BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 245 



vation in Nebraska, the Elk Refuge in Wyoming, and the Sullys Hill 

 Game Preserve in North Dakota. The Niobrara Reservation was 

 intended as a bird reserve, but has been stocked with big game and is 

 at present maintained chiefly for buffalo and elk. In the first three 

 reservations above mentioned the herds of buffalo have shown a 

 notable increase since their establishment a few years ago, and now 

 include 207 head, or more than a third of all the buffalo which now 

 belong to the Government. The elk number about 159 and the ante- 

 lope 40, making a total of about 400 head of big game. 



GAME PRESERVES. 



Montana Bison Range, Mont. — The herd of buffalo is in very 

 satisfactory condition. With the addition of 24 calves (14 males 

 and 10 females), born this year, and the loss of 1 bull, the total 

 number is now 165, of which 79 are bulls and 86 cows, an increase 

 of more than 400 per cent since the herd was placed on the range in 

 1909. The herd of elk has been increased by the addition of 26 

 transferred from Yellowstone National Park in February, and now 

 numbers about 65. The number of antelope was increased by a 

 donation of 3 animals by a citizen of Deer Lodge, Mont., and 1 

 female by the Oregon Fish and Game Commission, and numbered 

 26, including the fawns of this spring. 



Wind Cave National Game Preserve, S. Dak. — At the beginning 

 of the year there were 40 head of big game in the preserve, including 

 16 buffalo (6 bulls and 10 cows), 9 antelope, 14 elk, and 1 deer. 

 Since that date the number has nearly doubled by births, and other 

 additions to the herd. The births include 6 buffalo calves, 23 elk, 

 and 9 antelope. Twenty-five elk were transferred from Yellowstone 

 Park in February and 6 buffalo in June. The losses during the year 

 included 4 antelope — 2 adults and 2 fawns. The number of animals 

 now on the reservation includes 28 buffalo, 62 elk, and 14 antelope, 

 making a total of 104. 



An important improvement has been made in clearing a fireguard 

 2 rods wide along the fence on the west side of the reservation, and 

 efforts have been made to render the inclosure coyote proof by filling 

 in with rock all the low places under the fence. The buildings and 

 fences are in good condition and except for the losses in the band of 

 antelope the outlook for the preserve is very encouraging. 



Wyoming Elk Refuge. — Purchase of a 520-acre tract mentioned 

 in the last annual report has been completed, and application made to 

 the Department of the Interior for the addition of 160 acres of public 

 land under the terms of the act of March 4, 1913. This addition will 

 make the total area of the elk refuge 2,760 acres. Improvements 

 made during the year include the construction of about 2 miles of 

 fencing. Hay harvested in the autumn of 1915 amounted to nearly 

 500 tons and most of it was used in feeding the elk. The winter was 

 rather severe and feeding began on January 12 and continued until 

 March 27. At one time in January there were about 3,000 head of 

 elk on the reserve. A number of deaths, chiefly confined to calves, 

 occurred among the elk both on the reservation and other points in 

 Jackson Hole. The number of calves which died on the refuge was 

 208, or less than 1 per cent of the total fed. Many elk seemed to suffer 

 from some obscure digestive trouble of which no satisfactory diag- 

 nosis was made. Some reports attributed the cause of death to feed- 



