42 
THE BISON. 
trived to shun the fury of the animal, and climbed up s 
into a tree, where they were safe. The Buffalo then ji 
made his way towards the persons who were coming up, S 
but before he reached them, met a horse from which one s 
of the party had dismounted, and attacked him with < 
such violence, that the poor animal was killed on the ^ 
spot. 
The Professor, seeing what was done, now dismounted \ 
himself, and took refuge in a tall tree. The animal 
seemed by this time to have spent his rage, for after s 
having killed the second horse, he suddenly turned l 
around, and galloped away, to the great satisfaction of s 
the party. On looking at this horse, it was found that i 
the furious brute had attacked jhim with such terrible s 
force, that one of his horns had been driven cpiite through s 
the poor animal’s body, and m%ny of his bones were s 
broken by the violence with which he was thrown on , 
the ground. 
ANECDOTE IX. ) 
It would seem by the following anecdote, that the < 
wild Buffalo, like many other animals, can be much ’ 
more easily managed by kindness, than by force, and ) 
that the gentle manners of children could do more ’ 
towards securing him, than all the strength the men \ 
could use. (j 
It is stated by those who went with captain Cook on \ 
his last voyage, that they once bought eight Buffaloes, <j 
which were brought from the country by means of ropes,. < 
which were either passed through the nose, or tied <j 
around the horns. When these animals were met by ■ 
the ship’s people, who went to take them on board, they '( 
became so furious, that some of them tore the ropes out \ 
of their noses, and others pulled up the small tiees to 
which they were tied, and ran away. The xnen could l 
do nothing with them, for these animals are so strong < 
that all the force they could employ to get them towards ( 
the ship, was of no use ; and every one who went near l 
them was in danger of being killed, such w’as the mad < 
fury of these beasts. Finding therefore that there was c 
no hope of getting these animals on board, all further ' 
trials to do so, were about to be given up, when some ) 
person present, who well knew the nature of these 
beasts, said that they would let children lead, or handle ) 
them, without danger. Some children were therefore \ 
brought, and as they went near them, the fury of these > 
animals seemed to be turned into kindness, and their ( 
madness into docility. The children were told to go to ) 
them, slowly and carefully, and see how they would be- > 
have; and to the astonishment and pleasure of all pres- ) 
ent, these beasts, before so furious, stood still, and let the ) 
children even take hold of their legs without offering ) 
them the least injury. The men seeing that the Buffa¬ 
loes would not hurt the children, then gave them some 
ropes, which they tied around the legs of each animal, 
so that they could not run or do much mischief. The 
men then threw them down and bound them, and so 
were able to put them into boats and take them on board 
the ship without further danger. It is also said, that 
these furious beasts had been on board the ship only a 
few days, before they became perfectly tame and gentle. 
THE BISON. 
What kind of an animal is the Bison ? 
The Bison is an animal of the cow kind. He has the 
same number of teeth as the cow; his hoofs are divided 
like her, and like her, he chews the cud. 
How large is the Bison ? 
He is about as (all as the ox, but is thicker, and com¬ 
monly weighs more than that animal. Some Bisonsare 
said to weigh three thousand pounds, which is the weight 
of two large oxen. 
What is the color of the Bison ? 
The color of this animal is dark brown, or nearly 
black. 
What is his form ? 
The form of the Bison is more like that of the ox, than 
of any other animal. He however differs from the ox, 
in having a large bunch or hump on his back, between 
his shoulders. He has also a long shaggy mane, which 
covers his neck and head, and falls down under his 
throat like a beard. 
Does the Bison appear tame and mild, or fierce and dangerous ? 
There is scarcely another beast which looks so fierce 
and dangerous as the Bison. His eyes are red, small, 
and fiery ; his horns are strflng and sharp; he carries his 
head low, so that his mane covers his face; and his great 
hump makes him appear ugly in the extreme. 
Where does this animal live ? 
Bisons run wild in the great forests of North America, 
where they are sometimes seen in droves amounting to 
many thousands. They are not found in any other 
country. 
Is the Bison ever tamed, and made to work ? 
This animal is too wild and ungovernable in his na¬ 
ture/ to be useful in the domestic state. He disdains 
confinement, and when attempts have been made to 
shut him in a lot, he is so strong as to break down the 
fence, and go where he pleases. Sometimes he is so far 
tamed as to suffer himself to be led about as a show, and 
in a few instances, has become so attached to the faim 
where he has been fed as not to leave it when at liberty. 
Is this animal of any use to man ? 
The skins of Bisons are used, under the name of Buf¬ 
falo robes, in all the northern parts of America. The 
