THE BISON. 7 



are one year old, and cows are frequently seen ac- 

 companied by calves of three seasons. 



The flesh of the bison is somewhat coarser in its 

 fibre than that of the domestic ox, yet travellers are 

 unanimous in considering it equally savoury as an 

 article of food, we must, however, receive the opin- 

 ions of travellers on this subject, with some allow- 

 ance for their peculiar situations, being frequently 

 at a distance from all other food and having their 

 relish improved by the best of all possible recom- 

 mendations in favour of the present viands — hunger. 

 It is with reason, however, that the flesh is stated to 

 be more agreeably sapid, as the grass upon which 

 these animals feed is short, firm and nutritious, be- 

 ing very different from the luxuriant and less sa- 

 line grass produced on a more fertile soil. The fat 

 of the bison is said to be far sweeter and richer, and 

 generally preferable to that of the common ox. The 

 observations made in relation to the bison's flesh, 

 when compared with the flesh of the domestic ox, 

 may be extended to almost all wild meat, which 

 has a peculiar flavour and raciness that renders it 

 decidedly more agreeable than that of tame animals, 

 although the texture of the flesh may be much 

 coarser and the fibre by no means as delicate. 



Of all the parts of the bison that are eaten, the 

 hump is the most famed for its peculiar richness and 

 delicacy; because when cooked it is said very much 

 to resemble marrow. The Indian mode of cooking 

 the hump is to cut it out from the vertebras, after 



