Buffalo 261 



was begun In 1896 with 7 animals, and had increased to 25 in 

 1905 notwithstanding a loss of 11 by deaths. That is to say, 

 it had increased 20 per cent, each year, and in six years had 

 doubled. A similar rate of increase is seen in the Corbin herd. 

 These figures represent, no doubt, an abnormal rate of increase, 

 as the animals are constantly protected and never suffer for 

 lack of food. 



The total of Buffalo in captivity in 1889 was 256; since 

 then they have added as nearly as possible 10 per cent, per 

 annum in spite of many disadvantages, such as isolated ani- 

 mals, over-feeding, over-production of males, etc. If, there- 

 fore, we set the rate of increase in the wild herds at 5 per cent., 

 as long as they are within the limit set by food-supply, we shall 

 probably be near the facts. In early days the Buffalo held 

 their own well against the Indians with their primitive weapons. 

 But, in the full splendour of the Buffalo days, say about 1830, 

 the Indians, aided now by horses and armed with rifles, killed, 

 as will be seen later, at the rate of over 2,000,000 each year. 

 Allen estimates-" the destruction by Indians at 2,000 000 annually 

 in the early 40's. Baird puts it" at 3,500,000 in the 50*3 on 

 the Missouri alone. Other means of destruction added at least 

 half as many more to the number, so that 3,000,000 a year may 

 have been reached as a total of loss in the 30's. To stand such 

 drain with their slow rate of increase, the herds would have 

 had to be at least ten times as numerous as they were. But 

 they could not stand it, and they were plainly diminishing. 

 Therefore, they must have fallen below 40,000,000 even as 

 early as the beginning of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, 

 they could not have been much less than that or they would 

 have vanished far faster than they did. 



All observers agree that the Buffalo in great herds visited migra- 



r . TIONS 



parts of the country where at other times they had been un- 

 known, and they remained for a time until impelled to another 

 change of residence. The questions arise: Were these regu- 

 lar movements up and down certain routes ? Was the change 



^^ Hist. Am. Bison, Dep. Int., 1877, p.562. ^ Ibid., p. 562. 



