B IX.] THE niSTOEY OF ANIMALS. 273 



found in the same locality. The small jackal is the best. 

 Some persons say that there are two, others that there are 

 three sorts ; but, like soirie fish, birds, and quadrupeds, the 

 jackal changes at differer t seasons, and has a different colour 

 in summer and in winter . In summer it is smooth ; in win 

 ter, rough. 



CHAPTEB XXXII. 



1. THE bonassus is found in Paeonia, in Mount Messapius, 

 which forms the boundary between Paeonia and Maedia. 

 The Paeouians call it monapus. It is as large as a bull, and 

 more heavily built ; for it is not a long animal, and its skin, 

 when stretched out, will cover a couch for seven persons to 

 recline upon. In form it resembles a bull, but it has a 

 mane as far as the point of the shoulder like the horse, but 

 its hair is softer than that of the horse, and shorter. The 

 colour of its hair is red. The hair is deep and thick as far 

 down as the eyes, and in colour between ash- coloured and 

 red, not like that of roan horses, but darker. Its hair below 

 is like wool. They are never either very black or very red. 



2. Their voice is like that of the ox. Their horus are 

 crooked and bent together, of no use for defence, a span long 

 or a little more, so thick that each of them would hold halt 

 a measure or a little more. The black part of their horn is 

 good and smooth. The fore lock is so placed between the 

 eyes that the creature can look sideways better than for 

 wards. Like the ox, it has no upper teeth in front, neither 

 have any horned animals. Its legs are rough and its hoot s 

 cloven. Its tail is small in proportion to its size, like that of 

 the ox, and it tears up the ground and digs with its hoof 

 like the bull. The skin upon its sides is strong. Its flesh 

 is excellent food, and for this it is hunted. 



3. When wounded it retreats, and stays when it can pro 

 ceed no farther. It defends itself by kicking and ejecting 

 its dung, which it can do to the distance of four fathoms 

 from itself. It uses this means of defence easily and fre 

 quently. Its dung is so caustic as to burn the hair from 

 dogs. The dung is only caustic when the creature is dis 

 turbed and alarmed. It is not so when undisturbed. This 

 is the form and nature of this creature. At the season of 

 parturition they collect together in numbers ia the moun- 



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