The Lordly Buffalo 269 



the day. Unfortunately this race has developed 

 too late. With the settlement of the country it 

 will also disappear, unless very stringent laws are 

 made for its protection ; but at least its existence will 

 for some years prevent the total extermination of 

 the species as a whole. It must be kept in mind that 

 even this shyer kind of buffalo has not got the keen 

 senses of other large game, such as moose; and it 

 is more easily followed and much more keenly and 

 eagerly sought after than would be any other ani 

 mal smaller and less valuable to the hunter than 

 itself. 



While the slaughter of the buffalo has been in 

 places needless and brutal, and while it is to be 

 greatly regretted that the species is likely to become 

 extinct, and while, moreover, from a purely selfish 

 standpoint many, including myself, would rather 

 see it continue to exist as the chief feature in the 

 unchanged life of the Western wilderness; yet, on 

 the other hand, it must be remembered that its con 

 tinued existence in any numbers was absolutely in 

 compatible with anything but a very sparse settle 

 ment of the country; and that its destruction was 

 the condition precedent upon the advance of white 

 civilization in the West, and was a positive boon 

 to the more thrifty and industrious frontiersmen. 

 Where the buffalo were plenty, they ate up all the 

 grass that could have supported cattle. The country 

 over which the huge herds grazed during the last 

 year or two of their existence was cropped bare, 

 and the grass did not grow to its normal height 



