APPEAEANCE OF THE BISON. 37 



wool. The whole body is protected by a kind of woolly 

 covering, which the animal sheds every summer ; and 

 after performing this operation, the bison, when \dewed 

 from a distance, somewhat resembles a French poodle 

 on a large scale. The scanty proportions of the tail 

 heighten the likeness. It is short, covered with a short 

 fur-like substance, and has a tuft of coarse black hair 

 at the end. 



The buffalo is a strong, deep-chested animal, with 

 short stout legs, though the manner in which the body 

 slopes down from the hump makes it appear weak in 

 the loins. 



Sixteen hundred pounds is not an uncommon weight 

 for a full-grown bull, and they are said to reach two 

 thousand pounds weight ; but this may be questioned, 

 for the hunters are not in the habit of carrying with 

 them any machine by which tbey could weigh the dead 

 carcase even by quarters. Some allowance must be 

 made for the roughness of the hunters' guess, and the 

 love of exao-oferation common to most of them. 



A full-sized bull measures as much as eight feet six 

 inches in length, exclusive of the tail, which measures 

 barely two feet. At the shoulders, which on account of 

 the hump forms the highest point, he stands nearly six 

 feet. 



This hump is a mass of fatty substance, of various 

 sizes, according to circumstances and the condition of 

 the animal, and is much esteemed by epicures. When 



