136 
THE STORY OF THE BUFFALO . 
tracks united, with the result that in some places tracks of about twelve inches 
in width, and from a foot to two feet in depth, may be seen following the level 
of the valleys ; the buffalo in these journeys having always marched in single 
file. These old b-uffaloTracks still remain as a memento of a vanished race, 
and are now used by the domestic cattle which have supplanted the monarchs 
of the prairie. After reaching the watering-place, the herd, instead of return¬ 
ing to its original feeding-ground, would wander .right and left in search of 
fresh pastures. When undisturbed in good pasture, buffalo- were always in 
the habit of lying down for a few hours during the middle of the day; and 
they were at certain seasons fond of rolling either in dust or mud. In dis¬ 
tricts where salt lakes occurred, the buffalo- would resort to them in great 
numbers. All the great herds were in the habit of moving southwards for 
a distance of from two hundred to four hundred miles with the approach of 
winter; and during such journeys it frequently happened that numbers were 
lost in crossing quick-sands, alkali-bogs, muddy fords, or on treacherous ice. 
It is stated that in 1867 upwards of two- thousand buffalo out of a herd of 
four thousand were lost in a quicksand; and that an entire herd of about one 
hundred head perished when crossing the ice on a lake in Minnesota. 
I have seen buffalo- boldly face the cutting blizzards of the Northwest, 
instead of turning tail to them after the manner of domestic cattle ; although 
they would at the same time seek such shelter as might be obtainable by retir¬ 
ing to the ravines and valleys. In heavy falls of snow, which lay long on 
the ground, the buffalo were often compelled to fast for days, or even weeks, 
together ; but they suffered most when the surface of the snow was covered 
with a thin crust of ice after a slight thaw, as their ponderous weight would 
drive their feet deep into- the snow, and leave them at the mercy of the Indians, 
by whom they were slain by hundreds when thus helpless. 
The method of stalking, or “still-hunting,” where the hunter creeps up to a 
herd and shoots one after another of its members, appears to- be one the most 
deadly modes of hunting the buffalo-, owing to- the crass stupidity of the animals 
themselves. The plan adopted was first to shoot the leader, when the remainder 
of the herd would come and stupidly smell round the body, till another animal 
assumed the post of leader, and was shot down when it was about to- make 
a move; the same process being repeated almost without end. Riding down, 
surrounding, impounding, or hunting in snow-shoes were, however, other 
equally effective methods of destruction. 
In captivity the American buffalo breeds freely, not only with its own kind, 
but also with other species of cattle. In the United States a herd has been 
