418 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



play of the collection thus commenced, became very general. In the 

 end it proved to be irresislable ; and in comparison with the great re- 

 sult finally reached on March 2, 1889, all other work accomplished by 

 this department during the year becomes of small importance. 



On the part of the Curator there was no opportunity for any special 

 researches upon material belonging to the department. The time and 

 effort which it was necessary for him to devote to the plan for a Zoo- 

 logical Park, and also to the department of taxidermy, rendered it im- 

 possible to accomplish for the collection of living animals anything 

 but the routine work necessary to its existence ; and, but for the valua- 

 ble and energetic service rendered by Keeper Weeden, and the practi- 

 cal responsibilities assumed by him, more important work would have 

 been compelled to suffer neglect. 



The only work accomplished by the Curator, which in any way par- 

 took of the character of investigation and research, was the prepara- 

 tion of an extended memoir on the extermination of the American 

 bison, with a sketch of its discovery and life history. This publica- 

 tion, which appeared in the annual report of the National Museum for 

 3887, was rendered necessary by reason of the fact that the fate of al- 

 most total extinction, which has befallen the buffalo, is now threatening 

 all our most valuable quadrupeds, and unless public attention is drawn 

 to the great undesirability of the policy of extermination, our most in- 

 teresting quadrupeds will before long be swept out of existence. 



In order to still further direct public attention to this universal war 

 of extermination which is now being prosecuted against all our best 

 game animals, the Curator, by direction of the Assistant Secretary, 

 brought together a large collection of objects illustrating this subject 

 in a graphic manner. This collection was prepared especially for dis- 

 play at the Ohio Valley Centennial Exposition, held at Cincinnati, to 

 which it was duly forwarded for exhibition. The following editorial de- 

 scription of this exhibit, from Forest and Stream, of September 22, 1888, 

 may properly be reproduced here for the purpose of still further carry 

 ing out the object for which the exhibit was made, viz : to draw atten- 

 tion to a subject of national importance: 



"In the Smithsonian department of the Cincinnati Exposition there is now to he 

 .seen a startling exhibit. It is a collection of objects which have been brought 

 together by Mr. W. T. Hornaday, to illustrate and impress upon the mind of the 

 obf-erver the fact; that nearly all of our most conspicuous aud interesting game quad- 

 rupeds are rapidly being exterminated, aud will soou disappear forever. The lesson 

 it teaches is both impressive and saddening to every lover of animated nature, and 

 like all the lessons taught by the National Museum collections, it is strictly true. 



"The most prominent feature of the exhibit is a series of mounted specimens rep- 

 resenting the species of American mammals which have become extinct (in a wild 

 state, at least), and also those which are now approaching extinction. The buffalo, 

 Californian sea elephant, aud West Indian seal are represented as having become ex- 

 tinct in a wild state, with the exception of perhaps a score of stragglers which the 

 hunters have not yet found, in the series of species threatened with speedy extirpa- 

 tion are found the mountain sheep, mountain goal, elk, a tine group of antelopes of 



