THE BISON. 



over ill'- head ami shoulders, actually reaching the ground, and th- entire aspect of the 

 aii'inal more lo\\erim:. 



TUis .-realm-- is only found in Northern America, never appearing mnh of lat 88*. It 

 IT. i then together in enormous herds, consisting of many thousands in numU-r. ami in spite of 

 tli.- continual persecution to which it ia subjected l>\ man ami l*-ast. its multitudes are ereO 

 now hardh diminished. The Bison U one of the most valuable of animals to tin- white hunter, 

 i- u.-ll as to ill-- alxiiiiriual !>'! Indian, us ita body supplies him with almo-t .-\--iy neces- 

 sary of lif-. 



The tlc-sh of the fat cow Hison is in great repute, being juicy, tender, and well-savored, 

 and poaooeoos the invaluable quality of not cloying the appetite, even though it |M> eaten 

 with the fierce hunger tluit is generated by a day's hunting. The fat is peculiarly excel- 

 lent, :n 1 i- sai-1 to l*-ar some resembl | to the ehruted in>-en fal ol Htfl tOZtfa 'I I" 1 

 most delicate portion of the Bison is the flesh that composes the "hump." which gives to 

 the animal's back so strange an aapect; and the hunters an- so foml of this delicacy that 

 they will often slay a magnificent Hison merely for the nuke of the hump, tin* tongue, ami 

 the morrow-bones, leaving the remainder of the body to the wolves and birds. Tin- pieces 

 of liump tli-h that are stripped from the shoulders are technically culled "fleeces," ami 

 sometimes wi-iirh as much as u hundred ]>ounds. The flesh of the Bison in also mode of 

 exceeding value to voyagers and travellers by being converted into "pemmiran," a curious 

 kind of preparation, which to the eye closely resembles tarred oakum. 1-ut which is com- 

 posed of the dried fibres of Bison beef. "Jerked" beef is also made from this animal, 

 the meat being cut into long thin strips, and hung in the sunshine until black, dry, and 

 almost as hard as leather. 



The hide is greatly valued both by Indians and civilized men, for the many purposes 

 which it fulfils. From this hide the Indian makes his tents, many parts of his dress, his 

 bed. ami his shield. For nearly the whole of these uses the skin is deprived of hair, and is 

 so dressed as to be impervious to water, and yet soft and pliable. The shield is very ingeni- 

 ously made by pegging out the hide upon the ground with a multitude of little wooden 

 skewers round its edge, imbuing it with a kind of glue, and gradually removing the pegs in 

 proportion to the < niseqnent shrinking and thickening of the skin. One of these shields, 

 although still pliable, is sufficiently strong to resist an arrow, and will often turn a bullet 

 that does not strike it fairly. 



Sometimes the Bison is the means of saving the hunter from tin- terrible death of thirst, 

 for it oftentimes happens that the prairie-men find themselves parched with thirst in the 

 midst of vast plains, without a drop of water in their vessels, and no stream within u long 

 day's journey. Under these circumstances, they would inevitably die, wen- it not that they 

 know how to have recourse to certain natural fountains which are never entirely empty. 

 The Bison has the power of taking a large amount of water into its body, and dc|>ositing 

 it in the "reticulum," or cells of the honey-comb department of the stomach, until it shall be 

 needed for use. The hunters, therefore, are not long at a loss for materials wherewith to 

 quench their thirst as long as a Bison is in sight, but slay the animal at once for the sake 

 of the water which they know will be found in the usual situation. 



Vast quantities of Bisons are killed annually, whole- herds being sometimes destroyed by 

 the canning of their human foes. The hunters, having discovered a herd of Bisons at no v- 

 great distance from one of the precipices which alxmnd in the prairie-lands, quietly surround 

 the doomed animals, and drive them ever nearer and nearer to the precipice. When they hav 

 come within half a mile or so of the edge, they suddenly dash towards the Bisons, shouting, 

 firing, waving hats in the air, and using every means to terrify the intended victims. The 

 Bisons are timid creatures, ami easily take alarm, so that on being startled by the unexpected 

 Mirhts and nod*, HMJ Mb - paafo-stnMk, b 0M ooly dinetkB lefl "i-' : to DM^ad 

 which leads directly to the precipice. When the leaders arrive at the edge, they attempt to 

 recoil, but they are so closely pressed upon by those t*-himl them that they are carried for- 

 ward and forced into the gull below. Many hundreds of Bisons are thus destroyed in the 



-;>:! of a f.-v\ 



