﻿ALLEN.] 
  HABITS 
  OF 
  THE 
  BISON. 
  463 
  

  

  Iiroaching 
  enemy, 
  is 
  wholly 
  a 
  myth, 
  as 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  the 
  

   herds 
  consist 
  of 
  small 
  harems. 
  

  

  The 
  rutting 
  season 
  begins 
  in 
  July, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  its 
  height 
  till 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  month. 
  Earely 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  single 
  calf 
  produced 
  at 
  a 
  birth. 
  The 
  

   ps 
  riod 
  of 
  pregnancy 
  being 
  about 
  nine 
  months, 
  the 
  calves 
  are 
  born 
  from 
  the 
  

   beginning 
  of 
  March 
  till 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  June, 
  and 
  follow 
  the 
  mother 
  for 
  nearly 
  

   a 
  year. 
  Generally, 
  also, 
  the 
  yearlings 
  and 
  two 
  and 
  three 
  year 
  olds 
  are 
  

   found 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  cows 
  and 
  younger 
  bulls. 
  During 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  year 
  do 
  the 
  sexes 
  form 
  separate 
  herds, 
  but 
  are 
  found 
  mingled 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  nearly 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  already 
  described.* 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  asserted, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  the 
  bulls 
  select 
  their 
  partners 
  and 
  keep 
  near 
  them 
  till 
  the 
  

   cows 
  are 
  about 
  to 
  calve, 
  when 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  they 
  leave 
  them.t 
  During 
  the 
  

   rutting 
  season 
  the 
  bulls 
  often 
  wage 
  fierce 
  battles, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  believed 
  

   never 
  to 
  result 
  fatally. 
  The 
  actions 
  of 
  the 
  combatants 
  are 
  not 
  much 
  

   unlike 
  those 
  of 
  domestic 
  cattle 
  under 
  similar 
  circumstances, 
  they 
  i)aw- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  bellowing, 
  blustering 
  loudly 
  before 
  engaging 
  in 
  

   actual 
  combat. 
  Their 
  short 
  horns 
  are 
  not 
  apparently 
  very 
  dangerous 
  

   weapons, 
  and 
  the 
  stunning 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  heavy 
  shocks 
  that 
  must 
  follow 
  

   the 
  violent 
  collision 
  of 
  these 
  monsters 
  when 
  fighting 
  is 
  doubtless 
  partly 
  

   broken 
  by 
  the 
  immense 
  thickness 
  of 
  hair 
  with 
  which 
  their 
  foreheads 
  are 
  

   protected. 
  At 
  this 
  season 
  the 
  bulls 
  become 
  lean, 
  but 
  regain 
  their 
  flesh 
  

   again 
  in 
  autumn, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  usually 
  in 
  the 
  best 
  condition. 
  The 
  

   cows, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  yearlings 
  and 
  two-year-olds, 
  are 
  

   generally 
  fattest 
  in 
  June. 
  

  

  In 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  maternal 
  affection 
  possessed 
  by 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   cow 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  opinion 
  among 
  observers. 
  Some 
  

  

  * 
  Since 
  the 
  above 
  was 
  written 
  I 
  ha%'e 
  met 
  with 
  the 
  following 
  remarks 
  from 
  the 
  pen 
  

   of 
  Col. 
  E. 
  I. 
  Dodge: 
  "When 
  the 
  calves 
  are 
  young 
  they 
  are 
  kept 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  

   of 
  each 
  small 
  herd, 
  the 
  cows 
  with 
  them, 
  while 
  the 
  bulls 
  dispose 
  themselves 
  on 
  the 
  out- 
  

   side. 
  When 
  feeding, 
  the 
  herd 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  scattered, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  danger 
  

   it 
  closes 
  and 
  rounds 
  into 
  a 
  tolerably 
  compact 
  circular 
  mass. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  small 
  herds, 
  which 
  compose 
  the 
  great 
  herd, 
  have 
  eacli 
  generally 
  more 
  bulls 
  

   than 
  cows, 
  seeming 
  all 
  on 
  the 
  very 
  best 
  terms 
  with 
  each 
  other. 
  The 
  old 
  bulls 
  do 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  leave 
  the 
  herd 
  and 
  wander 
  off 
  as 
  advance 
  or 
  rear 
  guards 
  and 
  flankers, 
  but 
  I 
  

   am 
  disposed 
  to 
  believe 
  this 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  misanthropic 
  abnegation 
  of 
  society 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  

   these 
  old 
  fellows, 
  to 
  whom 
  female 
  companionship 
  no 
  longer 
  possesses 
  its 
  charm, 
  rather 
  

   than 
  to 
  their 
  being 
  driven 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  younger 
  bulls, 
  as 
  is 
  generally 
  believed. 
  This 
  

   habitual 
  separation 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  herd 
  into 
  numerous 
  smaller 
  herds 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  in- 
  

   stinctive 
  act, 
  probably 
  for 
  more 
  perfect 
  mutual 
  protection. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  thought, 
  said, 
  

   and 
  written 
  by 
  many 
  persons, 
  that 
  each 
  small 
  herd 
  is 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  community, 
  the 
  harems 
  

   and 
  retainers 
  of 
  some 
  specially 
  powerful 
  bull, 
  who 
  keeps 
  proper 
  order 
  and 
  subjection 
  

   among 
  them. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  further 
  from 
  the 
  truth. 
  The 
  association 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  purely 
  

   instinctive, 
  volnutary, 
  fi-ee 
  from 
  domination 
  of 
  power, 
  of 
  sexual 
  appetite, 
  or 
  individual 
  

   preferences, 
  but 
  is 
  most 
  undoubtedly 
  entirely 
  accidental 
  as 
  to 
  individual 
  components. 
  

   I 
  have, 
  when 
  unobserved, 
  carefully 
  watched 
  herds 
  while 
  feeding. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  two 
  or 
  

   more 
  small 
  herds 
  merge 
  into 
  one, 
  or 
  one 
  larger 
  herd 
  separate 
  into 
  two, 
  or 
  more. 
  This 
  

   is 
  done 
  quietlj^, 
  gradually, 
  and, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  accidentally, 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  feeding, 
  each 
  

   buffalo 
  seeming 
  only 
  intent 
  on 
  getting 
  his 
  full 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  grass. 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  

   said 
  that 
  the 
  cow 
  sand 
  calves 
  are 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  centre, 
  the 
  bulls 
  on 
  the 
  outside. 
  When 
  

   feeding 
  herds 
  approach 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  merge 
  into 
  one, 
  the 
  only 
  perceptible 
  change 
  — 
  

   and 
  this 
  is 
  so 
  gradual 
  as 
  scarcely 
  to 
  be 
  noticeable 
  — 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  bulls 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  con- 
  

   tact 
  work 
  themselves 
  outtoward 
  the 
  new 
  circumfereuce, 
  which 
  is 
  to 
  inclose 
  the 
  whole; 
  

   and 
  when 
  a 
  larger 
  herd 
  breaks, 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  gradual 
  process, 
  into 
  smaller 
  ones, 
  the 
  

   bulls 
  instinctively 
  place 
  themselves 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  ot 
  each. 
  When 
  pursued 
  the 
  herds 
  

   rush 
  together 
  in 
  one 
  compact, 
  plunging 
  mass. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  pursuit 
  is 
  over, 
  and 
  the 
  

   buffaloes 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  recovered 
  from 
  their 
  flight 
  to 
  begin 
  feeding, 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  out- 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  mass 
  gradually 
  detach 
  themselves, 
  breaking 
  into 
  smaller 
  herds, 
  until 
  the 
  

   whole 
  large 
  herd 
  is 
  in 
  its 
  normal 
  condition. 
  If 
  each 
  dominant 
  bull 
  had 
  on 
  such 
  occa- 
  

   sions 
  to 
  run 
  through 
  the 
  herd 
  to 
  look 
  up 
  his 
  lost 
  wives, 
  children, 
  and 
  dependents, 
  his 
  

   life 
  would 
  not 
  only 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  unhappy, 
  but 
  also 
  a 
  very 
  busy 
  one." 
  — 
  Ckicayo 
  Inter-Ocean 
  

   (newspaper) 
  of 
  August 
  5, 
  1875. 
  

  

  tSee 
  Audubon 
  and 
  Bachman's 
  Quad. 
  N. 
  America, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  37. 
  

  

  