gardens and parks, — even where the enclosures are as 

 large as those in the New York Zoological Park, — it 

 seemed reasonably certain that the only way to insure the 

 perpetuation of the Bison species for centuries to come lies 

 in the creation of several national herds, maintained by the 

 Government on large areas of grazing grounds. It 

 seemed desirable that for the encouragement of the 

 National Government in the perpetuation of the Bison 

 species, the scientific institutions of the country, and 

 private individuals also, should do more than ofifer advice 

 and exhortations to Congress. Accordingly, a formal 

 cummunication was laid before the Executive Committee 

 of the New York Zoological Society, suggesting that the 

 Society should ofifer to the National Government, through 

 the Secretary of Agriculture, as a free gift, a herd of not 

 less than twelve pure-blood American Bison, of various 

 ages, to serve as the nucleus of a new national herd, pro- 

 vided Congress would appropriate a sufficient sum of 

 money to erect a suitable fence around a large area of 

 grazing grounds in the Wichita Forest Reserve, and main- 

 tain the gift. This suggestion met with the instant 

 approval of the Zoological Society, and the Director of 

 the Park and the Secretary of the Society, Mr. Madison 

 Grant, were instructed to take all steps that were necessary 

 to carrv it into effect. The date of this action was March 



15, 1905- 



On March 25, 1905, a definite offer of a nucleus 



herd of Bison on the condition outlined above, was made 

 to the Government, through the Secretary of Agriculture. 

 It met with a prompt and cordial acceptance, and the 

 Secretary immediately directed the Bureau of Forestry to 

 co-operate with the Zoological Society in selecting a suit- 

 able range. The Society was invited to send an agent to 

 Oklahoma, to join a representative of the Forestry Bureau 

 in making a careful examination of all portions of the 

 Wichita Game Reserve, and with a view to selecting and 

 recommending a location for the proposed range. 



On November 22d, 1905, Mr. J. Alden Loring was 

 selected as the Society's agent for the proposed examina- 

 tion, and he proceeded immediately to Oklahoma, for the 

 object stated above. 



56 



