156 



THE OX AND THE BISON 



districts and is easily domesticated. Imagine an ordinary 

 cow covered with long hair, and having the tail of a horse, 

 and some idea may be had of this strange but valuable 



creature. In India 

 the zebu (Fig. 136) 

 roams and is util- 

 ized to some extent. 

 To this group be- 

 longs the small sa- 

 cred bull of the Hin- 

 doos. One of the 

 remarkable sights in 

 India is to see this 

 sacred bull walking 

 through the streets, pushing men and women to one side, 

 eating from stands, and pilfering where it will, without 

 the slightest objection on the part of the owner. 



The zebu has a small but very prominent hump, while 

 the huge gayal, another East Indian buffalo, has an enor- 

 mous hump, huge, conical horns, and a broad, massive 

 head. A similar form is the gaur. 



Fig. 136. — The Zebu. 



