General Zoological Changes. 243 



ever may be the direction of their horns, will occasionally 

 walk backwards when browsing ; but few persons would be 

 found now-a-days silly enough to draw such an inference from 

 that fact. But, as interesting us more nearly, I ought to re- 

 fer to the preposterous story with which Aristotle has spoiled 

 his description of thebonasos, (zubr), which, in other respects, 

 is tolerably correct. " The horns," he says,* " are so turned 

 towards each other, that the animal cannot thrust with them. 

 When put to flight, it does not stop, until it can run no far- 

 ther. It defends itself by kicking and voiding its excrements, 

 which it throws to the distance of four fathoms, (6pyvia$). This 

 is a convenient defence, and it resorts to it often. These ex- 

 crements burn so much, that the dogs which are hit by them 

 lose their hair ; but they have that quality only when the ani- 

 mal is frightened."t This passage may, in my opinion, be 

 easily reduced to its real merits. The individual who had 

 observed the irrelevant circumstance upon which the whole 

 preposterous report rests, did not know that all quadru- 

 peds and birds are apt to void their excrements, when put to 

 flight, in consequence of the direct impression of fear upon 

 their nervous system, which has the effect, and perhaps is the 

 chief end, of making the animal lighter in its flight. It is con- 

 stantly observed in heavy birds, when taking wing, and in 

 other animals, especially the wolf, when flying before the 

 dogs. The stag and roe, as well as the horse, ass, ox, &c. 

 do the same ; and the latter kick, when taking to their heels. 

 This phenomenon has been exaggerated, by an occasional 

 observer, into the most potent means of defence of the bona- 

 sos, and has prompted him to draw inferences as to the shape 

 of the horns &c. We shall find man, if unassisted by sci- 

 ence, still the same. I was only lately informed by a peasant, 

 with whom I conversed on the bustard, that this bird was 

 most " malicious," as he had sprung one from its nest, which 

 contaminated its eggs on taking wing, and never returned to 

 the nest ; which the bustard never does in such cases. 



In turning now to the third class of materials bearing upon 

 our question, namely, the facts which we may suppose to have 

 been ascertained on sufficiently good authority, we have cer- 

 tainly to regret the great want of system with reference to the 



* TIe^i Zcoew lo-Togiag, ix. 45. 

 f Pliny, who appears to have known little more than this misconceived 

 part of Aristotle's description of the Bonasus, or at least never thought of re- 

 ferring the correct part of it, which we shall see farther below, to his Bison, 

 speaks of the Bonasus as of a different, though doubtful species ; he only 

 changes four fathoms into "tria jugera." He therefore allows the animal 

 the dangerous range of more than 700 feet. 



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