28 THE BISOS. 



ever found north of the lakes. But west of Lake 

 Winnepeck, we know that they are found as far 

 north as the 62nd degree of north latitude. Capt. 

 Franklin's party killed one on Salt river, about the 

 60th degree. Probably they are found all over the 

 prairies which are bounded on the north by a line 

 commencing at the point at which the 62nd degree 

 meets the base of the Rocky Mountains, and running 

 in a south easterly direction, to the southern- extre- 

 mity of Lake Winnepeck, which is but very little 

 north of the 50th degree; on the Sardatchawan, 

 buffalo are very abundant. It may be proper to 

 mention here, that the small white buffalo, of which 

 Mackenzie makes frequent mention, on the authority 

 of the Indians, who told him that they lived in the 

 mountains, is probably not the bison; for Lewis and 

 Clarke inform us, that the Indians designated by 

 that name the mountain sheep.* It is probable that 

 west of the Hocky Mountains the buffalo does not 

 extend far north of the Columbia. At present it is 

 scarcely seen east of the Mississippi, and south of 

 the St. Lawrence. Governor Cass's party found in 

 1819, buffalo on the east side of the Mississippi, 

 above the falls of St. Anthony: every year this ani- 

 mal's rovings are restricted. In 1822, the limit of 

 its wanderings down the St. Peter, was Great Swan 

 Lake (near Camp Crescent.) 



* Vol. ii. p. 325. 



