American Big-Game Hunting 



which so frequently occur in the old ranges, 

 and which often contain water after all other 

 moisture, except that of the streams, is dried 

 up. These wallows were formed by the roll- 

 ing of a succession of buffalo in the same 

 moist place, and were frequently quite deep. 

 They have often been described. Less well 

 known was the habit of scratching themselves 

 against trees and rocks. Sometimes a soli- 

 tary erratic boulder, five or six feet high, 

 may be seen on the bare prairie, the ground 

 immediately around it being worn down two 

 or three feet below the level of the surround- 

 ing earth. This is where the buffalo have 

 walked about the stone, rubbing against it, 

 and, where they trod, loosening the soil, which 

 has been blown away by the wind, so that in 

 course of time a deep trench was worn about 

 the rock. Often single trees along streams 

 were worn quite smooth by the shoulders 

 and sides of the buffalo. 



When the first telegraph line was built 

 across the continent, the poles used were 

 light and small, for transportation over the 

 plains was slow and expensive, and it was 

 not thought necessary to raise the wires high 



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