22 THE OX TRIBE. 



any other species of the Ox Tribe. This huge head is 

 supported by very powerful muscles, attached to the pro- 

 jecting spinous processes of the dorsal vertebrae; and 

 these muscles, together with a quantity of fat, constitute 

 the hump on the shoulders. The horns are short, taper- 

 ing, round, and very distant from each other, as are 

 also the eyes, which are small and dark. The head, 

 neck, shoulders, and fore-legs, to the knee-joints, are 

 covered with long woolly hair, which likewise forms a 

 beard under the mouth. The rest of the body is clothed 

 only by short, close hair, which becomes rather woolly in 

 the depth of winter. The colour is of a deep brown, 

 nearly black on the head, and lighter about the neck and 

 shoulders. The legs are firm and muscular ; the tail is 

 short, with a tuft at the end. 



The female is, in every respect, much smaller than 

 the male ; her horns are more slender, and the hair on 

 her neck and shoulders is not so thick or long, nor the 

 colour so dark. She brings forth in the spring, and 

 rarely more than one. The calves continue to be suckled 

 nearly twelve months, and follow the cows for a much 

 longer period. It is said that the cows are not un- 

 frequently followed by the calves of two, or even three, 

 breeding seasons. 



These animals, both male and female, are timid and 

 shy, notwithstanding their fierce appearance ; unless they 

 are wounded, or during the breeding season, when it is 

 dangerous to approach. Their mode of attack is to throw 

 down, by pushing, as they run with their head ; then to 

 crush, by trampling their enemy under their fore-feet, 

 which, surmounted as they are, by their tremendous head 

 and shoulder, form most effectual weapons of destruction. 



