THE BISON 173 



such a slaughter of wild animals anywhere in the world 

 as that which took place between the years 1865 and 

 1883 on the plains of North America. 



The United States Government has recently taken a 

 census of the bison. In 1902 the Senate passed a reso- 

 lution directing the Secretaries of the Interior and of 

 Agriculture to transmit to the Senate any facts which 

 they possessed with reference to the preservation of 

 these animals, and information as to their increase or 

 decrease. Thereupon the Secretar}^ of the Interior ad- 

 dressed letters to the executives of all the States and 

 Territories and to certain other persons supposed to 

 have some knowledge of the status of the bison, and 

 later, with his letter to the Senate, the secretary sent 

 copies of the replies of the governors of the States and 

 many other persons from whom he had sought in- 

 formation. As was to be expected, most of the govern- 

 ors of the States simply reported: "No buffalo within 

 the State." Some reported one or very small numbers 

 of animals held in captivity in zoological gardens or 

 parks in the cities or with circuses or menageries at 

 their winter quarters. 



A summary of the reports indicates that there were 

 in 1902 only 1,143 bison, including both those of full 

 and mixed blood (the latter being animals resulting 

 from a cross with domestic cattle, which are called 

 cataloes). Only seventy-two bison were reported as 

 running wild in the whole United States! Fifty were 

 reported to be in Colorado,* and twenty-two in the 

 Yellowstone National Park. It seemed almost incredi- 

 ble that there were less than one hundred wild buffa- 

 * These have all been killed. 



