RUMINANTIA. 289 



larities ; and, indeed, in whatever arrangement they 

 may be placed, offer again that peculiar disposition 

 of nature, which Almighty wisdom appears to have 

 impressed on the mammalia destined for domestica- 

 tion, admitting within certain limits species evidently 

 different to commix, and producing a kind of hybrids 

 permanently fertile, but, in general, returning more 

 or less to one or the other forms of the progenitorial 

 stock : thus, the Bison poephagus or Yak, breeds 

 readily with the domestic races of cattle, whether 

 with or without the hunch, and these breed likewise 

 with the domesticated Gayal ; and the progeny of 

 all is reported to remain in undiminished vigour : 

 facts applicable to the two species of camel, but not 

 quite in the same degree. We believe these con- 

 siderations to be the more important, as they evi- 

 dently support the views which we have endeavoured 

 to advocate, in the history of the Canidce and Equidce^ 

 in former volumes of this work, and we find again 

 corroborated in the Bovidce of Africa. 



The Genus Bos, or Bovine tribe, whose general 

 characters are described in Volume XIX. of this 

 work, we apprehend to be best classified by thfeir 

 affinities, in a series which, leaving the Catoble- 

 pas or Gnoos, nearest the Acronotine group, most 

 similar in their cervine limbs, commences the Bo- 

 vidcc, by a structure of forehead, and disposition of 

 the horns, that can be traced onwards through Ovibos 

 (whose ovine nose shows a mere adaptation to his 

 arctic location), and is most remarkable in Bos 

 Caffer, that species in youth exhibiting a black fur, 



