BUFFALO. 
51 
bone, called a grate, which render.s the skin even and takes off about a 
quarter of its thickness. The hair is taken off with the same instrument 
and these operations being performed, and the skin reduced to a proper 
thickness, it is covei'ed over either with brains, liver or grease, and left for a 
night. The next day the skin is rubbed and scraped either in the sun or 
by a fire, until the greasy matter has been worked into it, and it is nearly 
dry ; then a cord is fastened to tvsm poles and over this the skin is thrown, 
and pulled, rubbed and worked until quite dry ; after which it is sewed to- 
gether around the edges excepting at one end ; a smoke is made with rot- 
ten wood in a hole dug in the earth, and the skin is suspended over it, on 
sticks set up like a tripod, and thoroughly smoked, which completes the tan- 
ning and renders the skin able to bear wet without losing its softness or 
pliability afterwards. 
Buflalo robes are dres.sed in the same manner, only that the hair is not 
removed and they are not smoked. They are generally divided into two 
parts : a strip is taken from each half on the back of the skin where the 
hump was, and the two halves, or sides, are sewed together after they are 
dressed, with thread made of the sinews of the animal ; which process be- 
ing finished, the robe is complete and ready for market. 
The scrapings of the skins, we were informed, are sometimes boiled with 
berries, and make a kind of jelly which is considered good food in some 
cases by the Indians. The strips cut off from the skins are sewed togeth- 
er and make robes for the children, or caps, mittens, shoes, &c. The 
bones are pounded fine with a large stone and boiled, the grease which 
rises to the top is skimmed off and put into bladders. This is the favourite 
and famous marrow grease, which is equal to butter. The sinews are used 
for stringing their bows, and are a substitute for thread ; the intestines 
are eaten, the shoulder-blades made into hoes, and in fact (as we have el- 
ready stated) nothing is lo,st or wasted, but every portion of the animal, by 
the skill and industry of the Indians, is rendered useful. 
Balls are found in the stomach of the Buflalo, as in our common domes- 
tic cattle. 
Having heard frequent discussions respecting the breeding of the Bison 
in a domesticated state, and knowing that Robert Wickliffe, Esq., of Ken- 
tucky, had raised some of these animals, we requested his son, then on his 
v'ay to Europe, to ask that gentleman to give us some account of their ha- 
bits under his care, and shortly afterwards received a letter from him, da- 
ted Lexington Nov. 6th, 1843, in which he gives an intere.sting account 
of the Bison breeding with the common cow, and other particulars con- 
nected with this animal. After expressing his desire to comply with our 
request intimated to him by his son, he proceeds to give us the following 
