﻿454 
  • 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY, 
  

  

  Explanation 
  of 
  Table 
  II. 
  

  

  ll« 
  

  

  1. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  A 
  very 
  old 
  male 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  95). 
  

  

  2. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male.'teu 
  to 
  twelve 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  Ko. 
  91). 
  

  

  3. 
  Bison 
  america,:us. 
  Very 
  old 
  male, 
  from 
  Kansas. 
  

  

  4. 
  Bihon 
  americar,us. 
  Very 
  old 
  male, 
  i'rom 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z.. 
  No. 
  93). 
  

  

  5. 
  Baon 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  filteen 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kaunas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  Ko. 
  10). 
  

  

  6. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  six 
  years 
  old, 
  fiom 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z.-, 
  No. 
  11). 
  

  

  7. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  iour 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  94). 
  

  

  8. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  ten 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  0. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  97>. 
  

  

  9. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Ma.lo, 
  about 
  twelve 
  yeais 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  99). 
  

  

  10. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  four 
  or 
  Ave 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No, 
  100). 
  

  

  11. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  six 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  0. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  10:2). 
  

  

  la. 
  Bison 
  amoricamts. 
  Male, 
  about 
  twelve 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  17T0). 
  

  

  13. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  twelve 
  years 
  old, 
  froui 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  1771). 
  

  

  14. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  twelve 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M, 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  1215). 
  

  

  15. 
  Bison 
  amerteanus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  fif.een 
  yea:-s 
  oid, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  121G). 
  

  

  16. 
  Bison 
  anner\canus. 
  Male, 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  "years 
  old, 
  fi-om 
  Kansas 
  (National 
  Mus., 
  No. 
  12233). 
  

  

  17. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Female, 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  years 
  old, 
  fi-om 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  0. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  1937). 
  

  

  18. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Female, 
  about 
  three 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  1768). 
  

  

  19. 
  B!.so:i 
  americanus. 
  Female, 
  about 
  three 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  O. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  96). 
  

  

  20. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Female, 
  about 
  nine 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M. 
  G. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  101). 
  

   SI. 
  Bison 
  americarms. 
  Female, 
  about 
  six 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  (M, 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  103). 
  

  

  22. 
  Bison 
  americanus. 
  Female, 
  about 
  six 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  Kansas 
  fM. 
  C 
  Z 
  , 
  No. 
  92). 
  

  

  23. 
  Bison 
  bonasus. 
  Female, 
  about 
  Ave 
  or 
  six 
  years 
  old 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z.. 
  No. 
  1790). 
  

  

  24. 
  Bison 
  bonasiis. 
  Old 
  male, 
  from 
  Menagerie 
  of 
  Schcewbrunn 
  (M. 
  C. 
  Z., 
  No. 
  165). 
  

  

  25. 
  Bison 
  bcnasv.s. 
  Male. 
  Measurements, 
  as 
  given 
  by 
  Richardson, 
  in 
  Zool. 
  Voy. 
  of 
  tbeHerald, 
  p. 
  122. 
  

  

  26. 
  Bison 
  bonasus. 
  Old 
  male, 
  from 
  iSuhcenbrunn. 
  Measurements 
  as 
  given 
  by 
  Cuvier 
  (Ossem. 
  Foss., 
  ■ 
  

   3d 
  ed„ 
  Tome 
  IV, 
  p. 
  121). 
  

  

  27. 
  JBison 
  bonasus. 
  Male, 
  about 
  six 
  years 
  old, 
  from 
  the 
  Vienna 
  Museum 
  (National 
  Mus., 
  No. 
  11514). 
  

  

  Individual 
  variation. 
  — 
  The 
  American 
  bison 
  presents 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   range 
  of 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  termed 
  individual 
  variation. 
  This 
  has 
  already 
  

   been 
  noticed 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  metacarpal 
  bones, 
  where 
  it 
  vt^as 
  shown 
  

   that 
  not 
  always 
  the 
  thickest 
  and 
  stoutest 
  examples 
  are 
  the 
  longest. 
  

   Thus 
  a 
  metacarpal 
  of 
  a 
  male 
  192 
  mm. 
  in 
  length 
  exceeds 
  in 
  all 
  other 
  dimen- 
  

   sions 
  another 
  specimen 
  having 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  213 
  mm. 
  A 
  similar 
  difference 
  

   is 
  traceable 
  throughout 
  the 
  skeleton 
  (see 
  Table 
  I), 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  

   individuals 
  that 
  present 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  their 
  structure 
  a 
  slender 
  or 
  

   attenuated 
  form, 
  and 
  others 
  that 
  are 
  relatively 
  thick 
  and 
  stout, 
  the 
  

   tallest 
  and 
  longest 
  specimens 
  being 
  sometimes 
  exceeded 
  in 
  stoutness, 
  

   comparing 
  bone 
  with 
  bone, 
  by 
  those 
  of 
  considerably 
  less 
  stature. 
  There 
  

   are 
  again 
  individuals 
  that 
  differ 
  from 
  the 
  average 
  in 
  general 
  bulk, 
  with- 
  

   out 
  presenting 
  any 
  other 
  unusual 
  differences. 
  Variations 
  in 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tive 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  limbs, 
  of 
  the 
  ribs, 
  the 
  dorsal 
  

   spines, 
  etc., 
  are 
  of 
  frequent 
  occurrence. 
  As 
  such 
  variations 
  are 
  now 
  so 
  

   well 
  known 
  to 
  characterize 
  vertebrates 
  in 
  general, 
  — 
  each 
  species 
  having 
  

   a 
  considerable 
  normal 
  range 
  of 
  osteological 
  variation, 
  — 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  

   passed 
  over 
  without 
  further 
  remark. 
  

  

  Among 
  more 
  unusual 
  variations 
  are 
  the 
  occasional 
  development 
  of 
  an 
  

   extra 
  rib, 
  or 
  an 
  extra 
  pair 
  of 
  ribs, 
  which 
  may 
  articulate 
  either 
  with 
  the 
  

   last 
  cervical 
  or 
  the 
  first 
  lumbar 
  vertebra. 
  A 
  famous 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  

   latter 
  was 
  presented 
  by 
  a 
  specimen 
  described 
  by 
  Cuvier 
  (the 
  first 
  skele- 
  

   ton 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  bison 
  that 
  came 
  under 
  the 
  eye 
  of 
  an 
  osteologist), 
  

   which 
  had 
  fifteen 
  pairs 
  of 
  ribs, 
  and 
  only 
  four, 
  instead 
  of 
  five, 
  lumbar 
  

   vertebras 
  [original 
  edition]. 
  The 
  mistake 
  to 
  wiiich 
  this 
  abnormal 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  gave 
  rise 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  dorsal 
  and 
  lumbar 
  vertebrae 
  

   and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  pairs 
  of 
  ribs 
  possessed 
  by 
  the 
  American 
  bison 
  as 
  

   compared 
  with 
  the 
  aurochs, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  noticed, 
  — 
  a 
  mistake 
  that 
  

   still 
  survives 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  leading 
  text-books 
  of 
  comparative 
  anatomy. 
  

   In 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  Comparative 
  Zoology 
  is 
  a 
  male 
  from 
  Kansas 
  possess- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  supplemental 
  pair 
  of 
  ribs 
  which 
  articulate 
  with 
  the 
  last 
  cervical 
  

   vertebra, 
  instead 
  of 
  with 
  the 
  first 
  lumbar, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  Cuvier's 
  

   specimen. 
  

  

  Variations 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  are 
  ofte 
  n 
  strikingly 
  api)arent, 
  

   affecting 
  not 
  so 
  much, 
  however, 
  the 
  relative 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  parts, 
  

   or 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  width 
  to 
  length, 
  as 
  the 
  frontal 
  outline 
  or 
  profile, 
  

  

  