In Buftalo Days 



were protected by their mothers, and the fe- 

 males and young stock were so vigorous and 

 so gregarious that they had but Httle to 

 fear from this danger. It is probable that, 

 notwithstanding the destruction which they 

 wrought, the wolves performed an important 

 service for the buffalo race, keeping it vigor- 

 ous and healthy by killing weak, disabled, 

 and superannuated animals, which could no 

 longer serve any useful purpose in the herd^ 

 and yet consumed the grass which would 

 support a healthy breeding animal. It is cer- 

 tainly true that sick buffalo, or those out of 

 condition, were rarely seen. 



The grizzly bear fed to some extent on the 

 carcasses of buffalo drowned in the rivers or 

 caught in the quicksands, and occasionally 

 they caught living buffalo and killed them. 

 A Blackfoot Indian told me of an attempt of 

 this kind which he witnessed. He was lying 

 hidden by a buffalo trail in the Bad Lands, 

 near a little creek, waiting for a small bunch 

 to come down to water, so that he might kill 

 one. The buffalo came on in single file as 

 usual, the leading animal being a young 



heifer. When they had nearly reached the 



177 



