Hon. William Christie, ex-member of the Northwest Council, and late Inspecting Factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, examined before the Senate committee of 1888 stated that at that date the wood buffalo roamed over the Athabaska country, chiefly in the woods; but in the summer they came down to lick the salt at the salt springs in the valley of Salt river, which flows into Great Slave lake. He understood that these wood buffalo were in small bands of four or five. Mr. Christie considered the wood buffalo to be identical with the plains buffalo. Long ago the latter species was found as far north as Peace river in great numbers, and the plains Indians, the Sarcees and others, were then in Peace river country. There is a place called Battle river in Peace river valley, where these plains Indians had a tremendous battle, and it is called Battle river from that circumstance. The plains buffalo were in that country then in thousands, just the same as they were in the plains. As they got hunted by the Indians, they moved out, and the Indians moved out of Peace river country also after this great battle and went into the plains. The battle in question was fought perhaps one hundred years previously. A number of the plains buffalo got into the woods and bred and remained there and were still living in the woods there. THEY HAD GROWN LARGER in some way, but they were just the same as the plains buffalo. Those who had killed some of them said they had increased in size in the woods, possibly from not being disturbed so much and not having to move about as the plains buffalo had to do. The wood buffalo lived in the woods, on the grasses that they found. The buffalo does not scrape; he breaks the snow with his nose and eats that way. Unless the grass was pretty long he could not get his living there in the winter. About four or five hundred pounds would be the weight of a wood buffalo. A buffalo cow in the plains, after being dressed, would weigh about three hundred pounds; one of these wood buffalo would weigh about three hundred and fifty to four hundred pounds dressed. Mr. Christie, speaking of the possibility of using the wood buffalo for hybridization purposes, explained that as far back as 1842, the Hudson’s Bay Company had at Edmonton a herd of buffalo. They began by taking some calves, and from these the herd increased until they had some thirty altogether. These used to herd out with the other cattle and come in with them. All at once the buffalo came near Edmonton and this herd went off with the others. It was the impression then, from their mixing with the other cattle, that they would not cross, because there were not any signs of it.