The Bison 123 



parallel; and then turning southwestwardly and 

 including Idaho, a part of eastern Oregon, the 

 northeast corner of Nevada, the greater portion of 

 Utah, and most of New Mexico, the line passed 

 down south well into Mexico, turning eastwardly 

 just north of the 25th parallel of latitude, and run- 

 ning north to the coast, which it followed around 

 again to the mouth of the Mississippi. 



As it has been known in our day, the buffalo 

 in the southern portion of its range was a trans- 

 Missouri animal. North of the parallel of 45 

 degrees it was found in equal numbers on both 

 sides of the Missouri River, and in its north- 

 ern extension reached, and possibly even to-day 

 reaches, north to Great Slave Lake; for, as already 

 stated, the only considerable band of wild buffalo 

 to-day is the wood bison of the north, estimated 

 to number four hundred or five hundred. 



Besides the boundaries thus set forth, it is prob- 

 able that in early days there was a considerable 

 extension of the buffalo's range northward and 

 westward, into portions of what is now Alaska. 

 Certain it is that in that territory buffalo remains 

 have been found in great numbers. Some of these 

 skulls belong to species long extinct, and much 

 larger than the American bison ; but, on the other 



