﻿ALLEN] 
  HABITS 
  OF 
  THE 
  BISON. 
  467 
  

  

  tion 
  similar 
  sceoes.* 
  Bad 
  landing-places, 
  sncli 
  as 
  bluffy 
  banks 
  or 
  miry 
  

   shores, 
  often 
  prove 
  fatal 
  to 
  the 
  half-exhausted 
  creature 
  after 
  reaching 
  

   the 
  shore.f 
  In 
  winter 
  they 
  boldly 
  cross 
  the 
  rivers 
  on 
  the 
  ice; 
  toward 
  

   spring, 
  however, 
  after 
  the 
  ice 
  has 
  become 
  weakened 
  by 
  melting, 
  and 
  

   even 
  occasionally 
  at 
  other 
  times, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  their 
  crowding 
  too 
  

   thickly 
  together, 
  the 
  ice 
  breaks 
  beneath 
  their 
  weight 
  and 
  great 
  numbers 
  

   are 
  drowned. 
  In 
  spring 
  they 
  often 
  cross 
  amid 
  the 
  floating 
  ice, 
  at 
  which 
  

   times 
  they 
  are 
  sometimes 
  set 
  upon 
  by 
  the 
  Indians, 
  to 
  whom 
  they 
  then 
  

   fall 
  an 
  easy 
  prey. 
  According 
  to 
  Audubon, 
  small 
  herds 
  occasionally 
  

   lind 
  themselves 
  adrift 
  on 
  masses 
  of 
  floating 
  ice, 
  where 
  the 
  majority 
  per- 
  

   ish 
  from 
  cold 
  and 
  lack 
  of 
  food 
  rather 
  than 
  trust 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  icy, 
  

   turbulent 
  waters-l 
  

  

  The 
  behavior 
  and 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  are 
  in 
  general 
  very 
  much 
  

   like 
  those 
  of 
  domestic 
  cattle, 
  but 
  their 
  speed 
  and 
  endurance 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   far 
  greater. 
  When 
  well 
  under 
  way, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  start, 
  it 
  takes 
  a 
  

   fleet 
  horse 
  to 
  overtake 
  them, 
  their 
  speed 
  being 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  one 
  

   would 
  suppose 
  from 
  simply 
  watching 
  their 
  movements 
  from 
  a 
  distance, 
  

   their 
  gait 
  being 
  a 
  rather 
  clumsy, 
  lumbering 
  gallop. 
  When 
  pursued, 
  or 
  

   when 
  urged 
  on 
  by 
  thirst, 
  rough 
  ground 
  and 
  a 
  tumble 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  

   seem 
  to 
  scarcely 
  retard 
  their 
  jprogress, 
  they 
  plunging 
  headlong 
  down 
  

   the 
  steep 
  sides 
  of 
  ravines 
  and 
  resuming 
  their 
  course 
  up 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   slope 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  found 
  the 
  ravine 
  no 
  obstacle 
  to 
  their 
  progress. 
  

   When 
  thirsty, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  get 
  at 
  streams 
  or 
  springs, 
  they 
  will 
  often 
  leap 
  

   down 
  vertical 
  banks 
  where 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  impossible 
  to 
  urge 
  a 
  horse, 
  and 
  

   will 
  even 
  descend 
  precipitous 
  rocky 
  bluffs 
  by 
  i)aths 
  where 
  a 
  man 
  could 
  

   only 
  climb 
  down 
  with 
  difficulty, 
  and 
  where 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  almost 
  impos- 
  

   sible 
  for 
  a 
  beast 
  of 
  their 
  size 
  and 
  structure 
  to 
  pass 
  except 
  at 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  

   broken 
  limbs 
  or 
  a 
  broken 
  neck. 
  On 
  the 
  bluffs 
  of 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  River 
  

   I 
  found 
  places 
  where 
  they 
  had 
  leaped 
  down 
  bare 
  ledges 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  

   feet 
  in 
  height 
  with 
  nothing 
  but 
  ledges 
  of 
  rocks 
  for 
  a 
  landing-place 
  ; 
  

   sometimes, 
  too, 
  through 
  passages 
  between 
  high 
  rocks 
  but 
  little 
  wider 
  

   than 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  bodies, 
  with 
  also 
  a 
  continuous 
  precip- 
  

   itous 
  descent 
  for 
  many 
  feet 
  below. 
  Nothing 
  in 
  their 
  history 
  ever 
  sur- 
  

   prised 
  me 
  more 
  than 
  this 
  revelation 
  of 
  their 
  expertness 
  and 
  fearless- 
  

   ness 
  in 
  climbing.§ 
  Ordinarily, 
  however, 
  the 
  buffalo 
  shows 
  commendable 
  

   saga,city 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  his 
  choice 
  of 
  routes, 
  usually 
  choosing 
  the 
  easiest 
  

   grades 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  direct 
  courses, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  buffalo 
  trail 
  can 
  be 
  de- 
  

   pended 
  upon 
  as 
  affording 
  the 
  most 
  feasible 
  road 
  possible 
  through 
  the 
  

   region 
  it 
  traverses. 
  

  

  When 
  moving 
  in 
  large 
  bands 
  across 
  the 
  plains 
  their 
  course 
  is 
  often 
  

   plainly 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  column 
  of 
  dust 
  they 
  raise, 
  even 
  when 
  the 
  animals 
  

   themselves 
  are 
  far 
  beyond 
  sight, 
  the 
  scene 
  calling 
  to 
  mind 
  the 
  passage 
  

   of 
  a 
  distant 
  troop 
  of 
  cavalry 
  at 
  full 
  speed, 
  or 
  a 
  heavy 
  train 
  of 
  army 
  

  

  * 
  Catlin, 
  North 
  Am. 
  Indians, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  13 
  ; 
  Fremont, 
  Explorations, 
  etc., 
  p. 
  23. 
  

  

  t 
  The 
  following 
  incident 
  in 
  point 
  is 
  related 
  by 
  Colonel 
  Dodge: 
  "Late 
  in 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  of 
  1867 
  a 
  herd 
  of 
  probably 
  four 
  thousand 
  buffaloes 
  attempted 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  South 
  

   Platte 
  near 
  Plum 
  Creek. 
  The 
  river 
  was 
  rapidly 
  subsiding, 
  being 
  nowhere 
  over 
  a 
  foot 
  

   or 
  two 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  the 
  channels 
  in 
  the 
  bed 
  were 
  filled 
  or 
  filling 
  with 
  loose 
  quick- 
  

   sand. 
  The 
  buifaloes 
  in 
  front 
  were 
  hopelessly 
  stuck. 
  Those 
  immediately 
  behind, 
  urged 
  

   on 
  by 
  the 
  horns 
  and 
  pressure 
  of 
  those 
  yet 
  further 
  in 
  the 
  rear, 
  trampled 
  over 
  their 
  

   struggling 
  companions 
  to 
  be 
  themselves 
  engulfed 
  in 
  the 
  devouring 
  sand. 
  This 
  was 
  

   continued 
  until 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  nearly 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  broad, 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  dead 
  

   or 
  dying 
  buffaloes. 
  Only 
  a 
  comparative 
  few 
  actually 
  crossed 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  tbese 
  were 
  

   soon 
  driven 
  back 
  by 
  hunters. 
  It 
  was 
  estimated 
  that 
  considerably 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  

   herd, 
  or 
  over 
  two 
  thousand 
  buffaloes, 
  paid 
  for 
  this 
  attempt 
  with 
  their 
  lives." 
  — 
  Chicago 
  

   Inter-Ocean, 
  August 
  5, 
  1875. 
  

  

  X 
  Audubon 
  and 
  Bachman, 
  Quad. 
  N. 
  Am., 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  38. 
  

  

  $ 
  On 
  this 
  point 
  see 
  further 
  Dr. 
  Coues's 
  communication 
  given 
  in 
  Part 
  II. 
  

  

  