294 THE BUFFALO RUG, ETC. 
animals are generally used; those of a buffalo 
being more than sufficient to dress his own 
hide. The pores of the skin being fully pene- 
trated by the brains, it is again wetted, and 
softened by continual working and rubbing 
till it dries. To facilitate this last operation, it 
is sometimes stretched in a frame and sus- 
pended before a fire, when the inner surface 
is scraped with the serrated adz before men- 
tioned, and finished off by assiduous rubbing 
with a pumice-stone, if that article can be 
had; if not, by passing the skin by small sec- 
tions rapidly back and forth over a slack cord. 
uffalo rugs are often observed with a 
seam in the middle. This is caused by cut- 
ting them in two, partly for convenience in 
dressing them, and partly to take out the hol- 
low occasioned by the hump, particularly of 
the bulls. The hump of the cow being less, 
their skins generally bear dressing without 
being cut. e hide is frequently split in 
two, however, in skinning the animal, the In- 
dians preferring to commence on the back. 
The buffalo skin is often dressed without 
the wool. To this end the hide is soaked in 
water till the hair is loosened, when it is ‘cur- 
ried’ and ‘brained,’ and softened as above. 
Of these dressed buffalo skins (known among 
Mexicans as anta blanca) is made a considera- 
ble portion of the Indian clothing for both 
sexes—even the petticoats of the females; 
though these prefer buckskin when they can 
it. 
procure j 
The chief aliment of the Prairie Indians is 
