﻿554 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  This 
  shows 
  with 
  the 
  utmost 
  certainty 
  what 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  destiny 
  of 
  this 
  

   former 
  " 
  monarch 
  of 
  the 
  prairies," 
  unless 
  rigidly 
  protected 
  by 
  legal 
  re- 
  

   strictions, 
  defining 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  seasons 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  animals 
  may 
  be 
  

   killed, 
  but 
  also 
  protecting 
  the 
  young 
  and 
  the 
  bearing 
  females. 
  At 
  the 
  

   present 
  time, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  heretofore, 
  those 
  animals 
  are 
  most 
  sought 
  after 
  

   on 
  which 
  the 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  the 
  race 
  depends, 
  — 
  the 
  young 
  animals 
  of 
  

   both 
  sexes 
  and 
  the 
  cows. 
  The 
  older 
  bulls 
  are 
  alike 
  generally 
  useless 
  both 
  

   to 
  the 
  Indian 
  and 
  the 
  white 
  hunter. 
  The 
  skins 
  of 
  cows 
  are 
  alone 
  used 
  

   by 
  the 
  Indians 
  in 
  furnishing 
  themselves 
  with 
  robes; 
  the 
  young 
  and 
  

   middle-aged 
  cows 
  are 
  regarded 
  as 
  especially 
  desirable 
  by 
  the 
  white 
  

   hunters, 
  since 
  they 
  aftbrd 
  the 
  best 
  meat 
  for 
  the 
  market, 
  although 
  along 
  

   with 
  them 
  are 
  killed 
  yearlings, 
  and 
  two- 
  and 
  three-year-olds 
  of 
  both 
  

   sexes; 
  but 
  bulls 
  older 
  than 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  years 
  are 
  not 
  generally 
  desired, 
  

   though 
  many 
  have 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  been 
  killed 
  merely 
  for 
  their 
  hides. 
  The 
  

   hunting 
  season 
  being 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  winter, 
  the 
  cows 
  are 
  then, 
  

   with 
  young, 
  and 
  thus 
  two 
  animals 
  are 
  killed 
  in 
  securing 
  one. 
  

  

  Recent 
  Destruction 
  of 
  the 
  Buffalo 
  in 
  Kansas. 
  — 
  Some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  havoc 
  

   recently 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  buffalo 
  in 
  Kansas 
  can 
  be 
  formed 
  from 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  well-attested 
  statements. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  At- 
  

   chison, 
  Topeka, 
  and 
  Santa 
  Fe 
  Eailroad 
  to 
  Dodge 
  City, 
  which 
  occurred 
  

   September 
  23, 
  1872, 
  the 
  principal 
  trade 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  consisted 
  in 
  the 
  

   "outfitting 
  of 
  hunters, 
  and 
  exchange 
  for 
  their 
  game." 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  

   hides 
  shipped 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  three 
  months, 
  beginning 
  with 
  this 
  date 
  

   (September 
  23), 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  43,029, 
  and 
  the 
  shipment 
  of 
  

   meat 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  1,436,290 
  pounds.* 
  The 
  forty-three 
  thousand 
  

   hides 
  of 
  course 
  represent 
  forty-three 
  thousand 
  dead 
  buffaloes, 
  and 
  the 
  

   one 
  million 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  pounds 
  of 
  meat 
  — 
  the 
  saddles 
  only 
  being 
  saved 
  — 
  

   represent 
  at 
  least 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  thousand 
  more, 
  making 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  

   fifty 
  thousand 
  killed 
  in 
  three 
  months. 
  The 
  same 
  authority 
  states 
  that 
  

   the 
  returns 
  for 
  the 
  January 
  following 
  exceeded 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  

   months 
  by 
  over 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  per 
  cent., 
  thus 
  making 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  buffaloes 
  killed 
  merely 
  "around 
  Fort 
  Dodge 
  and 
  the 
  neighborhood," 
  

   for 
  this 
  period 
  of 
  four 
  months, 
  exceed 
  one 
  hundred 
  thousand 
  ! 
  This, 
  too, 
  

   is 
  aside 
  from 
  those 
  killed 
  in 
  " 
  wanton 
  cruelty, 
  miscalled 
  sport, 
  and 
  for 
  

   food 
  for 
  the 
  frontier 
  residents." 
  

  

  Another 
  report 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  date, 
  referring 
  to 
  a 
  locality 
  about 
  

   one 
  hundred 
  miles 
  southeast 
  of 
  Fort 
  Dodge, 
  says 
  : 
  "Thousands 
  upon 
  

   thousands 
  of 
  buffalo 
  hides 
  are 
  being 
  brought 
  here 
  [Wichita, 
  Kansas] 
  by 
  

   hunters. 
  In 
  places 
  whole 
  acres 
  of 
  ground 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  their 
  hides, 
  

   spread 
  out, 
  with 
  their 
  fleshy 
  side 
  up, 
  to 
  dry. 
  It 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  there 
  

   are, 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Arkansas 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Wichita, 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  men 
  shooting 
  buffalo 
  for 
  their 
  hides 
  alone." 
  f 
  Another 
  aucountt 
  

   states 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1872-73 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  two 
  htindred 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  bulialoes 
  were 
  killed 
  in 
  Kansas 
  merely 
  for 
  their 
  hides. 
  § 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  

   stated 
  that 
  in 
  1874, 
  on 
  " 
  the 
  south 
  fork 
  of 
  the 
  Eepublican, 
  upon 
  one 
  

   spot, 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  counted 
  six 
  thousand 
  five 
  hundred 
  carcasses 
  of 
  buf- 
  

   faloes, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  hides 
  only 
  had 
  been 
  stripped. 
  The 
  meat 
  was 
  

   not 
  touched, 
  but 
  left 
  to 
  rot 
  on 
  the 
  plains. 
  At 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  hun- 
  

   dreds 
  more 
  of 
  carcasses 
  were 
  discov^ered, 
  and, 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  whole 
  plains 
  

   "were 
  dotted 
  with 
  the 
  putrefying 
  remains 
  of 
  buftaloes. 
  It 
  was 
  estimated 
  

  

  *ForL'st 
  and 
  Stream, 
  February, 
  1873. 
  

  

  t 
  Wichita 
  (Kansas) 
  Eaijle. 
  

  

  X 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream, 
  Oct. 
  15, 
  1873. 
  

  

  ^\ 
  Goncral 
  M. 
  C. 
  Meigs 
  iu 
  bis 
  MS. 
  notes 
  says 
  that 
  one 
  huudrecl 
  and 
  eigbty 
  thousand 
  

   hides 
  are 
  reported 
  to 
  bave 
  passed 
  over 
  tbe 
  Atcbisou, 
  Topeka, 
  and 
  Santa 
  ¥6 
  road 
  alone 
  

   iu 
  a 
  siuijle 
  season. 
  

  

  