376 WILD ANIMALS. 



They were rarely seen west of tlie Rocky Mountains, but were 

 within a comparatively late date found in the State of New York 

 and in Ohio ; but now the race is so rapidly diminishing that they 

 have entirely disappeared from many of the States where formerly 

 they were numerous, and in none of their favourite haunts are they 

 to be seen in any numbers. 



There is only one species of the American buffalo now existing, 

 which is subdivided by hunters and trappers into two varieties, 

 one frequenting the mountain ranges and having its home among 

 the wild crags and rocky bluffs that are almost inaccessible to 

 human beings ; and the other whose favourite haunts are the 

 undulating wastes of the monotonously dreary prairies. 



The mountain or wood variety is generally called by the trappers 

 a bison. Its body is lighter, but its limbs are shorter, thicker, 

 and stronger than the buffalo of the prairie. It is rather a rare 

 animal, and as it is scarcely ever seen on the plains its habits are 

 not very well known. 



In former ages two other species existed, but they are now 

 totally extinct — Bison latifrons and Bison antiquus.- They were 

 both larger animals than the present race, the former especially, 

 which was a contemporary of the mastodon, was probably as big as 

 an elephant, and this gigantic ox had horns whose tips were eleven 

 or twelve feet apart. 



The outward peculiarities of the buffalo's formation can be seen 

 by the accompanying illustration, which is the copy of a photo- 

 graph taken of the specimen belonging to the Zoological Society. 

 The head, it will be perceived, is very massive and is attached to 

 the body by a short thick neck. The eyes are large, prominent, 

 and piercing. The horns are set far apart on the broad forehead, 

 and are small but sharply pointed. A hump rises gradually upon 

 the back until it forms a socket for the head.. This formation, 

 which gives an obliquity to the dorsal line, also gives the animal's 

 hind-quarters a somewhat slender or weak appearance The hump 

 consists of fat combined with powerful muscles which form the 

 support and give the required strength for the carriage and 

 movements of the ponderous head. Although the body slopes 

 away until the hind-quarters are low and comparatively narrow, 



