REMINISCENCES FROM THE MELBOURNE ZOO. 
205 
THE BUFFALO FAMILY 
THE AMERICAN BISON’S LOVE STORY. 
“You’re a long way from home, honey, like me!” said an American 
visitor when she stopped before the compound of the American bison at 
the Zoo. There was home-sickness in her voice, and there is a quaint 
air of home-sickness, of painful resignation, about these strange, massive- 
headed creatures, that almost resolves itself into a plaintive “Nobody 
cares for me!” whenever they deign to notice visitors. To the unin- 
itiated the three bison might seem to be a happy family of husband, 
wife and daughter; but to those who know, the air is pervaded with the 
aftermath of tragedy, and the two adult bison are “one and one with a 
shadowy third,” not a pair of loving mates. 
Several years ago two smart, vigorous young bison came to the Zoo 
intending to settle down as respected colonists. They were well satis- 
fied with themselves, and had no fault to find with their lot in life. And 
they were deeply in love with one another. Their treatment of each 
other was idyllic, and they played together charmingly. It has been 
surmised that the evolutions of bison when playing were the genesis of 
the American Indians’ war dances, just as our native companions’ dances 
must have been the basis of the aborigines’ corroborees. These two had 
a well-defined plan of action that developed naturally and rhythmically, 
and never varied any more than does the action of the Lancers or the 
minuet. First one of the bison would bound around the paddock, then 
the other would fly off in the opposite direction, and both would meet 
in the centre. These bounds of ceremony were quite unlike the ordinary 
jump or walk. They were short, even springs, with the body queerly 
bunched up, and all four feet leaving the ground together in leaps of 
perhaps six or seven feet at a time. When the two met in the centre they 
came head to head, with muzzles nearly touching the ground, and thus 
they worked around in a circle, heads almost meeting all the while. Then 
the bull began pawing the ground with his forefeet, throwing great clouds 
of dust up over his back. The cow did not do any of this pawing, but 
all the while he was doing it, she kept up a pretence of hitting at him 
with her horns. Then both rose together on their hind legs and pawed 
at each other with their forefeet as they danced round and round in a 
narrow circle. All this time they threw their paws about with the 
