84 Oxen 



a. Prairie Race — Bos bison tvpicus 



C/uiractcrs. — Generally those given above, the distinctive points of the 

 woodland race being mentioned below. 



Distribution. — That portion ot the range of the species lying to the 

 south of the distributional area ot the woodland race. 



Habits. — So much has been written on the habits and extermination 

 ot the American bison of the prairies, that it is dithcult to know what to 

 select, while it is obvious that nothing new can now be written. The 

 best account ot the extermination ot the bison trom the prairies is one by 

 Mr. W. T. Hornaday ; while tor a graphic description of the enormous 

 herds which formerly covered these pastures the writings of Colonel 

 Dodge may be consulted. Mr. C. L. Herrick, in his Mammals of 

 Minnesota., gives an excellent resume of the general habits of the animal, 

 and Dr. J. A. Allen's memoir will always remain as the most copious 

 history previous to the extermination we yet possess. 



In the time ot its abundance the bison was an essentially gregarious 

 animal, congregating in herds of such \ast magnitude as actually to 

 darken the prairies as tar as the eye could reach. Possibly its numbers 

 may have been rivalled by the herds of spring-buck which formerly 

 wandered over the Transvaal ; but with this exception, it was probably 

 unique in regard to numerical abundance among Ungulates, and no other 

 animal ot equal bodily dimensions ever approached it in this respect. 

 Gregariousness, as has been well observed, necessarily implies periodical 

 migration when the herds are large ; and the bison of the prairies was 

 a thorough wanderer. Seasonal changes compelled them at one time to 

 travel in the direction ot the mountains, and at another in the opposite 

 direction ; while variations in the supply of food and water entailed minor 

 movements in addition to their regular wanderings. Such thousands of 



