132 



MAMMALS. 



The mammals of the collection have already been examined by Pro- 

 fessor Baird;, and most of the species determined. The collection con- 

 tains skins, skeletons, and skulls of nearly all the larger mammals of 

 the plains, with a large number of specimens of most of the smaller 

 ones. I will here say a few words in regard to the present distribu- 

 tion of some of the larger animals on the upper Missouri. Many of 

 them are fast passing away, and in a few years must become extinct. 

 The buffalo, which has been so important an agent in the preserva- 

 tion of the Indians, is now gradually gathering into a smaller area, and 

 although in the valley of the Yellowstone and along the upper Mis- 

 souri thousands may yet be seen, they are annually decreasing at a 

 rapid rate. In 1850 buffaloes were seen as low down on the Missouri 

 as the Vermilion river, and in 1854 a few were killed near Fort Pierre, 

 but at the present time none, except now and then a stray bull, 

 are seen on the Missouri river below Fort Clark.* They are, how- 

 ever, quite abundant at this time on the Platte river and along the 

 valley of the Smoky Hill Fork of the Kansas. Probably at this time 

 all the larger animals, as buffalo, elk, deer, antelope, bighorn, and 

 beaver, are more abundant in the valley of the Yellowstone than in 

 any other portion of the upper Missouri. 



Descending the Yellowstone river in the summer of 1854 I saw, for 

 for the distance of 350 miles, the prairies on both sides of the river 

 covered with herds of buffalo, and on the sand bars large numbers of 

 elk, deer, and antelopes. Elk and white-tailed deer {Cervus leucurus) 

 are quite abundant even in the northern parts of Iowa, but the black- 

 tailed deer {Cervus macrotis) is seldom seen below Fort Pierre. It is 

 found chiefly in the most rugged portions of the country, in the region 

 of the Black Hills or in the vicinity of the mountains. The intermin- 

 able ravines of Sage creek and the Shyenne river are noted places for 

 them. The antelope is seldom observed below Fort Pierre. It is, 

 however, the most abundant animal in the Sioux country, and con- 

 fined to the open praries. The bighorn, or mountain sheep, {Ovis 

 montana,) is quite abundant in the almost inaccessible regions known 

 as the Mauvaises Terres or Bad Lands, but are not hunted much by 

 the Indians for food. The beaver are increasing very rapidly, and 

 many of the mountain streams literally swarm with them. Since the 

 days of the trapper are over, and the prices of their fur has become 

 so reduced, the inducements to hunt them are not very great, and 

 they are allowed to multiply undisturbed. Their flesh is eaten to ' 

 some extent by the Indians and traders, and in the absence of other 

 meat is considered quite a delicacy. The raccoon is seldom seen 

 beyond the frontier. A few have been killed in the valley of White 

 river, but they seldom pass up the Missouri above latitute 42°. The 

 following is a list of the mammals contained in the collection and 

 now deposited in the Smithsonian Institution : 



'■'These animals occupy very different localities indifferent years and different seasons. — 

 Lieutenant Warren. 



