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THE AMEEICAN BISONS. 



21 



same time regarding all the bisons, recent and fossil, as belonging to the 

 same species ! 



Lilljeborg, in 1874, also very strangely referred, all the bisons, both living 

 and extinct, to the Bos honasus of Linn^us, ignoring alike the prominent osteo- 

 logical as well as external features that distinguish the aurochs from the 

 American bison, and the enormous differences that distinguish the Bison lati- 

 frons Leidy, not only from both the B, americanus and B. honasus^ but also 

 from the other extinct species, B. priseiis and B. anfiqiius^ — ■ a thing he could 

 not have done had he worked from specimens or duly weighed the published 

 evidence. 



i 



BISON ANTIQUUS Leidt 



The Smaller Extinct American Bison. 



An 



Bos urus BiTCKLAXD, Beecliej's Yoy. to the Pacific, II, 539, pi. iii, fig. 1-7, 1831. 



Bison antiquus Leidy, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1852, 117; 1854, 210; 1867, 85; Mem. Ext. Spec. 



Amer. Ox, 11, pi. ii, fig. 1, 1852 (Smithsonian Contributions, Vol. III). 

 Bison j>riscus f Richardsox, Zool. Voy. of Herald, 33, 139, pis. vi, figs. 5, 6, vii, x, figs. 1-6, xiii, fig. 



3, 1852-54 (fiitnale). 

 Bison priscusljizi-DY^ V roc. Acad. Nat, Sci. Phila., 1854, 210; Ext. Mara, of North America, 371, 1809 



(Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., new Ser., VII). 

 Bison crassicornis Kiciiardson, ZooI. Voy. of Plerald, 40, 139, pis. ix, xi, fig. 6, xii, figs. 1-4, xiii, figs. 



1, 2, XV, figs. 1-4, 1852-54 (male). — Leidy, Proc. Acad. Nat, Sci. Plilla., 1854, 210. 

 Bison Idtifrons Leidy, Mem, Ext. Spec. Amer, Ox (in part) ; Extinct Mara. N. Amer,, 371, 1869 (in 



part) ; Extinct Vertebrate Fauna, 253 (in part), pi. xxviii, figs. 4- 7, 1873. 

 f Fossil Ox, Perkins, Amer. Journ. Sci., XLII, 137, 1842. 

 Bison, Buffalo^ Whitney, GeoL Surv. California, Gaol, I, 252, 1865. 



The Bison antiquus of Dr. Leidy was first described from a fragment of horn- 

 core, having a small portion of the frontal bone attached, found at Big-bone 

 Lick, Kentucky. It was at first hesitatingly regarded as a distinct species, 

 Dr. Leidy having suspicions that it might prove to be the female of Bison 

 latifronSy and in his later notices of the group he has referred it to that 

 species. The fragment indicates, however, an animal of about the size of the 

 male of the smaller extinct bison, whose remains have thus far been found 

 mainly in California and Alaska, and is probably identical with the species de- 

 scribed by Dr, Richardson under the name Bison crassicornis^ based on remains 

 from the ice-cliflfe of Eschscholtz Bay. Of late years all these names have 

 been regarded by Dr. Leidy — the only author who has really given the 



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