98 THE AMERICAN BISONS. 



of many of the hunting-camps of the savages. We found the footsteps of six 

 or eight huffaloes hereabouts, so plain as to be convinced of the track being 

 made by those animals."* Professor Baird. in 1852, Bays, " Theuet, in the 

 very rare work entitled 'Les Singularitcz dc la France antarctique,' Paris, 

 1557 [1558], gives (p. 147), in a representation of a curious beasl of Weal 

 Florida, a readily recognizable figure of the buffalo."! The figure hears 

 some resemblance to a bison, and the description seems to clearly indicate 

 this animal. The locality, too, is near Palm River, south of Tampa Bay. 

 Thevct's work, however, is merely a compilation, abounding with the gross- 

 est exaggerations. He cites no authority for the presence of " une espect de 

 grands toureaux" at this locality, where certainly no bison has ever been 

 found. Maynard, writing in 1872, says, "The historians of De Soto's travels 

 speak of herds of wild cattle being found in Florida. They probably refer 

 to the buffalo (.Boa americanus), which without doubt extended its range to 

 the prairies of the west coast." $ None of the references to the buffalo 

 contained in these writings relate, however, to the present region of Flor- 

 ida,§ De Soto not apparently hearing of the existence of this animal until 

 he had reached the Mississippi, except in the single instance soon to be 

 noticed in another connection. 



The late Professor Wvman. in a posthumous paper, also says, '"The buffalo 

 was an inhabitant of Florida, and it could have been no other than this ani- 

 mal which the French met with in their ill-fated retreat from Fort Caroline"; 

 and he adds in a footnote : •• De Challeux, the carpenter of Etibaut's expedi- 

 tion, -ays, 'near the break of day we saw a great beast, like a deer, at fifty 

 paces from as, who had a great head, eyes flaming, the ears hanging, and 

 the huger parts elevated. It seemed to us monstrous because of its gleam- 

 ing eyes, wonderfully large, hut it did not come near us to do us any harm.' 

 There is no other animal." adds Professor Wynian, " which corresponds with 

 this animal but the buffalo, though that animal is as unlike 'a deer' as pos- 

 sible." || k seems to me, however, that the reference is in no way applicable 

 to the buffalo, and if not really a deer, the beaBl here described must have 



• \ Com I e Natural Historj ..f East and West Florida, pp, 880, 281. 



t Paten) Off. Rep., Agricult., 1861 :.->. Part II. p. I'-'i. 



+ Bull. Essex Institute, Vol IV. p. i 10. 



$ Si I, ilml lite distinction between the former and present boundaries of Florida * is o*w 



looked, in reference to the buffalo in Florida, bj il>'' translator of De Soto's first letter." " History, Con- 

 dition, and Prptptcl* nf ihi Indian I Part \ 88, footnote. 



.'. tei Shell Mounds of th< Si John's River, Florida, p BO, and I te, December, 



