﻿ALLEN] 
  INDIVIDUAL 
  VARIATIOX— 
  SYNONYMY. 
  . 
  455 
  

  

  and 
  the 
  curvature 
  and 
  relative 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  horns. 
  In 
  respect 
  to 
  

   the 
  profile, 
  the 
  frontal 
  region 
  varies 
  in 
  different 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   sex 
  and 
  of 
  corresponding 
  ages 
  in 
  the 
  forehead 
  being 
  either 
  flat, 
  or 
  even 
  

   slightly 
  concave, 
  or 
  very 
  convex. 
  The 
  horns 
  are 
  usually 
  so 
  much 
  

   depressed 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  skull 
  is 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  flat 
  surface 
  with 
  the 
  dorsal 
  

   aspect 
  downward 
  the 
  points 
  will 
  not 
  touch 
  the 
  surface 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  

   skuU 
  rests, 
  — 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  do 
  not 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  plane 
  of 
  the 
  forehead; 
  in 
  

   other 
  specimens 
  they 
  sometimes 
  rise 
  so 
  high 
  as 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  skull 
  

   from 
  touching 
  the 
  flat 
  surface 
  by 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  inches. 
  The 
  

   horn-cores 
  are 
  also 
  sometimes 
  directed 
  backward 
  far 
  beyond 
  the 
  plane 
  

   of 
  the 
  occiput, 
  though 
  usually 
  not 
  reaching 
  it. 
  Such 
  diflerences 
  as 
  

   these 
  are 
  so 
  considerable 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  sometimes, 
  in 
  allied 
  groups, 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  indicative 
  of 
  specific 
  diflerences. 
  

  

  The 
  variation 
  in 
  length 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  a 
  dozen 
  aged 
  male 
  skulls 
  ranges 
  

   from 
  500 
  to 
  600 
  mm., 
  but 
  the 
  usual 
  range 
  of 
  variation 
  is 
  between 
  500 
  and 
  

   550 
  mm. 
  The 
  extremes 
  in 
  breadth 
  are 
  240 
  and 
  280 
  mm., 
  ranging 
  usually 
  

   between 
  240 
  and 
  275 
  mm. 
  The 
  lower 
  jaw 
  varies 
  in 
  length 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   series 
  from 
  400 
  to 
  420 
  mm. 
  5 
  the 
  nasals 
  from 
  194 
  to 
  204 
  mm. 
  ; 
  the 
  born-cores 
  

   from 
  180 
  to 
  215 
  mm. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  alveolar 
  space 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  molars 
  

   varies 
  from 
  138 
  to 
  154 
  mm. 
  ; 
  of 
  the 
  lower, 
  from 
  148 
  to 
  165 
  mm. 
  The 
  varia- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  alveolar 
  space 
  in 
  the 
  females 
  overlaps 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  males, 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  molar 
  series 
  ranging 
  from 
  145 
  to 
  

   158 
  mm., 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  molar 
  series 
  from 
  136 
  to 
  152 
  mm. 
  It 
  thus 
  

   appears 
  that 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  teeth 
  the 
  sexual 
  difference 
  is 
  

   not 
  very 
  great, 
  — 
  far 
  less 
  than 
  that 
  between 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  and 
  

   skeleton. 
  

  

  The 
  individual 
  variation 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  horns 
  themselves, 
  in 
  size 
  

   and 
  direction 
  of 
  curvature, 
  is 
  well 
  worthy 
  of 
  special 
  notice. 
  Of 
  two 
  

   malesof 
  nearly 
  corresponding 
  ages, 
  one 
  has 
  horn-cores 
  measuring 
  220 
  mm. 
  

   in 
  length, 
  the 
  other 
  only 
  146 
  mm. 
  The 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  circumference 
  at 
  

   the 
  base 
  ranges 
  from 
  235 
  to 
  300 
  mm. 
  In 
  respect 
  to 
  curvature, 
  the 
  horns 
  

   are 
  sometimes 
  gently 
  curved 
  the 
  whole 
  length, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  abruptly 
  

   bent 
  upward 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  basal 
  third. 
  They 
  also 
  vary 
  greatly 
  in 
  size 
  

   in 
  individuals 
  of 
  corresponding 
  ages. 
  The 
  difference 
  in 
  these 
  respects 
  

   between 
  different 
  individuals 
  of 
  Bison 
  americanus 
  is 
  hence 
  much 
  greater 
  

   than 
  the 
  average 
  difference 
  between 
  B. 
  americanus 
  and 
  B. 
  honasus. 
  

  

  tSynonymy 
  and 
  Novienclature. 
  — 
  The 
  first 
  systematic 
  name 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  

   American 
  bison 
  under 
  the 
  binomial 
  system 
  of 
  nomenclature 
  was 
  Bos 
  

   americanus, 
  given 
  it 
  by 
  Gmelin 
  in 
  1788, 
  the 
  specific 
  name 
  being 
  evi- 
  

   dently 
  adopted 
  from 
  Catesby, 
  who 
  in 
  1743 
  called 
  it 
  Bison 
  americanus, 
  as 
  

   did 
  also 
  Brisson 
  two 
  years 
  later. 
  By 
  this 
  specific 
  name, 
  coupled 
  with 
  

   the 
  generic 
  appellation 
  of 
  either 
  Bos 
  or 
  Bison, 
  it 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  almost 
  

   universally 
  known, 
  a 
  few 
  very 
  conservative 
  naturalists 
  having 
  always 
  

   regarded 
  it 
  as 
  either 
  merely 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  aurochs 
  or 
  as 
  absolutely 
  

   identical 
  with 
  it. 
  It 
  hence 
  forms 
  almost 
  the 
  only 
  exception 
  among 
  

   North 
  American 
  mammals 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  that 
  has 
  never 
  had 
  a 
  prominent 
  

   synonym. 
  Hernandez 
  refers 
  to 
  it 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Taurus 
  mexicanus, 
  

   but 
  Hernandez 
  wrote 
  long 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  the 
  binomial 
  

   system 
  of 
  nomenclature, 
  as 
  did 
  also 
  Nieremburg, 
  who 
  called 
  it 
  Taurus 
  

   quivircnsis, 
  so 
  that 
  these 
  names 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  regarded 
  as 
  having 
  a 
  

   claim 
  to 
  priority. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  Spanish 
  colonists 
  the 
  American 
  bison 
  was 
  commonly 
  known 
  

   under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Cibola, 
  but 
  some 
  Spanish 
  writers 
  speak 
  of 
  it 
  under 
  

   the 
  name 
  Bisonte, 
  while 
  De 
  Laet 
  and 
  others 
  called 
  it 
  Armenia. 
  Bccuf 
  

   sa-uvagc 
  was 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  it 
  by 
  Du 
  Pratz, 
  though 
  often 
  also 
  called 
  

   Bujffle, 
  Vache 
  saiivage, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  Bison 
  cVAmerique, 
  by 
  the 
  early 
  

  

  