THE BUFFALO AND HIS FATE. 151 



than at present, and slight northward arid southward mi- 

 grations are well attested as occurring in Texas and also on 

 the Saskatchewan plains ; but the herds constantly winter 

 as far north as the latter region, and for twenty-five years 

 have not passed southward even to the Platte. In the ex- 

 treme north they leave the exposed plains in winter and 

 take shelter among the wooded hills. Such local move- 

 ments as these were formerly very regular, and hunters 

 knew just where to look for their game at any season of 

 the year. 



The behavior of the buffaloes is very much like that of 

 domestic cattle, but their speed and endurance seem to be 

 far greater. When well under way it takes a fleet horse 

 to overtake them, and they raise a column of dust which 

 marks their progress when miles away. They swim rivers 

 with ease, even amid floating ice, and show a surprising 

 agility and expertness in making their way down precip- 

 itous cliffs and banks of streams, plunging headlong where 

 a man would pick his way with hesitation. Ordinarily, 

 however, the buffalo exhibits commendable sagacity in his 

 choice of routes, usually taking the easiest grades and the 

 most direct course, so that a buffalo-trail often worn deep 

 into the ground can be depended on as affording the most 

 feasible road through the region it traverses. 



