THE EXTEKMINATION OF THE AMEEICAN BISON. 409 



than the plains-fed animal, who acquires an abundance of daily food of 

 the best quality with but little effort. 



We should expect to see the mountain buffalo smaller in body than 

 the plains animal, with better leg development, and particularly with 

 stronger hind quarters. The pelvis of the plains buffalo is surprisingly 

 small and weak for so large an animal. Beyond question, constant 

 mountain climbing is bound to develop a maximum of useful muscle 

 and bone and a minimum of useless fat. If the loss of mane sustained 

 by the African lions who live in bushy localities may be taken as an 

 index, we should expect the bison of the mountains, especially the 

 u wood buffalo," to lose a great deal of his shaggy frontlet and mane on 

 the bushes and trees which surrounded him. Therefore, we would natu- 

 rally expect to find the hair on those parts shorter and in far less per- 

 fect condition than on the bison of the treeless prairies. By reason of 

 the more shaded condition of his home, and the decided mitigation of 

 the sun's fierceness, we should also expect to see his entire pelage of a 

 darker tone. That he would acquire a degree of agility and strength 

 unknown in his relative of the plain is reasonably certain. In the 

 course of many centuries the change in his form might become well de- 

 fined, constant, and conspicuous 5 but at present there is apparently 

 not the slightest ground for considering that the "mountain buffalo" or 

 11 wood buffalo" is entitled to rank even as a variety of Bison america- 

 nuso 



Colonel Dodge has recorded some very interesting information in 

 regard to the " mountain, or wood buffalo," which deserves to be quoted 

 entire.* 



" In various portions of the Eocky Mountains, especially in the region 

 of the parks, is found an animal which old mountaineers call the l bison.' 

 This animal bears about the same relation to a plains buffalo as a 

 sturdy mountain pony does to an American horse. His body is lighter, 

 whilst his legs are shorter, but much thicker and stronger, than the 

 plains animal, thus enabling him to perform feats of climbing and 

 tumbling almost incredible in such a huge and apparently unwieldy 

 beast. 



" These animals are by no means plentiful, and are moreover excess- 

 ively shy, inhabiting the deepest, darkest defiles, or the craggy, almost 

 precipitous, sides of mountains inaccessible to any but the most prac- 

 ticed mountaineers. 



M From the tops of the mountains which rim the parks the rains of 

 ages have cut deep gorges, which plunge with brusque abruptness, but 

 nevertheless with great regularity, huudreds or even thousands of feet 

 to the valley below. Down the bottom of each such gorge a clear, cold 

 stream of purest water, fertilizing a narrow belt of a few feet of allu- 

 vial, and giving birth and growth to a dense jungle of spruce, quaking 

 asp, and other mountain trees. One side of the gorge is generally a 



* Plains of the Great West, p. 144-147. 



