MAMMALIA—BISON. 383 
xave been lost to the moderns, until recognised in the American animal. 
The American bison, has, in fact, much resemblance to the aurochs of the 
Germans, (Bos urus, BoppeRt,) identified by Cuvier, with the bonasus of 
Aristotle, the dison of Pausanias and Pliny, and the uwrus of Cesar; and 
which, down to the reign of Charlemagne, was not rare in Germany, but 
is now nearly confined to the hilly country lying between the Caspian and 
Black seas. 



The bison wanders constantly from place to place, either from being ~ 
disturbed by hunters or in quest of food. They are much attracted by the 
so{t tender grass, which springs up after a fire has spread over the prairie. 
In winter they scrape away the snow with their feet to reach the grass. 
The bulls and cows live in separate herds, for the greater part of the year, 
but at all seasons, one or two old bulls generally accompany a large herd 
of cows. In the rutting season, the males fight against each other with 
great fury, and, at that period it is very dangerous to approach them. The 
bison is, however, in general, a shy animal, and takes to flight instantly on 
winding an enemy, which the acuteness of its sense of smell enables it to 
do, from a great distance. They are less wary when they are assembled 
together in numbers, and will then often blindly follow their leaders, regard- 
less of, or trampling down, the hunters posted in their way. It is dange- 
rous for the hunter to show himself after having wounded one; for it will 
pursue him, and although its gait may appear ‘heavy and awkward, it will 
have no great difficulty in overtaking the fleetest runner. 
Mr Finnan M’Donald, of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s clerks, was de- 
scending the Saskatchewan in a boat, and one evening having pitched his 
