness of the bison's extermination, 521-525.
Conger, the Hon. Mr., 516, 517, 519.
Congress, National Zoological Park established by, 528.
Congressional legislation to protect the bison, 513-521.
Cory, Mr. C. B., 523.
Coronado, penetration of buffalo range by, 374, 383.
Cortez, American bison first seen by, 373.
Courage, instinct of, in the bison, 432.
Cow, the adult buffalo, 406, 436.
young buffalo, 406.
Cox, Hon. S. S., 515, 516.
Cree Indians, 478, 489, 504, 505, 527.
Cross-breeding between the buffalo and domestic cattle, 451-458.
D.
Dakota, 389, 489, 490, 512.
Davis, Mr. J. N., 512.
Davis, Mr. Theo. R., 483.
Davis, Mr. W. W., records of Coronado's march, by, 383.
Dawes, Hon. Henry L., 517.
Decoying and driving buffaloes, 483.
De Solis, description of bison, by, 373.
Destruction of the southern herd, 492-502.
northern herd, 502-513.
Discovery of the American bison:
in captivity, by Cortez, 373.
eastern North America, by Argoll, 375.
Illinois, by Father Hennepin, 375.
Texas, by Cabeza de Vaca, 373.
Coronado, 373, 383.
District of Columbia, 375, 378.
Distribution of the American bison, 376-383, 402, 503, 508.
geographical center of, 388.
Division of the great buffalo range, 492.
Dodge, Col. R. I., observations on the buffalo, by, 389, 392,
400-409, 424, 433, 471, 474, 493, 495, 498.
Domestication of the American bison, 379, 452-458, 528.
Dry Creek, Big, 512, 530, 534.
Little, 532, 533, 535.
Dupree. Mr. F., buffaloes owned by, 462.
E.
Eldridge, the Hon. Mr., 516.
Estimate of buffaloes, 391, 504, 509.
Expedition for bison sent by the Smithsonian, 522, 529-546.
Expeditions of the Red River half-breeds, 436, 437, 474.
Extermination of the American bison:
cause of the, 454.
completeness of the, 521-525.
effects of the, 525-527.
methods employed in the, 465, 470, 478, 480, 483, 484.
north of Union Pacific Railway, 502-513.
progress of the, 484.
share of the Indians in the, 478.
south of the Union Pacific Railway, 498-502.
west of the Rocky Mountains, 486.
Extermination of American quadrupeds, 487, 491, 502.
F.
Fear, instinct of, in the bison, 432.
Fee, Mr. C. S., favors extended by, 545.
_Festuca scabrella_, 429.
"Field," the London, quotation from, 523.
Fleet, Henry, mention of bison on the Potomac, by, 378.
Food of the bison, 426-434.
"Forest and Stream," quotations from, 411, 511.
Forney, Mr. A. H., 531.
Fort Keogh, buffaloes near, 509.
Fort, the Hon. Mr., of Illinois, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519.
G.
Gaur, or Indian bison, 393.
Geographical distribution of the bison, 376-388, 492.
Georgia, 379.
Gibson, Col. Geo. M., 544, 545.
Godwin, Mr. Harry P., 546.
Goode, Prof. G. Brown, 379.
Goodnight, Mr. Charles, buffaloes owned by, 460.
Great Slave Lake, 384, 408.
Group of buffaloes in the National Museum. 546-548.
H.
Habits of the bison, 415-426.
Hair of the buffalo, uses of the, 449.
Half-breeds of the Northwest Territories, 436, 474, 488, 504.
Hannaford, Mr. J. M., letter from, 507.
"Harper's Magazine," quotation from, 483.
Harris, Capt. Moses, 521.
Harris, Mr. Robert, courtesies extended by, 530.
Haskins, Mr. Edward, train-master, 544.
Hawley, Hon. J. R., 517.
Hazen, General W. B., on buffalo slaughter, 514, 516.
Hedley, Mr. George H., with expedition for bison 531.
Hennepin, Father, bison seen in Illinois by, 388.
Herds, list of captive bison, 458-464.
Hides, buffalo, 445, 505, 506, 507.
High Divide, 535, 536, 538, 542.
Hind, Prof. H. Y., 407, 476, 478.
Holman, Hon. W. S., 516.
Hornaday, W. T., group of bison by, 546-548.
Horns of the American bison, 405, 407.
Huguenot settlers, domestication of bison by, 379, 451.
Hunting the buffalo, method of
decoying and driving, 483.
horseback, 470.
impounding, 478.
on snow shoes, 484.
"still-hunt," 465.
"surround," 480.
Hunting on the Musselshell River, 539.
Hybrid, the buffalo-domestic, 454-457.
I.
Idaho, 383.
Illinois, 385-388.
Impounding buffaloes, 478.
Indiana, 385.
Indians:
responsibility of, for buffalo slaughter, 506.
robes marketed by northern, 505.
share of the, in buffalo destruction, 478, 480, 483, 484,
489, 490, 500, 505, 506, 512.
starving for lack of the buffalo, 526.
who subsisted on the buffalo, 526.
J.
Jones, Mr. C. J., breeding of buffaloes, by, 452, 454, 456.
buffaloes captured by, 458, 523.
buffalo herd owned by, 458.
K.
Kansas, 391, 424, 496, 501.
Kasson, Hon. J. A., 517.
Kenaston, Prof. C. A., 505.
Kentucky, 388, 420.
Keogh, Fort, 509, 531.
_Koeleria cristata_, 429.
L.
Lewis and Clark, buffaloes seen by, 389, 483.
Lincoln Park, Chicago, buffaloes in, 462.
Loco weed not eaten by the buffalo, 429.
Louisiana, 380.
M.
Macoun, Prof. John, 524, 526.
"Manitoba and the great Northwest," 524, 526.
Maryland, 378.
McCormick, Hon. R. C., 514, 516, 518.
McGillycuddy, Dr. V. T., buffaloes owned by, 462.
McNaney, Mr. James, 421, 424, 467, 534, 537, 538, 540, 542.
Meat of the buffalo, 446, 448.
Mental capacity of the American bison, 429-434.
Merrill, Dr. J. C., 530, 545.
Mexico, 381.
Migrating habits of the buffalo, 389, 420, 424-425.
Miles City, Montana, 531, 534, 541.
Miller, Mr. Roswell, courtesies extended by, 530.
Minnesota, 385.
Mississippi, 380.
Monograph on "The American Bison," 387.
Montana, 421, 508, 509, 510, 511.
"Mountain buffalo," 407-412.
Mounted skins of buffaloes, 396, 412, 546-548.
Museum, National, 395, 527, 546.
Musselshell River, 535, 539.
N.
National Museum, live buffaloes at the, 395, 463, 527.
mounted buffaloes in the, 396, 397, 401, 402, 405, 406, 407,
546-548.
Nelson, Mr. E. W., 385.
New Mexico, 383.
New York, 385.
Northern herd, destruction of the, 502-513.
Northern Pacific Railway, 502, 507, 511, 513.
courtesies extended by, 530.
Northwest Territories (British), 384, 408, 489, 523.
O.
Ohio, 385.
Omaha Indians, buffalo hunting by, 477.
Oregon, 389.
Oregon trail, 491.
P.
Partello, Lieut. J. M. T., 509.
Peace River, buffaloes on the, 524.
Pelage of the American bison, 396, 414, 415, 442, 453.
Pemmican, 447.
Pennsylvania, the buffalo in, 386, 387, 420, 485.
Pennsylvania Railway, courtesies extended by, 530.
Phillips, Mr. Henry R., courtesies extended by, 531, 545.
"Plains of the Great West," 389, 391, 409.
_Poa tenuifolia_, 429.
Porcupine Creek, buffaloes on, 512, 522, 532.
Products of the buffalo, 434-451.
Protection of American animals, 435, 520, 521.
the bison possible, 435, 520.
R.
Ranch, LU-bar, 532, 543.
the HV, 534, 544.
Railways, influence of the, in buffalo slaughter, 490-493, 507.
Rank of the American bison, 393.
Reasoning faculty of the bison, 429-430.
Recuperative power of the bison, 426.
Red Buttes, 531.
Red River half-breeds, 474, 488.
"Red River Settlement," 436, 450, 474, 475.
Regan, the Hon. Mr., 518.
Robe of the American bison, 441-445, 453, 470.
best season for taking, 442.
preparation of the, 442, 443, 470.
trade in, 513.
utilization of, 411, 505.
value of, 394, 444, 445.
varieties and classification of, 443, 444.
Ross, Mr. Alexander (_see_ "Red River Settlement.")
"Running" buffaloes, 470.
Running power and habits of the buffalo, 422, 430, 431.
Russell, Mr. L. S., 534, 536, 537, 538.
S.
Sage brush, 547.
Sand Creek, Montana, 534, 535, 538.
Schulz, Dr., on the buffalo in Athabasca, 523-524.
Secretary of War, favors extended by, 530-545.
Shufeldt, Dr. R. W., on mountain buffaloes, 411.
Sibley, Hon. H. H., 474.
"Sioux City Journal," quotation from, 503.
Sioux Indiana, destruction of buffaloes by, 490, 497, 500, 505.
Slaughter of the buffalo, 486-513.
Smith, Mr. V., 510, 512.
Smithsonian Butte, 539.
Smithsonian Institution expedition for buffaloes, 522, 529-546.
Snow-shoes, hunting buffaloes on, 484.
Southern buffalo herd, destruction of, 492-502.
"Spike" bull buffalo, 401.
"Star, Washington," description from the, 546-548.
Starin, Mr. J. H., buffaloes owned by, 463.
Statistics of the slaughter of the southern herd, 498-502.
buffaloes now living, 458-461, 525.
Stephenson, Dr. William, 522.
Still hunt, 465-510.
_Stipa comata_, 429.
_sparica_, 428.
_viridula_, 429.
Stub-horn bull, killed by author, 542.
T.
Tepee, hides required for a, 505.
Temper of the bison, 434.
Tennessee, 388.
Texas, existence the bison in, 374, 381, 501, 502.
Thompson, Lieut. C. B., 545.
Thompson, Mr. Frank, courtesies extended by, 530.
"Times, Kansas City," quotation from, 461.
U.
Ullman, Mr. Joseph buffalo product handled by, 394.
Utah, 383.
Utilization of the buffalo, 437.
V.
Value of the bison to man, 434-451, 526.
Value of a single bison on the range, 435, 436.
buffalo to cattle-growers, 451, 458.
buffalo-robe, 498.
products handled by two firms, 439-440.
Varner, Mr. Allen, 491.
Virginia, the buffalo in, 376, 378, 379.
W.
Wastefulness in buffalo slaughter, 494, 496-498, 510.
Weapons used in buffalo hunting, 466, 467, 470, 477.
West, Mr. C. S., 534, 538, 541, 543.
Wichita (Kansas) "World," 500.
Wilkins, Col. John D., 545.
Wilson, the Hon. Mr., 514.
Winston, Mr. B. C., 463, 522.
Winter habits of the buffalo, 423.
Wisconsin, 385.
Wood buffaloes, 407-412.
Wounded bison, habits of, 426.
Wyoming, 522.
Y.
Yearling of the buffalo, 401.
Yellowstone Park, buffaloes in, 512, 521, 522, 527.
Yellowstone Rivers, 531, 544.
Young Mr. Harrison, S., 524.
Z.
Zoological Garden of Cincinnati, 462.
Philadelphia, 461.
Park at Washington, establishment of, by Congress, 528.