436 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



Fortunately, enough facts and figures were recorded during the hunt- 

 ing operations of the Red Eiver half-breeds to enable us, by bringing 

 them all together, to calculate with sufficient exactitude the value of 

 the buffalo to them from 1820 to 1840. The result ought to be of inter- 

 est to all who think it is not worth while to spend money in preserving 

 our characteristic game animals. 



In Boss's "Bed River Settlement," pp. 242-273, and Schoolcraft's 

 "North American Indians," Part iv, pp. 101-110, are given detailed ac- 

 counts of the conduct and results of two hunting expeditions by the 

 half-breeds, with many valuable statistics. On this data we base our 

 calculation. 



Taking the result of one particular day's slaughter as an index to the 

 methods of the hunters in utilizing the products of the chase, we find 

 that while "not less than 2,500 animals were killed," out of that num- 

 ber only 375 bags of pemmican and 240 bales of dried meat were made. 

 "Now," says Mr. Ross, "making all due allowance for waste, 750 animals 

 would have been ample for such a result. What, then, we might ask, 

 became of the remaining 1,750? * * * Scarcely one-third in num- 

 ber of the animals killed is turned to account." 



A bundle of dried meat weighs GO to 70 pounds, and a bag of pem- 

 mican 100 to 110 pounds. If economically worked up, a whole buffalo 

 cow yields half a bag of pemmican (about 55 pounds) and three-fourths 

 of a bundle of dried meat (say 45 pounds). The most economical cal- 

 culate that from eight to ten cows are required to load a single Red 

 River cart. The proceeds of 1,776 cows once formed 228 bags of pem- 

 mican, 1,213 bales of dried meat, 166 sacks of tallow, each weighing 200 

 pounds, 556 bladders of marrow weighing 12 pounds each, and the 

 value of the whole was $8,160. The total of the above statement is 

 132,657 pounds of buffalo product for 1,776 cows, or within a fraction 

 of 75 pounds to each cow. The bulls and young animals killed were not 

 accounted for. 



The expedition described by Mr. Ross contained 1,210 carts and 620 

 hunters, and returned with 1,089,000 pounds of meat, making 900 pounds 

 for each cart, and 200 pounds for each individual in the expedition, of 

 all ages and both sexes. Allowing, as already ascertained, that of the 

 above quantity of product every 75 pounds represents one cow saved 

 and two and one third buffaloes wasted, it means that 14,520 buffaloes 

 were killed and utilized and 33,250 buffaloes were killed and eaten fresh 

 or wasted, and 47,770 buffaloes were killed by 620 hunters, or an aver, 

 age of 77 buffaloes to each hunter. The total number of buffaloes killed 

 for each cart was 39. 



Allowing, what was actually the case, that every buffalo killed would, 

 if properly cared for, have yielded meat, fat, and robe worth at least 

 $5, the total value of the buffaloes slaughtered by that expedition 

 amounted to $238,850, and of which the various products actually 



