﻿476 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  continent 
  of 
  America, 
  from 
  the 
  twenty-eighlli 
  to 
  the 
  fiftieth 
  degree 
  of 
  

   north 
  latitude, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  to 
  the 
  Kocky 
  

   Mountains,"* 
  and 
  also 
  cites 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  supposed 
  references 
  to 
  its 
  oc- 
  

   currence 
  in 
  Newfoundland, 
  New 
  England, 
  and 
  Virginia. 
  Professor 
  

   Baird, 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  1857, 
  also 
  states 
  as 
  follows: 
  "The 
  American 
  buffalo 
  

   was 
  formerly 
  found 
  throughout 
  the 
  entire 
  eastern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  to 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  Florida."t 
  

  

  Region 
  North 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  — 
  Various 
  writers 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  sixteenth 
  and 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  seventeenth 
  centuries 
  speak 
  

   also 
  of 
  its 
  occurrence 
  in 
  Canada, 
  New 
  England, 
  Virginia, 
  the 
  Carolinas, 
  

   and 
  Florida; 
  but 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  countries 
  then 
  embraced 
  regions 
  of 
  in- 
  

   definite 
  extent 
  to 
  the 
  westward, 
  and 
  thus 
  often 
  (as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  Canada 
  

   and 
  Florida, 
  certainly) 
  did 
  in 
  those 
  early 
  times 
  include 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   range 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo. 
  But 
  upon 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  writings 
  of 
  

   these 
  authors 
  I 
  have 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  single 
  mention 
  of 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  

   this 
  animal 
  within 
  the 
  present 
  limits 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  New 
  England, 
  Can- 
  

   ada, 
  or 
  Florida 
  that 
  will 
  bear 
  a 
  critical 
  examination. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  

   in 
  a 
  score 
  or 
  more 
  distinct 
  enumerations 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  of 
  Virgina 
  and 
  

   New 
  England, 
  made 
  prior 
  to 
  1650, 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  allusion 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  

   buffalo 
  as 
  existing 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  slope, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Carolinas, 
  although 
  

   all 
  the 
  other 
  larger 
  mammals 
  are 
  mentioned, 
  and 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  with 
  sufQcient 
  detail 
  to 
  render 
  them 
  unquestionably 
  recognizable.l 
  

  

  * 
  Marcy's 
  Exploration 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  River, 
  p. 
  103, 
  1853. 
  

  

  t 
  Mammals 
  of 
  N. 
  America, 
  p. 
  684. 
  See 
  also 
  Patent-Oafice 
  Report, 
  Agricultural, 
  1851- 
  

   '52, 
  p. 
  124, 
  1852. 
  

  

  X 
  A 
  few 
  of 
  these 
  general 
  notices, 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  sources, 
  but 
  largely 
  from 
  

   Hakluyt's 
  and 
  Purchas's 
  collections 
  of 
  voyages, 
  are 
  appended 
  as 
  examples 
  of 
  their 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  character 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  James 
  Cartier, 
  or 
  Jacques 
  Carthier, 
  in 
  1534, 
  reported 
  " 
  great 
  store 
  of 
  wilde 
  beasts, 
  as 
  

   Faunes, 
  Stags, 
  Beares, 
  Marternes, 
  Hares 
  and 
  Foxes, 
  with 
  divers 
  other 
  sorte," 
  on 
  the 
  

   St. 
  Lawrence, 
  but 
  mentions 
  no 
  other 
  large 
  animals 
  — 
  nothing 
  like 
  the 
  buftalo 
  — 
  in 
  his 
  

   several 
  distinct 
  enumerations 
  of 
  the 
  "beasts." 
  — 
  Hakluyt, 
  Voyages, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  pp. 
  231- 
  

   290. 
  

  

  Sir 
  Francis 
  Roberaul, 
  in 
  his 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  voyage 
  up 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  in 
  1542, 
  says 
  

   of 
  the 
  Indians 
  : 
  " 
  They 
  feed 
  also 
  of 
  Stagges, 
  wild 
  Bores, 
  Bugles, 
  Porkespynes, 
  and 
  store 
  

   of 
  other 
  wild 
  beastes." 
  — 
  Hakluyt, 
  Vol. 
  HI, 
  p. 
  290. 
  

  

  In 
  Harlot's 
  account 
  of 
  Virginia, 
  written 
  in 
  1587, 
  he 
  enumerates 
  among 
  the 
  beasts, 
  

   " 
  Deere," 
  "Conies," 
  " 
  Saquenuckot, 
  and 
  Maquowoc, 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  small 
  beasts, 
  greater 
  

   than 
  Couies, 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  good 
  meat," 
  " 
  Squirels 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  Beares," 
  and 
  adds 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  

   the 
  names 
  of 
  eight 
  and 
  twenty 
  severall 
  sorts 
  of 
  beasts, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  of 
  to 
  be 
  

   here 
  and 
  there 
  dispersed 
  in 
  the 
  countrey, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  maine: 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  are 
  

   only 
  twelve 
  kinds 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  yet 
  discovered, 
  and 
  of 
  those 
  that 
  be 
  good 
  meat 
  we 
  

   know 
  only 
  them 
  before 
  mentioned." 
  — 
  Hakluyt, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  p. 
  333. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Report 
  of 
  Gosnold's 
  Voyage 
  (1602) 
  to 
  Northern 
  Virginia 
  are 
  enumerated 
  

   " 
  Deere 
  in 
  great 
  store, 
  very 
  great 
  and 
  large 
  : 
  Beares, 
  Luzernes, 
  blacke 
  Foxes, 
  Beavers, 
  

   Otters, 
  Wilde-eats, 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  great, 
  Dogs 
  like 
  Foxes, 
  blacke 
  and 
  sharpe-nosed 
  ; 
  

   Conies."— 
  PuRCHAS, 
  Pilgrims, 
  Vol. 
  IV, 
  p. 
  1653. 
  

  

  Martin 
  Pring, 
  in 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  voyage 
  (made 
  in 
  1603), 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  "Beasts" 
  

   of 
  Northern 
  Virginia, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  " 
  We 
  saw 
  here 
  also 
  sundry 
  sorts 
  of 
  Beasts, 
  as 
  Stags,. 
  

   Deere, 
  Beares, 
  Wolves, 
  Foxes, 
  Lusernes, 
  and 
  Dogges 
  with 
  sharpe 
  noses." 
  Again, 
  he 
  

   says 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  Beasts 
  here 
  are 
  Stags, 
  fallow 
  Deere 
  in 
  abundance, 
  Beares, 
  Wolves, 
  Foxes, 
  

   Lusernes 
  [Raccoons], 
  and 
  (some 
  say) 
  Tygres, 
  Porcupines, 
  and 
  Dogges 
  with 
  sharpe 
  and 
  

   long 
  noses, 
  with 
  many 
  other 
  sorts 
  of 
  wild 
  beasts, 
  whose 
  Cases 
  and 
  Furres 
  being 
  here- 
  

   after 
  purchased 
  by 
  exchange 
  may 
  yeeld 
  no 
  small 
  gaine 
  to 
  us." 
  — 
  Purchas, 
  Vol. 
  IV, 
  

   pp. 
  1654, 
  1656. 
  

  

  In 
  James 
  Rosier's 
  account 
  of 
  a 
  voyage 
  made 
  by 
  Captain 
  George 
  Waymouth, 
  in 
  1605, 
  

   to 
  Virginia, 
  we 
  find, 
  in 
  his 
  enumeration 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  the 
  following: 
  

   " 
  Beassts. 
  Deere 
  red 
  and 
  fallow, 
  Beare, 
  Wolfe, 
  Beaver, 
  Otter, 
  Conie, 
  Marterns, 
  Sables, 
  || 
  

   Hogs, 
  Porkespines, 
  Polcats, 
  Cats, 
  wild 
  great, 
  Dogs 
  some 
  like 
  Foxes, 
  some 
  like 
  our 
  other 
  r 
  

   beasts 
  the 
  Savages 
  signe 
  unto 
  us 
  with 
  homes 
  and 
  broad 
  eares, 
  which 
  we 
  take 
  to 
  be 
  

   Olkes 
  or 
  Loshes." 
  (Purchas, 
  Vol. 
  IV, 
  p. 
  1667.) 
  The 
  locality 
  here 
  referred 
  to 
  more 
  

   j)articularly 
  was 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  River, 
  Virginia 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  including 
  

   the 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  explored. 
  

  

  Captain 
  John 
  Smith, 
  in 
  his 
  Description 
  of 
  VirgiuiA, 
  published 
  in 
  1606, 
  says 
  : 
  "Of 
  ; 
  

  

  