﻿ALLEN.]! 
  STATISTICS 
  DELATING 
  TO 
  DESTRUCTION 
  OF 
  BUFFALO. 
  561 
  

  

  less 
  than 
  in 
  earlier 
  times, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  diminishing 
  with 
  fearful 
  rapidity. 
  

   Every 
  year 
  sees 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  change 
  in 
  this 
  respect, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  altera- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  their 
  great 
  line 
  of 
  travel. 
  .... 
  If 
  it 
  were 
  possible 
  to 
  enforce 
  

   game-laws, 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  laws 
  on 
  the 
  prairies, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  attach 
  

   the 
  most 
  stringent 
  penalties 
  against 
  the 
  barbarous 
  practice 
  of 
  killing 
  

   buffalo 
  merely 
  for 
  the 
  sport, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  for 
  the 
  tongues 
  alone. 
  Thou- 
  

   sands 
  are 
  killed 
  every 
  year 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  After 
  all, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  perhaps 
  

   the 
  Indian 
  himself 
  who 
  commits 
  the 
  mischief 
  most 
  wantonly."* 
  

  

  General 
  W. 
  F. 
  Eaynolds, 
  in 
  his 
  report 
  of 
  his 
  Exploration 
  of 
  the 
  Yellow- 
  

   stone 
  in 
  1859 
  and 
  1860, 
  thus 
  refers 
  to 
  this 
  matter:! 
  "And 
  here 
  I 
  would 
  

   remark, 
  that 
  the 
  wholesale 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  that 
  

   should 
  receive 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  authorities. 
  It 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  /hnale 
  is 
  alone 
  valuable 
  for 
  robes. 
  The 
  skin 
  of 
  

   the 
  male 
  over 
  three 
  years 
  old 
  is 
  never 
  used 
  for 
  that 
  purpose, 
  the 
  hair 
  on 
  

   the 
  hind 
  quarters 
  being 
  not 
  longer 
  than 
  that 
  on 
  a 
  horse, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  

   fore 
  quarters 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  inches. 
  The 
  skin 
  is 
  also 
  

   too 
  thick 
  and 
  heavy 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  anything 
  but 
  lodge 
  coverings, 
  while 
  

   the 
  flesh 
  is 
  coarse 
  and 
  unpalatable, 
  and 
  is 
  never 
  used 
  for 
  food 
  when 
  any 
  

   other 
  can 
  be 
  had. 
  The 
  result 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  females 
  are 
  always 
  singled 
  out 
  

   by 
  the 
  hunter, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  males 
  in 
  a 
  herd 
  always 
  exceed 
  the 
  

   females, 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  ten 
  to 
  one. 
  Another, 
  but 
  far 
  less 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  cause 
  of 
  their 
  extinction 
  is 
  the 
  immense 
  number 
  of 
  wolves 
  in 
  the 
  

   country, 
  which 
  destroy 
  the 
  young. 
  The 
  only 
  remedy 
  that 
  would 
  have 
  

   the 
  slightest 
  effect 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  prohibition 
  of 
  the 
  trade 
  of 
  

   buffalo-robes, 
  and 
  a 
  premium 
  upon 
  wolf-skins. 
  I 
  fear 
  it 
  is 
  too 
  late 
  for 
  

   even 
  this 
  remedy, 
  and 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  immense 
  herds 
  that 
  are 
  yet 
  

   to 
  be 
  found, 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  x>robable 
  that 
  another 
  generation 
  

   will 
  witness 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  extinction 
  of 
  this 
  noble 
  animal." 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  fifteen 
  years 
  that 
  have 
  passed 
  since 
  this 
  was 
  written, 
  the 
  

   wolves 
  have 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  measure 
  been 
  exterminated 
  over 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   buffalo 
  range, 
  but 
  something 
  far 
  more 
  fatal 
  to 
  the 
  buffalo 
  than 
  anything 
  

   then 
  known 
  — 
  the 
  railroad 
  — 
  hag 
  penetrated 
  its 
  range, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  

   females 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  still 
  slaughtered 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  recklessness 
  

   as 
  before, 
  the 
  old 
  bulls 
  have 
  of 
  late 
  been 
  hunted 
  with 
  almost 
  equal 
  

   eagerness. 
  

  

  Statistics 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  Destruction 
  of 
  the 
  Buffalo, 
  based 
  principally 
  on 
  

   the 
  Trade 
  in 
  Bohes. 
  — 
  Fremont, 
  in 
  1845, 
  published 
  some 
  statistics 
  fur- 
  

   nished 
  him 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Sanford, 
  a 
  partner 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Fur 
  Company, 
  

   respecting 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  robes 
  annually 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  Indians 
  by 
  

   the 
  diff'erent 
  fur 
  companies. 
  The 
  average 
  return 
  for 
  the 
  preceding 
  eight 
  

   or 
  ten 
  years 
  is 
  given 
  as 
  ninety 
  thousand 
  annually. 
  " 
  In 
  the 
  Northwest," 
  

   says 
  Mr. 
  Sanford, 
  " 
  the 
  Hudson's 
  Bay 
  Company 
  purchase 
  from 
  the 
  In- 
  

   dians 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  number 
  — 
  their 
  market 
  being 
  Canada, 
  to 
  which 
  

   the 
  cost 
  of 
  transportation 
  nearly 
  equals 
  the 
  produce 
  of 
  the 
  furs 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  only 
  within 
  a 
  very 
  recent 
  period 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  received 
  buffalo-robes 
  

   in 
  trade 
  ; 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  buffalo 
  annually 
  killed 
  through- 
  

   out 
  the 
  extensive 
  regions 
  inhabited 
  by 
  the 
  Camanches 
  and 
  other 
  kindred 
  

   tribes 
  [Texas, 
  the 
  Indian 
  Territory, 
  and 
  Kansas] 
  no 
  robes 
  whatever 
  are 
  

   furnished 
  for 
  trade. 
  During 
  only 
  four 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  (from 
  i^o- 
  

   vember 
  until 
  March) 
  the 
  skins 
  are 
  good 
  for 
  dressing 
  -, 
  those 
  obtained 
  in 
  

   the 
  remaining 
  eight 
  months 
  being 
  valueless 
  to 
  traders; 
  and 
  the 
  hides 
  

   . 
  of 
  bulls 
  are 
  never 
  taken 
  off 
  or 
  dressed 
  as 
  robes 
  at 
  any 
  season. 
  Proba- 
  

   bly 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  skins 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  animals 
  

   killed, 
  even 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  good 
  season, 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  preparing 
  and 
  

  

  " 
  ^ 
  Pat. 
  Off. 
  Rep., 
  Agricult., 
  1851-'52, 
  Part 
  II, 
  p. 
  125. 
  

  

  t 
  Exploration 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone, 
  p. 
  11, 
  published 
  in 
  18G8. 
  

  

  30 
  G 
  S 
  

  

  