The Extermination of the American BisonHornaday, William T. (William Temple)
History
The Extermination of the American Bison
Hornaday, William T. (William Temple)
American bison; Wildlife conservation -- United States -- Sources
At the New Orleans Exposition, in 1884-'85, the Territory of Dakota
exhibited, amongst other Western quadrupeds, the mounted skin of a
two-year-old buffalo which might fairly be called an albino. Although
not really white, it was of a uniform dirty cream-color, and showed not
a trace of the bison's normal color on any part of its body.
Lieut. Col. S. C. Kellogg, U. S. Army, has on deposit in the National
Museum a tanned skin which is said to have come from a buffalo. It is
from an animal about one year old, and the hair upon it, which is short,
very curly or wavy, and rather coarse, is pure white. In length and
texture the hair does not in any one respect resemble the hair of a
yearling buffalo save in one particular,--along the median line of the
neck and hump there is a rather long, thin mane of hair, which has the
peculiar woolly appearance of genuine buffalo hair on those parts. On
the shoulder portions of the skin the hair is as short as on the hind
quarters. I am inclined to believe this rather remarkable specimen came
from a wild half-breed calf, the result of a cross between a white
domestic cow and a buffalo bull. At one time it was by no means uncommon
for small bunches of domestic cattle to enter herds of buffalo and
remain there permanently.
I have been informed that the late General Marcy possessed a white
buffalo skin. If it is still in existence, and is really _white_, it is
to be hoped that so great a rarity may find a permanent abiding place in
some museum where the remains of _Bison americanus_ are properly
appreciated.
V. THE HABITS OF THE BUFFALO.
The history of the buffalo's daily life and habits should begin with the
"running season." This period occupied the months of August and
September, and was characterized by a degree of excitement and activity
throughout the entire herd quite foreign to the ease-loving and even
slothful nature which was so noticeable a feature of the bison's
character at all other times.
The mating season occurred when the herd was on its summer range. The
spring calves were from two to four months old. Through continued
feasting on the new crop of buffalo-grass and bunch-grass--the most
nutritious in the world, perhaps--every buffalo in the herd had grown
round-sided, fat, and vigorous. The faded and weather-beaten suit of
winter hair had by that time fallen off and given place to the new coat
of dark gray and black, and, excepting for the shortness of his hair,
the buffalo was in prime condition.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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