Evidence of Buffalo with Wings in Early Nineteenth Century

An excerpt from a communication from Capt. Meriweather Lewis to President Thomas Jefferson, dated September 3^rd, 1805:

"Mr. President, I have had the great honor and privilege of exploring this countryside pursuant to your instructions to me dated June 20^th, 1803, with the end to search out means of traversing this land by boat. You had also entrusted me with the further task of learning about the native savages and indigenous peoples and their customs.

"In my previous reports to your Excellency, I have described the wonders of these lands as best as my meager command of the language would permit.

"The savages we have met along our traverse of this land have been, for the most part, curious about us and not unfriendly. The abundance of food in this land has been remarkable and we all have been totally impressed with the crops being harvested by the local inhabitants and of the rare and unique animals being raised. Unfortunately, some animals are in danger of extinction due to over-harvesting of the species.

"For example, one of the main mainstays of the indigenous peoples is a strange animal that appears to be a bovine-type creature with small wings. We have named these "flying bison", although the local Choctaw tribes call them "Air-Yanash ".

"As your Excellency is aware, this land has, previously, been explored by French trappers and fur merchants. They call the winged bison, ' buffle avec des ailes' and become incensed if the words are not pronounced in the approved manner!

"The local tribes harvest large numbers of the animal for their pelt and meat. They also have a tradition of removing the wings of the creatures, coating them with a fiery dressing, and eating the resulting food with fingers and large flagons of a malt beverage called "beer".

"Meanwhile, I have discovered what appears to be a waterway that . ."