THE BUFFALO AND HIS FATE. 157 
yield a fleece of wool equal in quality to that of the sheep ; 
but no persistent attempts have yet been made to utilize it 
by domestication. That the buffalo-calf may be easily rear: 
ed and thoroughly tamed has been conclusively proved, 
but little attention has been paid to their reproduction in 
confinement, or to training them to labor. During the last 
century they were domesticated in various parts of the 
colonies, and interbred with domestic cows, producing a 
half-breed race which is fertile, and which readily amalga- 
mates with the domestic cattle. The half-breeds are large, 
fine animals, possessing most of the characteristics of their 
wild parentage. They can be broken to the yoke, but are 
not so sober and manageable in their work as the tame 
breed—sometimes, for instance, making a dash for the near- 
est water, with disastrous results to the load they are draw- 
ing. It is somewhat difficult, also, to build a fence which 
shall resist the destructive strength of their head and horns. 
But the efforts at taming buffaloes have not been many, or 
seriously carried on, and no attempt appears to have been 
made to perpetuate an unmixed domestic race. Probably 
after a few generations they would lose their natural un- 
tractableness, and when castrated would doubtless form su- 
perior working-cattle, from their greater size, strength, and 
natural agility. 
