Big Game Shooting 



American buffalo as seen in pictures in boys' 

 books, bar the shaggy skin and short horns. 



Its horns spread outward from the boss, 

 slightly downwards, then upwards and inwards 

 towards one another, and backwards (rather like 

 what a very small and thin Cape buffalo might 

 be like). It has a black hog mane, a most dis- 

 tinct Roman nose, and a longish white beard ex- 

 tending from the gullet to the breast-bone, nearly. 



When seen on an open plain two miles or 

 more away by itself, it can easily be mistaken for 

 a rhino, till one gets one's glasses to bear on it. 

 Its bulk looks even then enormous for some un- 

 known reason. 



They are found on plains, as a rule, very 

 sparsely covered with bushes (or absolutely bare, 

 as on the Athi Plains) in herds of from twenty 

 to fifty. Single bulls are very often seen stand- 

 ing right in the sun and without any cover. Such 

 a one then looks more than half asleep, and 

 exactly as if he had lost himself. 



Sometimes the herd will disappear in a cloud 

 of dust when one is on the horizon ; at other 

 times one may take great liberties with them. I 

 think that depends entirely on whether they have 

 been shot over much, which is by no means the 

 reason for other kinds of game bolting. 



They must drink every day, and seem to hang 

 about over the water for two or three hours at a 

 stretch, always with a sentry, however. 



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