The Last of the Buffalo 



Under natural conditions the buffalo 

 was an animal of rather sluggish habits, 

 mild, inoffensive, and dull. In its ways of 

 life and intelligence it closely resembled 

 our domestic cattle. It was slow to learn 

 by experience, and this lack of intelligence 

 greatly hastened the destruction of the 

 race. Until the very last years of its exis- 

 tence as a species, it did not appear to con- 

 nect the report of fire-arms with any idea 

 of danger to itself, and, though constantly 

 pursued, did not become wild. If he 

 used skill and judgment in shooting, a 

 hunter who had " got a stand " on a small 

 bunch could kill them all before they had 

 moved out of rifle-shot. It was my for- 

 tune, one summer, to hunt for a camp of 

 soldiers ; and more than once I have lain 

 on a hill above a little herd of buffalo, shot 

 down what young bulls I needed to supply 

 the camp, and then walked down to the 

 bunch, and, by waving my hat and shout- 

 ing, driven off the survivors, so that I could 

 prepare the meat for transportation to 

 camp. This slowness to take the alarm, 

 or indeed to realize the presence of dan- 

 ger, was characteristic of the buffalo almost 

 up to the very last. A time did come 

 when they were alarmed readily enough ; 

 but this was not until all the large herds 



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