﻿ALLEN.] 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  IN 
  BRITISH 
  AMERICA. 
  549 
  

  

  few 
  references 
  to 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  and 
  ^dds 
  nothing 
  of 
  much 
  importance 
  to 
  

   our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  its 
  distribution. 
  He 
  speaks, 
  however, 
  of 
  their 
  occur- 
  

   rence 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  west 
  of 
  Fort 
  EUice, 
  and 
  of 
  meeting 
  with 
  large 
  herds 
  

   between 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  Saskatchewan. 
  He 
  also 
  

   met 
  with 
  their 
  recent 
  remains 
  near 
  Old 
  Bow 
  Fort, 
  on 
  the 
  South 
  Sas- 
  

   katchewan, 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains. 
  " 
  The 
  plains," 
  he 
  

   says, 
  " 
  are 
  all 
  strewn 
  with 
  skulls 
  and 
  other 
  vestiges 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  

   which 
  came 
  up 
  this 
  river 
  last 
  year 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  They 
  were 
  once 
  

   common 
  in 
  the 
  mountains. 
  At 
  the 
  Kootanie 
  Plain 
  I 
  observed 
  some 
  

   of 
  their 
  wallowing 
  places, 
  and 
  even 
  so 
  high 
  as 
  a 
  secluded 
  little 
  lake 
  near 
  

   where 
  the 
  horses 
  were 
  taken 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  ice 
  bank 
  1 
  saw 
  traces 
  of 
  them. 
  

   They 
  are 
  now 
  rapidly 
  disappearing 
  everywhere.'' 
  A 
  few 
  were 
  also 
  seen 
  

   near 
  the 
  Touchwood 
  Hills, 
  west 
  of 
  Fort 
  Pelly, 
  in 
  November, 
  which 
  was 
  

   about 
  the 
  most 
  easterly 
  point 
  at 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  seen. 
  * 
  

  

  Mr. 
  B. 
  R. 
  Ross, 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  in 
  the 
  far 
  north 
  

   in 
  1861, 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  "strong 
  wood 
  variety 
  comes 
  so 
  far 
  north 
  and 
  

   east 
  as 
  about 
  twenty 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Little 
  Buffalo 
  River, 
  

   near 
  Fort 
  Resolution, 
  Great 
  Slave 
  Lake." 
  He 
  adds 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  

   " 
  most 
  numerously 
  iu 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  salt 
  plains 
  of 
  Salt 
  River. 
  It 
  is 
  

   unknown 
  throughout 
  the 
  country 
  inhabited 
  by 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  Sclave 
  tribes, 
  

   and 
  the 
  point 
  mentioned 
  above 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  its 
  farthest 
  limits. 
  

   It 
  is 
  of 
  larger 
  size 
  than 
  the 
  plain 
  variety, 
  of 
  darker 
  color, 
  and 
  more 
  

   thickly 
  furred. 
  The 
  Ohipewyaus 
  eat 
  its 
  flesh, 
  and 
  make 
  robes 
  and 
  parch- 
  

   ment 
  from 
  the 
  hides." 
  From 
  its 
  scarcity, 
  however, 
  he 
  adds 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  

   not 
  contribute 
  materially 
  to 
  their 
  needs.t 
  

  

  Captain 
  W. 
  F. 
  Butler, 
  writing 
  iu 
  1872, 
  thus 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  

   the 
  Touchwood 
  Hills: 
  ''This 
  region 
  bears 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Touchwood 
  

   Hills. 
  Around 
  it, 
  far 
  into 
  endless 
  space, 
  stretch 
  immense 
  plains 
  of 
  bare 
  

   and 
  scanty 
  vegetation, 
  plains 
  scored 
  with 
  the 
  tracks 
  of 
  countless 
  buf- 
  

   falo, 
  which, 
  until 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago, 
  were 
  wont 
  to 
  roam 
  in 
  vast 
  herds 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  Assinniboine 
  and 
  the 
  Saskatchewan. 
  Upon 
  whatever 
  side 
  the 
  

   eye 
  turns 
  when 
  crossing 
  these 
  great 
  expanses, 
  the 
  same 
  wrecks 
  of 
  the 
  

   monarch 
  of 
  the 
  prairie 
  lie 
  thickly 
  strewn 
  over 
  the 
  surface. 
  Hundreds 
  

   of 
  thousands 
  of 
  skeletons 
  dot 
  the 
  short, 
  scant 
  grass 
  ; 
  and 
  when 
  Are 
  

   hiis 
  laid 
  barer 
  still 
  the 
  level 
  surface 
  the 
  bleached 
  ribs 
  and 
  skulls 
  of 
  

   long-killed 
  bison 
  whiten 
  far 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  dark 
  burnt 
  prairie." 
  t 
  

  

  Captain 
  Butler 
  crossed 
  the 
  plains 
  from 
  Fort 
  Ellice 
  in 
  a 
  northwest 
  

   direction 
  to 
  Fort 
  Carlton 
  (Carlton 
  House), 
  and 
  journeyed 
  thence 
  up 
  the 
  

   North 
  Saskatchewan 
  River 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains; 
  but 
  

   he 
  seems 
  not 
  to 
  have 
  met 
  with 
  any 
  living 
  buffalo 
  throughout 
  his 
  jour- 
  

   ney. 
  He 
  again 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  vast 
  diminution 
  the 
  buffalo 
  has 
  undergone, 
  

   and 
  mentions 
  the 
  wholesale 
  slaughter 
  formerly 
  practised 
  by 
  the 
  Cree 
  

   Indians 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  Saskatchewan, 
  and 
  describes 
  a 
  hunt 
  he 
  

   himself 
  participated 
  in 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Nebraska. 
  Referring 
  to 
  the 
  

   rapidity 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  buffalo 
  is 
  vanishing 
  from 
  the 
  " 
  great 
  central 
  

   prairie 
  hind," 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  Far 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  forests 
  of 
  the 
  Athabasca 
  a 
  

   few 
  buffaloes 
  may 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  bid 
  defiance 
  to 
  man, 
  but 
  they, 
  too, 
  must 
  

   disappear, 
  and 
  nothing 
  be 
  left 
  of 
  this 
  giant 
  beast 
  save 
  the 
  bones 
  that 
  

   for 
  many 
  an 
  age 
  will 
  whiten 
  the 
  prairies 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  great 
  herds 
  

   roamed 
  at 
  will 
  in 
  times 
  before 
  the 
  white 
  man 
  came."§ 
  

  

  Captain 
  Butler, 
  in 
  a 
  later 
  work, 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  buffaloes 
  

  

  * 
  Ibicl.,pp. 
  f>2, 
  iia4, 
  30G. 
  

  

  t 
  " 
  An 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  Animals 
  useful, 
  in 
  an 
  economic 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  

   Cbipewvan 
  Tribes." 
  Can. 
  Nat. 
  and 
  Geol., 
  Vol. 
  VI, 
  Dec, 
  1861, 
  p. 
  440. 
  

   t 
  Tbe 
  Great 
  Lone 
  Land, 
  p. 
  217, 
  1863. 
  

   $ 
  The 
  Great 
  Lone 
  Land, 
  pp. 
  315, 
  320. 
  

  

  