6 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



species then in the National Museum were far from being what they 

 should be. A careful inventory revealed the fact that the collection 

 contained only two male specimens which were very old and in a sadly 

 dilapidated condition, a sinj^le cow, an unmounted cow-skin, and one 

 mounted male skeleton. The efforts which had been made by corre- 

 spondence during the previous year had signally failed to produce any 

 specimens. Realizing the imperative need of securing at once and at 

 all hazarilH a complete and unexceptional series of fresh skins for 

 mounting, before it should become too late, the Secretary directed 

 the chief taxidermist, Mr. Hornaday, to take immediate steps toward 

 the accomplishment of that end. 



At first all inquiries in regard to the presence of wild buffalo were met 

 by the assurance that those animals had all been killed, and that none 

 remained outside of the Yellowstone Park. Eventually, however, re- 

 ports were received to the effect that a few individuals still remained 

 in Montana, and a few more in the panhandle of Texas. Inasmuch as 

 the task of finding specimens threatened to be the most serious part of 

 the undertaking, and might i)0ssibly require two or three months' 

 search, it was decided not to wait until the i)roper hunting season in the 

 fall and winter months, but to send the party at once on its quest. 

 Accordingly Mr. Hornaday started immediately for Montana, and by 

 following up the most reliable information he obtained, had the exceed- 

 ing good fortune to find a locality, about 7o miles northwest of Miles 

 City, which contained about fifty or sixty head of buffalo. Owing to 

 th«} fact that the people alorig the Yellowstone and Missouri Kivers 

 were generally quite ignorant of the existence of those animals in that 

 wild and uninhabited region, the bison had found safe shelter there 

 ever since the great northern herd was swept out of existence in the 

 years 1881, 1882, and 188.'j, and were breeding there in fancied security. 

 But the settlement of that country by the ranchmen, which had just 

 then taken place, doomed every one of those animals to destruction at 

 the hands of tlie cowboys, and the sequel has proved that Mr. Uorna- 

 day's efforts were put forth only just in time to snatch a few specimens 

 from the total annihilation that has overtaken the millions. 



Mr. Jlornaday's party jmjsecuted its search until three buffaloes were 

 actually taken, one a very young calf, which was caught alive and so 

 taken to Washington, and two old bulls, which were killed atid pre- 

 served. As was fairly expected, they had so far shed their winter 

 I>elage that their skins were worthless, but their heads and entire 

 skeletons were taken. Having thus actually located a band of bison 

 the party returned to the Smithsonian without delay, to go out again 

 in the fall to aceoinplisli the remaind(;r of its task. 



In the latter part of September, Mr. Hornaday again took the field, 

 and in a little over two months succeeded in finding about twenty-eight 

 head of buffalo. By dint of hard work and no small amount of personal 



