418 



ACCOUNT OF ANIMALS. 



cepting the male, at the rutting season, when he 

 becomes ferocious. 



The flesh of the buffaloe is excellent food ; 

 the hide is applied to many important uses ; and 

 the long soft hair, the natives put into their shoes, 

 about their feet, which supplies the place of 

 socks ; and it is fully as warm. The speed of the 

 buffaloe, is much the same as that of- an ox ; and 

 when he runs he inclines his fore feet considera- 

 bly on one side of his body, for a short distance, 

 and then shifts them upon the other, and contin- 

 ues thus, alternately to change them. 



Those that remain in the country between 

 the Sisiscatchwin and Peace rivers, are called the 

 wood buffaloes, because they inhabit a woody 

 country ; and they are considerably smaller than 

 those, which inhabit the plains. They are, also, 

 more wild and difficult to approach. 



The horses, which the Indians possess, came 

 originally from Mexico, and are of the Spanish 

 breed. They are in general stout, and well built ; 

 and many of them are of great speed. They are 

 very serviceable to the Natives in the plain coun- 

 tries, are used to transport their property from 

 place to place ; and on them they run down and 

 kill their game. These animals will subsist, dur- 

 ing the winter months, on the grass which they 

 find under the snow, which is seldom more than 

 six inches deep, on the plains. There are but 



