On February ist, 1906, he submitted to the Zoological 

 Society a report, which may fairly be regarded as a model 

 of its kind. It sets forth with ample fullness of detail the 

 physical character of the whole of the Wichita Forest 

 Game Reserve — its elevations, soil, vegetation, timber, 

 grazing-grounds, water supply and climatic conditions 

 generally. It discusses intelligently all the difficulties that 

 are liable to be encountered in establishing a herd of Bison 

 in that region, and finally furnishes a map showing the 

 area selected by Mr. Loring and Mr. E. F. Morrissey, 

 then Supervisor of the Wichita Game Reserve. 



In accordance with his instructions from the Society, 

 the bison range proposed and shown by boundaries on the 

 map, contained twelve square miles of territory, and is 

 situated in the western center of the Wichita Reserve as 

 a whole. 



In the area proposed as the range for the new bison 

 herd, there are abundant grazing grounds, consisting of 

 gently rolling prairie, covered with choice mesquite grass, 

 buffalo grass and blue-stem. The grazing grounds are 

 practically surrounded by several high, round-tooned or 

 rock-capped hills, and cliffs and ridges of red granite rock. 

 Heavy growths of black-jack oak usually cover the slopes, 

 and near the bases of these elevations, black-jack and 

 post oak timber sometimes extend down into the level 

 country for a quarter of a mile. In several portions 

 of the forest there are trees sixty feet in height. The 

 mountains, hills and timber, taken together, afford 

 abundant shelter for the Bison from the fiercest storms 

 of winter. 



The highest peak is about 600 feet in height. 



The most important grazing ground was christened by 

 Mr. Loring "Winter Valley," "because it makes such an 

 excellent winter range. In this we found many Buffalo 

 wallows, and mesquite grass in sufficient quantities to 

 winter such a herd of Buffalo as it is proposed to place 

 on the range." 



The water supply of the bison range is abundant and 

 constant. A fine spring, situated in the northern portion 

 of the range, is the source of Cache Creek, which flows 

 southward through practically the entire length of the 



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