98 THE TRAPPER'S FOOD. 



inches above the brisket. The ball if aimed right will gen- 

 erally go through, and the animal will soon bleed to death. 

 New hunters are liable to aim too high, being deceived by the 

 height of the hump on the shoulders. They suppose the 

 heart is near the middle of the space from the top of the 

 shoulders to the brisket ; it is some distance below that point. 

 The danger in Buffalo hunting for beginners, is in getting 

 too far into the drove. As soon as an animal is wounded 

 the rest take the alarm and close round, and if the hunter 

 has not secured a way of escape he will probably be run 

 down and both horse and rider destroyed. When chasing a 

 Buffalo and shooting on the gallop, the hunter should bring his 

 horse into time with the animal ; otherwise he will probably 

 miss his aim. He should fire just as the horse and the Buf- 

 falo strike the ground with the fore feet. 



The cows are best for eating. The tongue and tender-loin 

 are prefejred, the rest of the meat being rather coarse, espe- 

 cially that of the bulls, unless the animals are fat. It is, how- 

 ever, all eatable, and somewhat resembles beef, but has a 

 strong, peculiar, wild flavor of its own. Much of its reputa- 

 tion may be due to the good appetites of those who hunt it. 



The cows furnish the Buffalo robes of commerce, the skins 

 of the bulls having no fur on the hinder parts, and only the 

 long coarse mane in front ; their hinder parts are covered Avith 

 short hair. The bull- skins make a coarse kind of leather, 

 used by the Indians of the plains to cover their wigwams and 

 for other purposes. 



THE MOUFFLONS OK GREAT HORNED SHEEP. 



There are several species of wild sheep which are of some 

 interest to the trapper. The first of these is 



THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP OR BIG-HORN. 



This animal is larger than the common sheep, being some- 

 times six feet loner, about three feet hicrh at the shoulders, and 

 weighing nearly three hundred and fifty pounds. They are 

 found throughout the whole range of the Rocky Mountains, 

 from the 80th to the 68th degree of north latitude. The horns 



