AN INVITATION 



To All Who Love the Great l'res of the Wild. 



The value of many things which nature has so generously bestowed 

 upon mankind cannot always be accepted and maintained solely for their 

 commercial value. The sentiment that inspires us to preserve the best 

 traditions of our ancestors and country also appeals for the preservation 

 of such things that were closely associated with them. 



No history of the early settlement of our country can be written 

 without including the buffalo, deer, moose, elk, antelope and other animals 

 that roamed in countless thousands over forest and plain, and furnished 

 sustenance to the vanguard of civilization. It is therefore our duty to 

 save from extinction and preserve for posterity some specimens of these 

 animals that were the bone and sinew of our ancestors and made possible 

 the early settlement of our country. 



In 1905 the American Bison Society was organized to save the buffalo 

 who were perilously near extinction, and by the united efforts of its 

 members succeeded in arousing public sentiment and interesting the 

 Government sufficiently to fence a portion of the Wichita National Forest 

 and Game Preserve in Oklahoma, for the purpose of establishing a 

 nucleus herd of buffalo; generously donated by the New York Zoological 

 Society. The experiment proved a success from the start. Since then 

 this Society has been instrumental in establishing a number of other 

 herds. There are at present nine Government owned herds in various 

 parts of the country, and made up of about one thousand of the finest 

 buffalo in the world. 



A few years ago this Society added to its object "the preservation 

 of North American Big Game" and is now endeavoring to save from 

 extinction the fast disappearing antelope. 



The Society is maintained by the annual dues of its members, and 

 invites anyone who is interested in the preservation of our large game 

 animals to become a member. 



Any person who donates one thousand dollars ($1,000) becomes 

 a Patron. The payment of one hundred dollars ($100) secures a Life 

 Membership. The dues of an Active Member are five dollars ($5) a year, 

 and an Associate Member one dollar ($1) a year. 



(Date) 19 



MR. CLARK WILLIAMS, Treas. 

 37 Liberty Street, 



New York, N. Y. 

 Dear Sir: 



I accept the invitation to become a 



Member of the American Bison Society, and enclose $ 



for my annual dues for the year 19 



(Name) 



( Address ) 



(please write clearly.) 



