﻿ALLEN] 
  FORMER 
  GEOGRAPHICAL 
  DISTRIBUTION. 
  479 
  

  

  Id 
  the 
  narrative 
  of 
  the 
  travels 
  of 
  David 
  iDgram 
  froca 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  

   I^Iexico 
  to 
  Cape 
  Breton, 
  in 
  Il^ova 
  Scotia, 
  made 
  in 
  1568-69, 
  are 
  unques- 
  

   tionable 
  references 
  to 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  evidence 
  of 
  its 
  existence 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  slope, 
  but 
  the 
  whole 
  

   narrative 
  is 
  full 
  of 
  exaggerations 
  and 
  fanciful 
  descriptions 
  of 
  mythical 
  

   things 
  and 
  scenes, 
  while 
  the 
  localities 
  are 
  wholly 
  vague. 
  The 
  account 
  

   speaks, 
  for 
  instance, 
  of 
  " 
  great 
  plentye 
  of 
  Buffes 
  .... 
  w*'^ 
  are 
  

   Beastes 
  as 
  bigge 
  as 
  twoe 
  Oxen 
  in 
  length 
  almost 
  twentye 
  i'oote, 
  havinge 
  

   longe 
  eares 
  like 
  a 
  blud<le 
  hownde 
  w*^' 
  long 
  heares 
  about 
  there 
  eares, 
  ther 
  

   homes 
  be 
  Crooked 
  like 
  Rames 
  homes, 
  ther 
  eyes 
  blacke, 
  there 
  heares 
  

   longe 
  blacke, 
  rough 
  and 
  bagged 
  as 
  a 
  Goate, 
  the 
  Hydes 
  of 
  these 
  Beastes 
  

   are 
  solde 
  verye 
  deare. 
  These 
  Beastes 
  doe 
  keepe 
  Company 
  only 
  by 
  

   couples 
  a 
  male 
  and 
  a 
  female 
  and 
  doe 
  always 
  tighte 
  w^'^ 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  kynde."* 
  

  

  The 
  account 
  also 
  says, 
  " 
  He 
  did 
  alsoe 
  see 
  in 
  that 
  Country 
  e 
  boathe 
  

   Elephantes 
  and 
  Uunces. 
  He 
  did 
  also 
  see 
  one 
  other 
  straunge 
  Beaste 
  

   bigger 
  than 
  a 
  Beare, 
  yt 
  had 
  nether 
  heade 
  nor 
  necke, 
  his 
  eyes 
  and 
  mouthe 
  

   weare 
  in 
  his 
  brest." 
  It 
  also 
  describes 
  " 
  redd 
  Sheepe 
  " 
  which 
  lived 
  in 
  

   herds 
  of 
  five 
  hundred 
  individuals. 
  Since 
  Ingram's 
  route 
  doubtless 
  took 
  

   him 
  through 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  the 
  above-quoted 
  

   description 
  of 
  " 
  Buffes" 
  may 
  refer 
  to 
  that 
  animal, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  

   to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  locality 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  slope. 
  

  

  Cows 
  also 
  are 
  innumerable, 
  and 
  oxen 
  suitable 
  for 
  bearing 
  burdens 
  or 
  for 
  food 
  ; 
  besides 
  

   five 
  otber 
  kinds 
  of 
  large 
  beasts 
  unknown 
  to 
  us, 
  which 
  our 
  neighbors 
  admit 
  to 
  their 
  

   table. 
  Sheej) 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  hence 
  or 
  from 
  the 
  Canaries 
  ; 
  asses 
  also, 
  and 
  mules 
  

   and 
  horses. 
  The 
  neighboring 
  forests 
  are 
  full 
  of 
  wild 
  bulls 
  and 
  heifers, 
  of 
  which 
  five 
  

   hundred 
  or 
  six 
  hundred 
  thousand 
  are 
  annually 
  carried 
  to 
  Saville 
  from 
  that 
  part 
  which 
  

   lies 
  towards 
  New 
  Mexico. 
  As 
  many 
  deer 
  as 
  you 
  wish 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  neigh- 
  

   ing 
  people. 
  Add 
  to 
  this 
  muskrats, 
  rabbits, 
  beavers, 
  badgers, 
  and 
  martens, 
  not 
  how- 
  

   ever 
  destructive, 
  as 
  with 
  us, 
  to 
  eggs 
  and 
  hens." 
  — 
  A 
  Relation 
  of 
  the 
  Colony 
  of 
  the 
  Lord 
  

   Baron 
  of 
  Baltimore, 
  in 
  Maryland, 
  near 
  Virginia, 
  ^-o. 
  (Force's 
  Coll. 
  Hist. 
  Tracts, 
  Vol. 
  IV, 
  

   No. 
  12, 
  pp. 
  6, 
  7.) 
  

  

  In 
  "A 
  Perfect 
  Description 
  of 
  Virginia," 
  printed 
  in 
  London 
  in 
  1649, 
  is 
  given 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  

   " 
  Beasts, 
  great 
  and 
  small 
  as 
  followeth 
  : 
  above 
  20 
  several! 
  kinds," 
  including 
  all 
  the 
  larger 
  

   species, 
  but 
  no 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  buff'alo. 
  — 
  Force's 
  Coll. 
  Hist. 
  Tracts, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  No. 
  

   8, 
  p. 
  16. 
  

  

  In 
  an 
  "Account 
  of 
  Virginia 
  in 
  General!, 
  but 
  particularly 
  Carolana, 
  which 
  comprehends 
  

   Boanoak 
  and 
  the 
  southern 
  j)arts 
  of 
  Virginia," 
  printed 
  in 
  1650, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  " 
  Nor 
  is 
  the 
  

   Land 
  any 
  lesse 
  provided 
  of 
  native 
  Flesh, 
  Elkes 
  bigger 
  then 
  Oxen, 
  whose 
  hide 
  is 
  ad- 
  

   mirable 
  Buff^e, 
  flesh 
  excellent, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  made,if 
  kept 
  domesticke, 
  as 
  useful 
  for 
  draught 
  

   and 
  carriage 
  as 
  Oxen. 
  Deere 
  in 
  a 
  numerous 
  abundance, 
  and 
  delicate 
  Venison, 
  Racoones, 
  

   Hares, 
  Conyes, 
  Bevers, 
  Squirrel], 
  Beares, 
  all 
  of 
  a 
  delightfull 
  nourishment 
  for 
  food, 
  and 
  

   their 
  Furre's 
  rich, 
  warme, 
  and 
  convenient 
  for 
  clothing 
  and 
  Merchandise." 
  — 
  Force's 
  

   Coll. 
  Hist. 
  Tracts, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  No. 
  11, 
  pp. 
  11, 
  12. 
  

  

  Clayton, 
  in 
  his 
  very 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  products 
  of 
  Virginia, 
  written 
  in 
  

   1688, 
  says, 
  "There 
  were 
  neither 
  Horses, 
  Bulls, 
  Cows, 
  Sheep, 
  or 
  Swine, 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  Country, 
  

   before 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  English, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  heard, 
  and 
  have 
  much 
  reason 
  to 
  believe. 
  

   . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Wild 
  Bulls 
  and 
  Cows 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  uninhabited 
  Parts, 
  but 
  such 
  only 
  

   as 
  have 
  been 
  bred 
  from 
  some 
  that 
  have 
  strayed, 
  and 
  become 
  wild, 
  and 
  have 
  propagated 
  

   their 
  kmd, 
  and 
  are 
  difficult 
  to 
  be 
  shot, 
  having 
  a 
  great 
  Acuteness 
  of 
  Smelling." 
  — 
  Force's 
  

   Coll. 
  Hist. 
  Tracts, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  No. 
  12, 
  p. 
  35. 
  

  

  This 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  inference 
  that 
  the 
  frequent 
  allusions 
  to 
  tvild 
  hulls 
  and 
  wild 
  coics 
  in 
  

   the 
  early 
  accounts 
  of 
  Virginia, 
  etc., 
  often 
  really 
  refer 
  to 
  domestic 
  cattle 
  that 
  had 
  run 
  

   wild. 
  

  

  Many 
  citations 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  character 
  might 
  be 
  added, 
  containing 
  curious 
  and 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  tlescriptions 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  beasts," 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  enumerations 
  include 
  the 
  buff'alo. 
  

   As 
  these 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  and 
  its 
  products 
  were 
  mostly 
  prepared 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  encouraging 
  emigration, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  presumable 
  that 
  so 
  important 
  an 
  animal 
  

   as 
  the 
  buffalo 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  omitted 
  if 
  these 
  early 
  writers 
  had 
  ever 
  heard 
  of 
  it 
  as 
  

   existing 
  in 
  any 
  pari 
  of 
  the 
  countries 
  they 
  describe. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  Land 
  Travels 
  of 
  David 
  Ingram 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  the 
  years 
  1568-'6'J. 
  From 
  the 
  Rio 
  

   de 
  Minas 
  in 
  the 
  Gulph 
  of 
  Mexico 
  to 
  Cape 
  Breton 
  in 
  Acadia. 
  Edited 
  from 
  the 
  original 
  

   MS. 
  (Sloaue 
  MSS., 
  Mus. 
  Brit., 
  No. 
  1447, 
  ff. 
  1-18) 
  by 
  P. 
  C. 
  J. 
  Weston, 
  in 
  Doc. 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  Hist, 
  of 
  S. 
  Carolina. 
  London, 
  1856, 
  p. 
  14. 
  

  

  