_ THE BUFFALO OR BISON 129 
matters is placed, informed me that ‘‘there is nothing to 
indicate that the herd is at present suffering from lack of 
feed or from the depredations of either wolves or Indians. 
The possibility of a decrease in the buffalo range is, how- 
ever, a danger which has been pointed out by the govern- 
ment agent, and is receiving attention by the strengthening 
of the fire patrol in that vicinity.” 
With a view to securing the latest information in regard 
to the wood bison and their present range, I suggested to 
Mr. Chas. Camsell, now Deputy Minister, Dept. of Mines, 
who was visiting that region of the northwest during the 
summer of 1916, for the purpose of supervising the work of 
several field parties working under his direction there, that 
it would be most desirable if he could visit the territory oc- 
cupied by the buffalo west and southwest of Fort Smith; 
the Commissioner of Dominion Parks was also anxious to 
have such information. Mr. Camsell was very fortunately 
able to make such a visit in September, 1916, and on his re- 
turn he communicated the following facts to me: Three 
journeys were made into the buffalo territory. The first 
was made from Fort Smith westward past the salt springs in 
Salt River, into the northern part of the buffalo range. A 
second journey was made from Fitzgerald or Smith Landing 
southwestward for a distance of about thirty-five miles into 
the central part of the range. Earlier in the summer the 
range was entered from Peace Point on Peace River, for a 
distance of about ten miles. 
The wood bison are now divided into two separate bands, 
occupying two distinct ranges in northern Alberta and the 
adjacent portion of the Northwest Territories. There does 
not appear to be at present nor to have been within recent 
years any migration of the buffalo from one range to the 
other. The limits of the northern range are not as clearly 
outlined as those of the southern, but in general it extends 
north of the 60th parallel between Buffalo and Little Buffalo 
