Abstract
FROM the third annual report of the American Bison Society, recently published at Boston, we learn that 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 that, 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 present report), and promises, to be the best of the three. Indeed, Dr. Hornaday is of opinion that this herd alone would be 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 lead to deterioration. The Wichita herd, on the other hand, is as well situated as the one in Montana.
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L., R. Present Condition of American Bison and Seal Herds . Nature 85, 12–13 (1910). https://doi.org/10.1038/085012a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/085012a0