In Buffalo Days 
northern herd, however, recognized the true 
state of the case, which was that the buffalo, 
during the last years of their existence, were 
so constantly pursued and driven from place 
to place that they never had time to lay on 
fat as in earlier years, and that, as a conse- 
quence of this continual running, the animal’s 
form changed, and instead of a fat, short- 
backed, short-legged animal, it became a 
long-legged, light-bodied beast, formed for 
running. 
This specialization in the direction of 
speed at first proceeded very slowly, but at 
last, as the dangers to which the animals 
were subjected became more and more press- 
ing, it took place rapidly, and as a conse- 
quence the last buffalo killed on the plains 
were extremely long-legged and rangy, and 
were very different in appearance—as they 
were in their habits—from the animals of 
twenty years ago. 
Buffalo running was not a sport that re- 
quired much skill, yet it was not without its 
dangers. Occasionally a man was killed by 
the buffalo, but deaths from falls and from 
bursting guns were more common. Many 
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