"In pursuing a large herd of buffaloes at the season when their calves
are but a few weeks old, I have often been exceedingly amused with the
curious maneuvers of these shy little things. Amidst the thundering
confusion of a throng of several hundreds or several thousands of these
animals, there will be many of the calves that lose sight of their dams;
and being left behind by the throng, and the swift-passing hunters, they
endeavor to secrete themselves, when they are exceedingly put to it on a
level prairie, where naught can be seen but the short grass of 6 or 8
inches in height, save an occasional bunch of wild sage a few inches
higher, to which the poor affrighted things will run, and dropping on
their knees, will push their noses under it and into the grass, where
they will stand for hours, with their eyes shut, imagining themselves
securely hid, whilst they are standing up quite straight upon their hind
feet, and can easily be seen at several miles distance. It is a familiar
amusement with us, accustomed to these scenes, to retreat back over the
ground where we have just escorted the herd, and approach these little
trembling things, which stubbornly maintain their positions, with
their noses pushed under the grass and their eyes strained upon us, us
we dismount from our horses and are passing around them. From this fixed
position they are sure not to move until hands are laid upon them, and
then for the shins of a novice we can extend our sympathy; or if he can
preserve the skin on his bones from the furious buttings of its head, we
know how to congratulate him on his signal success and good luck.

[Illustration: From photograph of group in National Museum. Engraved by
R. H. Carson. BUFFALO COW, CALF (FOUR MONTHS OLD), AND YEARLING.
Reproduced from the _Cosmopolitan Magazine_, by permission of the
publishers.]

"In these desperate struggles for a moment, the little thing is