Prairie Meadows Burning 1832 oil Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr. 1985.66.374    As he traveled, Catlin recorded experiences that were integral to the Indian way of life, from the quiet solitude of a canoe trip to endless views of waving grass on the treeless land, violent storms followed by sudden, swiftly moving prairie fires, and herds of countless buffalo thundering across the Plains. As an artist-naturalist, he carefully documented the habits and importance of the buffalo to Plains Indian culture and life, but he also predicted that the vast herds would eventually be wiped out. Some estimates suggest 60 million buffalo covered the Great Plains early in the nineteenth century; only 1,000 remained by 1889. Buffalo Bull, Grazing on the Prairie 1832-33 oil Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr. 1985.66.404 Buffalo Bulls in a Wallow 1837-39 oil Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr. 1985.66.425