RED RIVER AND SASKATCHEWAN BANDS OF BUFFALO. J 09 



in June and July, visit the prairies on the south side of the 

 Touchwood Hill range, and cross the Qu'appelle valley 

 anywhere between the Elbow of the South Branch and 

 a few miles west of Fort Ellice on the Assinniboine. They 

 then strike for the Grand Coteau de Missouri, and their 

 eastern flank often approaches the Eed Eiver herds coming 

 north from the Grand Coteau. They then proceed across 

 the Missouri up the Yellow Stone, and return to the Sas- 

 katchewan and Athabaska as winter approaches, by the 

 flanks of the Eocky Mountains. We saw many small herds, 

 belonging to the western bands, cross the Qu'appelle valley, 

 and proceed in single file towards the Grand Coteau in 

 July 1858. The eastern bands, which we had expected 

 to find on the Little Souris, were on the main river (Eed 

 Eiver is so termed by the ha]f-breeds hunting in this 

 quarter). They had proceeded early thither, far to the 

 south of their usual track, in consequence of the de- 

 vastating fires which swept the plains from the Eocky 

 Mountains to Eed Eiver in the autumn of 1857. We 

 met bulls all moving south, when approaching Fort 

 Ellice ; they had come from their winter quarters near 

 the Touchwood Hill range. As a general rule the Sas- 

 katchewan bands of buffalo go north during the autumn, 

 and south during the summer. The Little Souris and 

 main river bands, go north-west in summer and south-east 

 in autumn. It is almost needless to remark again that 

 fires interfere with this systematic migration, but there 

 are no other impediments which will divert the buffalo 

 from their course. The half-breeds state that no slaughter 

 by large parties of hunters or Indians can turn large herds 

 from the general direction they have taken when on the 

 march ; want of food is alone able to make them deviate 

 from the course they have taken. The approach of nu- 

 merous herds can be recognised by a low rumbling sound 



