Cattalo

a name given to a hybrid between the native bison and the domestic cow. The word is coined from cattle and buffalo--catt (le buff) alo. It is claimed by enthusiastic breeders that the cross forms a large, gentle, hardy beef animal. The cross is effected usually with Galloway or Aberdeen-Angus cows. The calves are more likely to be black than brown. They are hardy chaps covered with dense, soft, curly hair of even length on all parts of the body. The pelts are regarded as superior to buffalo robes. Like bison, the cattalos are able to outweather the winter storms of our Western ranches and to dig their food out of snowdrifts in which cattle would perish. There are, as yet (1909), less than 1,000 cattalos. The experiment may be only a passing fancy, but much is claimed for it. See Bison