﻿468 
  REPOKT 
  UXITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  wagons. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  herd 
  to 
  the 
  windward 
  of 
  the 
  observer, 
  even 
  

   if 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  two 
  distant, 
  can 
  usually 
  be 
  detected 
  by 
  the 
  peculiar 
  odor, 
  

   that 
  arises 
  from 
  it, 
  especially 
  during 
  the 
  rutting 
  season. 
  At 
  this 
  time, 
  

   too, 
  the 
  roaring 
  of 
  the 
  bulls 
  can 
  often 
  be 
  heard 
  when 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  

   miles 
  away, 
  and 
  hidden, 
  perchance, 
  by 
  intervening 
  swells 
  of 
  the 
  prairie, 
  

   particularly 
  at 
  night, 
  or 
  when 
  the 
  air 
  is 
  still. 
  Few 
  things 
  make 
  a 
  more 
  

   vivid 
  or 
  lasting 
  impression 
  — 
  and 
  one 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  is 
  often 
  far 
  from 
  

   agreeable 
  — 
  upon 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  traveler, 
  encamped 
  far 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  open 
  

   prairie, 
  than 
  the 
  roar 
  and 
  tramp 
  of 
  an 
  approaching 
  herd 
  of 
  buffaloes, 
  

   especially 
  at 
  night-time. 
  Nothing, 
  again, 
  is 
  more 
  pleasantly 
  exhilarat- 
  

   ing, 
  or 
  gives 
  one 
  a 
  stronger 
  sense 
  of 
  being 
  really 
  amid 
  nature's 
  untamed 
  

   wilds, 
  than, 
  when 
  encamped 
  on 
  the 
  outskirts 
  of 
  a 
  quiescent 
  herd, 
  to 
  be 
  

   awakened 
  on 
  a 
  fresh 
  June 
  morning 
  by 
  their 
  distant 
  bellowing, 
  and 
  to 
  

   see 
  them, 
  as 
  daylight 
  advances, 
  quietly 
  grazing 
  over 
  a 
  vast 
  expanse 
  of 
  

   the 
  green 
  prairie. 
  

  

  As 
  may 
  be 
  well 
  imagined, 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  movements 
  but 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  

   the 
  buffaloes, 
  in 
  their 
  undisturbed 
  daily 
  lives, 
  are 
  in 
  general 
  not 
  far 
  

   different 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  grazing 
  herds 
  of 
  domestic 
  cattle. 
  They 
  indulge 
  

   in 
  similar 
  gambols, 
  and, 
  when 
  belligerent, 
  in 
  similar 
  blustering 
  

   demonstrations. 
  When 
  approached 
  by 
  man 
  they 
  will 
  often 
  assume 
  

   an 
  aspect 
  so 
  threatening 
  that 
  a 
  novice 
  at 
  buffalo-hunting 
  might 
  easily 
  

   be 
  appalled 
  by 
  the 
  fierce 
  demonstrations 
  indulged 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  boastful 
  but 
  

   cowardly 
  old 
  bulls. 
  Bold 
  at 
  first, 
  and 
  apparently 
  challenging 
  at- 
  

   tack, 
  the 
  old 
  bulls, 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  lowered 
  and 
  the 
  tail 
  erect, 
  will 
  pace 
  

   uneasily 
  to 
  and 
  fro, 
  threateningly 
  pawing 
  the 
  earth, 
  or 
  face 
  the 
  ap- 
  

   proaching 
  enemy 
  with 
  a 
  sullen 
  and 
  most 
  determined 
  air 
  only 
  to 
  take 
  to 
  

   their 
  heels 
  the 
  very 
  next 
  moment. 
  The 
  bulls 
  are 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  excessively 
  

   fond 
  of 
  pawing 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  of 
  throwing 
  up 
  the 
  earth 
  with 
  their 
  

   horns, 
  thrusting 
  them 
  into 
  banks 
  when 
  such 
  are 
  at 
  hand, 
  or 
  into 
  the 
  

   bare 
  level 
  ground, 
  which 
  they 
  accomplish 
  by 
  lowering 
  themselves 
  upon 
  

   one 
  knee. 
  To 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  do 
  they 
  pursue 
  this 
  pastime 
  that 
  the 
  

   horns 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  bulls 
  become 
  very 
  much 
  worn 
  and 
  splintered, 
  in 
  

   occasional 
  instances 
  the 
  horny 
  covering 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  exposed 
  part 
  being 
  

   worn 
  very 
  thin, 
  and 
  in 
  rare 
  instances 
  entirely 
  through 
  to 
  the 
  bony 
  core. 
  

   Particularly 
  bovine, 
  also, 
  is 
  the 
  satisfaction 
  they 
  take 
  in 
  rubbing 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  against 
  whatever 
  will 
  oppose 
  resistance, 
  whether 
  it 
  be 
  rocks, 
  

   trees, 
  bushes, 
  or 
  a 
  clay-bluff'; 
  the 
  telegraph-poles, 
  however, 
  erected 
  along 
  

   the 
  railroads 
  that 
  cross 
  their 
  range, 
  afforded 
  them 
  especial 
  delight 
  as 
  

   scratchingposts, 
  and 
  soon 
  became 
  as 
  well 
  smoothed 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  

   tufts 
  of 
  hair 
  and 
  grease 
  from 
  their 
  unctuous 
  hides 
  as 
  are 
  the 
  posts 
  about 
  

   a 
  farmer's 
  cattle-yard. 
  What 
  is 
  very 
  unlike 
  anything 
  in 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  

   domestic 
  cattle, 
  however, 
  is 
  tliei» 
  propensity 
  to 
  roll 
  themselves 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  which, 
  notwithstanding 
  their 
  seemingly 
  inconvenient 
  form, 
  they 
  

   do 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  ease, 
  rolling 
  over 
  as 
  completely 
  as 
  a 
  horse, 
  and 
  

   apparently 
  with 
  far 
  less 
  exertion. 
  But 
  their 
  especial 
  delight 
  is 
  to 
  roll 
  

   in 
  the 
  mud, 
  or 
  in 
  " 
  wallowing," 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  termed, 
  from 
  which 
  exercise 
  they 
  

   arise 
  looking 
  more 
  like 
  an 
  animated 
  mass 
  of 
  mud 
  than 
  their 
  former 
  

   selves. 
  The 
  object 
  of 
  these 
  peculiar 
  ablutions 
  is 
  doubtless 
  to 
  cool 
  their 
  

   heated 
  bodies 
  and 
  to 
  free 
  themselves 
  from 
  troublesome 
  insects. 
  When 
  

   not 
  finding 
  a 
  muddy 
  pool 
  ready 
  at 
  hand, 
  an 
  old 
  bull 
  proceeds 
  to 
  prepare 
  

   one. 
  Finding 
  in 
  the 
  low 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  prairies, 
  says 
  Catlin, 
  who 
  has 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  the 
  process 
  with 
  considerable 
  detail,* 
  a 
  little 
  stagnant 
  water 
  

   amongst 
  the 
  grass, 
  and 
  the 
  ground 
  underneath 
  soft 
  and 
  saturated 
  with 
  

   moisture, 
  an 
  old 
  bull 
  lowers 
  himself 
  upon 
  one 
  knee, 
  plunges 
  his 
  horns- 
  

   into 
  the 
  ground, 
  throwing 
  up 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  soon 
  making 
  an 
  excavation 
  

  

  * 
  North 
  Aruericau 
  ludiaus, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  p. 
  '24L 
  

  

  