﻿470 
  EEPOKT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  apparent 
  danger, 
  Colonel 
  Dodge 
  relates 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  winter 
  of 
  

   1871-72 
  was 
  unusually 
  severe 
  in 
  Arkansas. 
  The 
  ponds 
  and 
  smaller 
  

   streams 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  were 
  all 
  frozen 
  solid, 
  and 
  the 
  buffalo 
  were 
  forced 
  to 
  

   the 
  rivers 
  for 
  water. 
  The 
  Atchison, 
  Topeka 
  and 
  Santa 
  Fe 
  Eailroad 
  was 
  

   then 
  in 
  process 
  of 
  construction, 
  and 
  nowhere 
  could 
  this 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  the 
  

   buffalo 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  speaking 
  be 
  better 
  studied 
  than 
  from 
  its 
  trains. 
  

   If 
  a 
  herd 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  track, 
  it 
  would 
  stand 
  stupidly 
  gaz- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  without 
  symptom 
  of 
  alarm 
  though 
  the 
  locomotive 
  passed 
  within 
  

   a 
  hundred 
  yards. 
  If 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  track, 
  even 
  though 
  at 
  a 
  

   distance 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  miles 
  from 
  it, 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  a 
  train 
  set 
  the 
  whole 
  

   herd 
  in 
  the 
  wildest 
  commotion. 
  At 
  its 
  full 
  speed, 
  and 
  utterly 
  regard- 
  

   less 
  of 
  consequences, 
  it 
  would 
  make 
  for 
  the 
  track, 
  on 
  its 
  line 
  of 
  re- 
  

   treat. 
  If 
  the 
  train 
  happened 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  its 
  path 
  it 
  crossed 
  the 
  track, 
  

   and 
  stopped 
  satisfied. 
  If 
  the 
  train 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  way, 
  each 
  individual 
  buf- 
  

   falo 
  went 
  at 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  desperation 
  of 
  despair, 
  plunging 
  against 
  or 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  locomotive 
  and 
  cars, 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  blind 
  madness 
  chanced 
  to 
  take 
  

   them. 
  Numbers 
  were 
  killed, 
  but 
  numbers 
  still 
  pressed 
  on 
  to 
  stop 
  and 
  

   stare 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  obstacle 
  was 
  passed. 
  After 
  having 
  trains 
  ditched 
  

   twice 
  in 
  one 
  week, 
  conductors 
  learn(5d 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  decided 
  re- 
  

   spect 
  for 
  the 
  idiosyncrasies 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  and 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  pos- 
  

   sibility 
  of 
  striking 
  a 
  herd 
  ' 
  on 
  the 
  rampage 
  ' 
  for 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   track, 
  the 
  train 
  was 
  slowed 
  up, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  stopped 
  entirely."* 
  

  

  The 
  sluggish 
  nature 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  respects 
  intense 
  stupidity 
  of 
  the 
  buf- 
  

   falo 
  hence 
  tend 
  greatly 
  to 
  place 
  this 
  animal 
  wholly 
  at 
  the 
  mercy 
  of 
  its 
  

   enemies, 
  chief 
  among 
  whom 
  is 
  man, 
  whether 
  civilized 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  savage 
  

   state. 
  An 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  devices 
  for 
  their 
  destruction 
  jDracticed 
  

   by 
  man, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  that 
  have 
  followed 
  the 
  reckless, 
  exterminat- 
  

   ing 
  slaughter 
  he 
  has 
  waged 
  upon 
  this 
  inoffensive 
  and 
  helpless 
  animal, 
  

   being 
  given 
  in 
  subsequent 
  portions 
  of 
  this 
  memoir, 
  it 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  

   refer 
  at 
  length 
  to 
  these 
  matters 
  here. 
  Let 
  it 
  suflSce, 
  then, 
  in 
  this 
  connec- 
  

   tion, 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  their 
  unwariness 
  renders 
  them 
  an 
  easy 
  prey 
  to 
  the 
  

   hunter, 
  who, 
  by 
  keeping 
  to 
  the 
  leeward 
  of 
  the 
  herd, 
  finds 
  no 
  difficulty 
  

   in 
  approaching 
  these 
  animals 
  sufficiently 
  near 
  for 
  their 
  easy 
  destruction, 
  

   even 
  when 
  he 
  is 
  unmounted, 
  while 
  their 
  pursuit 
  on 
  horseback 
  has 
  ever 
  

   been 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  favorite 
  pastimes 
  of 
  the 
  sportsman. 
  Fortunately 
  for 
  

   the 
  buffaloes, 
  they 
  possess 
  few 
  other 
  enemies, 
  the 
  wolves 
  being 
  their 
  only 
  

   other 
  formidable 
  foe. 
  These 
  have 
  now 
  become 
  so 
  reduced 
  in 
  numbers 
  

   over 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  that 
  they 
  no 
  longer 
  form 
  a 
  

   very 
  serious 
  check 
  upon 
  its 
  increase. 
  Formerly 
  they 
  everywhere 
  har- 
  

   assed 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  destroying 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  young, 
  and 
  even 
  worrying 
  and 
  

   finally 
  killing 
  and 
  devouring 
  the 
  aged, 
  the 
  feeble, 
  and 
  the 
  wounded. 
  

   Thirty 
  years 
  since, 
  the 
  wolves, 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  Indians, 
  were 
  the 
  great 
  scourge 
  

   of 
  the 
  buffaloes, 
  and 
  had 
  no 
  small 
  degree 
  of 
  influence 
  in 
  effecting 
  their 
  

   decrease. 
  The 
  earlier 
  exj)lorers 
  of 
  the 
  plains 
  often 
  speak 
  of 
  finding 
  a 
  

   solitary 
  buffalo, 
  disabled 
  by 
  accident 
  or 
  by 
  age, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  pack 
  

   of 
  hungry 
  wolves, 
  who 
  would 
  tease 
  and 
  wound 
  him 
  day 
  and 
  night 
  till 
  

   he 
  finally 
  fell 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  their 
  ravenous 
  appetites. 
  Catlin 
  and 
  other 
  writ- 
  

   ers 
  have 
  often 
  referred 
  to 
  this 
  matter 
  at 
  length, 
  Catlin 
  having 
  also 
  given 
  

   a 
  series 
  of 
  paintings 
  of 
  these 
  encounters 
  between 
  the 
  bison 
  and 
  his 
  hun- 
  

   gry 
  tormentors.t 
  Says 
  Catlin, 
  in 
  his 
  graphic 
  account 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  at- 
  

   tacks, 
  " 
  During 
  my 
  travels 
  in 
  these 
  regions 
  [Upper 
  Missouri 
  coun- 
  

   try], 
  I 
  have 
  several 
  times 
  come 
  across 
  such 
  a 
  gang 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  sur- 
  

   rounding 
  an 
  old 
  or 
  wounded 
  bull, 
  where 
  it 
  would 
  seem, 
  from 
  appear- 
  

   ances, 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  in 
  attendance, 
  and 
  at 
  intervals 
  

  

  ^ 
  Chicago 
  Inter-Occan, 
  August 
  5, 
  1875. 
  

  

  t 
  North 
  Americau 
  Indiaus, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  p. 
  257, 
  pis. 
  csiii, 
  cxiv. 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  