THE BISON. 211 



see this with his own eyes, he desired to be taken to her 

 stable at evening. The man, instructed how to act, drove in 

 some of the other cows. The white cow drew up ; not only 

 did she refuse to advance, in spite of all encouraging words, 

 but her whole frame swelled with anger and offended dignity. 

 She kept lowing continually. At last the cows within, as 

 though conscious that they had forgotten their place, began 

 to come out, and as they were driven out, the proud white 

 cow, with an evident air of gratified pride, strode in in silence. 

 It is almost impossible to convey the impression produced 

 by this exhibition of downright pride, Hidalgo pride, in what 

 many would call a dumb brute. 



The Bison. The American Bison is a formidable animal 

 when engaged alone, and when charging in a pack simply 

 irresistible. He is about the size of an ox, one measured 

 by Sir J. Richardson being eight feet six inches in length, 

 without his tail, and more than six feet in height at his fore- 

 quarters. He has an enormous head, surmounted by a huge 

 hump on his shoulder which is covered in winter with shaggy 

 mane-like hair. His hinder quarters are comparatively thin 

 and small, and his colour is a dark brown approaching to black. 

 Sharp piercing eyes and short powerful horns give him a fierce 

 appearance and dangerous powers. He has enormous strength 

 in his head and neck. The Bison is gregarious, associating 

 in herds many hundreds strong. These herds have been 

 greatly reduced during late years, but a herd seen by Captains 

 Lewis and Clerk was numbered by them at not less than 

 twenty thousand. " Such was the multitude of these animals, 

 that, although the river, including an island over which they 

 passed, was a mile in breadth, the herd stretched as thick as 

 they could swim completely from one side to the other." When 

 they join in a stampede, they are said to rush over the plains 

 like a cataract, with a noise resembling that of thunder. Captain 

 Brown says, "Bison generally prefer the open plains, and 

 do not resort to woods, except when attacked; they seldom 



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