116 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



pronged and forked antlers, and seemed to wink their 

 glass eyes as the tire flickered, casting startling 

 shadows. 



" Let's make mother a throne by the fire,'' said Nat, 

 drawing out the settle. 



" This old woolly cow skin will mostly cover it," 

 said Dodo, tugging at a bundle that lay partly un- 

 folded in the corner. 



'' Gently, gently," called the Doctor, coming to her 

 aid. '' That ' old cow skin ' is something that belongs 

 to the past which I could hardly replace. It once 

 belonged to a Buffalo — tliat one whose head is over 

 the window. Nat, take tlie other corner and Ave will 

 spread the skin carefully." 



''It's a pretty l)ig skin — bigger than any of the 

 beasts we saw at the circus ; but I didn't know that 

 Buffaloes were rare," said Nat. '^ I thought the wild 

 West was full of tliem, and all the Indians did when 

 they Avanted meat or a coat Avas to go out and kill 

 one." 



'' So they did once, my boy, and not so A^ery long 

 ago." 



'' There is a picture of some in your animal port- 

 folio," said Dodo, " and in it there are lots and lots of 

 Buffaloes all over everywhere, more tlian all the coavs 

 in the pasture down at the milk farm." 



'' What shall you tell us about to-night, father ? " 

 asked Olive, coming in, followed by the dogs. '' How 

 Avill 3^ou manage al)Out the stories ; take the animals by 

 families as you did the birds ? " 



"No, I have another plan. In this portfolio are 

 portraits of our most famous American Mammals, 



