Tlie Last of th^ Buffalo 



Spring the Government scout employed in 

 the Park sees one or more herds of these 

 buffalo ; and as such herds are usually made 

 up in part of young animals and have calves 

 with them, it is fair to assume that they 

 are steadily if slowly increasing. The 

 report of a trip made in January, 1892, 

 speaks of four herds seen in the Hayden 

 Valley, which numbered respectively 78, 

 50, 1 10, and 15. Besides these, a number 

 of single animals and of scattering groups 

 were seen at a distance, which would per- 

 haps bring the total number up to three 

 hundred. Of course, it is not to be sup- 

 posed that all the buffalo in the Park were 

 at that time collected in this one valley. 



In the far Northwest, in the Peace 

 River district, there may still be found 

 a few wood buffalo. Judging from re- 

 ports of them which occasionally reach us 

 from Indians and Hudson's Bay men, their 

 habits resemble those of the European 

 bison. They are seldom killed, and the 

 estimate of their numbers varies from five 

 hundred to fifteen hundred. This cannot 

 be other than the merest guess ; since they 

 are scattered over many thousand square 

 miles of territory which is without inhabi- 

 tants, and for the most part unexplored. 



On the great plains is still found the 

 259 



