THE BUFFALO AND HIS FATE. 161 
ably imply that this animal once extended its travels to 
that point. All the supposed references to its being seen 
on the St. Lawrence, or in Canada West, turn out to mean 
the elk—the same indefinite terms being often used for 
both by early writers—or else to apply to some part of the 
broad territory then called Canada, but not now included 
within its limits. Changes in political boundaries have 
constantly to be borne in mind in studying ancient nar- 
ratives. 
Furthermore, no remains of the bison have been found 
ainong the bones in the shell-heaps along the Atlantic coast, 
and there is no unquestionable evidence, among all the 
early lists of the natural products of the country, of its oc- 
currence anywhere on the seaboard north of the Potomac 
for a long period preceding the discovery of the continent 
by Europeans. The only well-authenticated instances of 
its being found east of the Blue Ridge are the apparently 
casual passage of small herds through the mountains from 
West Virginia into the upper parts of North and South 
Carolina by way of the New, Holston, and French Broad 
rivers. They seem to have been common on the savannahs 
about the heads of rivers in the western parts of those 
states; but it is well attested that they never came down 
to the sea-coast. Nor can good evidence be shown that 
Al 
