THE EUROPEAN BISON 75 



lichens. The aromatic odour imparted to the bison 

 by the zubr grass reminds one of the perfume exhaled 

 by many antelopes, such as eland, blesbok, etc. 



The European bison appears to have first been 

 noticed by Julius Caesar, who mentions it in his 

 account of the fauna of the Black Forest De Bello 

 Gallico, Lib. VI. 21. " Hi sunt magnitudine paulo 

 infra elephantos" he says of the wild oxen; although 

 in reality very much less than an elephant, the 

 magnificent proportions of the animals must have 

 strongly impressed the Romans. Aristotle also 

 notices the "bonasus." It inhabited the mountainous 

 country between Paeonia and Media ; was as large 

 as an ox, but with a shorter and thicker body ; had 

 the neck and shoulders clothed with a reddish gray 

 mane, which overhung the eyes ; the rest of the body 

 was light-coloured. The Cossack-like Pseonian 

 hunters were probably the originals of the legendary 

 centaurs. According to Aristotle, however, the 

 horns were directed downwards and curved in a 

 circle ; Cuvier has sagaciously shown that this latter 

 feature was doubtless an individual abnormality, 

 adding that the Paris Museum at the time of writing 

 actually possessed a bison skeleton having one horn 

 curved in this manner. These malformations are 

 quite common among the Bovidce ; indeed the " cow 

 with the crumpled horn " has entered into nursery 

 literature. Pliny mentions "Jubatos bisontes," 

 while Seneca and Martial both notice the 



