112 MARVELS OF THE ANIMAL WORLD 



is perpetrated by individuals who have no regard 

 for the welfare of living creatures so long as they 

 can make money by slaughtering them, and the 

 small herd of American bison which dwell therein 

 have suffered at their hands to such an extent 

 that, at the present day, there are only about a 

 score of these magnificent animals left there. 

 There are, however, four other reserves in the 

 United States which are devoted entirely to the 

 preservation of the American bison ; one being 

 situated in the State of Nebraska ; another in 

 Montana ; a third in Oklahoma ; and another in 

 South Dakota ; all of which owe their existence 

 to the United States Government, and to the 

 Bison Society, which was inaugurated in December, 

 1905. The first of the bison reserves to be estab- 

 lished in America was the Wichita National Buffalo 

 Range, which is situated in the State of Oklahoma, 

 comprises an area of about twelve square miles, 

 and is surrounded by a strong wire fence some six 

 feet or so in height . The populating of this sanctuary 

 was undertaken by the New York Zoological 

 Society, who presented fifteen bison from amongst 

 those at their Gardens, and, after each animal 

 had been enclosed in a specially -built and care- 

 fully-padded crate, it was sent off upon its long 

 railway journey of more than two thousand 

 miles, which took a week to accomplish. The 

 stocking of the range having been completed, 

 the Bison Society then commenced to establish 

 another sanctuary on the Flathead Indian Reserva- 

 tion, situated in the State of Montana, and covering 



