292 ITNGULATA, 



together, and took carts with them. These hunted and 

 killed the Bison by thousands, in order to obtain the 

 meat and robes. During the construction of the 

 Kansas Pacific Railway, many w^ere slaughtered to feed 

 the labourers. This line divided the large Buffalo herd 

 into two portions. 



The male Buffalo is from 4^ to 5 feet high at the 

 shoulders, but the hind-quarters are much lower. The 

 tail is rather short, and furnished with a thick tuft of 

 black hair. The head and shoulders are covered with a 

 dense mane of rather curly dark brown hair, giving to 

 the Bison a grand and savage appearance. In some 

 animals the hair grows between the horns to the great 

 length of 151- to 16 inches, and in some the side hair 

 extends down to the knees. The beard or dewlap is 

 rather long, generally from 3 to 5 inches, and in aged 

 animals it is grizzled. The horns are short, and but 

 slightly curved. They vary somewhat in length, some 

 being stunted, and only 5 to 6 inches long, whilst others 

 attain nearly a foot. In some males the horns are 

 much worn and blunted. The skull is l)roader than 

 that of the domestic cattle, and the muzzle is short 

 and broad. The general colour is drab-brown. The 

 hair is thick, rather coarse, and covered with longer 

 dense hairs. In summer the coat is lighter. The 

 female is smaller, fleeter, and more gentle in appearance 

 than the male, and has also horns, but only a very 

 slight mane. 



The Bison bears a certain resemblance to the Sussex 

 and Devon cattle, in shortness of tail, large size of fore- 

 quarters, and m colour, especially to the Sussex. 



Schoolcraft says that the Bison works excellently 

 when broken to the plough. It has a peculiar habit, 

 similar to the Reindeer, of scraping away the snow with 



