22 2 THE ox AND ITS KINDRED 
taken between 1894 and 1 910, reference may be made 
to the account published in the latter year by the 
American Bison Society.^ 
According to this report, the condition and 
prospects of the three herds of bison maintained by 
the Government of the United States are all that can 
be desired, and, in the opinion of Dr. Hornaday, the 
future of the species is now secured. These herds 
comprise one in the Yellowstone Park, with ninety- 
five head, a second in Wichita, with nineteen head, 
and a third in Montana, with forty-seven head, the 
total number of animals thus being 161. Of these 
herds the one in Montana, which occupies a tract of 
twenty-nine square miles, has only recently been 
brought together (as described in the report), and 
promises to be the best of the three. Indeed, Dr. 
Hornaday is of opinion that this herd alone would 
be amply sufficient to safeguard the species against 
extinction, since, owing to the extent of the area on 
which it is established, it is secure against any ill- 
effects from in-breeding. Regarding the Yellowstone 
herd, Dr. Hornaday is less confident, as the relatively 
small tract on which it is kept may eventually lead 
to deterioration, or even extinction. The Wichita herd, 
on the other hand, is as well situated as the one in 
Montana. 
In another part of the report is given a census of 
the total number of pure-bred bison living in captivity 
in America on ist May 1910. This total is 1633, 
against 1592 in 1908, and loio in 1903, thus showing 
a well-marked and progressive increase. Out of the 
1633, 626 are in Canada, and the remaining 1007 in 
^ Third Annual Report of the American Bison Society ^ igog- 
igio, Boston, 1910. 
