THE EXTERMINATION OF THE AMERICAN BISON. 397 



Ou the shoulders and kuuip the hair is longer than on the other portions, 

 being 1£ inches in length, more wavy, and already arranges itself in the 

 tufts, or small bunches, so characteristic in the adult animal. 



On the extremity of the muzzle, including the chin, the hair is very 

 short, straight, and as light in color as the lower portions of the leg. 

 Starting on the top of the nose, an inch behind the nostrils, and form- 

 ing a division between the light yellowish muzzle and the more reddish 

 hair on the remainder of the head, there is an irregular band of dark, 

 straight hair, which extends down past the corner of the mouth to a 

 point just back of the chin, where it unites. From the chin backward 

 the dark band increases in breadth and intensity, and continues back 

 half way to the angle of the jaw. At that point begins a sort of under 

 mane of wavy, dark-brown hair, nearly 3 inches long, and extends back 

 along the median line of the throat to a point between the fore legs, 

 where it abruptly terminates. From the back of the head another streak 

 of dark hair extends backward along the top of the neck, over the hump, 

 and down to the lumbar region, where it fades out entirely. These two 

 dark bands are in sharp contrast to the light sandy hair adjoining. 



The tail is densely haired. The tuft on the end is quite luxuriant, 

 and shows a center of darker hair. The hair on the inside of the ear 

 is dark, but that on the outside is sandy. 



The naked portion of the nose is light Vandyke- brown, with a pink- 

 ish tinge, and the edge of the eyelid the same. The iris is dark brown. 

 The horn at three months is about 1 inch in length, and is a mere little 

 black stub. In the male, the hump is clearly defined, but by no means 

 so high in proportion as in the adult animal. The hump of the calf 

 from which this description is drawn is of about the same relative angle 

 and height as that of an adult cow buffalo. The specimen itself is well 

 represented in the accompanying plate. 



The measurements of this specimen in the flesh were as follows : 



Bison americanus. (Male ; four months old. ) 



(JVb. 15503, National Museum collection.) 



Feet. Inches. 



Height at shoulders 2 8 



Length, head and body to insertion of tail 3 10^ 



Depth of chest 1 4 



Depth of flank 10 



Girth behind fore leg 3 $ 



From base of horns around end of nose 1 7£ 



Length of tail vertebra 7 



The calves begin to shed their coat of red hair about the beginning 

 of August. The first signs of the change, however, appear about a 

 month earlier than that, in the darkening of the mane Under the throat, 

 and also on the top of the neck.* 



* Our captive had, in some way, bruised the skin on his forehead, and in June all 

 the Lair came off the top of his heart, leaving it quite bald. We kept the skin well 

 greased with porpoise oil, and by the middle of July a lino coat of black hair had 

 grown out all over the surface that had previously been bare. 



