THE EUROPEAN BISON. " 41 



posterior portions are covered with short, dark brown 

 hair. The tail is of a moderate length, is covered with 

 hair, and terminates in a large tuft. 



The females are not so large as the males, neither are 

 they characterised by that abundance of hair on the 

 anterior parts, which is so conspicuous in the bulls. 



These animals have never been domesticated, although 

 calves have sometimes been caught, and confined in an 

 enclosed pasture. An instance of this kind is recorded by 

 Mr Gilibert, who, while in Poland, had the opportunity 

 of observing the character of four young ones thus reared 

 in captivity. They were suckled by a she-goat, obstinately 

 refusing to touch a common cow. This antipathy to the 

 domestic cow, which they manifested so early, maintained 

 its strength as they advanced in years ; their anger was 

 sure to be excited at the appearance of any domestic cattle, 

 which, whenever introduced to them, they vigorously ex- 

 pelled from their pasture. They were, however, sufficiently 

 tame to acknowledge the voice of their keeper. 



The geographical range of this animal is now com- 

 paratively very limited, being confined to the forests of 

 Lithuania, Moldavia, Wallachia, and some of the Cau- 

 casian mountain forests ; yet there can be no doubt that, 

 at an early period, they roamed at large over a great 

 part of both Europe and Asia. 



Although they have never been, strictly speaking, 

 domesticated, yet herds of them are kept in certain 

 localities in the forest of Bialowieza, under the special 

 protection of the Emperor of Russia, and under the 

 immediate superintendence of twelve herdsmen, each 

 herdsman keeping the number allotted to his charge in 

 a particular department of the forest, near some river 



