THE BUFFALO AND HIS FATE. 151 
than at present, and slight northward and southward mi- 
erations are well attested as occurring in Texas and also on 
the Saskatchewan plains; ‘but the herds constantly winter 
as far north as the latter region, and for twenty-five years 
have not passed southward even to the Platte. In the ex- 
treme north they leave the exposed plains in winter and 
take shelter among the wooded hills. Such local move- 
ments as these were formerly very regular, and hunters 
knew just where to look for their game at any season of 
the year. 
The behavior of the buffaloes is very much lke that of 
domestic cattle, but their speed and endurance seem to be 
far greater. When well under way it takes a fleet horse 
to overtake them, and they raise a column of dust which 
marks their progress when miles away. They swim rivers 
with ease, even amid ‘floating ice, and show a surprising 
agility and expertness in making their way down precip- 
itous cliffs and banks of streams, plunging headlong where 
a man would pick his way with hesitation. Ordinarily, 
however, the buffalo exhibits commendable sagacity in his 
choice of routes, usually taking the easiest grades and the 
most direct course, so that a buffalo-trail—often worn deep 
into the ground—can be depended on as affording the most 
feasible road through the region it traverses. 
