purchase ot the land and $10,000 additional for fencing the same and 

 the construction of slieds. The committee is of the belief that the ease 

 IS an urgent one and that the amount of money called for is a mere 

 bagatelle in comparison with the great object that can be achieved by 

 the proposed legislation. It is estimated by competent authority that 

 the lands in question will ultimately be able to support 1,000 hkad of 

 l)uttalo, and that owing to the climatic conditions there prevailino- the 

 animals can thrive and live through the winter off of the natural grasses 

 that grow on these lands without the expense of feeding hay, as is the 

 case with nearly every other buffalo range that is in private ownership. 

 1 he committee believes that no more meritorious measure has been 

 presented during the present session of Congress, and are unanimous in 

 tlie recommendation that the bill pass. 



Senator Dixon's bill was passed by the Senate on April 

 loth, 1908. ^ 



About this time, all the members of the Bison Society's 

 Board of JNIanagers were requested to do their utmost, by 

 correspondence with their friends in Congress, in support 

 of the bison measure, and in this effort it is known that the 

 following managers actively participated :— Edmund Sey- 

 mour, Prof. Franklin W. Hooper, Prof. C. M. Wood- 

 ward, Harry W. Smith, F. H. Kennard and Madison 

 Grant. 



The president of the Society addressed many com- 

 munications to members of both the Senate and House of 

 Representatives, setting forth the Society's proposal and 

 pledge, and soliciting support. 



It is no exaggeration to state that the Society's over- 

 tures were received by Congress in a friendly, and even 

 cordial, spirit. IMany Senators and INIembers of the 

 House immediately announced their approval of the meas- 

 ure, and many more promised for it their serious attention. 

 No effort ever was made to reduce the amount of the ap- 

 propriation asked for ; and no effort was made to bind the 

 Bison Society by a formal agreement regarding the nu- 

 cleus herd. Indeed, the Society was not even required to 

 name the number of bison that the nucleus herd should 

 contain, but the president freely stated our intention that 

 the herd should contain "at least forty head of pure-blood 

 animals, one-half of which should be iPemales." 



In view of the alarmingly late date on which Senator 

 Dixon's bill passed the Senate, it seemed hopeless to ex- 

 pect the measure to reach the House calendar, and actually 



