unter, at the request of
his youthful visitors, was engaged in giving them the desired account.

"The different animals and birds," said he, "that inhabit different
countries, for the most part, roam backwards and forwards, according
to the season. Creatures that love the cold move northerly in summer,
and such as delight in a warmer clime move southerly in winter. It is,
however, principally to obtain food that they remove from one place to
another. I must here explain to you, that though I have, in common
with most others who use these terms, spoken of buffaloes, the animal
which abounds in the prairie is not properly the buffalo, but the
bison."

_Austin._ But if they are bisons, why are they called buffaloes?

_Hunter._ That is a question that I hardly know how to answer. From
whatever cause it may have arisen, certain it is, that the name of
buffalo has become common; and, that being the case, it is used in
conversation, and oftentimes in books, as being more easily
understood.

_Brian._ What is the difference between a buffalo and a bison?

_Hunter._ A buffalo is an animal that abounds in Africa, resembling an
ugly cow, with a body long, but rather low; and very long horns. But
the bison stands very high in front, has a hump on the back part of
the neck covered with long hair, short horns, and a profusion of long
shaggy hair hanging from its head, neck and fore-legs.

_Austin._ Then a bison must look much fiercer than a buffalo.

_Hunter._ He does; and from the circumstance of his fore-parts
standing high, while he carries his head low, he always appears as if
he were about to run at you. Bisons abound throughout the whole of
our country, west of the Mississippi; but the reckless way in which
they are slaughtered, and the spread of civilization, are likely, in a
few years, greatly to decrease their numbers. Indians suffer much from
hunger, but they are very reckless when buffaloes are plentiful. On
one occasion, when among the Minatarees, I witnessed a grand capture
of buffaloes. It was effected by different parties taking different
directions, and then gradually approaching each other. The herd was
thus hemmed in on all sides, and the slaughter was terrible. The
unerring rifle, the sharp spear and the winged arrow, had full employ;
and so many buffaloes were slain, that, after taking their tongues and
other choice parts of them for food, hundreds of carcasses were left
for the prairie-wolves to devour. Th