258 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



east, going north-westerly toward Plum Creek. It was pursued 

 by the Gales on the Antlers of the Souris, but was never over- 

 taken. When last seen it was going toward Moose Mountain. 

 About this time an old bull, probably the same, was seen 

 near the site of the present town of Souris. My informant, H. 

 W. O. Boger, says he saw it in daylight at 300 yards as it crossed 

 his farm. It was trotting and went off north-west. A lot of 

 the boys went after it, but never got it. This was the last seen 

 in the region. It was recoided in all the current newspapers. 



In 1882, when first I went to live in Western Manitoba, the 

 prairie everywhere was dotted with old Buffalo skulls. Many 

 had horns on them, but none had hair. Their condition and 

 local tradition agree in fixing i860 to 1865 as the epoch when 

 the last Buffalo were killed on the Big Plain. 



In the long slough east of Carberry I have found many 

 Buffalo bones; and on August 13, 1899, I found a complete 

 Buffalo skeleton there. No doubt, all the large bogs through- 

 out Manitoba contain skeletons of Buffalo that have been 

 mired and engulfed. 



ENVIRON- Although Map 10 gives so vast an area as the range of the 

 Bison in days gone by, it is not to be supposed that the species 

 was equally abundant in all parts. We know, in fact, that it 

 was comparatively rare in most of the wooded country. 



The true Buffalo range was that part of the region which 

 was without trees and yet was provided with water, as will be 

 seen on comparison of the Buffalo map with the Forest and 

 Plains Map of America. We find that in the East the Buffalo 

 followed the deciduous forests, and yet appeared to avoid conif- 

 erous woods. A study of the conditions prepares me for 

 a future find of Buffalo bones on the north side of Lake Erie. 



In all this wooded country, however, its numbers were 

 small, the true home of the species being the open region of the 

 great Mississippi River Valley, where the land was un forested 

 and yet well watered. On this only was it ever found in herds 

 of millions. 



MENT 



