Different Kinds Of Buffalo

Different Kinds of Buffalo.

One Species That Emits a Pleasant Odor--The Gentle Yak.

The buffalo is evidently a whole-souled creature, for many hunters have seen the common domesticated calves of the frontier farms standing patiently waiting for a buffalo to dig a place in the snow and when he had accomplished his task the calves would eat the grass fearlessly, sharing, as by right, the fruits of their huge companion's toil. Hunters have often been saved by buffaloes from a terrible death from thirst, says the Illustrated American. The buffalo, like the camel and the elephant, has the power of taking a large amount of water into his body, and depositing it in the reticulum, or cells of the honeycomb department of the stomach, until needed. The hunters, therefore, when their vessels are empty, and they see no signs of a stream within a day's travel, promptly slay the first buffalo that comes in view, for the sake of the water which they know will be found in the usual situation. The bonasus, or zubr buffalo, found in the Russian forest of Bialowiksa, has a very peculiar trait. It gives forth a powerful and very pleasant odor, which partakes equally of musk and violet. This really delicious perfume is found to penetrate the whole of the body, to a certain extent, but is exhaled most powerfully from the skin and hair which cover the upper part of the forehead. The zubr in appearance is very much like our American buffalo, but the hair on the head and shoulders is more tightly curled and not so rough or long. To preserve this really magnificent animal in perfection it is protected by the most rigid forest laws.

The yak, a curious species of buffalo, which is found in western Tibet, has not only the long mane reaching to the ground, but the flanks are covered with hair which reaches the ground in long, thick, silky masses. The hair of the tail is white, and the Chinese take these tails to dye red and blue, and then make tassels of them. When domesticated it needs very little care, foraging for itself and coming to be milked when called by the milk maids, as a pet cow might do.