Jvhr 24, 1897.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
68 
"They are omnivorous. The timber is full of wild ani- 
mals, suck as coons, ground hogs, rabbits and squirrels, and 
they are anxious to catch them. We do not kill these ani- 
mals off, but leave them for the beavers." 
Picture, if you can, this innocent rodent, a full-fledged 
flesh eafer, chasing squirrels through the trees, and poxincing 
on ground hoge, rabbits, etc. 
Photographing^ in the Paddock. 
Mr. .John M. Corbett looks after a herd of thirteen fallow, 
deer, which also occupy the buffalo inclosure. Two of these 
deer at present have fawns, and are hiding in the woods near 
the summit of the'^ill ia the middle of the inclosure. The 
others were resting in plain sight under some apple trees in 
The Goodnight Buffalo Herd. 
The third, largest herd of buffalo in captivity is that be- 
longing to Charles G-ood night in the Texas "Pan Handle." 
Mr. Groodnight, who is one of the largest cattle owners in 
the State, has a game preserve on his ranch surrounded by 
an 8ft. fence, in which are confined a number of elk, ante- 
lope and deer of different species, besides the buffalo. 
Under date of Aug. 23 last, our Petty, Tex , correspond- 
ent wrote: 
"Mr. Goodnight started the buffalo herd in June, 1878, by 
roping young calves from among the few wild ones that 
were left at that time near his ranch. This was done at the 
suggestion of Mrs. Goodnight.. 
"There are now forty full-blood buffalo in this herd, with a 
the domestic cow. We have never had cross with the 
domestic male and the female bison. 
It is the opinion of some that a half-breed will not breed ; 
but this is a mistake, as most of our half-breed cows are the 
most regular breeders we have on the ranch. 
Our buffalo run at large on the range with our other cattle, 
and show no inclination to leave the range. They are easily 
handled^ that is to say, they can be driven any place by 
horsemen, ' * 
We secured the nucleus of this herd in 1883 by catching 
calves in the northwestern part of this State. 
D. F. Oablin, 
THE HEED. 
one corner of the paddock at the time of my visit. Mr. Cor- 
bett thought it would be a good plan to try a photograph of 
tbe deer, so in company we walked over toward them. On 
the way we passed the buffalo, who eyed us unconcernedly. 
The deer, however, were built on a different plan, and though 
they allowed Corbett to go up to them, and took corn from 
his hand, they would not permit me to get within 100ft. of 
them. For half an hour we tried unsuccessfully to outwit 
them, but they were always on the lookout, and just as we 
thought our ruse on the point of succeeding, off they would 
scamper out of range. . '■ 
Corbett had pet names for the various deer, and addressed 
them in the most endearing terras when he was trying to 
edge them over to toward the spot where the camera was 
located. The next moment, however, he would be "dom- 
ming" tlie "little divils" for their contrariness. 
Buffalo Characteristics. 
When photographing the buffalo, Morisson took a position 
on the opposite . side of tbe herd to keep them from moving 
away in that direction too fast, and between us we could 
manage them very well. Morisson separated McKinley from 
the others so that I could photograph him independently, and 
presently the big animal, who was feeling very lazy and 
sleepy, laid down. Watching my chance, 1 walked up to 
within 15ft. of him, directly in front, before he opened his 
eyes and saw me. He blinked once or twice, as if he could 
not understand exactly what had happened, and then lowered 
one horn and shook his ponderous head at me. Pinding that 
1 slood my ground, he presently rolled on his side three succes- 
sive iime,s as a preliminary to getting up, and having finally 
gained his feet, turned in the other direction and walked 
away. 
The photograph taken at this time, unfortunately, did not 
materialize. 
We wanted to get a better background for the herd, and 
so began driving them slowly over toward the spot that had 
been determined on. As they walked, some of. the animals 
hooked at and drove others out of their way. Occasionally 
they grunted, making a sound very much more like the 
grunt of a pig tban the tone of domestic cattle. 
On coming to a fringe of sm>ill trees that grew along what 
had formerly been the line of an old stone wall, all the buf- 
falo suddenly, and with the same impulse, broke into a gal- 
lop and dashed through this slight obstruction. 
Reaching the other side they resumed the slow walk at 
which they had previously been proceeding. This seemed 
an indication of the old wild nature, and later, when a deer 
or some other animal dislodged a small stone on the hillside 
above them, they exhibited the same alarm, and for a mo- 
ment, dashed off in a momentary panic. 
When we first found the buffalo they were lying down, 
chewing the cud. 
They got on their feet when we approached too close, 
and the exercise seemed 1o stimulate the appetite of the 
calves, for forthwith they began rooting around for dinner, 
butting their mothers underneath with a vigor that would 
have driven the old beasls crazy if they had been at all tick- 
lish. I got a picture of one of these suckling calves, and noted 
that when the old cow turned my way her look was rather 
ominous. Later this cow got tired of our fooling, and low- 
ering her head ran full tilt at Billy as. if she intended, by the 
combined butt and boost, to send him into the next county. 
Billy, however, had not reared her for nothing, and he 
knew just how to handle her. At the moment when I was 
looking to see him shoot over the trees, he stooped, and then 
raising suddenly, waved his arms about his head, with the 
result of t urning the cow. A little later she charged him 
agam, but he was used to this, and no fatality resulted. 
As a whole, the buffalo were very tame, and personally I 
had less compunction in going close to them than I should 
have felt with a like number of domestic cattle — bulls and 
cows — in a barnyard. J> B. Buknhaji. 
number of half and three-quarter bloods. Four have been 
lost by various accidents, and twelve head have been sold 
at an average of a little over |300 each Those sold were 
the oldest cows and oldest bulls. Mr. Goodnight still has 
for sale four very large bulls, which will weigh about 
2,0001b8. each." 
In addition to the full-blood buffalo, Mr. Goodnight has a 
herd of Hereford crosses. 
J. G. McNair.x 
« • * 
Mr. J. G. McNair, president of the MclSTair Fruit and 
L<ind Company, of St. Louis, has ten full-blood buffalo, 
four bulls and six cows, aged from one to twelve years, on 
his ranch at St. Elmo, Oregon county. Mo. 
John H. Starin. 
Mr. John H. Starin has thirteen buffalo at Glen Island, N. 
Y., including four calves. Of these, seven are said lo be 
NOTES ON BUFFALO BREEDING. 
Zoological Gardens, Philadelphia, .Tune 13. — It is a fact 
of much interest, with a direct bearing on the principle of 
inheritance, that of the herbivorous mammals native to the 
plains and mountains west of the Missouri River, the only 
ones which appear to thrive in captivity in the East are the 
elk and the buffalo — both of which, but a few generations 
back, included the Atlantic slope in their range. 
Few wild species adapt themselves as well to domestica- 
tion as does the buffalo; none require less care. Even 
shelters do not seem requisite to their comfort, as, with free 
access to dry sheds, the whole herd, bulls, cows and calves, 
usually lie out in the open through the worst of winter 
storms. They are coarse and hearty feeders, and common 
hay, with a free allowance of fresh grass during the season, 
will suffice to keep them in good condition. They take 
readily to corn-stalk fodder also, but this is not always 
easily obtained, nor cheap; and the quantity of litter made 
by it is objectionable when cleanliness of in closures is im- 
portant. 
The limited area of the pens which can be afforded by the 
zoological garden of ordinary extent does not offer the same 
favorable conditions to these large animals as may be had m 
larger preserves, but in our gardens they have done well for 
many years; have bred freely, and the young have in no 
case required care other than that of the mother; nor has 
there yet been an instance where aid was needed by the 
mother in parturition. 
Probably the best results may be reached in breeding, by 
keeping but one bull at a time in the inclosure with tbe 
cows; the keeping of a straight pedigree is simplified, and 
the combats are avoided which are sure to take place if 
more than one bull is present. Any number of bulls, un- 
accompanied by cows, may usually be kept together with 
little breach of the peace. The species is not naturally 
vicious, and the bulls are, in fact, much less so than those 
of many domestic breeds; a cow with a young calf is, how- 
ever, to be avoided, except by those with whom she is 
upon terms of acquaintance. 
I am disposed to believe that in the end the best results 
will be obtained by not allowing the cow to meet the male 
until she is three years old. The tendency of domestication 
with all wild animals is toward defective nutrition, and con- 
sequently to lessened vitality, and the economy in metabolism 
resulting from sparing the young female, while still engaged 
in building up her own tissues, from the further drain of 
gestation, is probably more than repaid in later life. The 
profound influence which domestication exerts upon the 
generative functions of wild animals is so well known that 
it is not surprising that the period of the year during 
which births occur is much enlarged. In our gardens 
calves have been dropped as early as April 10, and 
as late as Oct. 24, though the greatest number of ■ 
births take place in July and August. As appears to 
DOMESTIC FELICITY, 
full blood, and six the result of crosses with domestic cattle. 
Recently Mr. Starin exchanged bulls with the Philadelphia 
Zoological Gardens, 
S. F. Carlln. 
Leslie, S. D., July 10. — Editor Forest and Stream: Our 
herd of buffalo consists of about thirty head of yearlings and 
upward. At present I am unable to say what the increase 
has been this spring, Besides these thirty head of full-blood 
buffalo, we have about fifty head of mixed bloods. We get 
these mixed bipods through a cross with the buffalo bull and 
be the case with most species which breed in zoological col- 
lections, the male births much outnumber the female; in our 
gardens nineteen males having been bred to nine of the other 
sex; an apparent result of domestication which may be ex- 
plained by those who believe themselves to possess the secret 
of sex causation, but concerning which the wise tiiologist 
will at present content himself with merely stating the 
facts. 
In these brief notes, put together in unavoidable haste, I 
feel disposed to sound two notes of wammg to those inter- 
ested in the future of the buffalo. In the first place, inbreed- 
