308 On Man's Influence in effecting 



of Caesar, as to their bulk being little less than an elephant's, 

 appear only a moderate exaggeration. Now-a-days the old 

 males are never found more than 1\ ft. (French measure) in 

 length, and 5 ft. in height, though in the time of Pallas there 

 was found one that measured 6 ft. at the withers. 



The hair of the zubr is of two different sorts ; the one is 

 soft, woolly, and short, almost like that of the camel, and co- 

 vers the whole trunk and the extremities down to the knees ; 

 the other long, rough, thicker at the extremity than at the root, 

 and covers the upper part and sides of the head, as well as 

 the neck, withers, and shoulders. Between the branches of 

 the lower maxilla, along the neck to the chest, it is lengthen- 

 ed into a sort of beard, and on the upper crest of the neck, it 

 forms a sort of mane. The hair is of different qualities ac- 

 cording to the age, sex, and season. In young specimens it 

 is browner, softer, and much shorter ; in the old ones, black- 

 er, stiffer, and longer. In the bull it often grows at the beard, 

 mane, and on the shoulders, to the length of 1 foot, in the cow, 

 scarcely to more than 9 inches. It is thickest, longest, and 

 darkest, in November, as the winter fur appears with the first 

 snow ; and it begins to fall at the approach of the warm sea- 

 son, sometimes as early as February. The change then, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Eichwald, is often effected within two or three 

 days. The summer fur is far less shaggy, and being at first 

 of a greyish brown colour, becomes more and more shining, 

 until in the month of August, or about the rutting season, it 

 presents a jet-black colour under certain angles of reflection. 



The horns bear a fine proportion to the size of the animal ; 

 their growth is not so rankly luxuriant as in some castrated 

 oxen of different breeds, for example, the Sicilian and Hun- 

 garian ; but what they want in length is made up by strength. 

 The horns of the 6-years-old bull, whose skeleton was pre- 

 pared for the Wilna museum, measure 10 \ inches round, at 

 the base ; while their length along the external curve is 18 

 inches. They are flattened in no part of their extent, but are 

 perfectly round, and rendered more or less rough near the root 

 by rings. From the root, which is comparatively thick, they 

 are first directed outwardly and a little downwards, then they 

 rise upwards, and the suddenly-tapering point is bent inward 

 and a little backward. These organs are much longer and 

 stronger in the bull than in the cow. Their colour is black, 

 and their substance very hard. 



The expression of the eye, which, as we have observed be- 

 fore, is considerably smaller than in the Bos taurus, is meek 

 when the animal is not irritated, but becomes exceedingly fe- 

 rocious when its anger is awakened. The pupil then becomes 



