are now known to occur both in California and New Mexico, and their existence on the Columbia is also ascertained.

The male bisons contend together with great fury dur. ing 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 turn upon and "While I resided at the hunter. pursue 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 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 afterwards 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 showed any signs of life. Mr M'Donald recovered from the immediate effects of the injuries he received, but died a few months afterwards."

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

* Fauna Boreali-Americana, vol. i. p. 281.

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.

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. "Our inquiries on the spot," says Major H. Smith, 66 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.

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.+ 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 saddlelike mark of a brownish-white 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 car

* 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.

Arctic Zoology, vol. i. p. 11.

+ Voyage au Nord. Charlevoix, Histoire de la Nouvelle France.

cass 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 reindeer, extend to Greenland and Spitzbergen.

These are the principal quadrupeds of the northern regions of the New World.*

* 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 our series. See No. I. of the Edinburgh Cabinet 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-OwlsButcher-birds-King-bird-Northern Tyrant-American Waterouzel-Red-breasted Thrush-Blue-bird-Arctic Blue-birdCedar-bird, or American Chatterer-Snow-bunting - Painted Bunting-Pine-grosbeak-Evening-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 farther 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 pause in his onward progress, but those who now follow his footsteps in the search of truth are too often obliged either to retrograde or trace out a labyrinth with many windings. It is well, however, that such a master-spirit should in any way have embraced the subject of natural history; for it has too frequently happened that men of very steril genius, of whose mental constitution enthusiasm formed no portion, have imagined themselves devoted to the study. Now, even the obscurity and mistiness of Buffon, though perhaps not always equal to other people's sunshine, are yet composed of "clouds of glory," and hence the hold possessed by his writings, and by those of all belonging to the intellectual class of observers, to whom truth is as dear as it was to Aristotle, but to whom nevertheless the common sights of earth

"do sometimes seem

Apparell'd in celestial light,

The glory and the freshness of a dream."

The extension which we have given to the history of North American quadrupeds in the preceding chapter, and which we bestowed in consequence of the greater importance usually attached to the mammiferous class, renders necessary a more restricted selection in the other branches. We regret this the less in relation to the feathered tribes, as an admirable history of American birds has been lately brought within reach of every class of readers.* * We shall, however, endeavour to exhibit a view of some of the more remarkable features of that department.

Among birds of prey, the eagle tribe naturally claim our first attention; but as it seems to be the practice of naturalists to give the vultures the precedence, we shall adhere to the usual course.

American Ornithology, or the Natural History of the Birds of the United States. By Alexander Wilson and Charles Lucian Bonaparte; edited by Robert Jameson, Esq., F.R.S.E. & L., &c., four volumes. Edinburgh, 1831. In this edition (which forms volumes 78-81 of Constable's Miscellany) the subjects are systematically arranged for the first time, and many interesting additions have been inserted by the distinguished editor.