﻿452 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Table 
  I. 
  — 
  Measuremenis 
  of 
  Sl~eletons 
  of 
  Bison 
  americanus 
  Md 
  Bison 
  honasus 
  — 
  Continued. 
  

  

  Greatest 
  diameter 
  of 
  proximal 
  end.... 
  

  

  Greatest 
  diameter 
  of 
  distal 
  end 
  

  

  Least 
  circumforenco 
  of 
  shaft 
  

  

  Least 
  diameter 
  of 
  shaft 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  tibia 
  

  

  Transverse 
  diameter 
  of 
  proximal 
  end 
  

  

  Transverse 
  diameter 
  of 
  distal 
  end 
  

  

  Its 
  least 
  circumference 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  tarsals 
  in 
  situ 
  (inside) 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  calcanenm 
  (outside) 
  

  

  Least 
  circumference 
  of 
  its 
  shaft 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  metatarsal 
  

  

  Transverse 
  (lateral) 
  diameter 
  of 
  proximal 
  end 
  

  

  Transverse 
  antero-posterior 
  diameter 
  of 
  proximal 
  end 
  

  

  Transverse 
  (lateral) 
  diameter 
  of 
  distal 
  end 
  

  

  Transverse 
  antero-posterior 
  diameter 
  of 
  distal 
  end... 
  

  

  Least 
  (lateral) 
  diameter 
  of 
  its 
  shaft 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  first 
  phalanx 
  (hind 
  limb) 
  

  

  "Width 
  tran 
  s 
  versely 
  of 
  proximal 
  end 
  

  

  Width 
  of 
  distal 
  end 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  2d 
  phalanx 
  

  

  "Width 
  of 
  proximal 
  end 
  

  

  "Width 
  of 
  distal 
  end 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  unguinal 
  phalanx, 
  inner 
  side 
  

  

  cT 
  

  

  IGO 
  

  

  liO 
  

  

  158 
  

  

  4() 
  

  

  427 
  

  

  127 
  

  

  78 
  

  

  148 
  

  

  101 
  

  

  155 
  

  

  120 
  

  

  250 
  

  

  65 
  

  

  55 
  

  

  70 
  

  

  30 
  

  

  35 
  

  

  75 
  

  

  33 
  

  

  37 
  

  

  44 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  32 
  

  

  63 
  

  

  Bison 
  americanus. 
  

  

  Bison 
  bonasns. 
  

  

  3 
  3 
  

  

  100 
  

   380' 
  

  

  d" 
  

   145 
  

   110 
  

   142 
  

  

  43 
  

   3S0 
  

  

  iia 
  

  

  74 
  

  

  140 
  

  

  SO 
  

  

  145 
  

  

  110 
  

  

  248 
  

  

  55 
  

  

  50 
  

  

  65 
  

  

  30 
  

  

  34 
  

  

  60 
  

  

  34 
  

  

  33 
  

  

  37 
  

  

  33 
  

  

  27 
  

  

  55 
  

  

  ? 
  

  

  140 
  

  

  112 
  

  

  145 
  

  

  44 
  

  

  390 
  

  

  110 
  

  

  73 
  

  

  144 
  

  

  105 
  

  

  160 
  

  

  118 
  

  

  24.3 
  

  

  58 
  

  

  57 
  

  

  70 
  

  

  39 
  

  

  35 
  

  

  66 
  

  

  35 
  

  

  35 
  

  

  41 
  

  

  35 
  

  

  32 
  

  

  66 
  

  

  d 
  

  

  145 
  

  

  IIG 
  

  

  165 
  

  

  44 
  

  

  465 
  

  

  122 
  

  

  74 
  

  

  160 
  

  

  107 
  

  

  173 
  

  

  113 
  

  

  264 
  

  

  68 
  

  

  59 
  

  

  70 
  

  

  33 
  

  

  43 
  

  

  73 
  

  

  34 
  

  

  33 
  

  

  46 
  

  

  35 
  

  

  30 
  

  

  62 
  

  

  150 
  

  

  125 
  

  

  177 
  

  

  40 
  

  

  476 
  

  

  130 
  

  

  83 
  

  

  IM) 
  

  

  lOS 
  

  

  181 
  

  

  127 
  

  

  237 
  

  

  68 
  

  

  58 
  

  

  68 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  44 
  

  

  82 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  37 
  

  

  50 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  28 
  

  

  70 
  

  

  48 
  

   4:8 
  

   1-J5 
  

  

  163 
  ,i 
  

   249 
  ft 
  

  

  Explanation 
  of 
  Table 
  I. 
  

  

  1. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  mounted 
  skeleton 
  (No. 
  91, 
  Mns. 
  Comp. 
  Zoology), 
  from 
  near 
  Fort 
  Hays, 
  

   Kansas. 
  

  

  2. 
  JBison 
  americanus. 
  Very 
  old 
  male, 
  unmounted 
  skeleton, 
  the 
  bones 
  mostly 
  ligamentously 
  attached 
  

   (Mus. 
  Comp. 
  Zoology), 
  from 
  iiear 
  Fort 
  Hays, 
  Kansas. 
  

  

  3. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Very 
  old 
  male, 
  unmounted 
  skeleton, 
  the 
  bones 
  mostly 
  ligamentously 
  attached 
  

   (Mus. 
  Comp. 
  Zoology), 
  from 
  near 
  Fort 
  liays, 
  Kansas. 
  

  

  4. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  disarticulated 
  skeleton 
  (TSo. 
  10, 
  Mus. 
  Comp. 
  Zoology), 
  from 
  near 
  Fort 
  

   Hays, 
  Kansas. 
  

  

  5. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Female, 
  disarticulated 
  skeleton 
  (No. 
  11, 
  Mus. 
  Comp. 
  Zoology), 
  from 
  near 
  Fort 
  

   Hays, 
  Kansas. 
  

  

  6. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Female, 
  mounted 
  skeleton 
  (No. 
  92, 
  Mus. 
  Comp. 
  Zoology), 
  from 
  near 
  Fort 
  

   Hays, 
  Kansas. 
  

  

  7. 
  Bison 
  honasus. 
  Old 
  male, 
  mounted 
  skeleton 
  (No. 
  165, 
  Mus. 
  Comp. 
  Zoology), 
  from 
  the 
  Menagerie 
  

   of 
  Schcenbiunn, 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  Vienna 
  Museum. 
  

  

  8. 
  Bison 
  honasus. 
  Young 
  male, 
  mounted 
  skeleton 
  (No. 
  11,514, 
  National 
  Museum, 
  Washington), 
  from 
  

   the 
  Vienna 
  Museum. 
  

  

  9. 
  Bison 
  honasus. 
  Male 
  (measurements 
  from 
  Kichardson's 
  Zoology 
  of 
  the 
  Voyage 
  of 
  the 
  Herald). 
  

   [Measurements 
  in 
  millimetres. 
  — 
  Ed.] 
  

  

  The 
  skull 
  of 
  Bison 
  honasus 
  is 
  rather 
  longer 
  perhaps 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  Bison 
  

   americanus, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  difference 
  iu 
  length 
  is 
  very 
  slight. 
  It 
  would 
  

   be 
  often, 
  in 
  fact, 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  decide 
  absolutely 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  a 
  

   skull 
  from 
  an 
  unknown 
  locality 
  belonged 
  to 
  one 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  

   of 
  the 
  two 
  species, 
  especially 
  those 
  of 
  young 
  individuals 
  or 
  females. 
  

   Neither 
  the 
  teeth 
  nor 
  the 
  relative 
  size 
  and 
  form 
  of 
  any 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   skull 
  afford 
  any 
  absolutely 
  distinctive 
  characters. 
  The 
  chief 
  difference 
  

   consists 
  in 
  the 
  rather 
  more 
  massive 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  in 
  Bison 
  

   honasus. 
  The 
  close 
  resemblance 
  in 
  all 
  essential 
  features 
  between 
  the 
  

   skulls 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  subjoined 
  table 
  

   of 
  measurements 
  of 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  skulls 
  of 
  each 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  greater 
  prominence 
  and 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  orbital 
  cylinder 
  iu 
  the 
  

   aurochs 
  has 
  been 
  cited 
  by 
  Eiitimeyer 
  as 
  a 
  distinctive 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  

   aurochs, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  skulls 
  of 
  corresponding 
  ages 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  is 
  not 
  apparent, 
  the 
  slightly 
  greater 
  size 
  and 
  thickness 
  correspond- 
  

   ing 
  merely 
  with 
  the 
  generally 
  more 
  massive 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  osseous 
  

   system 
  of 
  the 
  aurochs. 
  The 
  difference 
  in 
  tlie 
  nasal 
  bones 
  referred 
  to 
  

   also 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  author 
  is 
  intangible, 
  being 
  equalled 
  in 
  different 
  indi- 
  

   ^iduals 
  of 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  

  

  