﻿462 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  size, 
  numbering 
  tbousands, 
  and 
  even 
  millions, 
  of 
  individuals. 
  Tbe 
  ac- 
  

   counts 
  given 
  by 
  tborongbly 
  veracious 
  travellers 
  respecting 
  tbeir 
  size 
  

   sound 
  almost 
  like 
  exaggerations. 
  Herds 
  were 
  formerly 
  often 
  met 
  with 
  

   extending 
  for 
  many 
  miles 
  in 
  every 
  direction, 
  so 
  tbat 
  tbe 
  expression 
  "so 
  

   numerous 
  as 
  to 
  blacken 
  tbe 
  plains 
  as 
  far 
  as, 
  tbe 
  eye 
  can 
  reacb" 
  bas 
  be- 
  

   come 
  a 
  backneyed 
  description 
  of 
  tbeir 
  abundance. 
  Some 
  writers 
  speak 
  

   of 
  travelling 
  for 
  days 
  togetber 
  witbout 
  ever 
  being 
  out 
  of 
  sigbt 
  of 
  buf- 
  

   faloes, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  emigrant 
  trains 
  were 
  formerly 
  sometimes 
  

   detained 
  for 
  hours 
  by 
  tbe 
  passage 
  of 
  dense 
  herds 
  across 
  tbeir 
  routes. 
  

   In 
  tbe 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Kansas 
  Pacific 
  Eailwav 
  it 
  repeatedly 
  hap- 
  

   pened 
  that 
  trains 
  were 
  stopped 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  cause. 
  Such 
  statements 
  

   as 
  these 
  seem 
  like 
  exaggerations, 
  but 
  no 
  facts 
  are 
  perhaps 
  better 
  at- 
  

   tested. 
  I 
  must 
  myself 
  confess 
  to 
  slight 
  misgivings 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  tbeir 
  

   thorough 
  truthfulness 
  until 
  I 
  had, 
  in 
  1871, 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  seeing 
  the 
  

   moving 
  multitudes 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  covering 
  the 
  landscape 
  on 
  tbe 
  plains 
  

   of 
  Kansas, 
  when 
  1 
  was 
  convinced 
  of 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  seemingly 
  

   most 
  extravagant 
  reports 
  being 
  true. 
  Only 
  when 
  demoralized 
  and 
  

   broken 
  up 
  by 
  constant 
  persecution 
  from 
  buuters 
  do 
  tbe 
  herds 
  become 
  

   scattered. 
  At 
  other 
  times 
  only 
  the 
  old 
  bulls, 
  lean 
  and 
  partly 
  disabled 
  

   from 
  age, 
  leave 
  tbe 
  herds 
  and 
  wander 
  as 
  stragglers. 
  

  

  The 
  organization 
  and 
  composition 
  of 
  tbe 
  herds, 
  though 
  wholly 
  simple 
  

   and 
  natural, 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  much 
  romancing 
  on 
  tbe 
  part'of 
  a 
  few 
  

   fanciful 
  writers. 
  Generally 
  tbe 
  cows 
  with 
  their 
  calves 
  are 
  found 
  toward 
  

   the 
  middle 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  front 
  of 
  tbe 
  herds, 
  tbe 
  cows 
  being 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  

   more 
  watchful 
  than 
  the 
  bulls, 
  and 
  also 
  more 
  active. 
  The 
  cows 
  are 
  

   hence 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  detect 
  danger, 
  and 
  generally 
  take 
  the 
  initiative 
  in 
  the 
  

   movements 
  of 
  the 
  herd. 
  The 
  younger 
  animals 
  of 
  both 
  sexes 
  mingle 
  

   with 
  tbe 
  cows, 
  as 
  do 
  also 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  extent 
  the 
  younger 
  and 
  

   middle-aged 
  bulls. 
  Tbe 
  older 
  bulls 
  are 
  generally 
  found 
  nearer 
  tbe 
  out- 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  herd, 
  while 
  last 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  old 
  Datriachs 
  of 
  the 
  flock 
  bring 
  up 
  

   the 
  rear. 
  Some 
  of 
  tbe 
  latter 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  far 
  out 
  on 
  tbe 
  outskirts, 
  

   miles 
  away 
  from 
  tbe 
  main 
  herd, 
  occurring 
  singly 
  or 
  in 
  small 
  parties 
  of 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  to 
  a 
  dozen 
  individuals. 
  These 
  are 
  usually 
  the 
  superannu- 
  

   ated 
  members 
  of 
  tbe 
  community, 
  which 
  lag 
  behind 
  from 
  listlessness 
  or 
  

   sheer 
  weakness. 
  This 
  simple 
  grouping 
  of 
  tbe 
  different 
  individuals 
  of 
  

   the 
  herds 
  bas 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  exaggerated 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  sagacity 
  of 
  

   tbe 
  buffalo, 
  and 
  much 
  fine 
  writing 
  has 
  at 
  times 
  been 
  expended 
  in 
  de- 
  

   scribing 
  the 
  supposed 
  regularity 
  and 
  almost 
  military 
  precision 
  of 
  their 
  

   movements. 
  Tbe 
  sluggish, 
  partly 
  disabled 
  old 
  males 
  constitute 
  the 
  

   lordly 
  sentinels 
  of 
  such 
  tales, 
  who 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  watch 
  with 
  fatherly 
  

   care 
  over 
  the 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  flock, 
  and 
  to 
  give 
  early 
  warning 
  of 
  tbe 
  ap- 
  

   proach 
  of 
  danger. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  these 
  supposed 
  alert 
  protectors 
  are 
  

   tbe 
  most 
  easily 
  approached 
  of 
  any 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  flock, 
  the 
  experienced 
  

   hunter 
  finding 
  no 
  trouble 
  in 
  creeping 
  past 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  of 
  them 
  

   m 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  more 
  desirable 
  game 
  beyond 
  them.* 
  They 
  

   are 
  slower, 
  too, 
  to 
  recognize 
  danger 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  observed. 
  The 
  timidity 
  

   and 
  watchfulness 
  of 
  the 
  cows, 
  accustomed 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  tbe 
  care 
  of 
  

   their 
  offspring, 
  lead 
  them 
  to 
  take 
  tbe 
  initiative 
  in 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  

   the 
  herd, 
  and 
  this, 
  as 
  already 
  stated, 
  keeps 
  them 
  near 
  the 
  front, 
  espec- 
  

   ially 
  when 
  tbe 
  herd 
  is 
  moving. 
  The 
  popular 
  belief 
  that 
  tbe 
  bulls 
  keep 
  

   the 
  cows 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  in 
  tbe 
  middle 
  of 
  tbe 
  herd, 
  and 
  form 
  themselves, 
  

   as 
  It 
  were, 
  into 
  a 
  protecting 
  phalanx, 
  bas 
  some 
  apparent 
  basis, 
  but 
  tbe 
  

   theory 
  that 
  the 
  old 
  bulls, 
  the 
  least 
  watchful 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   herd, 
  are 
  sentinels 
  posted 
  on 
  th 
  e 
  outskirts 
  to 
  give 
  notice 
  of 
  any 
  ap- 
  

  

  the 
  buff^f 
  ^ 
  <5liapter 
  beyond 
  devoted 
  to 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  methods 
  ot 
  hunting 
  

  

  