3o6 Game of Europe, W. & N. Asia & America 



Of American bison in England the London "Zoo" possesses a single 

 example, the Duke of Bedford has 12 at Woburn Abbey, and there are 

 altogether 13 others in different parts of the country. France, Belgium, 

 and Holland collectively possess 14, Germany has 46, Russia 2, and 

 Australia 12. For the numbers of the herds in foreign countries, which 

 are put down at 23, Mr. Carl Hagenbeck is responsible ; but the author 

 of the article expresses some degree of doubt as to whether all these are 

 full-blooded animals. 



Some considerable degree of doubt exists as to whether the reputed 

 wild bison in Colorado really exist, or, if they do, whether they are truly 

 wild. On this subject Mr. Sullivan writes as follows : — 



" Like the so-called ' park ' of Colorado, the sections of Yellowstone 

 Park where the buffaloes range are so wild and inaccessible that for a vear 

 at a time no buffalo is seen. For this reason old buffalo-hunters shake 

 their heads when it is claimed that a forlorn remnant of the great plains' 

 herd has for all these years found refuge from poacher, Indian wolf, and 

 coyote in the mountains of Colorado. They hope it is true, but they 

 doubt it. Even if it is true, these animals can hardly survive long." 



Later on he adds that " it may be timely to utter a warning against the 

 belief that there are any buffaloes running wild other than those here 

 mentioned. Such reports appear periodically. They are fiction pure and 

 simple." 



In 1887, when Mr. Hornaday took his census, the number of bison 

 was estimated at 1091, of which 256 were in captivity, and 835 running 

 wild. Of the 1024 alive in 1900, no less than 684 were captive, and only 

 340 wild or semi-wild. Manifestly, therefore, it is to the semi-domesticated 

 herds that we are to look for the perpetuation of the species, if this indeed 

 be a practical possibility. Against the bison in captivity there are three 

 adverse influences. Firstlv, the mere fact of restraint and a more or 

 less confined area, together with unsuitable climatic conditions. Secondly, 



