﻿AixEN.] 
  HABITS 
  OF 
  THE 
  BISON. 
  469 
  

  

  into 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  trickles, 
  forming 
  for 
  him 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  a 
  cool 
  

   and 
  comfortable 
  bath, 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  wallows 
  " 
  like 
  a 
  hog 
  in 
  the 
  mire." 
  In 
  

   this 
  "delectable 
  laver" 
  he 
  throws 
  himself 
  flat 
  upon 
  his 
  side, 
  and 
  then, 
  

   forcing 
  himself 
  violently 
  around 
  with 
  his 
  horns, 
  his 
  feet 
  and 
  his 
  huge 
  

   hump, 
  ploughs 
  up 
  the 
  ground 
  still 
  more, 
  thus 
  enlarging 
  his 
  pool 
  till 
  

   he 
  at 
  length 
  becomes 
  nearly 
  immersed. 
  Besmeared 
  with 
  a 
  coating 
  

   of 
  the 
  pasty 
  mixture, 
  he 
  at 
  length 
  rises, 
  changed 
  into 
  "a 
  monster 
  of 
  

   mud 
  and 
  ugliness," 
  with 
  the 
  black 
  mud 
  dripping 
  from 
  his 
  shaggy 
  mane 
  

   and 
  thick 
  woolly 
  coat. 
  The 
  mud 
  soon 
  drying 
  upon 
  his 
  body 
  forms 
  a 
  

   covering 
  that 
  insures 
  him 
  immunity 
  for 
  hours 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  in- 
  

   sects. 
  Others 
  follow 
  in 
  succession, 
  having 
  waited 
  their 
  turns 
  to 
  enjoy 
  

   the 
  luxury 
  ; 
  each 
  rolls 
  and 
  wallows 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  way, 
  adding 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  

   the 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  hole, 
  and 
  carrying 
  away 
  a 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  adhesive 
  

   mud. 
  By 
  this 
  means 
  an 
  excavation 
  is 
  eventually 
  made 
  having 
  a 
  diam- 
  

   eter 
  of 
  fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  feet, 
  and 
  two 
  feet 
  in 
  depth. 
  These 
  wallows 
  

   thus 
  become 
  characteristic 
  marks 
  of 
  a 
  buffalo 
  country, 
  outlasting 
  even 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  trails, 
  while 
  their 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  

   marked, 
  rank 
  vegetation 
  growing 
  about 
  their 
  borders 
  and 
  serving 
  to 
  

   indicate 
  their 
  positions 
  when 
  quite 
  distant. 
  

  

  The 
  buffaloes, 
  however, 
  do 
  not 
  always 
  choose 
  moist 
  places 
  in 
  which 
  

   to 
  roll, 
  and 
  are 
  quite 
  content 
  with 
  wallowing 
  in 
  the 
  dust 
  when 
  mud-and- 
  

   water 
  wallows 
  are 
  not 
  conveniently 
  at 
  hand 
  ; 
  wherever, 
  in 
  short, 
  large 
  

   herds 
  have 
  grazed, 
  hollows 
  formed 
  by 
  their 
  indulgence 
  in 
  this 
  propensity 
  

   are 
  of 
  very 
  frequent 
  occurrence. 
  These 
  circular 
  depressions, 
  which 
  are 
  

   also 
  usually 
  called 
  " 
  wallows," 
  are 
  of 
  smaller 
  size 
  than 
  the 
  water 
  wal- 
  

   lows, 
  being 
  eight 
  to 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  feet 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  

   inches 
  to 
  upwards 
  of 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  depth. 
  These, 
  also 
  are 
  not 
  effaced 
  by 
  

   natural 
  agencies 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  and 
  hence 
  remain 
  as 
  lasting 
  evidence 
  

   of 
  the 
  former 
  existence 
  of 
  populous 
  herds 
  of 
  buffaloes 
  at 
  the 
  localities 
  

   where 
  these 
  old 
  " 
  wallows" 
  are 
  found. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  impervious 
  nature 
  

   of 
  the 
  clayey 
  soil 
  that 
  generally 
  characterizes 
  the 
  Plains, 
  these 
  hollows 
  

   temporarily 
  retain 
  the 
  water 
  that 
  collects 
  in 
  them 
  during 
  falls 
  of 
  rain, 
  

   affording 
  grateful 
  supplies 
  of 
  this 
  important 
  element 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  of 
  the 
  region, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  often 
  to 
  man, 
  these 
  pools 
  usually 
  lasting 
  

   for 
  several 
  days, 
  or 
  until 
  slowly 
  evaporated 
  by 
  the 
  sun. 
  

  

  The 
  American 
  bison, 
  like 
  the 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  bovine 
  group, 
  is 
  

   characterized 
  by 
  a 
  rather 
  sluggish 
  disposition, 
  and 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  re- 
  

   markable 
  for 
  alertness 
  or 
  sagacity, 
  being 
  not 
  only 
  unwieldy 
  in 
  bulk, 
  but 
  

   al 
  so 
  "the 
  stupidest 
  animal 
  of 
  the 
  plains." 
  As 
  Colonel 
  Dodge 
  has 
  remarked, 
  

   " 
  his 
  enormous 
  bulk, 
  shaggy 
  mane, 
  vicious 
  eye, 
  and 
  sullen 
  demeanor 
  

   give 
  him 
  an 
  appearance 
  of 
  ferocity 
  very 
  foreign 
  to 
  his 
  nature. 
  Danger- 
  

   ous 
  as 
  he 
  looks, 
  he 
  is, 
  in 
  truth, 
  a 
  very 
  mild, 
  inoffensive 
  beast, 
  timid 
  and 
  

   fearful, 
  and 
  rarely 
  attacking 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  hopeless 
  effort 
  of 
  self-defence. 
  

   The 
  domestic 
  cattle 
  of 
  Texas, 
  miscalled 
  ' 
  tame,' 
  are 
  fifty 
  times 
  more 
  dan- 
  

   gerous 
  to 
  footmen 
  than 
  the 
  fiercest 
  buffalo 
  Endowed 
  with 
  the 
  

  

  smallest 
  possible 
  amount 
  of 
  instinct, 
  the 
  little 
  he 
  has 
  seems 
  adapted 
  rather 
  

   for 
  getting 
  him 
  into 
  difficulties 
  than 
  out 
  of 
  them. 
  If 
  not 
  alarmed 
  at 
  

   sight 
  or 
  smell 
  of 
  a 
  foe, 
  he 
  will 
  stand 
  stupidly 
  gazing 
  at 
  his 
  companions 
  

   in 
  their 
  death-throes, 
  until 
  the 
  whole 
  herd 
  is 
  shot 
  down. 
  He 
  will 
  walk 
  

   unconsciously 
  into 
  a 
  quicksand 
  or 
  quagmire 
  already 
  choked 
  with 
  strug- 
  

   gling, 
  dying 
  victims. 
  Having 
  made 
  up 
  his 
  mind 
  to 
  go 
  a 
  certain 
  way, 
  it 
  

  

  is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  swerve 
  him 
  from 
  his 
  purpose 
  When 
  

  

  travelling 
  nothingin 
  his 
  front 
  stops 
  him, 
  but 
  an 
  unusual 
  object 
  in 
  his 
  rear 
  

   will 
  send 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  about 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  his 
  speed."* 
  

  

  In 
  illustration 
  of 
  this 
  curious 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  to 
  rush 
  into 
  the 
  most 
  

  

  * 
  Chicago 
  Inter- 
  Ocean, 
  August 
  5, 
  1875. 
  

  

  