12 
THE BISON. 
world. It resides in the southern forests of 
Siberia, in the mountain regions of the Car- 
pathian and Caucasian ranges, and probably 
in the temperate region of Africa, compre- 
hending the high lands of Numidia. 
The bison abounds in the unsettled parts 
of the American continent. Here, when full 
grown, it measures six feet to the top of the 
shoulder, and in length, from the extremity of 
the tail to that of the nose, upwards of ten 
feet. The head, broad across the forehead, 
tapers considerably to the lip : the horns are 
small but strong, set very wide, and slightly 
curved, internally at the base, and externally 
at the tips, like those of some of the antelope 
tribes. Over the shoulders, the line of the 
spine rises into an elevated ridge, which, 
clothed with a profusion of dark hair, covering 
a subsidiary fleece of short wool, seems to 
form a vast hunch. The apparent size of this 
excrescence is increased by the way in which 
