218 THE AMERICAN BISONS. 



the half-blood or common cow. The hump, brisket, ribs, and tongue of the 

 full and half-blooded are preferable to those of the common beef, but the 



round and other parts are much inferior. The udder or bag of the buffalo is 

 smaller than that of the common cow. but I have allowed the calves of both 

 to run with their dams upon the same pasture, and those of the buffalo were 

 always the fattest; and old hunters have told me that when a young buffalo 

 calf is taken, it requires the milk of two cows to raise it. Of this 1 have no 

 doubt, having received the same information from hunters of the greatest 

 veracity. The bag or udder of the half-breed is larger than that of full- 

 blooded animals, and they would. I have no doubt, make good milkers. 



"The wool of the wild buffalo grows on their descendants when domesti- 

 cated, but I think they have less of wool than their progenitors. The 

 domesticated buffalo still retains the grunt of the wild animal, and is in- 

 capable of making any other noise, and they will observe the habit of having 

 select places within their feeding-grounds to wallow in. 



"The buffalo has a much deeper shoulder than the tame ox. but is lighter 

 behind. He walks more actively than the latter, and 1 think has more 

 Btrength than a common ox of the same weight. 1 have broken them to 

 the yoke, and found them capable of making excellent oxen: and for draw- 

 ing wagons, carts, or other heavily laden vehicles on long journeys, they 

 would. I think, be greatly preferable to the common ox. I have as yet bad 

 no opportunity of testing the longevity of the buffalo, as all mine that have 

 died did so from accident, or were killed because they became aged. 1 have 

 some cows that are neat ly twenty years old, that are healthy and vigorous, 

 and one of them has now a sucking calf. 



"The young buffalo calf is of a sandy red or rufous color, and commences 

 changing dark brown at about six months old. which last color it always 

 retain-. The mixed breeds are of various colors ; 1 have had them striped 

 with black, on a gray ground, like the zebra, some of them brindled red. 

 some pure red with white face*, and others red without any markings of 

 white. The mixed bloods have not only produced in my stock from the 

 tame and the buffalo bull, bul I have seen the half-bloods reproducing, vi«., 



those that were the product of the common cow ami wild buffalo bull. I 



was informed that, at the first settlement of the country, cows that were 

 considered best for milking were from the half-blood, down to the quarter, 

 and even eighth, of the buffalo blood. But my experiments have not satis- 

 lied me that the hall-buffalo hull will produce again. That the half-breed 



