The Extermination of the American Bison

by William T. Hornaday

[79] This specimen is now the commanding figure of the group of buffalo which has recently been placed on exhibition in the Museum.

[80] Caught alive, but died in captivity July 26, 1886, and now in the mounted group.

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[INDEX.]

A.
Abundance of the American bison, [387]-[393].
Accidents to bison herds, [420].
Affection, instinct of, in the bison, [433].
Agropyrum, [429].
Alabama, [380].
Albinism in the bison, [411].
Allard, Mr. Charles, [461].
Allen, Mr. J. A., on the American bison, [377], [381], [385], [387], [450], [480].
“American Field,” quotation from, [433].
Fur Company, [488].
Andrews, Mr. Harry, [502].
Andropogon provincialis, [427], [429].
scoparius, [429].
Argoll, Capt. Sam’l, discovery of bison by, [375], [378].
Arkansas, [375].
Aristida purpurea, [428]
Ashe, Mr. Thomas, on the buffalo, [420], [485].
Astragalus molissimus, [429].
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé Railway, [493], [496], [498], [499].
Athabasca, buffaloes in, [523]-[524].
Atriplex canescens, [429].
Audubon and Bachman, observations by, [400].
Aurochs, or European bison, [394].
B.
Bailey, Lieut. H. K., [545].
Baird, Prof. S. F., expedition for buffaloes, sent out by, [529].
Baker & Co., Messrs. I. G., [411], [506].
Bedson, Mr. S. L., buffalo-breeding by, [452], [454]-[456].
herd owned by, [458], [460].
Berlandier, Dr., on bison in Mexico, [381].
Bismark Grove, Kans., buffaloes at, [461].
Bison, the American.
abundance of, [387]-[393].
accidents to herds of, [420].
adult bull of, [402]-[406].
cow of, [406], [436].
affection in the [433].
albinism in the, [414].
as a beast of burden, [457].
bones of the, [445].
breeding habits of, [425].
season of, [396], [415].
calf of the, [366]-[401], [425], [433].
change of form in, [377], [394], [409].
character of, [393].
color of, [396]-[403].
courage of, [432].
cow of, [406]-[436].
Bison, cross-breeding, [451]-[458].
domestication of, [379], [451]-[458].
fear in [432].
food of, [426]-[429].
habits of, [415]-[426].
in running, [422], [430]-[431].
in winter, [423].
when wounded, [426].
hair of, [449].
“hide” of, [445], [505]-[507].
horns of, [405], [406].
hunting the, [405], [470], [478], [480], [483], [484], [536]-[542].
meat of, [446], [448].
mental capacity of, [429]-[434].
migrations of, [389], [420], [424]-[429].
monograph of, by J. A. Allen, [387].
“mountain” form of, [407]-[412].
mounted skins of, [396], [412], [546]-[548].
pelage of, [412]-[414].
protection of, possible, [435].
rank of, with other Bovidæ, [393].
reasoning powers of, [429].
robe of, [441]-[415], [453], [470].
shedding of pelage of, [412]-[414].
size of, [405], [407].
slaughter of the, [486]-[513].
Smithsonian expedition for, [529]-[546].
“spike bull” of, [401].
“wood” variety of, [407]-[412].
“yearling” of, [401].
Blackford, Mr. E. G., buffaloes presented by, [463], [527].
Bones, buffalo, utilization of, [445].
Boskowitz, Messrs. J. & A., [394].
Bouteloua oligostachya, [427], [428].
Boyd, Mr. Irvin, [534], [537], [538], [540].
Breeding of the buffalo, [390], [415], [425].
with domestic cattle, [452]-[458], [528].
British Possessions, buffalo in the [384], [408], [489], [504], [523].
Brown, Mr. W. Harvey, [534], [535], [541].
Buchloë dactyloides, [428].
Buffalo (see Bison, American.)
Buffalo Bill (see Cody, Hon. W. F.)
Buffalo Buttes, [538], [540], [542].
Buffalo “chips,” [541].
Buffalo grass, [427], [428].
Byrd, Col. William, [376], [449].
C.
Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Nuñez, [373].
Calf of the buffalo, [396]-[401], [425], [433].
pelage of, [396]-[398].
capture of a, [532].
Calf Creek, Montana, [535], [536].
Canadian Pacific Railway, [504].
Captivity, list of buffaloes in, [458]-[464].
Carey, Hon. Joseph M., [522].
Carolina, North, [376], [379].
South, [379].
Castañeda, description of American bison by, [374].
Catlin, George, on buffalo calves, [398].
on buffalo hunting, [472], [481].
on extermination of the buffalo, [488].
on habits of the buffalo, [419], [423], [434].
stopped by herd, [392].
Cattle-growers, value of bison to, [451]-[458].
Cattle, Western range, [452].
Central Park menagerie, New York, [463].
Change of form in American bison, [377], [394], [409].
Character of the American bison, [393].
Chase of the buffalo, on horseback, [470]-[478].
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, courtesies extended by, [530].
“Chips,” buffalo, [451].
Christy, Mr. Miller, on the buffalo, [523].
Cochran, Lieut. Col. M. A., [534], [545].
Cody, Hon. W. F., [460], [477].
Cole, the Hon. Mr., of California, [514].
Color of the American bison, [396], [403].
Colorado, [488], [523].
Completeness of the bison’s extermination, [521]-[525].
Conger, the Hon. Mr., [516], [517], [519].
Congress, National Zoological Park established by, [528].
Congressional legislation to protect the bison, [513]-[521].
Cory, Mr. C. B., [523].
Coronado, penetration of buffalo range by, [374], [383].
Cortez, American bison first seen by, [373].
Courage, instinct of, in the bison, [432].
Cow, the adult buffalo, [406], [436].
young buffalo, [406].
Cox, Hon. S. S., [515], [516].
Cree Indians, [478], [489], [504], [505], [527].
Cross-breeding between the buffalo and domestic cattle, [451]-[458].
D.
Dakota, [389], [489], [490], [512].
Davis, Mr. J. N., [512].
Davis, Mr. Theo. R., [483].
Davis, Mr. W. W., records of Coronado’s march, by, [383].
Dawes, Hon. Henry L., [517].
Decoying and driving buffaloes, [483].
De Solis, description of bison, by, [373].
Destruction of the southern herd, [492]-[502].
northern herd, [502]-[513].
Discovery of the American bison:
in captivity, by Cortez, [373].
eastern North America, by Argoll, [375].
Illinois, by Father Hennepin, [375].
Texas, by Cabeza de Vaca, [373].
Coronado, [373], [383].
District of Columbia, [375], [378].
Distribution of the American bison, [376]-[383], [402], [503], [508].
geographical center of, [388].
Division of the great buffalo range, [492].
Dodge, Col. R. I., observations on the buffalo, by, [389], [392], [400]-[409], [424], [433], [471], [474], [493], [495], [498].
Domestication of the American bison, [379], [452]-[458], [528].
Dry Creek, Big, [512], [530], [534].
Little, [532], [533], [535].
Dupree. Mr. F., buffaloes owned by, [462].
E.
Eldridge, the Hon. Mr., [516].
Estimate of buffaloes, [391], [504], [509].
Expedition for bison sent by the Smithsonian, [522], [529]-[546].
Expeditions of the Red River half-breeds, [436], [437], [474].
Extermination of the American bison:
cause of the, [454].
completeness of the, [521]-[525].
effects of the, [525]-[527].
methods employed in the, [465], [470], [478], [480], [483], [484].
north of Union Pacific Railway, [502]-[513].
progress of the, [484].
share of the Indians in the, [478].
south of the Union Pacific Railway, [498]-[502].
west of the Rocky Mountains, [486].
Extermination of American quadrupeds, [487], [491], [502].
F.
Fear, instinct of, in the bison, [432].
Fee, Mr. C. S., favors extended by, [545].
Festuca scabrella, [429].
“Field,” the London, quotation from, [523].
Fleet, Henry, mention of bison on the Potomac, by, [378].
Food of the bison, [426]-[434].
“Forest and Stream,” quotations from, [411], [511].
Forney, Mr. A. H., [531].
Fort Keogh, buffaloes near, [509].
Fort, the Hon. Mr., of Illinois, [515], [516], [517], [518], [519].
G.
Gaur, or Indian bison, [393].
Geographical distribution of the bison, [376]-[388], [492].
Georgia, [379].
Gibson, Col. Geo. M., [544], [545].
Godwin, Mr. Harry P., [546].
Goode, Prof. G. Brown, [379].
Goodnight, Mr. Charles, buffaloes owned by, [460].
Great Slave Lake, [384], [408].
Group of buffaloes in the National Museum. [546]-[548].
H.
Habits of the bison, [415]-[426].
Hair of the buffalo, uses of the, [449].
Half-breeds of the Northwest Territories, [436], [474], [488], [504].
Hannaford, Mr. J. M., letter from, [507].
“Harper’s Magazine,” quotation from, [483].
Harris, Capt. Moses, [521].
Harris, Mr. Robert, courtesies extended by, [530].
Haskins, Mr. Edward, train-master, [544].
Hawley, Hon. J. R., [517].
Hazen, General W. B., on buffalo slaughter, [514], [516].
Hedley, Mr. George H., with expedition for bison [531].
Hennepin, Father, bison seen in Illinois by, [388].
Herds, list of captive bison, [458]-[464].
Hides, buffalo, [445], [505], [506], [507].
High Divide, [535], [536], [538], [542].
Hind, Prof. H. Y., [407], [476], [478].
Holman, Hon. W. S., [516].
Hornaday, W. T., group of bison by, [546]-[548].
Horns of the American bison, [405], [407].
Huguenot settlers, domestication of bison by, [379], [451].
Hunting the buffalo, method of
decoying and driving, [483].
horseback, [470].
impounding, [478].
on snow shoes, [484].
“still-hunt,” [465].
“surround,” [480].
Hunting on the Musselshell River, [539].
Hybrid, the buffalo-domestic, [454]-[457].
I.
Idaho, [383].
Illinois, [385]-[388].
Impounding buffaloes, [478].
Indiana, [385].
Indians:
responsibility of, for buffalo slaughter, [506].
robes marketed by northern, [505].
share of the, in buffalo destruction, [478], [480], [483], [484], [489], [490], [500], [505], [506], [512].
starving for lack of the buffalo, [526].
who subsisted on the buffalo, [526].
J.
Jones, Mr. C. J., breeding of buffaloes, by, [452], [454], [456].
buffaloes captured by, [458], [523].
buffalo herd owned by, [458].
K.
Kansas, [391], [424], [496], [501].
Kasson, Hon. J. A., [517].
Kenaston, Prof. C. A., [505].
Kentucky, [388], [420].
Keogh, Fort, [509], [531].
Kœleria cristata, [429].
L.
Lewis and Clark, buffaloes seen by, [389], [483].
Lincoln Park, Chicago, buffaloes in, [462].
Loco weed not eaten by the buffalo, [429].
Louisiana, [380].
M.
Macoun, Prof. John, [524], [526].
“Manitoba and the great Northwest,” [524], [526].
Maryland, [378].
McCormick, Hon. R. C., [514], [516], [518].
McGillycuddy, Dr. V. T., buffaloes owned by, [462].
McNaney, Mr. James, [421], [424], [467], [534], [537], [538], [540], [542].
Meat of the buffalo, [446], [448].
Mental capacity of the American bison, [429]-[434].
Merrill, Dr. J. C., [530], [545].
Mexico, [381].
Migrating habits of the buffalo, [389], [420], [424]-[425].
Miles City, Montana, [531], [534], [541].
Miller, Mr. Roswell, courtesies extended by, [530].
Minnesota, [385].
Mississippi, [380].
Monograph on “The American Bison,” [387].
Montana, [421], [508], [509], [510], [511].
“Mountain buffalo,” [407]-[412].
Mounted skins of buffaloes, [396], [412], [546]-[548].
Museum, National, [395], [527], [546].
Musselshell River, [535], [539].
N.
National Museum, live buffaloes at the, [395], [463], [527].
mounted buffaloes in the, [396], [397], [401], [402], [405], [406], [407], [546]-[548].
Nelson, Mr. E. W., [385].
New Mexico, [383].
New York, [385].
Northern herd, destruction of the, [502]-[513].
Northern Pacific Railway, [502], [507], [511], [513].
courtesies extended by, [530].
Northwest Territories (British), [384], [408], [489], [523].
O.
Ohio, [385].
Omaha Indians, buffalo hunting by, [477].
Oregon, [389].
Oregon trail, [491].
P.
Partello, Lieut. J. M. T., [509].
Peace River, buffaloes on the, [524].
Pelage of the American bison, [396], [414], [415], [442], [453].
Pemmican, [447].
Pennsylvania, the buffalo in, [386], [387], [420], [485].
Pennsylvania Railway, courtesies extended by, [530].
Phillips, Mr. Henry R., courtesies extended by, [531], [545].
“Plains of the Great West,” [389], [391], [409].
Poa tenuifolia, [429].
Porcupine Creek, buffaloes on, [512], [522], [532].
Products of the buffalo, [434]-[451].
Protection of American animals, [435], [520], [521].
the bison possible, [435], [520].
R.
Ranch, LU-bar, [532], [543].
the HV, [534], [544].
Railways, influence of the, in buffalo slaughter, [490]-[493], [507].
Rank of the American bison, [393].
Reasoning faculty of the bison, [429]-[430].
Recuperative power of the bison, [426].
Red Buttes, [531].
Red River half-breeds, [474], [488].
“Red River Settlement,” [436], [450], [474], [475].
Regan, the Hon. Mr., [518].
Robe of the American bison, [441]-[445], [453], [470].
best season for taking, [442].
preparation of the, [442], [443], [470].
trade in, [513].
utilization of, [411], [505].
value of, [394], [444], [445].
varieties and classification of, [443], [444].
Ross, Mr. Alexander (see “Red River Settlement.”)
“Running” buffaloes, [470].
Running power and habits of the buffalo, [422], [430], [431].
Russell, Mr. L. S., [534], [536], [537], [538].
S.
Sage brush, [547].
Sand Creek, Montana, [534], [535], [538].
Schulz, Dr., on the buffalo in Athabasca, [523]-[524].
Secretary of War, favors extended by, [530]-[545].
Shufeldt, Dr. R. W., on mountain buffaloes, [411].
Sibley, Hon. H. H., [474].
“Sioux City Journal,” quotation from, [503].
Sioux Indiana, destruction of buffaloes by, [490], [497], [500], [505].
Slaughter of the buffalo, [486]-[513].
Smith, Mr. V., [510], [512].
Smithsonian Butte, [539].
Smithsonian Institution expedition for buffaloes, [522], [529]-[546].
Snow-shoes, hunting buffaloes on, [484].
Southern buffalo herd, destruction of, [492]-[502].
“Spike” bull buffalo, [401].
“Star, Washington,” description from the, [546]-[548].
Starin, Mr. J. H., buffaloes owned by, [463].
Statistics of the slaughter of the southern herd, [498]-[502].
buffaloes now living, [458]-[461], [525].
Stephenson, Dr. William, [522].
Still hunt, [465]-[510].
Stipa comata, [429].
sparica, [428].
viridula, [429].
Stub-horn bull, killed by author, [542].
T.
Tepee, hides required for a, [505].
Temper of the bison, [434].
Tennessee, [388].
Texas, existence the bison in, [374], [381], [501], [502].
Thompson, Lieut. C. B., [545].
Thompson, Mr. Frank, courtesies extended by, [530].
“Times, Kansas City,” quotation from, [461].
U.
Ullman, Mr. Joseph buffalo product handled by, [394].
Utah, [383].
Utilization of the buffalo, [437].
V.
Value of the bison to man, [434]-[451], [526].
Value of a single bison on the range, [435], [436].
buffalo to cattle-growers, [451], [458].
buffalo-robe, [498].
products handled by two firms, [439]-[440].
Varner, Mr. Allen, [491].
Virginia, the buffalo in, [376], [378], [379].
W.
Wastefulness in buffalo slaughter, [494], [496]-[498], [510].
Weapons used in buffalo hunting, [466], [467], [470], [477].
West, Mr. C. S., [534], [538], [541], [543].
Wichita (Kansas) “World,” [500].
Wilkins, Col. John D., [545].
Wilson, the Hon. Mr., [514].
Winston, Mr. B. C., [463], [522].
Winter habits of the buffalo, [423].
Wisconsin, [385].
Wood buffaloes, [407]-[412].
Wounded bison, habits of, [426].
Wyoming, [522].
Y.
Yearling of the buffalo, [401].
Yellowstone Park, buffaloes in, [512], [521], [522], [527].
Yellowstone Rivers, [531], [544].
Young Mr. Harrison, S., [524].
Z.
Zoological Garden of Cincinnati, [462].
Philadelphia, [461].
Park at Washington, establishment of, by Congress, [528].

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