immediately took the steps that were necessary to secure 

 action by Congress on both those matters. The appro- 

 priation of $3,000 was granted in an item attached as an 

 amendment to the General Deficiency bill, and authority 

 for the purchase of not to exceed '20,000 acres was secured 

 in the item for the Biological Survey in the Agricultural 

 Appropriation bill. Both these measures became laws on 

 March 4th. 



It now remains for the various government Ijureaus 

 that are specially interested to finally determine what shall 

 be the exact boundaries of the Montana National Bison 

 Range, after which it will be the duty of the Forest Ser- 

 vice to advertise and award a contract for the fence, gates, 

 corrals and other things necessary to the purpose in view. 



It is extremely desirable that in the near future a herd 

 of at least 25 prong-horned antelope should l)e colonized 

 in the bison range, as a measure toward the preservation of 

 that unique and interesting species from com])lete disap- 

 pearance. The continued settlement and agricultural de- 

 velopment of the states that now contain remnant herds of 

 antelope is absolutely certain to crowd that species out of 

 existence there within the next fifty years or less, just as 

 the range steer would have crowded the bison off the great 

 pasture region, even had the hide-hunters s]Dared him. I 

 believe that a majority of the founders of the Montana 

 bison herd will live to see the antelope disappear from 

 every portion of the United States exce])t the absolute, 

 thoroughly-protected game preserves, such as the Yellow- 

 stone I'ark. and the ^Vichita and INIontana bison ]-anges. 



Respectfully submitted, 



William T. Hornaday, 



President. 



Xew York Zoological Park^ 

 March 20th, 1909. 



