THE BUFFALO OR BISON 129 



matters is placed, informed me that ''there is nothing to 

 indicate that the herd is at present suffering from lack of 

 feed or from the depredations of either wolves or Indians. 

 The possibility of a decrease in the buffalo range is, how- 

 ever, a danger which has been pointed out by the govern- 

 ment agent, and is receiving attention by the strengthening 

 of the fire patrol in that vicinity." 



With a view to securing the latest information in regard 

 to the wood bison and their present range, I suggested to 

 Mr. Chas. Camsell, now Deputy Minister, Dept. of Mines, 

 who was visiting that region of the northwest during the 

 summer of 1916, for the purpose of supervising the work of 

 several field parties working under his direction there, that 

 it would be most desirable if he could visit the territory oc- 

 cupied by the buffalo west and southwest of Fort Smith; 

 the Commissioner of Dominion Parks was also anxious to 

 have such information. Mr. Camsell was very fortunately 

 able to make such a visit in September, 1916, and on his re- 

 turn he communicated the following facts to me: Three 

 journeys were made into the buffalo territory. The first 

 was made from Fort Smith westward past the salt springs in 

 Salt River, into the northern part of the buffalo range. A 

 second journey was made from Fitzgerald or Smith Landing 

 southwestward for a distance of about thirty-five miles into 

 the central part of the range. Earlier in the summer the 

 range was entered from Peace Point on Peace River, for a 

 distance of about ten miles. 



The wood bison are now divided into two separate bands, 

 occupying two distinct ranges in northern Alberta and the 

 adjacent portion of the Northwest Territories. There does 

 not appear to be at present nor to have been within recent 

 years any migration of the buffalo from one range to the 

 other. The Umits of the northern range are not as clearly 

 outlined as those of the southern, but in general it extends 

 north of the 60th parallel between Buffalo and Little Buffalo 



