212 AUROCHS. ELK. IBEX. 



elk and the red deer, already installed as monarchs of the 

 forest. Even the reindeer is altogether absent. The red deer, 

 on the contrary, and the boar, appear to have been very 

 frequent, and to have formed a most important article of food 

 for the Lake-dwellers. The urus, or great fossil ox, is now 

 altogether extinct, at least as a wild species.* It is mentioned 

 by Caesar, who describes it as being little smaller than an 

 elephant. (Hi sunt magnitudine paulo infra elephantos specie 

 et colore et figura tauri.) According to Herberstein, it still 

 existed in Germany during the sixteenth century, soon after 

 which, however, it must have become extinct. 



The aurochs, or European bison, seems to have disappeared 

 from Western Europe at about the same period as the urus. 

 There is no historical record of its existence in England or 

 Scandinavia. In Switzerland we cannot trace it later than 

 the tenth century ; but it is mentioned in the " Mebelungen 

 Lied," of the twelfth century, as occurring in the Forest of 

 Worms ; and in Prussia the last was killed in the year 1775. 

 At one period, indeed, it appears to have inhabited almost 

 the whole of Europe, much of Asia, and part even of America ; 

 but at present it is confined in Europe to the imperial forests 

 in Lithuania, where it is preserved by the Emperor of Kussia ; 

 while, according to Nordmann and Von Baer, it still exists in 

 some parts of Western Asia. 



We have no notice of the existence of the elk in Switzer- 

 land during the historical period, but it is mentioned by Csesar 

 as existing in the great Hercynian forest ; and even in the 

 twelfth century it was to be met with in Sclavonia and Hun- 

 gary, according to Albertus Magnus and Gesner. In Saxony, 

 the death of the last elk is recorded as having occurred in 

 1746. At present it inhabits Prussia and Lithuania, Finland 



* Prof. Riitimeyer, as I have al- Park are unmistakeable, though 

 ready mentioned, considers that the dwarfish, descendants of the B. 

 celebrated wild cattle of Tankerville primigenius. 



