494 SOCIAL LIFE OF ANIMALS 



Pigs. — Our modern hogs are descended from two wild races, the 

 European Wild Boar, Sus scro/a, and the species Sus viltatus, found 

 in Eastern Asia. From the Asiatic form have descended most of 

 the European races. The Chinese domesticated the hog centuries 

 ago. 



Cattle. — Present races of cattle have descended from two sources, 

 the wild bayiteng^ Bos sondakus, of South Asia, from which have come 

 the zebus, the Egyptian longhorns and the Spanish and Alpine cattle 

 of Europe; and the European wild ox. Bos primigenius, from which 

 have come the English, North German and Holland cattle. The 

 latter form, sometimes called the Aurochs, reached a height of 7 

 feet at the withers. It had horns 6 feet in length, one of which 

 held three quarts of wine. In India there now live four species of 

 wild oxen closely related to the aurochs. 



Goats are descended from three wild races, Capra aegagrus, of 

 Western Asia, Capra/a/coneri, and Capj-ajew/aica, of the Himalaya 

 Mountains. 



Sheep originated from three wild sources, Ovis musimon of South 

 Europe, Ovis tragelaphus of North Africa and Ovis ar-kal of Western 

 Asia. The last named form was the ancestor of our American races. 

 The species best known is the Mouflon which is still hunted in the 

 mountains of Corsica and Sardinia. Early Assyrian drawings show 

 fat-tailed domesticated sheep. In the Himalayas, one finds the 

 great guljar or Marco Polo's sheep which ranges 18,000 feet above 

 the sea in the summer. Old rams are almost white with circling 

 horns, five feet on the outside curve. 



Rabbits. — There are over 70 species of rabbits, and the 15 races 

 of domesticated rabbits orginated from wild species found in Spain 

 and Southern France. The original European wild rabbit was 

 grayish brown. 



Pigeons. — All the domestic pigeons descended from a single wild 

 species, Columba livia, the common rock dove, found in Europe, Asia 

 and Northern Africa. The Romans were pigeon fanciers 3,000 

 years ago. Homing pigeons were used by the crusaders who sent 

 messages back from the wars. 



Fowls. — Modern races of chickens are supposed by naturalists to 

 be descended from the jungle fowl, Galhis bankiva, which is found 

 through most of the islands adjacent to India. The heavier breeds 

 are probably descended from the Malayan fowl called the Aseel. 



