162 THE AMERICAN BISONS. 



soon have them around us in abundance." ' This locality was on the head- 

 waters of the Cheyenne. Again, in speaking of the valley of the Yellow- 

 stone, he says: "This valley has long been the home of countless herds of 

 buffalo When my party first reached the bluff overlooking the Yel- 

 lowstone the sight was one which in a lew years will have passed away for- 

 ever. I estimated that about fifteen miles in length of the wide valley was 

 in view. The entire tract of forty or fifty square miles was covered with 

 buffalo as thickly as in former days in the West (when cattle were driven to 

 an Eastern market) a pasture-field would be which was intended only to 

 furnish subsistence to a large drove for a single night. I will not venture 

 an estimate of their probable numbers." t 



In 1873 1 made a journey from Fort Rice, on the Missouri, to the Yellow- 

 stone and Musselshell Rivers, accompanying the " Yellowstone Expedition" 

 of that year (General D. 8. Stanley commanding) as naturalist of the expe- 

 dition. From my report on the collections made I quote the following: 

 •• lectin signs of the buffalo were first met with in the valley of the Yellow- 

 stone, near the mouth of the Rosebud. — tracks of single old bulls that had 

 passed down to the river for water within a period of a (vw weeks. Above 

 this point considerable numbers seemed to have frequented the river valley 

 during the early part of the season (1873), and tracks but a few day- old 

 wen- frequeni for the last ten miles before reaching I'ompey's Pillar. The 

 first buffalo seen was observed about twelve miles west of I'ompey's Pillar. 

 Eight miles further west, on the divide between the Yellowstone and the 

 Musselshell, we found large herds had grazed but a day or two before our 

 arrival, and fresh tracks of cow- and calves, as well as of bulls, were abun- 

 dant. From this point t<> the Musselshell we were frequently in sight 

 of large bands, and quite a number of individuals were killed. They 

 moved off rapidly, however, as we approached, and at no time were more 

 than a few hundred in sight at once. \\V found later thai the valley of the 

 Musselshell and its adjoining prairies bad been the recent feeding-ground of 

 large herds, immense numbers having evidently spenl the early part of the 



season there. They seemed not. bowever, to have visited the valley in 



huge number- before for many years, as all the trails and other Bigns had 

 evidently been made within the few weeks immediately preceding our ar- 

 rival. Traces of ancient trails remained, hut the} were tew and insignificant 



. ..| tin Yellow -i , p. .'.. 



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