﻿334 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  14 
  

  

  In 
  1922 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  buffalo 
  in 
  existence 
  is 
  over 
  10,000 
  of 
  which 
  

   6,000 
  are 
  in 
  Canada 
  and 
  approximately 
  4,000 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  The 
  

   Government 
  now 
  has 
  nine 
  widely 
  separated 
  herds 
  with 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  1,250 
  buffalo, 
  

   as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Two 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  — 
  one 
  in 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  in 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  

   buffalo 
  were 
  first 
  seen 
  by 
  white 
  men 
  in 
  1612; 
  the 
  other 
  at 
  Pisgah, 
  N. 
  C, 
  not 
  

   far 
  from 
  where 
  buffalo 
  were 
  first 
  reported 
  in 
  that 
  State 
  about 
  1730. 
  

  

  Two 
  in 
  the 
  Southwest 
  on 
  the 
  former 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  herd 
  — 
  one 
  on 
  

   the 
  Wichita 
  Game 
  Preserve, 
  the 
  other 
  in 
  Platte 
  National 
  Park, 
  in 
  Oklahoma. 
  

  

  Three 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  Plains 
  Region, 
  the 
  former 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  herd 
  — 
  

   one 
  at 
  Niobrara 
  Reservation, 
  Nebraska; 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  Wind 
  Cave 
  National 
  

   Park, 
  South 
  Dakota; 
  and 
  one 
  at 
  vSully 
  Hill, 
  North 
  Dakota. 
  

  

  Two 
  in 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  region 
  — 
  one 
  near 
  Ravalli 
  on 
  the 
  former 
  Flat- 
  

   head 
  Reservation, 
  the 
  former 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  Canadian 
  herd; 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  in 
  

   the 
  Yellowstone 
  National 
  Park. 
  

  

  Five 
  of 
  these 
  herds 
  are 
  on 
  National 
  Parks 
  — 
  Zoological 
  Park, 
  Platte, 
  Wind 
  

   Cave, 
  Sully 
  Hill, 
  and 
  Yellowstone; 
  four 
  on 
  National 
  Game 
  Preserves- 
  

   Wichita, 
  Oklahoma; 
  Pisgah, 
  North 
  Carolina; 
  Niobrara, 
  Nebraska; 
  and 
  

   the 
  Montana 
  Bison 
  Range. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  buffalo 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  government 
  herds 
  (1250) 
  represents 
  about 
  

   two- 
  thirds 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  buffalo 
  living 
  twenty 
  years 
  ago. 
  All 
  but 
  

   about 
  130 
  were 
  born 
  on 
  the 
  reservations. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  calves 
  born 
  last 
  year 
  

   was 
  approximately 
  165. 
  

  

  The 
  biological 
  problems 
  of 
  chief 
  importance 
  are 
  those 
  relating 
  to 
  diseases, 
  

   life 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  animals, 
  and 
  breeding. 
  Four 
  serious 
  diseases 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  

   occur 
  — 
  Texas 
  fever, 
  gastro-enteritis, 
  haemorrhagic 
  septicemia, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tagious 
  abortion. 
  

  

  The 
  wide 
  dispersal 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  government 
  herds 
  makes 
  it 
  impossible 
  

   for 
  any 
  epidemic 
  to 
  entirely 
  exterminate 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  The 
  length 
  of 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  buffalo, 
  the 
  normal 
  number 
  of 
  calves, 
  and 
  the 
  normal 
  

   ratio 
  of 
  the 
  sexes, 
  are 
  still 
  unknown. 
  It 
  is 
  generally 
  known 
  that 
  buffalo 
  be- 
  

   gin 
  to 
  breed 
  the 
  third 
  year, 
  and 
  the 
  cows 
  have 
  calves 
  every 
  other 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  

   years 
  out 
  of 
  three, 
  but 
  how 
  long 
  they 
  continue 
  to 
  breed 
  is 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  de- 
  

   termined. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  a 
  cow 
  breeding 
  in 
  her 
  twenty-sixth 
  year, 
  and 
  

   one 
  on 
  Wichita 
  preserve 
  had 
  a 
  calf 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  22. 
  The 
  oldest 
  buffalo 
  on 
  

   record 
  is 
  in 
  Paris, 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  31 
  years 
  old. 
  The 
  oldest 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  gov- 
  

   ernment 
  herds 
  are 
  a 
  cow 
  24 
  years 
  old 
  on 
  the 
  Wichita 
  Preserve 
  and 
  Kalispel 
  

   Chief, 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  the 
  Montana 
  herd, 
  now 
  20 
  years 
  old. 
  The 
  "ten-dollar 
  

   buffalo," 
  which 
  lived 
  in 
  the 
  Zoological 
  Park, 
  was 
  upwards 
  of 
  20 
  when 
  he 
  died 
  

   a 
  few 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  the 
  paper 
  Major 
  ShufeldT 
  gave 
  reminiscences 
  of 
  

   hunting 
  buffalo 
  in 
  Montana 
  while 
  in 
  army 
  service 
  ; 
  the 
  army 
  expedition 
  of 
  

   which 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  member 
  used 
  several 
  for 
  meat, 
  which 
  he 
  and 
  others 
  shot. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  RoHWER 
  asked 
  whether 
  the 
  government 
  is 
  doing 
  any 
  experimental 
  

   work 
  in 
  crossing 
  the 
  buffalo 
  with 
  domestic 
  cattle. 
  Dr. 
  Palmer 
  said 
  it 
  is 
  

   not, 
  but 
  the 
  Canadian 
  government 
  has 
  taken 
  over 
  some 
  private 
  work 
  and 
  

   expects 
  to 
  extend 
  it. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  White 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Palmer 
  had 
  himself 
  

   played 
  a 
  leading 
  part 
  in 
  securing 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  the 
  government 
  herds. 
  

  

  Dr 
  Oberholser 
  took 
  the 
  chair, 
  and 
  President 
  Vernon 
  BailEy 
  exhibited 
  

   some 
  wild 
  animals, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  gave 
  an 
  informal 
  talk 
  on 
  Wild 
  

  

  