BISON NOKTH AMERICA. - Smithsonian Institution

THE FOSSIL BISON OF NOKTH AMERICA.

By Frederic

A. Lttcas,

Curator, Divisionof ComparatireAnatomy.

The

aim ofthispaper is to assign definite characterstothe various species of bison occurring in a fossil condition in North

America and

to disentangle the complicated

synonymy

in which they have been involved.

With

the exception ofBison crassicornis

and Bos

arizonica thetypes of the various alleged species

have

allbeen examined,

and

to aid in definingthe species

and

to unravel the synonymic snarl either thetypesor characteristicexamples ofall species are herein figured.

I wish to express

my

thanks to Profs. J. C. Branner

and

C.

W.

Greene, Dr.Josua Lindahl, Mr. S. N. Rhoads,

and

Prof. S.

W.

Willis- tonforphotographs

and

informationconcerningvarious specimens,

and

to Prof. O. 0. Marsh, the

Academy

of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia,

and

to theUniversity of Pennsylvaniafor the loan of specimens.

While

remainsof ^fossil bison are not

uncommon

in North America, theyoccur as a rule insuch a scattered

and

fragmentarycondition

and

the various parts so disassociated that at present it is impossibleto correlatethe teethwith the other portions of the skeleton

and

to diag- nosethespeciesinathoroughlysatisfactorymanner.

The

best thatcan be doneis touse such material-as

we have and

endeavor to distinguish the species

by

theirhorncores,

and

after going over the subjectcare- fully I

am

convinced thatin spite of

an

admitted

amount

ofindividual variation thehorn cores afiord very good specificcharacters.

They do

not difier

among

themselves

any more

than do other portions of the skeleton,

and

in the present case theyare infinitelypreferabletoscat- teredteeth. Moreover thedifferences between the skullsofsuch spe- cies as B. bison

and

B. oceidentalis indicate that the various species could bewelldifferentiated did

we

possess suflicientmaterial.

Little orno attempt has been

made

in thispaperto

name

or describe individual teeth,since, sofar as

known,

these so closely resemble the correspondingteeth of the existing bison thatreallythe best thatcan be done is to

make

aguess at the species from the locality in which they werefound.

So

faras can bejudged

by

the appearanceof the specimens or the

Proceedings U. S.National Museum,Vol.XXI—No.1172.

755

756 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

conditions under wliicli they liave been found all speciesmight have been coeval,although thisisnaturally highlyimijrobable. Bisonbison has been foundin a mineralized condition beneath 25 feet of gravel, B. crassicornis hasbeen found in afairly fresh state on the tundraof Alaska, while B. latifrons has been found semifossilized at Big

Bone

Lick, Kentucky,

and

well mineralizedat PeaceGreek, Florida.

In regard to geographical distribution, it

may

be said that Bison crassicornis hasnot been found outside of Alaska; B. antiquusis not definitely

known

to occur farther east than Big

Bone

Lick, Ken- tucky;

and

that no species save B.latifrons is certainly

known

from Florida

and

other Southern localities, while it hasnot been found on the Pacific coast, horn cores ascribed to this species being reallythose of B.antiquus. B.occidentalisisso far

known

from

Kansas and

Alaska.

The

changesof nomenclature proposedin thisarticleare as follows:

Bison occidentalisis proposed for a species occurringin Alaska

and

Kansas.

Bison alaskensis Ehoads, isconsidered a

synonym

ofB. crassicornis Richardson.

Bison californicus Rhoads, is considered a

synonym

of B. antiquus Leidy.

Bos

scaphocevas Cope,is considered to bean Ovis.

Bos crampianusCope, isconsidered a

synonym

of B. alleniMarsh.

Bos arizonica Blake, is considered as a

synonym

of B. latifrons (Harlan).

Bison appalachicolusEhoads, needs noconsideration, being confess edly based on ^a horn core of Ovibos,^ nor does Bison alticornis Marsh,

ir havingbeen founded on thehorn coresota dinosaur, Triceratopsr

As

^for

^Bos

scaphoceras Cope,^ the convictionhas beenforced

upon me

after carefulconsideration thatthis isnot a Bison,but an Ovis, acon- clusion concurredin

by

Dr. F.

W.

True.Dr. J. A.Allen,

and

Mr.G.S.

Miller,jr.

The

t^pe of thisfrom northern Nicaragua

and now

in the

Museum

oftheUniversity ofPennsylvania

may

bedescribedas follows

:

Horn

coresshort

and

robust,circumferenceatbasegreatlyexceeding lengthon concaveface; subtriangular in section, flattened on concave

face, transversediameter greater than^vertical; stronglyrecurvedwith tipsdirected slightly backwards.

The

texture, structure, curvature,

and

subtriangular shape are like

oneof the big-horned sheep, such as Ovis amnion, thehorncore being

more

triangularin section thanthat ofourOvismontana.

The

species will stand, but the genus

must

be changed. This extension of the rangeofthegenus Ovis southwards is in accordancewith the range of existing species.

'Proc Acad. Xat.Sci.,Phila., 1897,p. 492.

-Am..Journ.Sci.,XXXVIII,1889,p.174.

r.o8speciesLeidy, Proc.Acad.Nat.Sci.,Phila., 1886, p. 275. Bos scaphoceras Cope, Journ.Acad.Nat Sci.,Phila.,IX, 1894,p.457,pi.xxii,figs.5-9.

NO.^1172.

THE

FOSSIL

BISOX OF NORTH AMERICA—

^LUCAS. ib(

The

horncore, consideredto bethat of ttiefemale, differsconsidera- blyfrom that of the male,being straighter

and

notflattened above It is keeled on convex face, theedge near the tipbeing quite sharp, and thereis a bare possibilitythatit

may

^belongtoa

^young

^{female of}

^some

speciesof Bison, although thisisdoubtful.

Measurements

of horn cores given in this paperdo not include the frontal pedicel, butare taken from the raised edge ol the portion cov- ered

by

horn. Transverse diameter

means

greatestdiameter in aline parallelwith the longitudinal^{axis of}theskull; verticaldiameteristhe greatest diameter ^{at right anglestothis.}

The

dorsalviewsof the craniaaretakenperpendicularlytothe plane of the forehead, the ^posterior views atright angles to the backof the skull. It is highly importantthat all views of crania ^forcomparative purposesshouldbe taken ^{in the}

same

manner, sincea slight change in the angle of ^sight,looking

down

upon theskull,

makes

aconsiderable apparent changein the direction of the horn ^cores.

Sevenspeciesof Bison are herein recognized: Bisonalleni, antiquus, bison, crassicornis, ferox, !atifrons,

and

occidentalis. Descriptions of these are given below together with the^location of thetype, the i)rin- cipal

synonymy and measurements

^{of the}

more

important specimens.

BISON BISON

(Linnaeus).

BosbisonLiNN.ECS, Syst. Nat., 1758, I,p.72.

Bosbison var. ^/i, Linn.eus,Syst. Nat., 1766, I,p. 99.

BosamericannsGmelin, Syst. Nat., 1788, I,p. 204.

Bison americannsSmith, Griffith'sCnv., V,1827, p. 374.

Horn

cores short, circumferenceat base usually

much

greater than length along upper curve; subcircular in section, vertical diameter slightly exceeding transverse, generally abruptly recurved; directed

backwards

atthetip.

Remains

of this species occur abundantlyin a seniifossil condition at Big

Bone

^Lick,- Kentucky,

and

completely mineralized specimens

have

been obtained in Kansas.

The

upper portion of the skull, with perfecthorncores.No.1718,

U.S.KM., was

obtained

by

Dr.A.G. Chase, at Millwood, Kansas,25 feet belowthe surface.

Another

good speci-

men, the tairlycomplete skullof a large ^bull.No. 4158, U.S.N.M.,

was

collected byDr.T.T.Minor,in theloessof .Missouri,atalocality in the

Winnebago

Reservation. Itisremarkableforthe spread of thehorns (055

mm.) and

forthesizeof the ^teeth, whichequal

any

yet discovered.

Measurementsof horncoresof Bison^bison.

Vertical Trans- Circum-

ij- ^. verse ference .,„„„„

jdiameter.^i^j^^t^j.. at base.

'^^^l No.4158,U.S.X.M.. fromloess ofMis-

souri

No.205(1.MuseumComparative Zoology.

No.12456,U.S..N.M

77

mm.

247 300 84 I 280

Length aloDg

m,m.

220 260 226

^cfinft'' ll>i8tance lowef between lower

jj

mm.

270 280

b55 650 615

758 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

BISON OCCIDENTALIS

Lucas.

(riates LXV, LXVI.j

lii^onantiquusStewart. Kan. Univ. Quar., VI, July, 1897, p.127, pi.xvii.

BisonoccidentaliHLucas, Science, November11,1898,p.678.

BisonoccidentalisLucas,KansasUniv. Quar., VIII,.January,189It, pp.17,^18.

Ty2?e.—No.4157,

U.S.KM.,

from Fort

Yukon,

Alaska; collected

by

Sir

John

Richardson, Quaternary of

Kansas and

Alaska.

Horn

cores moderate: circumference at base equal to or slightly greaterthaiilengthalonguppercurve; subcircularinsection,regularly curved

upward

aiul backward.

This species is readilydistinguished from B. antiquus

by

its

more

slender

and

proportionallylonger horncores

and

thefactthat they are directed

upward

and backward, asis well

shown

in the platesand the diagram.

An

excellent figureof thisspecies isgiven

by

Dr.J. A. Allen in his

Monograph

of North

American

Bison, on Plate IV,

where

it is called B.untUjuus.

A

practically complete skeleton of Bisonoccidentalis

was

discovered in the valleyof the

Smoky

Hill River,in

Gove

County, Kansas,inthe

same

deposit as remains of Ele/phas

and

Plafygonns and in connection with small tiintarrowheads.

A

detailed description of thi.^ specimen, which is preservedinthe

Museum

ofthe State UniversityinLawrence, Kansas,hasrecently been published

by

Mr.

Alban

Stewart,' but, like otherwriters,he unfortunately confuses thespecieswith B.crassicornis

and

B. latifrons,which arevery distinctand from wliichit

may

readily bedistinguished

by

the form and curvature of the horn cores. (See diagram on p. 762.)

As shown by

the

Kansas

specimen, the skull is

larger than in B.bisonand anteriorly

more

tapering, while the nasals and premaxillaries are

much

longer.

The

orbits look

more

directly forward than in ^. bison,

and

the distance between orbits and horn coresis greater,the result being that the Jugals are long and slender.

Specimens have been obtained from St. Michael, Fort

Yukon, and

the Tatlo River, Alaska,and

Gove

County, Kansas.

It is the species most nearly resembling the existing bison, with which it

was

probably fora timecontemporaneous.

Measurementsofhorncoresof Bisonoccidentalis.

TypeNo.41,57,U.S.N.M

Uiiiversit\ ofKansas

Specimen from St..Michiicl,figuredby Dr.J. A.^.Vllcii

Vertical diameter.

')nm.

90 108

NO. 1172

THE

FOSSIL

BISON OF NORTH AMERICA—

^LUCAS.

⁷⁵⁹ BISON ANTIQUUS

Leidy.

(Plates LXVII-LXX.)

mson ^{antiquus Lkiuy, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1852 p 117; Meru. Ext.}

Sp<'C Amor.^{Ox..1852, p. 11, pi.n, fig.1}(SmitbHon.auContributious,^III).

Bison ^laiifrons Leily, Extinct Mam. ^{of N. A., 186i., p. 371} 0" ^{part); Extinct} Vert Fauna,1873, p. 253,^pi.xxviii,figs.4-7 (ReportU.S.Geol.burv., I).

Bison antiquusAllkn,An,. Bisons, LivingandExtinct,1876, p. 21 (mpart).

BisoncalifornicusRnOAUS, ^{Proc.Acad.Nat. Sci., ri^H'^v}_IfJ'^{P- SOJ-}

BosprisonsLydekkek, WildOxen, Sheepand(ioatKof All Lands, Loudon,1898, p. 61.

Type.—

In the

Academy

^{ofNatural Sciences,} Philadelphia; from Big

Bone

^{Lick, Kentucky.}

Horn

cores comparatively short, stout,

and

abruptly tapering; circumference ^atbase

much

exceedinglength along uppercurve; subcircular or ^slightlytriangular ^{in section,} transverse diameter very ^{little greater} than ^{vertical; slightly} recurved at tips,

whichbarely^'riseabove theplaneof the ^forehead.' Axisofhorn cores nearlyatright angles^tolongitudinalaxisofskull. Thislast character distinguishes Bison antiquusfrom allother

American

^species.

A

^large specimen from ^Ilford, Sussex (Plate

LXXII),

labeled B.

honasus, has thehorn cores atright angles to theaxis oftheskull, but theyare

much

larger

and

very

much ^more

up-curved than^{in />'.antiquus.}

The

horn cores of B. antiquus

have

a rather sharp ridge along the Inferior face toward the tip,

and

they are deeply grooved on the pos-

terior face. . .

The horn cores ofBison antiquus are so differentin size, proportions,

and

curvatures from those of^/>'. crassicornis

and

B. latifrons that ^{it is} diihcult to see

why

^{the species should}

^have

^{been confused. Putting}

aside all differences in appearance

due

to

mere

size, thehorns of li.

antiquus, it

may

be well torepeat, differ from all other

American

spe- cies in standing at right angles ^to the skull. Imperfect specimens^of B.antiquus

may

bedistinguished from ^similarspecimens of B.latijr<ms, evenshould they beof api)roximately the

same

^size,

by

the very differ- entshapeof the transverse ^{section of}thehorn cores, thisbeing broadly

elliptical in latifrons

and

roundlysubtiiangular in antiqum.

Mr

Khoads,

who

has

named

the Oalifornian bison ^li. caliprmcus, correctly

saysHhat

^{1 concurred in his} opinion that the^California bison

was

^{distinct from} B. antiquus, butat the time I

had

not seen the type

ofB.

antiquus

and

labored under the impression thatit

was

^{similar to} thespecimens from Alaska

and Kansas

which are herein described as

B

occidentalis.

From

these the ^California specimen ^{certainlyis dis-}

tinct, although ^{itis the}one specimen ^that has been ^{(correctly referred} to B. antiquus. ^I regret that Ishould

have

thus inadvertently

added

'The differeuce^^eu ^{B. antiquus aud B.} occidentalis in this respect is well shown in the plate (XVII)accompanying^{Mr. Stewart's paperin the Kansas Uni-} versity Quarterly^forJuly,1897,theupperfigurebeing^antiquus,thelowerocctdentahs, althoughdescribedas antiquus.

iProc. Acad. Nat.Sci.,Phila., 1897,p.501.

760 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

tothe confusionexisting inthenomenclature of our fossil bison,

and

I alsoregret that ^I find myselfcompelledto differfromMr. Rhoads, to

whom

^I

am

under

many

obligations.

The

factremains, however, that the type of B. antiquus, imperfect as it is, agrees in everyparticular with the horncores of the California specimen,

and

there can be no question asto their specificidentity.

Remains

of Bison antiquus

have

been found at the following locali- ties: Big

Bone

Lick,

Kentucky; Alameda

County, California, in post- pliocene gravel, associated with bones of Elephas, Mastodon^ Uquus,

and

Procavielus; Pilarcitos Valley, California, in blue clay, 21 feet

below the surface.

The

teeth foundatDarien, Georgia, are not definitelyaseribable to B. antiquus,

and

are considerably smaller than the specimens noted from California. Itis probablethatthey axjpertain to B. latifrons.

An

imperfect ramus, probablyofthis species, from

Alameda

County, California,is characterized

by

itssize, beingvery

much

largerin every

way

than

any

exampleof^jB. bison,althoughperhaps best

shown by

the length of the tooth ^series, which is 0.197

mm.

in B.antiquus

and

but 0.164

mm.

in B. bison.

The

type of antiquusis unfortunatelyvery imperfect

and much

water- worn, theupper

and

lower surfaces havinglost

much

the most.

The

restoration of this is largely guesswork, but as well as

may

be esti-

mated

the vertical diameter is 120mm., the transverse 128 mm., the circumference 300 mm.,the length alongupper curve340

mm.

Measurementsof horncoresof Bisonantiquus.

NO.1172.

THE

FOSSIL

BISON OF NORTE AMERICA—

LUCAS.

761

Bison bonasusvar. priscusLydekker,Cat.Foss.Mam.^Brit.Mus.,Pt.II,Contug.

theOrder Ungulata, SuborderArtiodactyla,1885,pp.25,26,London,in part.

BisonalaskensisRhoads,Proc.Acad.Nat.Sci., Phila., 1897,p.490.

BospriscusLydekker, WildOxen,Sheep,andGoatsof AllLands,London,_1898,

p. 61.

Type.

—

^{In the British}

^Museum,

^from Eschscholtz Bay, Alaska.

Horns

long; length ofhorn corealongupper curve very

much

greater than circumference at base; horn cores slightly flattened on superior face; transversediameter

much

greater than vertical; curve of horn regular,thetipnot abruptlyreflectednor pointing decidedlybackward;

horn coresrakingdecidedlybackward.

This species, which hasfared so well inthe matter of synonyms, is,

sofar as

American

species go, perfectly distinct,

and

its affinities with EuiopeoAsiatic forms remaintobedecided, though from therelations between the existing faunas of northeastern Asia

and

northwestern

America

^it

would

be ^(juitenaturalto find fossil bison ineastern Siberia thatwereindistinguishablefrom B. crasstcornis.

Dr. J. A. Allen, in his

Monograph

of

American

Bisons, treats B.

crassicornis as a

synonym

of B. antiquus Leidy, while still

more

recently Mr. Rhoads^ has divided Richardson's specimens into

two

species, oneof which, including thetype, he considers as B. antiquus^

while the other he calls B.alaskensis.

The

validity of Richardson's Bisoncrassicornis hinges on the question of the identity of his tyj^e I,A, with Leidy's B. antiquus.

Both

species are founded on

more

or less imperfect specimens, but after going over descriptions, figures,

and

specimens the conclusions reached are as follows: Richardson's

I, A, PlateIX,fig. 1, is specifically identical witlihis No. 24589, Plate VII, fig. 1,

and

this in turn with the specimens in the U.S.National

Museum

and University of Pennsylvania, which do not in

any way

resembleB, antiquus

and

do resemble one another.

The

disparityinsizebetweenthespecimens underdiscussion

amounts

tonearly30 per cent, buttheform

and

proportions of the crania

and

horn coresare similar,while the specimen

shown

on Plate VII,fig.1, is

shown by

the cast to be young, being

what

would be termed a spike horn.

Owing

to thisyouthfulnessthehorncoresdonot havethe proxi mal

downward

curvefound inadults,butthe slendernature of thehorn cores

and

their

backward

inclination distinguishthis from B. antiquus ata glance.

The

typeofB. crassicornis is Richardson'sI, A, figured onPlate

IX and

describedon pages40-43 of the

Voyage

of the Herald,^

and

while thehorncoresare broken off a short distance from the base,

enough

'Proc.Acad.Nat.Sci.,Phila., 1897,p.490.

2

A

verygoodidea of thetypemaybe obtained fromPlateLXXV,takenfromNo.

13753 of theMuseumofArchaeologyandPahnontology, University of Pennsylvania.

Thisspecimen Mr.Rhoadsconsiders to be identical withB,antiquus, but from the backwardrakeofitshorncoresthisisoutofthe question.

762 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

remainsto

show

thatthey

had

averydecided

backward

inclination,as noted

by

Richardson,

who

statesthatthehorn cores

—

Aremoredepressedatthe baseor llattenedontheconcaveside tlianthoserelerred abovetoIHhoiijj/v'scw/s?,'andthey are directed horizontallywithaslight basilarincli- nationandmoreiniad,ranch inthewaythatthe horns of themuslitnsh (IHnonbison)

would curvewerethatanimalhornedonamuchlargerscale. Theirbackwardposi- tionissuchthat a spotontheirposterioredge2inchesfromtheirbaseiseven with thesides of the occipital archwhenthe ekull isseeninprolile. Thoughthe cores aremuchwastedby decay,theyarestillconsiderably largerthanthoseofanadult mushtushoraurochsbull.

This

backward

Hare isverycharacteristic of crassicorniSj as

may

be seen

by

reference to Phites

LXXIII, LXXVI and

the figures below,

where

the great differences between the horn cores of B. anUquus,

crassirornis,

and

oceidentalis arewell shown.

Fig.1.—Bifpekencesincorvatukkofhorncoresof (1)Bison cuassicornis, (2)B.occidentalis,

(3)B.ANTIQDUS.

TSTo. 1 of thesefigures isfrom the small, completespecimen

shown by

Richardson,' No.2 is Bison oceidentalis in the University of Kansas,

and

No.3 is Bison antiquus from the specimen in the

Academy

of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia,

named by Rhoads

B.californicus.

The

identityof this species is discussed underJiison antiquus.

The

type of Bison antiquus is an imperfect, waterworn, right-horn core, which, however, shows the horncores tobe but moderately long, with the transverse diameter but little greater than the vertical,

although this character is

much

exaggerated owing to the wearing

away

ofthe uppersurfaceas

shown

ⁱⁿ theplate.

The

horncores ofB.

antiquus,asnoted in the diagnosis of thatspecies,stand outalmostat

'This isthe"spikehorn"figuredonPlate

LXXVI

ofthispaper.

2Zoologyof theVoyageof the Herald,pi. vii,fig. 1.

NO.1172. I

HE

FOSSlh

BISON OF NORTH AMERICA—

LUCAS.

763

right anglesto the longitudinal axis of the skull, sothataline

drawn

across the back of the cranium misses

them

completely, their tips being3 inches within (anterior to)the line.

In tliisrespect^all specimensofB.antiquus differvery decidedlyfrom

any

that

have

beenreferred toB.crassicornis,even suchimperfectspeci-

mens

as Eichardson's type ^orthe similar specimen fignred herein on

Fig.2.—differencesincurvature ketweenthe horn cores ofbison ceassicoenisand ^bison ALLENI.

TheliKht line distiDguishcsBisonalleni,theheavyliae JBiton crassicomit

Plate

LXXV.

This being the case, none of the

Alaskan

specimens can

by any

possibility bereferred toBison antiquus,and, as previously stated, thetypestands.

Bison crassicornis

may

be distinguished from B.alleni,the species which it

most

nearly resembles, by the lesser curvature of the horn cores, which arealso stouter,

more

^flattened on the superior iace,

and

more

ellipticalin sectionthanare those of B.alleni. Thesedifferences areevident

enough

in the specimens, but notin small ligures.

764 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Dr. Lydekker^ considers B. crassicornisas identicalwith B.priscus^i

"since the fossilcraniaagree preciselywith European specimens, and those from Kotzebue

Sound

were obtained in

company

with remains of Ulephas primigenms

and

Otnho.s moschatus.^^ Bison prisons and B.

honasus are united^ on the ground that while in the typicalforms of priscus "the horns are larger

and

less curved than in the living aurochs, thespecimensin theBritish

Museum

seem to indicateacom- plete transitionin this respect,

and some

of

them

can not be distin-

guished from theliving race."

That there is a great variety in the horns of fossil

European

bison istrue,butitseemsnotatallimprobablethat

two

or

more

species have been confounded, that Bison priscusis a valid species,

and

that others remain tobedescribed.

The

cast ofa bison craniumreceivedfrom the Brussels

Museum and

labeled Bison europwnsbears

some

resemblanceto B. crassicornis., but

differs in the curvature ofits horns, thetipsbeing

more

reHexed.

Inanother bison cranium from lUord, Sussex, the horn cores stand nearly at right anglesto the long axisof the skull

and

curve veryreg- ularlyupward. (See Plate

LXXI.)

There can be littledoubt but

what

theserei)resenttwo distinct species.

Some

bison bones wereobtained

by

Capt. C. L.

Hooper

at Elephant Point, Kotzebue Sound, at the

mouth

of the

Buckland

Kiver.

They

wereassociatedwithremainsofthe

mammoth,

Elephasprimificniiis,

and

a horse,probablyUqiins fraternns. Tliese bones are of

two

sizes

and may

either indicate

two

sexesor

two

species,probablythe latter.

The

smaller bonesare thesizeofa largemale Bison bison.

The

largebones arelarger than themeasurements given

by

Mr.Stewart-'ofbones ofB.

antiquus

(=

^{B.occidentails), although, from the} imperfect condition of the ends, the exactmeasurementscan notbegiven.

A

^metacarpalfrom Alaska in the U.S.National

Museum

^has been ascribed to,and Verylikely beli)ngsto, B. crassicornis,althoughitisof coursei)ossiblethatitpertainsto B.occidentalis,sincethe

two

overlap in Alaska.

It is a trirte larger

and more

robust than

any

exam])le of B. bison examined, either by Dr. Allen or myself, although

we

have each

had

opportunities forexamininglarge series. Otherwisethere is nodifHer-

ence betweenthe metacarpals of thetwospecies.

1CatalogueoftheFossilMammaliaintheBritishMuseum.II, p. 24.

^(lem.,p. 24.

=<KansasUniversity Quarterly, VI, July, _1897,pp.134,135

TIIIC F()SS/L l{IS(tN

OF NORTH AM KIUCA—LVCAS. leb Appended

arethemeasurements ofthese

compared

with good exaiu- l)le8of B. bison

and

B. bonanus:

MeaaurementHof mctacarpaJH.

KpociflH.

766 PliOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

guished from

most

specimens ofequal sizeascribed to B.honasus^

by

the

more

regular taper

and

curve of the horn cores

and by

thefact that they aredirected

much more

backward.

So farasis known, however,tliis species isseparated geographically from

any

Asiatic species

by

the interposition of B.crassieornisand B.

occidentalis.

The

horn coresare

much

longer

and

less conical than in B.occidentalis, while they are shorter

and more

curved than in the great Bison latifrons.

Thisspecies

was

founded

by

Professor

Marsh

^{^}on ahorn corefound

in the Blue liivernear Manhattan, Kansas.

A much more

complete specimen, deposited in Stanford University, California,

was

obtained

by

Prof. C.

W.

Greene from the

banks

of the

Snake

River, Idaho, about 9 miles above

American

Falls, in the gravel overlying the lava beds,which areconsidered

by

^Dr.Lindgren to be lateMioceneor early Pleistocene.

Two

^molarsfound

by

Mr.

W.

H.

Hackney

in the auriferous gravelon the south

bank

of the

Snake

Eiver, 10 milesfrom Glenns Ferry,Idaho, are very possiblyfrom this species.

They

arethelargest teethof bison inthecollectionof theU. S. National

Museum.

Professor Cope'sBos crampianus fromthe Pleistocenesandsof south- ern

Kansas

isassignedto B.alleni, because on examinaticu,I findthat the horncore of B. crampianus is less triangular in section than one would be led to suppose from the figure,

and

because this triangular sectionseems to acertainextent tobe theresultof crushing to which thespecimens

had

been subjected. Insize

and

curvature the

two

agree.

Measurements_{of horn}coresof Bison^alleni.

Type, No.911,Mnseuiii ofTaleCollege.

SpecimeninStanfordUniversity Bos crampianus Cope

Trans- jCircum- jj ^4. verse ference diameter,

diameter, atbase.

Vertical

Length Length along along npper lower curve. ^', curve.

Distance between tiosof horns.

1,338

Iuii)erfectat base. 'Actuallength,estimatedlengtliofcomplete horncore720.

BISON FEROX

Marsh.

(Plate LXXXI.) Bison feroxMarsh,Am.Journ. Sci.,XIV, 1877, p.2.52.

Type.

—

^No.910,

Museum

ofYaleCollege. Pleistocene(?)of Nebraska.^

Horn

coreslong,length alongupper curve

much

greaterthancircuin-

'Three verylikely shdiild beknownasBisonpriscus orB.eurojxjeiis.

*Am.Journ.Sci.,XIV,1877,p.252.

^Ihave venturedto callthehorizon Pleistocene instead of Pliocene, as given by Professor Marsh, since the specimen was not associated with other species that would aid in determining itsnge, while,on the other hand, no other species of Bisonisknownfromsolowahorizon.

THE

FOSSIL

BISON OF NORTH AMERICA—

LUCAS.

767

ference atbase, slightly flattenedabove; transverse diameter slightly exceeding vertical; curveofhorncore regular,but slight.

This species is based on an imperfecthorn core, which indicatesa species

more

nearlylikeB.latifrons intheshapeof the horncoresthan anyotherspecies,although^littlecan besaidsavethat thefragmentin- dicatesa robusthorncore with comparativelylittlecurve.

The

speci-

men

isbut littlefurrowed; lessso than

any

other specimen examined.

It dift'ers from ^7>. crassicornis in having rounder

and more

massive horncores, besides, as

was

said in theintroduction,B. crassicornis has not as yetbeen found outsideofAlaska.

Measurementsof horncoreof Bisonferox.

768 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

larly

by

its leiijitli, which is 0.340 mm., or about one-seventh hunger than tliat of themetacarpal ascribed to ^/>.er<(ssicor)iis. Posteriorlyit is

more

convex

and

rugose near theproximal extremitythan the meta- cari)al of

any

other bison examined, but ^this

may

be an individual peculiarity.

Two

of theteeth arethird upi)er molars,one from the left and one fromthe rightside,

and

one ^is asecond upi)er i)remolarfrom the right side.

The

premolar

and

one molar are large

and

massive, correspond- ingin character with teeth previously assigned to B. latifrons,though not exceeding in these respects the largest teeth of 7>'. hisoti.

The

othermolar issmaller

and

probably

came

from afemale.

Four

teeth contained in iragmentsofthe lower jaw, obtained

by

Mr.

R. T. Hill on Onion Creek, Travis County, Texas, are luovisionally referred to ^/>.latifrons.

The jaw when

entire

was

longerthan thatof

/>, bisonand

much more

massive, the portion containing the lastmolar

being very thick and heavy.

On

theother hand, the

jaw

is lighter

and

the teeth smallerthan in ^/>'.antiqmifi from California.

Any

statements, however, regarding teeth of fossil bison

must

be

made and

accei)ted with caution, as so far teeth and horn cores have notbeen found associatedexcei)t in the case of />.Imon.

The

longitu- dinaldiameters of theteeth sliglitlyexceedthose of the corresponding- teethof B.bison, butthe transverse diameters are

much

greater, the general {ipi)earanceof theteeth being stoutand massive, acharaiiter broughtout nuicli better

by

a directcomparison of specimens than by a comparison of theirrespectivemeasurements.

In regard to the

jaw

from Texas, Mr. R.T. Hill writes:

Itwasloundinthebanksof alittlelateralilowinj;-northwardintoOnionCreek, abont2mileswestof Pilot Knob,Travis County, Texas. It conies from anexten- siveformationwhich I

am

callingtheOnion Creekformation,havingwidedovelop- montover the HtnU' of Texas. Asanancientmarly alluviumof the older drainage, andforother reasonstlianthisbone, Iconsiderittobotheequivalent of the E(|uus beds, orearly I'leistocene.

Mr.

W.

P. Blake's

Bos

arizonica^ isreferable to this species, as

may

beseen by his descri])tion and measurements.

That

the horns curved

downward and

forwardisan inference probably due to the condition ofthespecimenon which lios arizoniea^isbased.

The

measurementsof thehorn cores aregivenin thetable,

and

itwill beseen thatthey har- nu)nize perfectly with the

measurements

of other specimens of the species.

That

itshould be found inArizonaagrees ])erfectly with the

littlethat is

known

ofitsgeograi)hical distribution.

The

specimen

was

found at Greaterville, in the

Pima

Mountains,

and

is

now

in the

Museum

ofthe University of Arizona.

Remains

ascribedto Bison latifronshave been found asfollows

:

. PeaceCreek, Florida. Teeth.

'Remainsofa species ofBoain the Quaternaryof Ari/ona.Am.Geologist, XXll, August,1898,pp.^65-71.

NO.1172.

THE

FOSSIL

BISON OF

NOnTTT

AMEUrCA—LUCAS. ₇₆₉

WitIiliU',()O('l»0(s Ulvor, I'Morida. Piirt. of <'riiiiiiim.

BniiiHwick, Djirioii (Jouiity, (J('orj;iii. Tec(Ji.

Niitc-lKi/, MisHisHippi. TooXli.

Asliloy liivcr, South (Jiirolina. Tcotli.

Bij; lioiic liic-U, Kontiicky. (hiiiiiiim.

BriiHli Civok,

Brown

Count-y, Oliio.

Horn

cores.

Hjiii I<\'li|)(', Tt^xiis. (/riiiiiiiMi.

Wy

liir tlui liiicsttixiiinplool" this spucios is tlint pr<'S(U'v<i<l in th(i<;ol- Irctioiiof Mu^Cincinnati Society of Natural History and noted above

!is haviiit;' Ikmmi found iit Brush (lic^ek. 1

am

iiid(^hted to Dr. FjiiMhihl lor tlui pho(,oyi;i|>hs IVoin which IMiite

liXXXIl was

niinh^

/>. lati/rons (5. Fischer' is based on a fairly complete cranium IVoin

liii Daoiirici, Siberia, but it is impossible to gather miH'ii idtsi of the sptM-iiiMMi,(Mtluu- iVom the<l<'scripti<m uv plate, tiu^ more Ihat tint latlor

shows

only thei)r()ximal])orti(»nofthehorns. l<'romthedes<M'iptionone

infers that they stand out at ri^iitiinj^les to tlu) skull, as h'ischer says (p.S-):

liOM coi'iicHoomiMonnimt |i!ii°iitin lifrnndroito, <|iii,8onBil)]()iiw)iitalon^i^o duiiHc.orto 0H|)r('(i,H<t (lii'i;;'<inil |ioii(Ml niiii'iT. liii.coiirbiirrii't^HtHiMisihlonu'X^{Iti puinlo.}

Tiie following;" lucasureimuits ar(^ j^iviui in I»'rcnch I'etstand inclu^s:

l''(i(il.. IncliiiH.

I'romocc.iitiliilcrciHt/ tobiiHool" iiiihiiIh 1 ,"y

WillIIIl»oLw«)«ii rootsofliorim

U

^{ii^}

VVidUiliotwoonouter partol'orhitH 1 ^^^

Of

a specimen from Voljjfada, Fiscjhor says, "I'envergiire a, on y^<',on- seivant lei)eu deC(uirbure,iV 2" de l<'rance."

h'rom this description, as well as from tln^ meauSiircMncMits {^iven, this Siberian species would

seem

to resend)h> limut anIuiuuH

moni

nearly than

any

other.

MeaHiiiumantH of horncoren<if nimmlalifronn.

770 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

^vol.xxi.

variationhas been carefullyconsidered in thelight of extensive series of crania of Bison hison,

and

while the material

on

which the i)aperis

based is confessedly scanty, yet the species herein enumerated are believedto bevalid.

EXPLANATION OF

PLATES.

Note.

—

The smaller divisonson thescaleshownin someof the plates arecenti- meters,the larger are decimeters.

Plate LXV.

BisonoccidentalisLucas.

Posteriorviewofthe type,No.4157,U.S.N.M.,from FortYukon, Alaska.

Plate LXVI.

BisonoccidentalisLucas.

Superiorviewof cranium from Gove County, Kansas,inthemuseumof the Uni- versityof Kansas.

Plate LXVII.

Bison antiquusLeidy.

Superiorviewofthe type,a right-horncore,in thecollectionoftheAcademyof NaturalSciences, Philadeljihia.

Plate LXVIII.

Bison antiquus Leidy.

Posteriorviewof the type, a right-horncore, inthecollectionof theAcademyof NaturalSciences,Philadelphia.

Plate LXIX.

Bison antiquusLeidy.

Posteriorvie.vofacranium fromCalifornia, intheAcademy ofNatural Sciences, Philadelphia. Describedby RhoadsasBisoncalifamicus.

Plate LXX.

Bison antiquus Leidy.

SuperiorviewofthespecimenshownonPlateLXIX.

Plate LXXI.

Bisonspecies.

Posteriorviewofaspecimen ofbisonfrom Ilford,Sussex,England. Recordedin the catalogue of the BritishMuseumasBisonhonasus,No.45392.

Plate LXXII.

Bison.

SuperiorviewofspecimenshownonPlateLXXI.

Plate LXXIII.

BisoncrassicornisRichardson.

Superiorviewof aspecimen from Alaska; No.1584, U.S.N.M.

Plate LXXIV.

BisoncrassicornisRichardson.

PosteriorviewofspecimenshownonPlateLXXIII.

NO.1172.

THE

FOSSIL

BISON OF NORTH AMERICA—

LUCAS.

771

Plate LXXV.

BisoncraaaicornisRichardson.

Superiorviewofaspecimen fromthetundrabackofPoint Barrow, Alaska; No.

13753,Mn.ienmofArchaeologyand Paleontology,University ofPennsylvania. This specimen is figured because it sonearly resembles thetypeofRichardson's Bison crassicornis.

Plate LXXVI.

BisoncrassicornisRichardson.

Superiorviewof cranium from Eschscholtz Bay,Alaska, figuredbyRichardson on Plate VII,fig. 3, ZoologyoftheVoyageof the Herald. No.24589,Catalogueof the BritishMuseum.

Plate LXXVII.

BisonalleniMarsh.

Anteriorviewofleft-horn corefromthetypeNo.!(11,museumofYaleUniversity.

Plate LXXVIIl.

BisonalleniMarsh.

SuperiorviewofspecimenshownonPlateLXXVII.

Plate LXXIX.

BisonalleniMarsh.

PosteriorviewofspecimendepositedbyC.W. GreeneinthemuseumofStanford University.

Plate

LXXX.

BisonalleniMarsh.

SuperiorviewofspecimenshownonPlateLXXIX.

Plate LXXXI.

Bison feroxMarsh.

Superiorand posterior (?) views of the type specimen No.910,museum of Yule University.

Plate LXXXII.

Bisonlatifrons(Harlan).

Anteriorandsuperior viewof the horncores inthe collectionof the Cincinnati SocietyofNaturalHistory.

These havebeencarefullyadjustedbyDr.Lindahl,asshownin this picture,with theresultthattheyhavemoreofan upwardcurve thanin otherpuldished views.

This hasnaturallyslightlylessened the distancebetweenthetips.

Plate LXXXIII.

Left hand,smallerfigure, arightmetacarpalfromAlaska, ascribedto Bison cras- sicornis,although possiblybelonging to B. occidentalis; No. 1719,U.S.N.M. Right hand,largerfigure,a rightmetacarpal from PeaceCreek, Florida, ascribedtoBison latifrons; No.1989,U.S.N.M.

Plate LXXXIV.

Orisscaphoeeras (Cope).

Horncorefrom Nicaraguanamed Bos scaphoeerasby Cope. From the specimen belongingtotheSchool of Biology, University of Pennsylvania.

U. S.NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS,VOL. XXI PL.LXV

Bison occidentalis Lucas. '1m«'.

For explanation of plate 8EE paoe770.

U. S. NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXVI

Bison occidentalis Lucas.

For explanation of plate see page 770.

U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXVIl

Bison antiquus Leidy. Type.

For explanation of plateseepage770.

U. S. NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXVIII

Bison antiquus Leidy. Type.

For explanation of plate see page 770.

U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI ^PL. LXIX

Bisonantiquus Leidy.

For explanation of plate see page 770.

U. S.NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS,VOL. XXI PL.LXX

Bison antiquus Leidy.

ForEXPLAfiATIONOF PLATE SEE PAGE 770.

U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXt

Bison.

Ilford,Sus.sex.England.

For explanation of plate see page770.

U. S. NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXII

Bison.

Ilfonl,SuHsex,England.

For explanation of plate see page 770.

Bison crassicornis Richarcson.

For EXPLA^ATI0N of plateseepage 770.

U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXIV

Bison crassicornis Richardson.

Fob EXPLANATfON OF PLATE SEE PAGE 770.

'^l'^

IS^'

'^^

-V

i'-

/

>x:^'"-..

N

Bisoncrassicornis Richardson.

For explanation of plate see page 771.

U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXVI

Bison crassicornis Richardson.

For explanation of plateseepage771.

PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXVII

Bison alleni Marsh. Type.

For explanation of plate see page 771.

:2iS^

Bison alleni Marsh. Type.

For explanation of plate see page771.

U. S. NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXIX

Bison alleni Marsh.

For explanation of plate see page 771.

U.S. NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS,VOL. XXI PL. LXXX

^

^

Jf

I

^"

1

Bison alleni Marsh.

For explanation of plate see page 771.

U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXXI

Bison ferox Marsh. Type.

For explanation of plate see page771.

U. S. NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXXII

Bison latifrons (Harlan).

For explanation of plate^seepage 771.

U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM PROCEEDINGS, VOL. XXI PL. LXXXIII

Bison crassicornis Richardson.

Bison latifrons (Harlan).

For explanation of plate see page 771.

U. S.NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS,VOL. XXI PL.LXXXIV

OVIS SCAPHOCERAS (COPE).

For explanation of plate see page 771.