414 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 18»7. 



dividuals were wounded and brought to bay at close quarters, their 

 hair was so clean and well-kept, that more than once I was led to ex- 

 claim : " He looks as if he had just been combed." 



It must be remarked, however, that the long hair of the head and 

 fore quarters is disposed in locks or tufts, and to comb it in reality 

 would utterly destroy its natural and characteristic appearance. 



Inasmuch as the pelage of the domesticated bison, the only represen- 

 tatives of the species which will be found alive ten years hence, will in 

 all likelihood develop differently from that of the wild animal, it may 

 some time in the future be of interest to know the length, by careful 

 measurement, of the hair found on carefully-selected typical wild speci- 

 mens. To this end the following measurements are given. It must be 

 borne in mind that these specimens were not chosen because their 

 pelage was particularly luxuriant, but rather because they are fine 

 average specimens. 



The hair of the adult bull is by no means as long as I have seen on a 

 bison, although perhaps not many have greatly surpassed it. It is 

 with the lower animals as with man — the length of the hairy covering 

 is an individual character only. I have in my possession a tuft of hair, 

 from the frontlet of a rather small bull bison, which measures 22£ inches 

 in length. The beard on the specimen from which this came was cor- 

 respondingly long, and the entire pelage was of wonderful length and 

 density. 



Length of the hair of Bison ameeicanus. 



[Measurements, in inches, of the pelage of the specimens composing the group in the National Museum. ] 



Old hull, 



Old cow, 



killed 



killed 



Dec. 6. 



Nov. 18. 



3| 



H 



64 



7 



2 



14 



11 



li 



16 



84 



"4 



94 



8 



84 



104 



8 



19 



15 



Spike 



hull, 



killed 



Oct. 14. 



Young 



Yearling 



cow, 



calf, 



killed 



killed 



Oct. 14. 



Oct. 31. 



3i 



3 



54 



44 



14 



2£ 



I 



2 



5 



34 



a 



5 







5 



44 



3 



13 



74 



Young 

 calf, 

 four 



months 

 old. 



Length of hair on the shoulder (over scapula) 



Length of hair on top of hump 



Length of hair on the middle of the side 



Length of hair on the hind quarter 



Length of hair on the forehead 



Length of the chin heard 



Length of the breast tuft , 



Length of tuft on fore leg 



Length of the tail tuft 



14 



2 



H 



l 



4 

 o 



3 



14 



44 



Albinism. — Cases of albinism in the buffalo were of extremely rare 

 occurrence. I have met many old buffalo hunters, who had killed thou- 

 sands and seen scores of thousands of buffaloes, yet never had seen a 

 white one. From all accounts it appears that not over ten or eleven 

 white buffaloes, or white buffalo skins, were ever seen by white men. 

 Pied individuals were occasionally obtained, but even they were rare. 

 Albino buffaloes were always so highly prized that not a single one, so 

 far as I can learn, ever had the good fortune to attain adult size, their 

 appearance being so striking, in contrast with the other members of 

 the herd, as to draw upon them an unusual number of enemies, and 

 cause their speedy destruction. 



