THE BISON. 95 



in his irresistible hand-gallop the horns 

 are thrown back, so as not to catch the 

 boughs, and the shock of contact falls 

 on the solid base of the horns, and on 

 the dorsal ridge aforesaid. This elon- 

 gated and exaggerated wither gives the 

 animal an outline unlike that of any 

 other creature ; nevertheless the bison is 

 a very noble-looking beast. The colour 

 is a dark bluish slate, shaded with red, 

 and the lower parts of the legs are of 

 a light tawny hue. The horns, start- 

 ing from very massive bases, describe 

 a wide and symmetrical curve. From 

 the time the animal is five years old 

 every season contributes a spiral ring 

 at the base of the horn, and as bisons 

 have been shot whose horns showed 

 nine and even ten of these rings, it 



