Bos {Bison) americams, H. Smith, in Griffith’s Animal Kingdom, vol. iv.
p. 4 °L .1 P- 374 (i 827)-
Urus americanus, Swainson, Classif. Quadrupeds, p. 280 (1835).
Bos (Bonasus) americanus, Wagner in Schreber’s Saugethiere, vol. iv.
p. 5 16 (1844) ; Turner, Proc. Zoo/. Soc. 1850, p. 174.
Bison americanus, Gray, Knows/ey Menagerie, p. 49 (185©), Cat. TJngulata
Brit. Mus. p. 38 (1852), Cat. Ruminants Brit. Mus, p. 14 (1872) ; Riiti-
meyer, Denkschr. sc/rweiz. Ges. vol. xxii. art. 3.» P* 91 ( [ 867)> Abh. schweiz.
pal. Ges. vol. v. p. 189 (1878) ; Allen, Mem. Mus. Harvard, vol. iv. p. 36
(1876) ; Flower and Garson, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Coll. Surg. pt. ii. p. 231
(1884); Hornaday, Rep. U. S. Mus. 1886-87, p. 378 (1889) ; Herrick,
Mamm. Minnesota, p". 260 (1892).
Bison bison, Rhoads, Amer. Naturalist, volv xxviii. p. 526 (1894), Proc.
Acad. Philadelphia, 18 9 5 ,'p. 244, 1897, p. 501.
CharacterWr- Height at shoulder typically about 6 feet. Horns in
the typical race, usually, shorter, thicker, blunter, and more sharply Curved
than in the European bison ; also set further back on the forehead, which
is very markedly convex, so that their, bases are considerably behind the
plane of the front margin of the sockets of the eyes. Hind-quarters
relatively very low and weak in comparison to the withers ; pastern^
shorter, and the tail less elongated than in the European species. Mane
of bull in summer pelage much longer and more shaggy than in the latter,
extending further back on the body, and attaining much greater development
on the head and neck, where it completely conceals the ears and
buries a considerable portion of the horns. In the cow likewise much
more copious on the forehead and neck, and leaving but little of the ears
exposed. In very old bulls the greater part of the body almost bare when
the summer coat is first developed. During winter the whole pelage very
coarse and shaggy ; the mane of the bulls forming a huge mass of long
hair completely concealing the outline of the head, neck, fore-quarters, and
legs. The mane on the head, neck, chest, etc., dark blackish-brown, that
on the withers a paler brown, and the pelage of the hind-quarters a kind
of cinnamon-colour.
In the skeleton the neural spine of the sixth cervical vertebra1 is upright,
and that of the seventh relatively taller than in the European species,
while the spines of all the dorsals are absolutely higher. These features
F,g. 16.—Ameriafi Bison and Wapiti in the Eatk at Woburn AbKey, From a photograph by the
Duchess of Bedford.
seem undoubtedly indicative of the greater specialisation of the American
as compared with the European animal, as|jj||lso the marked convexity ot
the forehead. And assuming the New World form to have been derived
from the European species, such greater^ specialisation is exactly what
might have been expected.
In addition to a calf, the British Museum possesses a mounted adult
bull from the Yellowstone river, and the head of a second from Colorado,
the latter presented by Lord Walsingham. Both appear to be in summer
1 See note on p. 8.
M