1900.] Allen, Note on the Wood Bison. 67 



in this volume of the Bulletin (antea, p. 41), in which he states 

 that he does not think the present number exceeds 50, and that 

 their complete extinction, in spite of the efforts of the Canadian 

 Government to protect them, will be consummated within the 

 next three years. 



The number of Wood Bison estimated to exist at different 

 times during the last ten years may be summarized as follows : 



Hornaday, 1889 550 



Russell, 1894 a few hundred. 



Jarvis, 1897 about 300. 



Moberly, 1897 250-300. 



Stone, 1899 50. 



From the above it appears that the Wood Bison, during the 

 last six years at least, have occupied a portion of country consid- 

 erably to the north of the region where they were located by Mr. 

 Hornaday in 1889, and by myself in 1876. It is likely, however, 

 that they never wholly forsook the region they now occupy, and 

 that the two maps above cited were in this respect erroneous. 

 It is pretty safe now to assume, however, that they have been en- 

 tirely exterminated from their former range south of the Peace 

 River, and that a few years more will suffice for their complete 

 extermination. 



The extirpation of the Plains Bison (Bison bison) has already 

 been practically effected. Mr. E: Hough of Chicago, an excel- 

 lent authority on this subject, states in a recent number of ' Forest 

 and Stream' (Vol. LIV, No. 12, p. 248, March 31, 1900), that in 

 1895 there were possibly 20 to 25 wild examples in different parts 

 of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, and 100 to 125 in the Yel- 

 lowstone National Park. Now (March, 1900) he says : " On the 

 face of all discoverable information on this head it is safe to say 

 there are not a dozen live wild buffalo outside the Yellowstone 

 Park in the United States, and if there is a single one I do not 

 know where it is. Inside the Park there may be 20 head or so." 



The different domesticated herds he estimates may contain, all 

 told, " between 300 and 500." 



Thus the American Bison is already practically exterminated 

 in the wild state, and its perpetuation depends upon the care and 

 skill exercised to preserve the domesticated herds. 



OF THE 



UNIVERSITY 



OF 



