Buffalo 277 



member of the family. When separated by a stampede or 

 other cause, they never rest until they are all together again. 



"A pathetic sight was sometimes witnessed when the 

 mother of one of these families was killed at the first shot. 

 They were so devoted to her, they would linger and wait until 

 the last one could be easily slain." 



So far as I can learn a band does not further disintegrate. 

 It rambles about, in a radius of perhaps lo miles from its 

 favourite drinking place; and, wherever it goes, it is followed 

 by one or two ever watchful Gray-wolves. 



Some time in April usually, though possibly as early as gesta- 

 January and as late as August, the full-grown cow has finished 

 her 9^ months' gestation.^* True to a universal instinct, she 

 slinks off by herself to some slight hollow, for such there are 

 even on the levellest prairie, and there is born the calf, or on 

 some rare occasions twin calves. 



The labour is remarkably short and easy. Dr. Frank Baker 

 writes that normally it occupies from 25 to 45 minutes. A 

 recent case in the National Zoological Park was timed by the 

 head keeper, Blackburne, who says that "the calf had been 

 cleaned and was nursing 26 minutes after the cow stopped 

 eating hay and lay down." Thus, in less than an hour the 

 mother is able and ready to meet any enemy that may come to 

 injure her young. Chief among these are the Gray or Buffalo- 

 wolves. From one or two of these she is very well able to guard 

 her calf, but half-a-dozen give a serious aspect to the situation, the 

 even though she stand with the little one under her body. 

 Usually, however, help is at hand. Her loud angry snort or 

 threatening bellow will quickly bring the bulls to her aid. And 

 the effectiveness of their response may be judged by the follow- 

 ing incident related'^ by an army surgeon to Colonel Dodge: 



"He was one evening returning to camp after a day's 

 hunt, when his attention was attracted by the curious action 



" Dr. W. T. Homaday tells me of a case in which the gestation was prolonged to ten 

 months and three weeks. 



" Plains of the Great West, p. 125. 



