at any distance from the mountains, and is said to be less numerous on the eastern than the western sides. It was not met with by Mr. Drummond on the eastern declivities of the range, near the sources of the Elk River, where the sheep are numerous; but he learned from the Indians that it frequents the steepest precipices, and is much more difficult to procure than the sheep. On the other hand, Major Long states, from the information of a factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, that they are of easy access to the hunter. The flesh of this species is hard and dry, and somewhat unsavoury, from its musky flavour. Beneath its long hairy covering there is a coating of wool of the finest quality. "If the Highland Society and the Hudson's Bay Company were to combine their resources of 'ways and means,' the importation of this fine animal into the alpine and insular districts of Scotland might be effected without much difficulty or any great expense."* The fine wool of this species grows principally on the back and buttock, and is intermixed with long coarse hair.t The bison, or American buffalo (Bos Americanus), is spread over a great portion of the temperate regions of America, and appears to extend southwards probably as far as the thirty-fifth degree of north latitude. Its characteristic positions, however, are the great prairies to the westward of the Mississippi, where, according to Dr. Harlan, they sometimes congregate in such vast troops that 10,000 individuals are supposed to have been seen at one time. Although they inhabited the Carolinas at the period of the earliest colonization, they have long since retired towards the plains of the Missouri. None have been seen in Pennsylvania for a long time, nor in Kentucky since about the year 1766. The influence exerted over the natural boundaries of the brute creation is indeed strikingly illustrated by the geographical history of this species. It appears to have formerly existed throughout the whole extent of the * Edinburgh Review, No. 106, p. 353. †The synonymy of this animal is somewhat confused. It is the Wool-bearing antelope, Antilope lanigera of Major Hamilton Smith; the mountain sheep (though distinct from the true Ovis montana) of Jameson and Ord; the Mazama dorzata et sericea of Rafinesque; the Rupicapra Americana of De Blainville; the Antilope Americana of Desmarest; and the Capra Americana of Richardson. United States, with the possible exception of the territory to the east of Hudson's River and Lake Champlain, and of some narrow lines of coast along the Atlantic shores and the Gulf of Mexico. During the early part of the sixteenth century it was seen by Alvar Nunez near the Bay of St. Bernard, which may be regarded as its southern boundary on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountain chain. It extends much farther north among the central than the eastern territories; for we find that a bison was killed by Captain Franklin's expedition on the Salt River, in the sixtieth parallel; while it has not been traced to any of those tracts which lie to the northward of Lakes Ontario, Erie, &c., and to the eastward of Lake Superior. Mr. Keating states that to the westward of Lake Winipeg the bison is found as far north as the sixty-second degree;* and Dr. Richardson adduces the testimony of the natives to show that they have taken possession of the flat limestone district of Slave Point, on the north side of Great Slave Lake, and have even wandered as far as the vicinity of Great Marten Lake, in latitude 63° or 64°. The Rocky Mountain range appears to have formerly opposed a barrier to the westerly progression of the species; but they are said to have discovered of late years a passage across these mountains, near the sources of the Saskatchawan. They are now known to occur both in California and New Mexico, and their existence on the Columbia is also ascertained. 66 The male bisons contend together with great fury during the rutting-season, and it is dangerous to venture near them at that period. In general, however, they are shy and wary, and there is more difficulty than danger in approaching them; but when wounded they will sometimes "While I resided at turn upon and pursue the hunter. Carlton House," Dr. Richardson informs us, an accident of this kind occurred. Mr. Finnan M'Donald, one of the Hudson's Bay Company's clerks, was descending the Saskatchawan in a boat; and one evening, having pitched his tent for the night, he went out in the dusk to look for game. It had become nearly dark when he fired at a bison-bull, which was galloping over a small eminence ; and as he was hastening forward to see if his shot had taken * Account of Major Long's Expedition to the Source of St. Peter's River, vol. ii. chap. i. effect, the wounded beast made a rush at him. He had the presence of mind to seize the animal by the long hair on its forehead, as it struck him on the side with its horn; and being a remarkably tall and powerful man, a struggle ensued, which continued until his wrist was severely sprained, and his arm was rendered powerless; he then fell, and after receiving two or three blows became senseless. Shortly afterward he was found by his companions lying bathed in blood, being gored in several places; and the bison was couched beside him, apparently waiting to renew the attack had he shown any signs of life. Mr. M'Donald recovered from the immediate effects of the injuries he received, but died a few months afterward."* The flesh of a well-conditioned bison is juicy, and of excellent flavour. The tongue is a great delicacy, and may be so cured as to surpass the gusto of that part of an English cow. The hump, or wig, as it is sometimes called, has a fine grain, and is almost as rich and tender as the tongue. In regard to the external characters of the bison, the male is remarkable for the enormous size of its head, the conical elevation between the shoulders, its small piercing eyes, short black horns, and on the fore-quarters the great profusion of shaggy hair. Its hind-quarters appear comparatively weak, from the shortness of the woolly hair by which they are covered. The male sometimes weighs above 2000 pounds; but 12 or 14 cwt. is regarded as a good weight in the fur-countries. It measures eight feet and a half in length, and above six feet high at the fore-quarter. The cow is smaller in the head and shoulders than the bull. "Our According to Rafinesque, the bison has been domesticated in Kentucky and the Ohio. It is even reported by some authors to have bred with the tame cow of European origin; and the cross breed is said to continue prolific. This statement, however, requires confirmation. inquiries on the spot," says Major H. Smith, "never produced a proof, or even an assertion from the well-informed, that they had seen the hybrid offspring." This animal is unknown to the Esquimaux on the shores of the Polar Sea. * Fauna Boreali-Americana, vol. i. p. 281. I state this on the information of M. Antoine Desmoulins, not having had it in my power to peruse the work of the writer above named We shall conclude our account of the quadrupeds of North America with the description of the musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus of De Blainville). We stand indebted for our systematic knowledge of this curious animal to Pennant, who received a specimen of the skin from the traveller Hearne ; but it had been previously mentioned, after a vague fashion, by several of the early English voyagers, and M. Jeremie had imported a portion of the wool to France, from which stockings more beautiful than those of silk were manufactured.t When full grown, this animal is about the size of the small Highland cattle. The horns are remarkably broad at their bases, and cover the brow and crown of the head, touching each other for their entire breadth from before backwards. The nose is blunt, and the head large and broad. The general colour of the coat is brown, and on the back there is a saddle-like mark of a brownishwhite colour. The hair is very long. The horns of the cow are smaller than those of the male, and do not touch each other at their bases, and the hair on the throat and chest is shorter. The flesh of the musk-ox, in good condition, is well flavoured. It resembles that of the rein-deer, but is coarser grained, and smells strongly of musk. The carcass of this animal weighs, exclusive of the offal, about 300 pounds. The wool is remarkably fine. This species inhabits a great extent of barren land to the northward of the sixtieth parallel. They visit Melville Island (north lat. 75°) in the month of May, but they do not, like the rein-deer, extend to Greenland and Spitzbergen. These are the principal quadrupeds of the northern regions of the New World.‡ * Arctic Zoology, vol. i. p. 11. Voyage au Nord. Charlevoix, Histoire de la Nouvelle France. With a view to avoid repetition, we here omit the history of the seals and cetaceous tribes, as those departments have been pretty fully illustrated in a former volume of this series. See No. XIV. of the Family Library, entitled "Narrative of Discovery and Adventure in the Polar Seas and Regions," by Sir John Leslie, Professor Jameson, and Hugh Murray, Esq. CHAPTER VII. The Birds of the Northern Regions of America. Turkey Buzzard-Golden-eagle-Bald-eagle-Hawks-Owls-Butcherbirds King-bird-Northern Tyrant-American Water-ouzel-Redbreasted Thrush-Blue-bird-Arctic Blue-bird-Cedar-bird, or American Chatterer-Snow-bunting-Painted Bunting-Pine-grosbeakEvening-grosbeak-Scarlet Tanager Cuckoo-bunting - Crows Woodpeckers-Humming-birds-Swallows - Belted Kingfisher Grouse Passenger-pigeon-Grallatores - Natatores-Gulls-Rocky Mountain Golden-eye- Bewick's Swan - Trumpeter-swan - White Pelican-Great Northern Diver--Black-throated Diver-Guillemots. THE difficulties attending the completion of an ornithological history were complained of by Buffon, and the chief of these was stated by that illustrious observer as consisting in the fact that naturalists were already acquainted with 800 species of the class; and he further expressed his opinion that there might actually exist 1500 or even 2000 different kinds of birds. Now, as nearly 6000 species of the feathered race have been ascertained up to the present period, and many new species are in the course of being discovered and described during every successive year, our readers may form some opinion of the laborious toil attending the researches of these "degenerate days," in which people of such inferior capacity to the French Pliny have to grapple with a subject so infinitely more encumbered. No doubt the division of labour has been more attended to since the greater extension of the field of exercise, and Buffon's brilliant genius was too often satisfied with vague generalities, unsupportable in proportion to the increase of that more definite knowledge which has been recently acquired. With an intellect so excitable and full of thought, and a flow of language so powerful and persuasive, it was no marvel that such a naturalist should have outstripped for a season all his competitors in the career of fame; but the fable of the helix and the hare is not altogether inapplicable to the two classes of observers, of one of which Buffon was the head and front; for there was not only an occasional |