8o Oxen 



Bos {Biso/i) ciiiicrictiiii/s, H. Smith, in Griffith's Animal Kingdom^ vol. iv. 

 p. 401, V. p. 374 (1827). 



Urns americanus^ Swainson, Classif. Quadrupeds^ p. 280 (1835). 



Bos [Boiiasus) amcricauus^ Wagner in Schreber's Saugethiere, vol. iv. 

 p. 516 (1844) ; Turner, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1850, p. 174. 



Bison aniericanus, Gray, KnoivsLy Menagerie^ p. 49 (i8i;o). Cat. Vugulata 

 Brit. Mus. p. 38 (1852), Cat. Ruminants Brit. Mus. p. 14 (1872) ; Riiti- 

 meyer, Denkschr. sc/mriz. Ges. vol. xxii. art. 3, p. 91 (1867), Ahh. sc/iicriz. 

 pal. Ges. vol. v. p. 189 (1878) ; Allen, Mem. Mus. Harvard, vol. iv. p. 36 

 (1876) ; Flower and Garson, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Coll. Surg. pt. ii. p. 231 

 (1884) ; Hornaday, Rep. U. S. Mus. 1886-87, p. 378 (1889) ; Herrick, 

 Mamm. Minnesota, p. 260 (1892). 



BisoH bison, Rhoads, Amer. Naturalist, vol. xxviii. p. 526 (1894), Proc. 

 Acad. Philadelphia, 1895, P- 244, 1897, p. 501. 



Characters. — Height at shoulder typically about 6 teet. Horns in 

 the typical race, usually, shorter, thicker, blunter, and more sharply curved 

 than in the European bison ; also set further back on the forehead, which 

 is very markedly convex, so that their bases are considerably behind the 

 plane of the front margin of the sockets of the eyes. Hind -quarters 

 relatively very low and weak in comparison to the withers ; pasterns 

 shorter, and the tail less elongated than in the European species. Mane 

 of bull in summer pelage much longer and more shaggy than in the latter, 

 extending further back on the body, and attaining much greater develop- 

 ment on the head and neck, where it completely conceals the ears and 

 buries a considerable portion of the horns. In the cow likewise much 

 more copious on the forehead and neck, and leaving but little of the ears 

 exposed. In very old bulls the greater part of the body almost bare when 

 the summer coat is first developed. During winter the whole pelage very 

 coarse and shaggy ; the mane of the bulls forming a huge mass of long 

 hair completely concealing the outline of the head, neck, fore-quarters, and 



