American Big-Game Hunting 
the protection of the buffalo. The bill, how- 
ever, was never signed by the President. 
During the last days of the buffalo, a re- 
markable change took place in its form, and 
this change is worthy of consideration by 
naturalists, for it is an example of specializa- 
tion—of development in one particular direc- 
tion— which was due to a change in the en- 
vironment of the species, and is interesting 
because it was brought about in a very few 
years, and indicates how rapidly, under favor- 
ing conditions, such specialization may some- 
times take place. 
This change was noticed and commented on 
by hunters who followed the northern buffalo, 
as well as by those who assisted in the exter- 
mination of the southern herd. The southern 
hunters, however, averred that the “regular” 
buffalo had disappeared—gone off some- 
where—and that their place had been taken 
by what they called the southern buffalo, a 
race said to have come up from Mexico, and 
characterized by longer legs and a longer, 
lighter body than the buffalo of earlier years, 
and which was also peculiar in that the animals 
never became fat. Intelligent hunters of the 
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