Mammal Study 



295 





The original wild cattle of America. 



Photo by John L. Rich. 



CATTLE 



Teacher's Story 



That in numbers there is safety, is a basic principle in the lives of 

 wild cattle, probably because their chief enemies, the wolves, hunted in 

 packs. It has often been related that, when the herd is attacked by 

 wolves, the calves are placed at the center of the circle made by the cattle, 

 standing with heads out and horns ready for attack from every quarter. 

 But when a single animal, like a bear or tiger, attacks any of the herd, 

 they all gather around it in a narrowing circle of clashing horns, and 

 many of these great beasts of prey have thus met their death. The cow 

 is as formidable as trie bull to the enemy, since her horns are strong and 

 sharp and she tosses her victim, unless it is too large. The heavy head, 

 neck and short massive horns of the bull, are not so much for defence 

 against enemies as against rival bulls. The bull not only tosses and gores 

 his victim, but kneels or tramples upon it. Both have effective weapons 

 of defence in the hind feet, which kick powerfully. The buffalo bull of 

 India will attack a tiger single handed, and usually successfully. It is a 

 strange thing that all cattle are driven mad by the smell of blood, and 

 weird stories are told of the stampeding of herds from this cause, on the 

 plains of our great West. 



Cattle are essentially grass and herbage eaters, and their teeth are 

 peculiarly arranged for this. There are eight front teeth on the lower 

 jaw, and a horny pad opposite them on the upper jaw. Back of these on 

 each jaw there is a bare place and six grinding teeth on each side. As a 

 cow crops the herbage, her head is moved up and down to aid in severing 

 the leaves, and the peculiar sound of the tearing of the leaves thus made 

 is not soon forgotten by those who have heard it. In the wild or domes- 

 ticated state the habit of cud-chewing is this : The cattle graze in morn- 

 ings and evenings, swallowing the food as fast as cropped, and storing it 



