664 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 669 



and invited the society to select a eite for the 

 new fenced range that would be necessary. 

 Forthwith the society despatched a special 

 agent, Mr. J. A. Loring, who went to the 

 Wichita Eeserve, and with Supervisor E. F. 

 Morrissey, carefully examined the whole avail- 

 able territory. A location was agreed upon, 

 and duly mapped out. Mr. Loring submitted 

 to the society an elaborate and thorough report, 

 which was transmitted to the Department of 

 Agriculture, and to Congress. Secretary 

 Wilson secured a special appropriation of 

 $15,000 for the erection of a wire fence to 

 enclose twelve square miles of range, and to 

 erect corrals, sheds, and a hay barn. This 

 work has been proceeding, and will soon be 

 completed, under the direction of the Forestry 

 Bureau of the Department of Agriculture, 

 whose oiEcers have from the first been keenly 

 interested in the undertaking. All the im- 

 provements were planned by Mr. Hornaday, 

 and the animals for the nucleus herd were 

 carefully selected by him. 



The buffalo herd of the New York Zoolog- 

 ical Park has for a long time been one of the 

 finest sights of that great home for wild ani- 

 mals. Originally planned to contain twenty 

 head, it numbered previous to this shipment 

 forty-five as handsome buffaloes of all ages as 

 ever were brought together. Ten lusty calves 

 have been born this year. 



But, notwithstanding the fine condition of 

 this herd, the officers of the Zoological Society 

 know that the only sure way by which the 

 American bison can be preserved in full vigor 

 for the next two hundred years, or more, is 

 by establishing herds under national or state 

 ownership, on public lands, in ranges so large 

 and so diversified that the animals will be wild 

 and fr^e. Under such conditions. Dr. Horna- 

 day declares that no ill effects from inbreed- 

 ing ever need be feared. 



The herd forwarded to Oklahoma is com- 

 posed as follows: six breeding cows; one big 

 bull, " Comanche," five years old, and master 

 of the herd ; one bull three and one half years 

 old, two bulls and one cow in third year, one 

 bull and one cow in second year, and one pair 

 of calves, male and female, six months old. 



In this collection, four difierent strains of 

 blood are represented, and after this succes- 

 sion of breeding males has been exhausted, 

 there will be nothing to fear from inbreeding. 

 The shipment went forward in charge of 

 Frank Eush, keeper of the Wichita Buffalo 

 Eange, and H. Eaymond Mitchell, chief clerk 

 of the New Tork Zoological Park. The buf- 

 faloes were shipped in two patent stock cars, 

 and traveled in passenger trains the whole dis- 

 tance. On arriving at Cache, teams were in 

 readiness, and the animals were hauled, crated 

 as they were, twelve miles to the new range. 

 The utmost care will be observed to prevent 

 infection by the Texas fever tick that is such 

 a scourge to cattle in the southwest. 



THE WISCONSIN GEOLOGICAL AND NAT- 

 URAL HISTORY SURVEY 



The survey is just closing its field season 

 for 1907. In addition to the regular income 

 of $10,000, the survey received from the last 

 legislature a special appropriation of $10,000 

 annually for two years; to be used chiefly for 

 roads. The state has a constitutional prohibi- 

 tion against the use of money for internal 

 imijrovements, and an amendment for the re- 

 peal of this prohibition has passed two suc- 

 cessive legislatures and will be submitted to 

 popular vote in 1908. Meanwhile, the survey 

 will use this small fund in advising local 

 authorities how to build roads as well as may 

 be under present conditions. Mr. W. O. 

 Hotchkiss, the economic geologist, is devoting 

 most of his time to this department. Mr. A. 

 E. Hirst, formerly in the employ of the State 

 Highway Commission of Illinois, has been ap- 

 pointed engineer. Under their direction a 

 stretch of experimental road was built at the 

 state fair in Milwaukee during September and 

 a roads convention was held, attended by 

 several thousand persons from all parts of the 

 state. 



Dr. Samuel Weidman and Mr. E. B. Hall 

 of the department of areal geology have ex- 

 tended their survey of the northwestern coun- 

 ties of the state and have nearly completed the 

 field work of this area. Dr. Weidman's re- 

 port on the north central area, including about 



