232 ON THE GEOGRAniTCAL 



lives, wliicli is probably also found in Borneo and Suma- 

 tra, and appears scarcely to differ from the Gaour, Bos 

 frontalis, or Sylbetanus, of Bengal, of which it probably 

 forms a variety.* As for Birds, we shall content our- 



* A fact wortliy of notice is, that the domestic Ox of the islands of 

 the Straits belongs to a species totally diflerent from this wild one. 

 The first, which they name Carbau, and which lias returneil to the wild 

 state in Sumatra, is descended evidently from the Arni or ^^'ild Buffalo 

 of Hindustan ; this renders it probable, that the introduction of that 

 buffalo into the Sunda Isles, remounts to the remote epoch from which 

 we date the introduction of the culture of rice, which they are said also 

 to have received from Hindustan. However this may be, tlie remarks 

 which we have made prove that the stud^^ of tlie distribution of the do- 

 mestic animals may serve to elucidate several obscure points in the his- 

 tory of the human race, and that it may contribute to our knowledge of 

 the state of civilization among the jtrimitive inhabitants of Java, who 

 are belieA^ed formerly to have played so important a part. (See the 

 Travels of Crawkuim), and the work of W. Vox Himboldt, entitled 

 Uber die Kaivaisprache.) Another fact, no less curious than that of which 

 we have spoken, is that the Italian RuflFalo, bi'ought into Kurope in the 

 middle ages, appears equally descended from the Arni, which is thug 

 spread from China to Abyssinia, and Italy. These two facts proved, 

 we obtain a veiy curious point of comparison for studying the influence 

 of different climates upon these animals, which, in the European race, 

 seems to be especiall}' concentrated on the curvature of the horns, and 

 on the cavities of the front, phenomena otherwise very common in do- 

 mestic animals. As to the domestic Ox of the rest of Europe, which 

 seems also to belong to the domestic race of Japan, and has been spread 

 over almost every countrj' of the earth, since the discovery of America, 

 and the opening of the sea passage to India ; as to this Ox, I say, there 

 is reason to believe, that it also came from India in the remotest ages ; 

 tlie reasons are, 1. That tlie Zebu, the most common domestic Ox in the 

 continent of Asia, which is, at tliis day, transported as our horned cat- 

 tle, sometimes to Java, and to other countries, belongs, without doubt, to 

 the same species as our ox ; and it forms a variety produced by the influ- 

 ence of climate in hot countries; 2. That the Ox of the ancient Greeks 

 and Romans appears to have been the same as our domestic cattle ; 

 finally. That the only Buffalo which lives in Europe in a wild state forms 

 a species totally different fi'om our Ox, and that it approaches nearer to 

 the Bison of North America, At least, in adopting the h^'pothef is that 

 our horned cattle are sprung from a species now extinct, and denomi- 

 nated Bos priraigenus, we are compelled to seek a parent stock for our 

 Ox among the wild species of India, I have long fixed my attention on 

 the Gaour, but not knowing, by dissection, any but the Javan race, I 

 dare decide nothing ; and I advance this oj.'iniun solely with the object 

 of fixing the attention of naturalists and of travellers on this interest- 

 ing subject. It is said that there exists in Hindustan, in a wild state, 

 a race of bastard Buffaloes, produced between the Gaour and the Jrni. 

 The history of our domestic Dog may perhaps contribute to throw light 



