﻿ALLEN.] 
  HABITS 
  OF 
  THE 
  BISON. 
  4o5 
  

  

  few 
  are 
  conspicuous 
  among 
  the 
  others 
  from 
  still 
  retaining 
  their 
  old 
  and 
  

   faded 
  coats 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  bufialo 
  is 
  quite 
  nomadic 
  in 
  its 
  habits, 
  the 
  same 
  individuals 
  roam- 
  

   ing, 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  over 
  vast 
  areas 
  of 
  country. 
  Their 
  wan- 
  

   derings, 
  however, 
  are 
  generally 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food 
  or 
  water, 
  or 
  result 
  

   from 
  the 
  persecutions 
  of 
  human 
  foes. 
  The 
  fires 
  that 
  annually 
  sweep 
  

   over 
  immense 
  tracks 
  of 
  the 
  grassy 
  plains, 
  sometimes 
  destroy 
  ing 
  the 
  her- 
  

   baceous 
  vegetation 
  over 
  thousands 
  of 
  square 
  miles 
  in 
  continuous 
  area, 
  

   often 
  force 
  the 
  buffaloes, 
  besides 
  inspiring 
  them 
  with 
  terror, 
  to 
  make 
  

   long 
  journeys 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food. 
  Occasionally 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers 
  cause 
  similar 
  migrations, 
  these 
  pests 
  leaving 
  large 
  sections 
  of 
  

   country 
  as 
  bare 
  of 
  vegetation 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  when 
  swept 
  by 
  a 
  prairie 
  fire. 
  The 
  

   habit 
  of 
  the 
  buffaloes, 
  too, 
  of 
  keeping 
  together 
  in 
  immense 
  herds 
  renders 
  

   a 
  slow 
  but 
  constant 
  movement 
  necessary 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  find 
  food, 
  that 
  of 
  

   a 
  single 
  locality 
  soon 
  becoming 
  exhausted. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  accustomed 
  to 
  

   make 
  frequent 
  shorter 
  journeys 
  to 
  obtain 
  water. 
  The 
  streams 
  through- 
  

   out 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  run 
  mainly 
  in 
  an 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  direction, 
  

   and 
  the 
  buffaloes, 
  in 
  passing 
  constantly 
  from 
  the 
  broad 
  grassy 
  divides 
  

   to 
  the 
  streams, 
  soon 
  form 
  well-worn 
  trails, 
  which, 
  running*^at 
  right 
  

   angles 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  streams, 
  have 
  a 
  nearly 
  north 
  and 
  

   south 
  trend. 
  These 
  paths 
  have 
  been 
  regarded 
  as 
  indicating 
  a 
  very 
  

   general 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  annual 
  migration 
  of 
  these 
  animals. 
  It 
  is, 
  

   indeed, 
  a 
  wide-spread 
  belief 
  among 
  the 
  hunters 
  and 
  plainsmen 
  that 
  the 
  

   buffaloes 
  formerly 
  performed 
  regularly 
  very 
  extended 
  migrations, 
  going 
  

   south 
  in 
  autumn 
  and 
  north 
  in 
  spring. 
  I 
  have 
  even 
  been 
  assured 
  by 
  

   former 
  agents 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Fur 
  Company 
  that 
  before 
  the 
  great 
  

   overland 
  emigration 
  to 
  California 
  (about 
  1849 
  and 
  later) 
  divided 
  the 
  

   buffaloes 
  into 
  two 
  bands, 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  that 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  summer 
  on 
  

   the 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  Saskatchewan 
  and 
  Eed 
  River 
  of 
  the 
  I^orth 
  spent 
  the 
  

   winter 
  in 
  Texas, 
  and 
  vice 
  versa. 
  The 
  early 
  Jesuit 
  explorers 
  reported 
  a 
  

   similar 
  annual 
  migration 
  among 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  

   River, 
  and 
  scores 
  of 
  travelers 
  have 
  since 
  repeated 
  the 
  same 
  statement 
  

   in 
  respect 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Plains. 
  That 
  there 
  are 
  local 
  migrations 
  of 
  an 
  

   annual 
  character 
  seems 
  in 
  fact 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  substantiated, 
  especially 
  at 
  

   the 
  southward, 
  where 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  are 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  formerly, 
  in 
  

   great 
  measure, 
  abandoned 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Texas 
  in 
  summer 
  for 
  those 
  

   further 
  north, 
  revisiting 
  them 
  again 
  in 
  winter. 
  Before 
  their 
  range 
  was 
  

   intersected 
  by 
  railroads, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  trans-continental 
  emigrant 
  

   route 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Pass, 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  herds 
  were, 
  

   doubtless, 
  much 
  more 
  regular 
  than 
  at 
  present. 
  Isforth 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  1858, 
  according 
  to 
  Hind,* 
  they 
  still 
  performed 
  very 
  

   extended 
  migrations, 
  as 
  this 
  author 
  reports 
  the 
  Red 
  River 
  bands 
  as 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  River 
  in 
  spring, 
  moving 
  first 
  westward 
  to 
  

   the 
  Grand 
  Coteau 
  de 
  Missouri, 
  then 
  northward 
  and 
  eastward 
  to 
  the 
  

   Little 
  Souris 
  River, 
  and 
  thence 
  southward 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  Red 
  River 
  plains. 
  

  

  As 
  already 
  stated, 
  a 
  slight 
  movement 
  northward 
  in 
  summer 
  and 
  

   southward 
  in 
  winter 
  is 
  well 
  attested 
  as 
  formerly 
  occurring 
  in 
  Texas 
  ; 
  

   the 
  hunters 
  report 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  as 
  having 
  taken 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  

   of 
  Kansas 
  5 
  further 
  north 
  the 
  buffaloes 
  still 
  visit 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Yel- 
  

   lowstone 
  in 
  summer 
  from 
  their 
  winter 
  quarters 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  ; 
  along 
  

   the 
  49th 
  parallel 
  they 
  also 
  pass 
  north 
  in 
  summer 
  and 
  south 
  in 
  winter 
  ; 
  

   there 
  is 
  abundant 
  evidence 
  also 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  migration 
  

   on 
  the 
  Saskatchewan 
  plains. 
  Yet 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  improbable 
  that 
  the 
  buffa- 
  

   loes 
  of 
  the 
  Saskatchewan 
  plains 
  ever 
  wintered 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Texas 
  ; 
  

  

  * 
  Canadian 
  Exploring 
  Expeditions, 
  etc., 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  108. 
  

   30 
  G 
  S 
  

  

  