THE BISON. 2i 



forward to drive the bisons from the route before 

 they were able to proceed. 



The skins of the bison furnish the Indians 

 and Whites with excellent robes, for bedding, 

 clothing, and various purposes. These are most 

 usually the skin of cows, as the hide of the bull is 

 too thick and heavy to be prepared in the way prac- 

 tised by the squaws, which is both difficult and te- 

 dious. This consists in working the hide, moisten- 

 ed with the brains of the animal, between the hands, 

 until it is made perfectly supple, or till the thick 

 texture of the skin is reduced to a porous and cel- 

 lular substance. These robes form an excellent pro- 

 tection from rain, when the woolly side is opposed 

 to it, and against the cold when the woolly surface 

 is worn next the skin. But when these robes are 

 wet, or for a considerable time exposed to moisture, 

 they are apt to spoil and become unpleasant, as the 

 Indian mode of dressing has no other effect than to 

 give a softness and a pliancy to the leather. On these 

 robes the Indians frequently make drawings of their 

 great battles and victories; a great variety of such 

 painted robes are to be seen in the Philadelphia 

 Museum. The hair of the bison has been used in 

 the manufacture of a coarse cloth, but this fabric 

 has never been extensively employed. 



We have already adverted to the great numbers 

 of these animals which live together. They have 

 been seen in herds of three, four, and five thousand, 

 blackening the plains as far as the eye could view. 



