THE INDIAN BISON. 807 



bore rifle, firing 4i drams of powder, and found it did its work well. 

 I then tried an 8-bore gun with 9 drams, which was good too, and of 

 late years I have shot with a 500 Express with a solid steel plug in 

 a haden bullet in place of the ordinary copper tube in a hardened 

 bullet. The steel plug bullet expands as well as the usual bullet, but 

 has greater penetration. I prefer the Express for the first shot at a 

 bison; if properly placed it kills at once. To follow a wounded bull 

 into long grass or thick jungle I prefer the 8-bore. The ordinary 

 Express bullet, as also the steel plug one, peuetrates the skull easily. 

 The Express is no use in my opinion for the chest shot, or for firing 

 at the stern. The 8-bore will drive the ball through the chest into the 

 lungs. I also with this weapon twice killed bison at close quarters 

 with a raking shot through the stern into the body. This shot should 

 not be taken with a less powerful gun. Neither the 8-bore nor 1 2-bore 

 will drive the ball right through a large bull broadside, as the ball is 

 stopped by the skin on the opposite side. The ball should be spherical 

 and hardened, twelve parts of lead to one of tin. The head should not 

 be high, on a line with the root of the horn; between the eyes is too 

 low for the brains if the forehead is at right angles with the gun. 

 Head No. 3 has the bullet hole in the right spot. Owing to their habit 

 of poking their noses high into the air when they see you, it is not 

 easy to get the right angle into the brain, and it is not a shot to take 

 except as the coup de grace to a wounded animal. Every sportsman 

 should make a point of studying the interior economy of the animal he 

 shoots. This can best be done by ocular inspection. Cut the animal open 

 and examine the cavity of the chest and the cavity of the stomach. You 

 will be surprised to find what a lot of space there'is where a bullet 

 would do little immediate damage. The bisons' stomachs have each 

 a moderate sized haystack in them, which it is worse than useless 

 to perforate with a bullet. The lungs in my opinion afford the best 

 mark, and a shot there is certain death in a few seconds. If a 

 bison is standing when fired at, he seldom drops to the shot behind 

 the shoulder, but gallops from 50 to 200 yards before dropping 

 dead. If he is galloping the same shot drops him dead on the spot. 

 Why this should be I do not know, but so it is. When you have killed 

 him you will find the old bulls almost hairless ; their skin exudes 

 a thick oily substance which you can scrape off with a knife. It 

 looks like dirty oil. Mr. Sanderson* says that the hide of an old 

 bull after a sharp hunt gives out an oily sweat. He adds : " In this 

 peculiarity the bison differs from domestic cattle which never sweat 



