62 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of Ethnology, 



Washington, D. C, April 14, 1887. 



Dear Sir : After having made two visits especially to examine the buffalo bull 

 which you recently secured from the West, and the mounting of which you have just 

 about completed, I beg to freely express my opinion in regard to the same ; that is, 

 as to the general correctness of the attitude, shape, and appearance of the specimen. 

 At first sight I would say that it appears too full about the rump ; in the next place 

 the specimen appeared somewhat lengthy, and the vertebral ridge does not seem 

 quite prominent or sharp enough, especially to the rear of the loins. I think, how- 

 ever, as to the criticism first expressed, after a closer examination of the robe or coat, 

 it is quite evident that the auimal was in an unusually fleshy condition, as the coat- 

 ing of hair is the finest and heaviest I ever saw on a bull, either young or old, and this 

 quite satisfactorily accounts for the fullness of the rump and the hind quarters. As 

 to the second question, that is the length, I find upon examination of over two hun- 

 dred measurements of buffalo bulls made by myself both before and subsequent to the 

 war, when buffalo were counted by the millions, and the best specimens were avail- 

 able, that your specimen is as nearly correct in every respect as it is possible to make 

 it. I find also upon examination that the profusion of wool along the back fully 

 accounts for the apparent defect in the prominence of the backbone. 



On general principles I would say from an extensive personal experience in skin- 

 ning buffalo and preparing and mounting specimens during a period of many years, 

 when the entire northern and western parts of our country were roamed over by vast 

 herds of buffalo, that you have been most fortunate in securing one of the finest, if 

 not the finest, specimen I ever saw, almost perfect in every respect, and in my opinion 

 beyond criticism in the completeness of mounting, anatomical appearance, and nat- 

 uralness of attitude. 



I do not think that any one could safely venture to criticise any feature of the speci- 

 men referred to who has not killed, measured, and mounted specimens themselves. 

 Very respectfully, etc., 



James Stevenson. 



William T. Hornaday, Esq.? 



Taxidermist, TJ. S. National Museum. 



A full account of these expeditions is given in a special paper pre- 

 pared by Mr. Hornaday and published in Section in of this report. 



Mr. 0. G. Pringle, an accomplished botanist, went to northern Mexico 

 under the auspices of Harvard University and the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution for the purpose of securing botanical and general natural history 

 collections. 



Dr. T. H. Bean, on a cruise in the U. S. Fish Commission steamer 

 Albatross, investigated the movements of the "southern mackerel." 



A party sent out by the TJ. S. Geological Survey to make explora- 

 tions in the Upper Mississippi Valley was accompanied by Dr. E. R. 

 Gurley, of the Museum, who went for the purpose of securing additional 

 material for the collection of Cambrian fossils in the Museum. This 

 party left in June, and nothing has yet been heard as to the results of 

 Dr. Gurley's work. 



Through the courtesy of the Secretary of the Navy a valuable col- 

 lection of stone objects was obtained from Easter Island. A full ac- 

 count of this collection is given on pages 15-16. 



