IS2 s FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



"Of all the parts of the Bison that are eaten, the hump is the 

 most famed for its peculiar richness and delicacy ; because when 

 cooked 'tis said very much to resemble marrow. 



" The tongues and maiTow-bones are also highly esteemed 

 by the hunters. 



" During the months of August and September the flesh of 

 the Bison bull is poor and disagreeably flavored ; they are, 

 however, much more easily killed, as they are not so vigilant as 

 the cows, and sometimes allow the hunters to come up to them 

 without much difficulty. Lewis and Clark relate, that once 

 approaching a large herd, the bulls vv^ould scarcely move out 

 of their way, and as they came near, the animals would merely 

 look at them for a moment, as at something new, and then qui- 

 etly resume their grazing. 



" The general appearance of the Bison is by no means at- 

 tractive or prepossessing. His huge and shapeless form being 

 altogether devoid of grace and beauty. His gait is awkward 

 and cumbrous, although his great strength enables him to run 

 with very considerable speed over plains in summer, or in 

 w^nte^ to plunge expeditiously through the snow. 



" The sense of smelling is remarkably acute in this animal, and 

 it is remarked by the hunters that the odor of the white man is 

 far more ten'ifying to them than that of the Indian. From the 

 neighborhood of white settlements they speedily disappear; 

 this, however, is very justly accounted for by Mr. Long, who 

 attributes it to the impolitic and exterminating warfare which 

 the white man wages against all unsubdued animals within his 

 reach. 



" The herds of Bison wander over the country in search of food, 

 usually led by a bull most remarkable for strength and fierce- 

 ness. While feeding, they are often scattered over a great ex- 

 tent of country, but when they move in mass, they form a dense, 

 almost impenetrable column, which, once in motion, is scarcely 

 to be impeded. Their line of march is seldom interrupted even 

 by considerable rivers, across which they swim without fear or 

 hesitation, nearly in the order they traverse the plains. When 



