﻿464 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  deny 
  that 
  the 
  mother 
  has 
  any 
  affection 
  for 
  its 
  offspring, 
  stating 
  that 
  

   wlien 
  frightened 
  the 
  buffalo 
  cow 
  will 
  abandon 
  her 
  calf 
  without 
  the 
  

   slightest 
  hesitation. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  others 
  report 
  her 
  as 
  being 
  not 
  

   only 
  constantly 
  vigilant 
  in 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  her 
  young, 
  but 
  bold 
  in 
  its 
  defense. 
  

   Colonel 
  Dodge, 
  indeed, 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  protecting 
  the 
  calves 
  

   devolves 
  wholly 
  upon 
  the 
  bulls. 
  He 
  says: 
  "I 
  have 
  seen 
  evidences 
  of 
  this 
  

   many 
  times, 
  but 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  instance 
  I 
  have 
  ever 
  heard 
  of 
  was 
  

   related 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  an 
  army 
  surgeon, 
  who 
  was 
  an 
  eyewitness. 
  He 
  was 
  

   one 
  evening 
  returning 
  to 
  camp, 
  after 
  a 
  day's 
  hunt, 
  when 
  his 
  attention 
  

   was 
  attracted 
  by 
  the 
  curious 
  action 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  knot 
  of 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  buf- 
  

   faloes. 
  Approaching 
  sufficiently 
  near 
  to 
  see 
  clearly, 
  he 
  discovered 
  that 
  

   this 
  little 
  knot 
  were 
  all 
  bulls, 
  standing 
  in 
  a 
  close 
  circle 
  with 
  their 
  heads 
  

   outward, 
  while 
  in 
  a 
  concentric 
  circle 
  at 
  some 
  twelve 
  or 
  fifteen 
  paces 
  dis- 
  

   tant 
  sat 
  licking 
  their 
  chops 
  in 
  impatient 
  expectancy, 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  dozen 
  

   large 
  gray 
  wolves, 
  excepting 
  man, 
  the 
  most 
  dangerous 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  

   buffalo. 
  The 
  Doctor 
  determined 
  to 
  watch 
  the 
  performance. 
  After 
  a 
  

   few 
  moments 
  the 
  knot 
  broke 
  up, 
  still 
  keeping 
  in 
  a 
  compact 
  mass, 
  and 
  

   started 
  on 
  a 
  trot 
  for 
  the 
  main 
  herd, 
  some 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  off". 
  To 
  his 
  very 
  

   great 
  astonishment 
  the 
  Doctor 
  now 
  saw 
  that 
  the 
  central 
  and 
  controlling 
  

   figure 
  of 
  this 
  mass 
  was 
  a 
  poor 
  little 
  calf, 
  so 
  newly 
  born 
  as 
  scarcely 
  to 
  be 
  

   able 
  to 
  walk. 
  After 
  going 
  fifty 
  or 
  a 
  hundred 
  yards 
  the 
  calf 
  lay 
  down. 
  

   The 
  bulls 
  disposed 
  themselves 
  in 
  a 
  circle 
  as 
  before, 
  and 
  the 
  vrolves, 
  who 
  

   had 
  trotted 
  along 
  on 
  each 
  flank 
  of 
  their 
  retreating 
  supper, 
  and 
  licked 
  

   their 
  chops 
  again. 
  This 
  was 
  repeated 
  again 
  and 
  again, 
  and 
  although 
  

   the 
  Doctor 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  the 
  finale 
  (it 
  being 
  late, 
  and 
  the 
  camp 
  distant), 
  

   he 
  had 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  noble 
  fathers 
  did 
  their 
  whole 
  duty 
  by 
  their 
  

   offspring, 
  and 
  carried 
  it 
  safely 
  to 
  the 
  herd."* 
  

  

  Audubon 
  states, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  that 
  the 
  cow 
  does 
  not 
  at 
  such 
  times 
  

   desert 
  its 
  young, 
  but 
  tries 
  to 
  defend 
  it,t 
  which 
  statement 
  is 
  confirmed 
  

   by 
  many 
  plainsmen 
  and 
  hunters 
  who 
  are 
  thoroughly 
  conversant 
  with 
  

   the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  buff'alo. 
  

  

  The 
  moulting 
  of 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  begins 
  quite 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  their 
  

   skins 
  being 
  in 
  prime 
  condition 
  for 
  robes 
  during 
  only 
  about 
  three 
  months 
  

   of 
  the 
  year. 
  They 
  are 
  in 
  their 
  best 
  estate 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  in 
  December, 
  

   though 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  fair 
  condition 
  in 
  November 
  and 
  January, 
  and 
  are 
  

   indeeil 
  pretty 
  fully 
  haired 
  in 
  the 
  months 
  preceding 
  and 
  following 
  these. 
  

   The 
  long 
  hair 
  on 
  the 
  legs, 
  neck, 
  and 
  head 
  is 
  not 
  annuallv 
  shed, 
  but 
  the 
  

   soft 
  short 
  wooly 
  covering 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  usually 
  renevved 
  each 
  year. 
  

   The 
  short 
  soft 
  hair 
  begins 
  to 
  loosen 
  in 
  February, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  mouths 
  gradually 
  falls, 
  so 
  that 
  by 
  May 
  or 
  June 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  

   animal, 
  especially 
  the 
  posterior 
  part, 
  becomes 
  quite 
  naked, 
  and 
  remains 
  

   so 
  tor 
  several 
  weeks. 
  Gradually 
  the 
  dark-colored 
  new 
  hair 
  begins 
  to 
  

   appear, 
  covering 
  the 
  animal's 
  body 
  with 
  a 
  fine 
  soft 
  velvety 
  coat. 
  Dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  moulting 
  the 
  animal 
  presents 
  a 
  very 
  ragged 
  and 
  un- 
  

   couth 
  appearance, 
  the 
  woolly 
  hair 
  hanging 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  in 
  matted 
  

   loosened 
  masses 
  with 
  intervening 
  nakeci 
  spaces. 
  During 
  this 
  period 
  

   the 
  animals 
  search 
  for 
  trees, 
  bushes, 
  rocks, 
  or 
  banks 
  of 
  earth 
  against 
  

   which 
  they 
  may 
  rub 
  to 
  free 
  themselves 
  from 
  the 
  loosened 
  hair, 
  often 
  

   also 
  rolling 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  purpose. 
  The 
  hair 
  on 
  the 
  hump, 
  

   which 
  IS 
  thicker 
  and 
  longer 
  than 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  bodv, 
  is 
  

   last 
  shed, 
  and 
  in 
  very 
  old 
  animals 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  annually 
  renewed. 
  The 
  

   moulting 
  of 
  the 
  pelage 
  takes 
  place 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  and 
  lean 
  animals 
  

   than 
  in 
  the 
  others, 
  and 
  nearly 
  a 
  month 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  cows 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   bulls, 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  June, 
  while 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  are 
  smooth 
  and 
  dark, 
  a 
  

  

  * 
  Cltkaf/o 
  Inier-Ocean, 
  August 
  5, 
  1875. 
  t 
  Quad. 
  N. 
  Am., 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  37. 
  

  

  