American Bison 89 



may be mentioned that between the years 1870 and 1H75 the annual rate 

 of destruction has been estimated at fully two and a half million head. 

 The final act in the drama was the completion of the Union Pacific 

 Railway, which cut the main herd in two. The southern halt ot the 

 divided herd was rapidly exterminated, and it was not long before the 

 northern halt followed suit. 



The American bison breeds freely in captivity with its own kind, and 

 less readily with other species of cattle. Mention has been made above 

 of the hybrids produced by a union between the bull bison and the cow 

 gayal ; and in America a breed has been raised by crossing a bull bison 

 with a domesticated cow. Such hybrids are fertile either hiier se, or when 

 again crossed with domesticated cattle. A herd ot partially hybrid bison 

 was formerly kept at Garden City, Kansas. Bison have been kept in at 

 least two English parks. Mr. C J. Leyland, of Haggerston Castle, 

 Northumberland, has a small herd, of which the first members were 

 imported from Lincoln Park, Chicago, in the summer of 1890. Others 

 were imported in 1891, and a bull bred in the Regent's Park was also 

 added. About 1893 ^*^'^^'' halt-breeds were raised in this park — three females 

 and one bull. A small herd ot bison is also kept in the park at Woburn 

 Abbey, the members ot which share a large paddock with wapiti and 

 other deer (fig. 16). 



In America, among other localities, a herd has been established at 

 Stony Mountains, Manitoba. Starting with five calves in 1878, the 

 owner had raised the number at the commencement of 1887 to sixty- 

 one head, the greater number of which were pure-bred, and the remainder 

 halt-breeds. Although living in the open prairie, and feeding on the 

 snow-covered grass, even in January they were fat and sleek, when the 

 thermometer was much below zero. 



