HYRAXES, ELEPHANTS, AND UNGULATES 293 



Palrearctic and Oriental Regions, but with certainly one 

 Nearctic representative, and two, or possibly three, in the 

 Ethiopian Region. The true origin of our domestic cattle 

 (Bos), is lost in obscurity, but is usually attributed to 

 Palrearctic ancestors, although the progenitor of the 

 humped form, or Zebus, may have more probably been 

 Oriental. The two Bisons belonof, one to the Pahearctic 

 and one to the Nearctic Regions, and are very nearly 

 allied. The Yak (Poe^)hagus) is confined to the higher 

 mountain ranges of Central Asia, and must be therefore 

 reckoned as Paliearctic. The characteristic Oriental forms 

 of bovine animals are the Bantengs (Bibos), of which sub- 

 genus three species are commonly recognized. The Ban- 

 tengs extend from the mountains of Northern India 

 through the ranges of the Malay Peninsula into the 

 Sondaic Islands. Of the Buffaloes (Bubalus) three species 

 are commonly recognized, one of which is Indian, the 

 parent of the well-known domestic form, while two, or 

 perhaps three, other nearly allied species are peculiar to 

 Africa. Finally, closely allied to the Buffaloes, and hardly 

 distinguishable from them, we have the little Anoa of 

 Celebes, and the lately discriminated Bubalus mindor- 

 ensis of the Philippine Islands. 



Section VIII. — Distribution of Prongbucks 



The second family of Artiodactyle Ungulates embraces 

 only a single species strictly confined to the Nearctic 

 Region, and constituting one of its most peculiar types. 

 This is the Prongbuck (Antiloca'pra americana), of the 

 western prairies of the United States, which (as was first 



