BISON. The American bison (Bos Ameri co rats) once roamed over nearly the whole of the North American continent from latitude 33° to 64°., It is fast disappearing, and is now confined to the Far West and the gorges of the Rocky mountains, ranging from Slave lake in the British possessions to Southern New Mexico. The bison has been repeat edly domesticated, and easily becomes tract able. The flesh has been much extolled by plainsmen, but really is inferior to beef, except the hump, which is rich, tender, and of fine flavor. The flesh bears the same relation to beef that venison does to mutton, and the only use in domestication of the animal would be to furnish another to the list of flesh foods and agricultural produets. In its osteology—bony system—it dif fers from the ox species in every part of' the world, having fifteen ribs on a side, while the ox has only thirteen. One of the principal values of the buffalo is in the hide, from which buffalo. robes are naade. In winter . his body is covered with long, coarse hair, mixed with much woolly and finer hair. The hair of the forehead is often more than a foot long. The fleece of a single animal has been found to weigh, some times, as much as eight pounds. This -the In dians work into cloth, gloves, leggings, etc. A full grown buffalo will weigh from 1,200 to 2,000 pounds. Instances have been cited of
greater weights. He can withstand great ex tremes of heat and cold, and has fleetness, vigor of constitution and muscular strength far superior to that of the ox. As a beast ot' draft and burthen suited to the arid plains of the West, if he could be rendered perfectly tractable, this animal might perhaps become as profitable in some cases there as the camel is in the desert. American enterprise, however, builds railroads almost in advance of civilization, and hence the buffalo will probably never be used for this pur pose. Before the present generation of men pass away, it is more than probable the buffalo will become practically extinct in North America. The buffalo has been crossed in a number of instances upon the cornmon cow, and is entirely fertile therewith. We knew of no instance where the experiment has been fully carried out with a view of ascertaining the subsequent and continued fertility of the progeny, nor of their adaptation to the production of economi cal food, or as beasts of. burthen or draft, though the extraordinary journeys they perform, and the distance they will travel in a day, show their powers of endurance to he nearly equal, if not fully equal, to that of horses, when kept only on grass.