K ' 



V 



-I 



-A 



46 



THE AMEEICAN BISONS. 





Jr-- 



Explanat! 



^ 



Table IX. 



i^ 





i 

 ^ 



1. Bison americanus, MalCj mounted skeleton (No.. 91, Mus. Comp. Zoology), from near Fort Hays, 



Kansas. , ' ■ . , ■ 



2. Bison americamis. Very old male, unmounted skeleton, the bones mostly ligamentously attached (Mus. 



I ^ 



Comp. Zoology), from near Fort Hays, Kansas. 



3. Bison americanus. Yery old male, unmounted skeleton, the bones mostly ligamentously attached 



(Mus. Comp. Zoology), from near Fort Hays, Kansas. 



4. Bison americanus. Male, disarticulated skeleton (No. 10, Mus. Comp. Zoology), from near Fort 



r 



Hays, Kansas. 



5. Bison americanus. Female, disarticulated skeleton (No. 11, Mus. Comp. Zoology), from near Fort 



HayS; Kansas. 



6. Bison americanus. Female, mounted skeleton (No. 92, Mus. Comp. Zoology), from near Fort Hays, 



Kansas. 



7. Bison honasus. Old male, mounted skeleton (No. 165, Mus. Comp. Zoology), from the Menagerie of 



Schoenbrunn, received from the Vienna Museum. 



8. Bison honasus. Young male, mounted skeleton (No. 11,514, National Museum, Washington), from 



r 



the Yienna Museum. 



9. Bison honasus. Male (measurements from Richardson's Zool. of the Yoyagc of the Herald). 





the animal at the shoulder and hip (as previo 



iven); and show a slightly 



greater average relative length of the hind limb in B. honasus as compared 



with B. amencanus.. The differences, however^ are really much less 



different individuals of either species present when compared with each other. 



The skull of Bison honasus is rather longer perhaps than that of Bison ameri- 



I 



J. 



camiSj but the average difference in length is very slight. It would be often, 

 in fact, almost impossible to decide absolutely as to whether a skull from an 



unknown locality belonged to one rather than to the other of the two s 

 cies, especially those of young individuals or females. Neither the teeth nor 

 the relative size and form of any portion of the skull afford any absolutely 

 distinctive characters. The chief difference consists in the rather more mas- 



sive character of the skull in Bison honasus. The close resemblance in 

 essential features between the skulls of the two species is sufficiently indi- 

 cated in the subjoined table of measurements of a considerable number of 

 skulls of each species. 



The greater prominence and thickness of the orbital cylinder in the 

 aurochs has been cited by Eutimeyer as a distinctive feature of the aurochs, 

 but in a comparison of skulls of corresponding ages the difference is not 

 apparent, the slightly greater size and thickness corresponding merely with 

 the generally more massive character of the osseous system of the aurochs. 



by the same author is 



The difference in the nasal bones referred 



intangible, being equalled in different individuals of Bison americanus. 



t 

 5 



1 



^ 



'-' '^^ A'Vf^l?l^i^„yy^>.-*-^:i L VL"^-^ ■ >.-oi->^ Hvj inniHy-^i^—^-''^^ -.-x- -v ^-i^ -" v- ^v ^. n _"*■^.^^-,^. h-^" ^- — L-v -K^^i-/^.^^"l^ ^^^=1 C^TJi _-^ ^-^ni-JJ^7~^-"=^^'-ni^/i-_"^--« ^ -.^-dr-k^— I'' ll-rfii ^'h-^- J .."-^i-i^l'IJ." x-'+K^Lj^J ^^r/'<^'^^^IlJr--^LAr,l^^J.^^yr, ^>L- 



- j--T]-C7r^7T^ r^ J^ ^E^ ■^y-T?? -V^ E -■ 5^ ^ ■'tffc'^^^M »tT ii^=rJH 



'"VlTCTTE— TTVfT»'LH— TrC^^J"L— >l hTii 



