FOREST AND STREAM. 





NATUIRAIL GUSTORN 



| The Bison of the Caucasus. 
Tue European bison, as is well known to 
those who have given attention to the subject, 
is extinct except in two small sections of Rus- 
sia, Lithuania and the Caucasus. In these 
two districts there are living perhaps about as 
many European bison as there are living to-day 
American bison. The species has an especial 
| interest for Americans because it is the near- 
est existing relative of our bison, once so 
widely distributed over this continent. While 
it is a near relative no one who had ever 
known the American buffalo would be likely 
to confuse it with the European species; in 
that, the horns are longer, relatively more 
slender, and outwardly directed; the hump is 
| lower, the quarters higher, the tail much heav- 
jer and longer, and the animal is less thickly 
furred. In other words, the European bison 
somewhat more nearly resembles the domestic 
cow than does the bison of America. 
There has recently appeared a communica- 
tion from Mr. A. Yermoloff, formerly Minister 
of Agriculture in Russia, which gives more 
| recent information about the European bison, 
especially about the bison of the Caucasus, 
| than we have had before. He tells us that in 
| the forest of Bielowitza, in Lithuania, there 
are thought to be about 7oo head of these 
bison. A census made in the month of March, 
1906, showed the number of bison to be 663, to 
which are to be added the calves of that 
| spring. In the forests of the Caucasus, except 
| in the western valleys of that mountain range, 
bison are found in considerable numbers. 
Twenty years ago they were thought to num- 
ber only 400, but at present there are said to 
| be 600. This increase is due to the protection 
extended over them by the Grand Duke Ser- 
gius, who, at his own expense, has organized 
a complete service of game wardens, and who 
| permits no killing of the animals, except for 
| purely scientific purposes. In recent years 
only twelve have been killed. 
There is abundant evidence that in primi- 
tive times the bison extended all over Middle 
Europe. Its bones have been found in many 
| places, and in certain caverns in France and 
| Spain drawings and carvings representing the 
animal have been been found. In the middle ages 
it abounded in the great forests of France, 
| Germany, Poland and Austria, but there is 
perhaps no evidence to show that it was ever 
found in Siberia. 
Early naturalists failed to find the bison in 
the Caucasus, and thought that, while it had 
once lived there, it had become extinct. In 
the early part of the last century, however, 
naturalists and museums began to receive 
specimens from the Caucasus. 
The area over which the bison is distributed 
in these mountains is but a small one—about 
2,000 square miles. If the animals straggle out 
of this territory, they are likely to find their 
way into certain forests belonging to the Cos- 
sacks of Kouban, and there they are destroyed 
| by the native hunters wherever found. M. 
| Hutner says that during the summer and at 
| night, the bison retire to the alpine pastures 
of the high mountains, and during the day re- 
turn to the wooded valleys along the streams. 
They frequent the sulphur springs that abound 
there, no doubt having the fondness for the 
mineral deposits common to all other uneu- 
lates. 
Sometimes, in seasons when the snow falls 
/to an unusual depth, the bison get caught in 
it and cannot escape. Thus in the winter 
of 1904 and 1905 there was found a little bunch 
of nine of them that had perished in the deep 
| snow. It is reported also that after this very 
| snowy winter the animals surviving were very 
| thin end weak in the spring, and that there 


were almost ’no calves. The time of calving 
is said to be in March, and the habits of the 
species at that time are not markedly different 
from those of the buffalo. In these forests the 
chief enemies of the bison are the panther, 
which is becoming more and more scarce; the 
lynx, the wolf and the bear. Since the organ 
ization of the game preserve by Grand Duke 
Sergius, the number of carnivorous beasts has 
grown smaller, and the protected game—deer, 
wild sheep, chamois and wild boar—has in- 
creased. 
The first European hunter to kill bison in 
the Caucasus was Mr. Littledale, a well-known 
sportsman. He killed a bull and a cow, which 
were sent to the British Museum. The ani- 
mal is said to be singularly watchful and to 
have a very keen nose. Similar reports used 
to be given us about the mountain buffalo— 
the bison of the West. 
While the bison at the Caucasus is belicved 
to be identical with that of Bielowitza, it does 
not appear to average quite as large, and there 
are trifling differences which have led some 
naturalists to give it a subspecific name. The 
bison has constantly been confused with the 
aurochs of Europe, another species of wild 
bovine, which is thought by some people to 
have been the ancestor of some forms of our 
domestic cattle—the urus (Bos primigenius) a 
very different animal. 
The bison of Bielowitza have been captured 
on a number of occasions, and the zoological 
gardens of Europe have some specimeis, as 
has also the New York Zoological Society at 
its park in the Bronx. We have record of 
only a single specimen captured in the Cau- 
casus. This was a young calf, which readily 
became tame and good-natured, but owing to 
lack of proper care in its youth, and possibly 
from an injury when it was captured, it never 
did well. The animal died at the age of a year 
or two without leaving descendants, 

Oberlander’s Buffalo Hunt. 
Wotr, Wyo., Nov. 26.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: In your last issue is a hashed-up ac- 
count of the killing of the two buffalo bulls in 
Yellowstone Park by Mr. Philip Oberlander, who 
was with me. As your informant has given you 
what “Teddy” in his cowboy days called “a mis- 
cellaneous amount of misinformation,’ I will 
give you the facts. 
These two bulls were brought to the park by 
Buffalo Jones in the fall of 1902. Since that 
time they have become very cross, as is com- 
mon with old buffalo, elk and other hoofed 
animals, and they whipped the younger bulls 
away from the cows and were dangerous to 
handle; chased the keepers when feeding and 
driving, and had the same conceit of themselves 
that a Christian has in four aces—royal flushes 
barred. 
General Young advertised them for sale or 
exchange for buffalo heifers. I made a deal for 
the two in the interest of Mr. Oberlander, who 
wished one entire specimen for a German mus- 
eum, and the head and robe of the other for 
his private collection. 
These bulls had to be killed in their pastures 
or turned Joose and killed in the park. Mr. 
Oberlander killed the bulls and one was skinned 
entire for mounting, the head was cut from the 
other, and sent to Tolhurst, the Livingston, 
Mont., taxidermist to mount and send abroad. 
The lion pack of hounds belonging to the park 
were fed on the meat, which was tough with 
years and sin. 
Mr. Oberlander did not kill these buffalo for 
sport, but took the only way to secure for the 
museum and himself, specimens of the American 
bison. I send you the sales notice sent me by 
General Young who acted, as always, in a busi- 
nesslike way, and disposed of the buffalo in the 
only sensible way possible: 
NOTICE. 
FOR SALE.—TWO full-blood BUFFALO BULLS, 
8 years old; in first-class condition. Will sell for cash, 
or exchange for buffalo cows. Further information will 
be furnished on application. i 
5 YOUNG, 
Ss. Brew Superintendent. 
I have handled buffaloes alive and deal for 
over thirty years, and claim to know something 
of them, how to handle and market them, and 
these bulls could not have been caught, crated 
and shipped without heavy expense at every stage 
of handling. 
Lieut. Cunningham was present when the first 
buffalo was killed, and several officers with a 
number of enlisted men and citizens were present 
at each funeral. There was no concealment of 
any kind. Howarp EATON. 

American Ornithologists’ Union. 
As we go to press the twenty-fifth annual 
meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union 
is being held in Philadelphia, where many of the 
most eminent bird men of the country are now 
gathered. 
The annual meeting of the Fellows, which is 
the governing body of the Union, was held on 
Monday night, Dec. 9, in the rooms of the Phila- 
delphia Academy of Scientists. Among those 
present were: Mr, C. F. Bachelder, of Cam- 
bridge, president of the Union; Mr. Saunders, of 
Canada; Mr. Ruthven Deane, of Chicago; Dr. 
W. K. Fisher, of Stanford University, Califor- 
nia; Dr. C. H. Merriam, Dr. A. K. Fisher, Dr. 
Richmond, Messrs. E. W. Nelson, W. Osgood 
and H. C. Oberholser, of Washington; Drs, J. A. 
Allen, Jonathan Dwight, Jr., and Messrs. W. 
Dutcher, F. M. Chapman and G. B. Grinnell, of 
New York; Dr. L. B. Bishop, of New Haven, 
and Mr. Witmer Stone, of Philadelphia; Major 
E. A. Mearns, U, S. A., and John H. Sage, of 
Portland. 
The meeting was called to order at 8 o'clock, 
the president in the chair. After the reports 
of the secretary and treasurer had been read 
came the election of officers for the ensuing year. 
The old officers were elected, Mr. C. F. Bach- 
elder, President; Messrs. E. W. Nelson and 
Frank M. Chapman, Vice-Presidents; Mr. John 
H. Sage, Secretary; Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr., 
Treasurer; the Council remains unchanged. At 
the election of new members, Mr. Richard Mc- 
Gregor, now doing excellent work in the Philip- 
pine Islands, was elected a Fellow, Messrs. W. 
L. Finley, of Oregon; Ned Dearborn, of Mon- 
tana; E. Howard Eaton, of New York, and Ora 
W. Knight, of Maine, were elected members. 
One hundred and fourteen associate members 
were elected. 
Reports of committees came next in order, of 
which the most important was that read by Dr. 
J. A. Allen, chairman of the Committee on 
Nomenclature of North American birds. 
The public sessions of the Congress will last 
for three or four days and will be held in the 
public lecture hall of the Academy. The local 
committee of arrangements has made every 
preparation for the most hospitable entertain- 
ment of persons attending the session of the 
Union. 
ConsuLt CHARLES DEAL, of St.- Johns, Queber 
supplements his previous reports on the pos- 
sible Canadian export duty on pulp wood by 
now writing that the Canadian Parliament at its 
next session will impose an export duty on all 
pulp wood, which will have a far-reaching effect 
upon the pulp and paper industry of the United 
States, and will especially affect the American 
paper and pulp mills that depend upon Canada 
for their raw material. 


