/ 



— ^r^ ^^ L^^A_rrA- 



■';■ 



I ^ 

 'J . 

 I 





n 



^ 



I 



■I 





58 THE AMERICAN BISONS. 



■J ■ r 





; '* 





; " - 

 I 



L 



'< ' I 



J ' 



J r 



5 



^f 



foreheads are protected. At this season the bulls become lean^ but regain 

 their flesh again in autumn^ when they are usually in the best condition. 

 The cows, on the other hand, as well as the yearlings and two-year-olds, are 



^ r 



generally fattest in June. 



In respect to the degree of maternal affection possessed by the buffalo cow 



r 



there seems to be a wide range of opinion among observers. Some deny 

 that the mother has any affection for its offspring, stating that Avhen fright- 

 ened the buffixlo cow will abandon her calf without the slightest hesitation. 

 On the other hand, others report her as being not only constantly vigilant in 

 the care of her young, but bold in its defence. Colonel Dodge, indeed^ states 

 that the duty of protecting the calves devolves wholly upon the bulls. He 

 says: "I have seen evidences of this many times, but the most remarkable 

 instance I have ever heard of was related to me by an army surgeon, who 

 was an eyewitness. He was one evening returning to camp, after a day's 

 hunt, when his attention was attracted by the curious action of a little knot 

 of six or eight buffaloes. Approaching sufficiently near to see clearly, he dis- 

 covered that this little knot were all bulls, standing in a close circle with 

 their heads outward, while in a concentric circle at some twelve or fifteen 

 paces distant sat licking their chops in impatient expectancy, at least a dozen 

 large gray wolves, excepting man, the most dangerous enemy of the buffalo. 

 The Doctor determined to watch the performance. After a few moments the 

 knot broke up, still keeping in a compact mass, and started on a trot for the 

 main herd, some half a mile off. To his very great astonishment the Doc- 



I 



tor now saw that the central and' controlUng figure of this mass was a poor 

 little calf, so newly born as scarcely to be able to walk. After going fifty or 

 a hundred yards the calf lay down. The bulls disposed themselves in a cir- 

 cle as before, and the wolves, who had trotted along on each flank of their 

 retreating supper, sat down and licked their chops again. This was repeated 



,^i.VLLX C^x^v^ ^^ 



finale 



and the camp distant), he had no doubt that the noble fathers did their 

 whole duty by their offspring, and carried it safely to the herd." ^ 



Audubon states, on the contrary, that the cow does not at such times 

 desert its young, but tries to defend it,t which statement is confirmed by 

 many plainsmen and hunters who are thoroughly conversant with the habits 

 of the buffalo. 



* Chicago Inter-Ocean, August 5, 1875 

 t Quad. N. Am., Vol. II, p. 37. 



Jh 



f^ 



'^... 



