88 Oxen 



throwins^ up the earth and soon making an excavation into which the 

 water trickles, forming tor him in a short time a cool and comtortahle 

 bath, in which he wallows 'like a hog in the mire.' In this 'delectable 

 lava ' he throws himself flat on his side, and then forcing himselt violentlv 

 around with his horns, his feet, and huge hump, ploughs up the ground 

 still more, thus enlarging the pool till at length he becomes nearly im- 

 mersed. Besmeared with a coating of the pasty mixture, he at length 

 rises, changed into a ' monster ot mud and ugliness,' with the black mud 

 dripping from his shaggy mane and thick woolly coat. The mud soon 

 drying upon his body ensures him hours of immunity from the attack 

 of insects. Others follow in succession, having waited in their turns to 

 enjov the luxury ; each rolls and wallows in a similar wav, adding a little 

 to the dimensions of the hole, and carrying awav a share ot the adhesive 

 mud. Bv this means an excavation is eventuallv made having a diameter 

 of 15 or 20 feet, and 2 feet in depth." Such wallowing holes remain as 

 another sad memento ot one ot the noblest ot American quadrupeds. 



The pairing season on the prairies took place in Julv and August, 

 varying perhaps a little in time according to latitude ; and tlie young, 

 which never exceeded two at a birth, were born from the following 

 March to June. The calves always went about with the main herd. In 

 the breeding season constant conflicts took place between rival bulls ; but 

 owing to the shortness and form of their horns and the large mass of hair 

 on the fore-quarters, little damage was in most cases inflicted, although the 

 bellowing of the enraged combatants has been described as terrific. 



The saddest point in the history of the animal was its rapid and practi- 

 cally complete extermination, which was a surprise even to the hunters 

 themselves. And additional sadness is added to the story from the fact 

 that thousands were slaughtered for so-called sport, and other thousands for 

 no adequate return at all, perhaps merely for the sake of the tongue or 

 some other dainty morsel. The story is too long to be told here; hut it 



