THE OX FAMILY.

Bisons in Battle.

This family is easily distinguished from the other groups of Hollow-horned Ruminants. It is composed of large, heavy animals, in which the skin of the neck is loose and hanging, forming a large fold called the dew-lap.

There are eight species found in this family—the American Buffalo or Bison, the Musk Ox, the Cape Buffalo, the European Bison or Auroch, the Yak, the Jungle Ox, the Common Buffalo of India, and the Common Ox, or the well known group including our domestic Cattle.

AMERICAN BUFFALO.

The American Buffalo, commonly known in other countries as the Bison, is a gigantic species which ranges over the temperate and northern provinces of the American continent. It is of thick-set shape, and carries its head low, on a level with its back, while its shoulders are high. Its head is short and large; its horns are small, lateral, far apart, black and rounded. Its head, neck, and shoulders are covered with thick, curly, dark brown hair. Its tail is short, and terminated by a tuft of long hair.

This immense animal inhabits all parts of North America, especially the plateaux on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. In the spring, herds of thousands of Buffaloes, crowded closely together, make their way up from the south to the north of these vast steppes; in the autumn they migrate again to the south. When thesummer comes, these wild troops break up, and the Buffaloes separate into couples or small herds.

American Buffaloes are not ferocious in their nature; they seldom attack Man, but will defend themselves when wounded; they then become formidable adversaries, for their enormous heads, well furnished with horns, and their fore-feet, are terrible weapons. In their migrations, their numbers are so enormous, that as they advance everything that comes in their way is devastated.

The Musk Ox is much smaller than the Common Ox, and has somewhat the appearance of an enormous sheep. Itsforehead is arched; its mouth small; its muzzle completely covered with hair; and its horns, which are very large, are closely united at the base, and bending downwards over the sides of its head, suddenly turn backwards and upwards at the tips. Its long and abundant coat is of a dark brown color. It exhales a strong odor of musk.

This animal, which is a combination of the Ox, Sheep, and Goat, inhabits North America below the polar circle, and lives in families of from ten to twenty individuals.

Notwithstanding its apparent heaviness, the Musk Ox climbs over rocks almost as nimbly as a Goat, and its speed across the rocky, rough, barren grounds, (its principal habitat) for an animal so clumsy, is truly astonishing.

The European Buffalo, or Auroch, is, next to the Elephant, Rhinoceros and Giraffe, the largest terrestrial Mammals. It is nearly six feet high. Its horns are large, round and lateral, and its tail is long; the front of the body, as far as the shoulders, is covered with coarse, harsh, brown hair; the underneath part of its throat, down to its breast, is furnished with a long pendulous mane, and the rest of its body is covered with short black hair.

This animal is the Urus of the ancients. It formerly lived in all the marshy forests of temperate Europe, even in Great Britain. In the time of Caesar it was still to be found in Germany, but, from the increase of Man and his conquests, it has become more and more rare. At the present time it is only to be found in two provinces of Russia. Very severe orders have been issued by the Emperor of Russia to prevent the destruction of these animals, and not one can be killed without his permission.

The Cape Buffalo is distinguished by its large horns, from all the other species peculiar to the Old World, the flattened bases of which cover the top of its head like a helmet, only leaving a triangular space between them. The horns of this African Ruminant are black, while its coat is brown. It lives in numerous herds in the thickest forests of Southern Africa, from the northern limits of Cape Colony as far as Guinea.

When in the open country it is shy and cautious; but is formidable and aggressive when hunted in the woods which form its principal retreat. Buffalo hunting is one of the occupations of the natives of the south of Africa; and it is not unaccompanied by danger, for it often happens that the respective characters are inverted, and it is the Buffalo which chases the hunters.

YAK.

The Yak, or Horse-tailed Buffalo, has a large tuft of woolly hair on its head, and a sort of mane on its neck; the underneath part of its body, particularly around the legs, is covered with very bushy, long, pendent hair; its tail, which is entirely covered with hair, resembles that of a horse; while its voice is a low and monotonous sound, which becomes harsh and discordant when the animal is excited.

It is found undomesticated on the confines of Chinese Tartary. It is then wild, and dangerous; but when captured and broken in, it proves a useful servant to the inhabitants of Thibet and the north of China, who utilize it as we do our Cattle.Its milk is excellent; and its strength in carrying loads and dragging ploughs and conveyances extraordinary. But it is with difficulty they are tamed, for their disposition is always restless and wilful, and subject to fits of bad temper. Its flesh is highly esteemed, and coarse fabrics are made from its hair.

The tail of this Ruminant has long been valued in the East. Attached to the end of a lance, with the Mussulmen it is the insignia of the dignity of Pacha; and, the higher this dignity, the greater is the number of tails which the possessor of rank has a right to have carried before him. The Chinese also adorn themselves with the tail of the Yak, dyed red, by placing it in their caps. It is moreover employed as a switch for driving away flies.

The Jungle Ox very strongly resembles the Common Ox, but its horns are flattened from front to back, and tend outwards and upwards. These Oxen are reared in a domestic state in the mountainous countries of the northeast of India.

The Common Buffalo appears to be a native of the warm and damp parts of India and the neighboring isles, from whence it has spread into Persia, Arabia, the south of Africa, Greece and Italy. It is nearly the same size as an Ox. Its bulging forehead, which is longer than it is wide, bears two black horns, turned outwards. Its coat is coarse and scant, except on its throat and cheeks, and it has a very small dew-lap. It lives in numerous herds in marshy and low plains, where it delights in wallowing. It is of a wild and untractable disposition, particularly towards strangers; and, in order to make use even of those which are the tamest, the more perfectly to control them, a ring of iron is passed through their nostrils. In the cultivation of rice that cereal particularly requiring moist land—their services are most valuable, for their power of draught, even when immersed to the knees in mud, far exceeds all other animals in a similar situation.

The Arna, or Wild Buffalo, must be considered as a variety of this species. Its horns are very large, about five feet long, wrinkled on their concave side, and flat in front. It is principally found in Hindostan.

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