I 



THE BUFFALO OR BISON 117 



migratory movements of the buffalo are described by Alex- 

 ander Henry in " The Manuscript Journals of Alexander 

 Henry and of David Thompson, 1799-1814," from which 

 Seton has taken the extracts given in his "Life Histories of 

 Northern Mammals," which are given below: 



18 September, 1800. The plain was covered. . . . They were mov- 

 mg southward slowly, and the meadow seemed as if in motion. 

 7 November. Great herd of cows going at full speed southward. 

 1 January, 1801. Buffalo in great abundance . . . the plains were en- 

 tirely covered; all were moving in a body from north to south. 

 14 January. The ground was covered [with buffalo] at every point 

 of the compass, as far as the eye could reach, and every animal 

 was in motion. 



During January, 1803, Henry found the country from Park 

 River, N. Dak., to the Riding Mountains crowded with buf- 

 falo. These definite records of Henry's not only give exact 

 information regarding the migration of the buffalo, but they 

 also serve to convey an idea of their immense numbers. 



Hind, who led the expedition which explored the Cana- 

 dian prairies in 1859, found that the Saskatchewan herd 

 wintered in central Saskatchewan in a region of which Sas- 

 katoon now occupies approximately the central point. This 

 observation on the wintering habit of this herd is of inter- 

 est as indicating the suitability of that region as a wintering 

 place for the buffalo. 



The Destruction of the Buffalo. — But to gain an adequate 

 idea of the immense nature of the herds of buffalo that in- 

 habited the plains and prairies the reader must consult 

 Hornaday's account. The vast herds seemed to clothe the 

 prairies in a coat of brown. They were as thick as the leaves 

 in the forest. These countless herds greeted the advance 

 guards of civilization and that process spelled their doom. 



The history of the buffalo was only an illustration on 

 the largest possible scale of the history of every species of 

 wild animal when man invades its natural haunts with an 



