64 



Oxen 



Distribution. — The northern portion ot both hemispheres, ranging in 

 America trom Alaska and the Porcupine river at least as far south as 

 Texas and Georgia. In the Old World it ranged as far west as Yorkshire, 

 and as far south as Spain and Italy, while it was also widely spread over 

 Eastern Europe, whence it extended into Northern Siberia and the New 

 Siberian Islands. Rather than divide the Plistocene bison of the circum- 

 polar countries into one eastern and several western species, it would, in 

 my opinion, be preterable to regard both the living forms as sub-specific 

 nmdihcations ot the primitive stock. This has, indeed, been suggested 

 by Prof. Dawkins,' who remarks "That in h)rmer times the herds 

 [of bison], now rapidly being destroyed by the hunter^ in the tract of 

 country extending trom New Mexico into the British Dominions, were 

 conterminous with those ot .Asia." In Britain remains of the bison occur 

 in the river-gravels, brick-earths, and cavern-deposits, but are unknown 

 from the peat ot the tens, at the time ot deposition of which tlie animal 

 would consequently appear to have been exterminated. 



4. The Ei'RoPEAN Bison — Bos bonasus 



Bos honasiis, Linn. Syst. Niit. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 99 (1766) ; Radde, Proc. 

 Zoo/. Soc. 1893, p. 175 ; Satunin, Zoo/. 'Jd/ir/). Syst. vol. ix. p. 104 (1896). 



Bos iinis, Boddaert, E/cnc/ius Anim. p. 150 (1788) ; Fischer, Synop. 

 Mcviiin. p. 497 (1839) ; Huet, Bii//. Soc. Acc/im. Paris, vol. xxxviii. p. 344 

 (1891) ; Ward, Records of Big Gii»u\ p. 279 (1896). 



' Eiirlf M,in in Brititiii, p. 97 (1S80). 



