THE EXTERMINATION OF THE AMERICAN BISON. 531 



writer left Washington on May 6, accompanied by A. H. Forney, assist- 

 ant in the department of taxidermy, and George EL Hedley, of Medina, 

 New York. It had been decided that Miles City, Montana, might prop- 

 erly be taken as the first objective point, and that town was reached on 

 May 9. 



Diligent inquiry in Miles City and at Fort Keogh,2 miles distant, re- 

 vealed the fact that no one knew of the presence of any wild buffalo 

 anywhere in the Northwest, save within the protected limits of the Yel- 

 lowstone Park. All inquiries elicited the same reply : " There are no 

 buffalo any more, and you can't get any anywhere." Many persons who 

 were considered good authority declared most positively that there was 

 not a live buffalo in the vicinity of Big Dry Creek, nor anywhere be- 

 tween the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers. An army officer from Fort 

 Magiunis testified to the total absence of buffalo in the Judith Basin, 

 and ranchmen from Wyoming asserted that none remained in the Pow- 

 der River country. 



Just at this time it was again reported to us, and most opportunely 

 confirmed by Mr. Henry R. Phillips, owner of the L U-bar ranch on Lit- 

 tle Dry Creek, that there still remained a chance to find a few buffalo 

 in the country lying south of the Big Dry. On the other hand, other 

 persons who seemed to be fully informed regarding that very region and 

 the animal life it contaiued, assured us that not a single buffalo remained 

 there, and that a search in that direction would prove fruitless. Bui 

 the balance of evidence, however, seemed to lie in favor of the Big Dry 

 country, and we resolved to hunt through it with all possible dispatch. 



On the afternoon of May 13 we crossed the Yellowstone and started 

 northwest up the trail which leads along Sunday Creek. Our entire 

 party consisted of the two assistants already mentioned, a non commis- 

 sioned officer, Sergeant Garone, and four men from the Fifth Infantry 

 acting as escort; Private Jones, also from the Fifth Infantry, detailed 

 to act as our cook, and a teamster. Our conveyance consisted of a six- 

 mule team, which, like the escort, was ordered out for twenty days only, 

 and provided accordingly. Before leaving Miles City we purchased two 

 saddle horses for use in hunting, the equipments for which were fur- 

 nished by the ordnance department at Fort Keogh. 



During the first two days 7 travel through the bad lands north of the 

 Yellowstone no mammals were seen save prairie-dogs and rabbits. On 

 the third day a few antelope were seen, but none killed. It is to be 

 borne in mind tbat this entire region is absolutely treeless everywhere 

 save along the margins of the largest streams. Bushes are also en- 

 tirely absent, with the exception of sage-brush, and even that does not 

 occur to any extent on the divides. 



On the third day two young buck antelopes were shot at the Red 

 Buttes. One had already commenced to shed his hair, but the other 

 had not quite reached that point. We prepared the skin of the first 

 specimen and the skeleton of the other. This was the only good ante- 



