490 



and body was 8 ft. 6 in., and of the tail 3 ft. The largest Burmese 

 specimen recorded was 16 hands high (5 ft. 4 in.). A skull from 

 Java in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, has horns measuring 30 inches 

 long by 17 inches in circumference at the base. This is unusually 

 large. A male skull from Borneo in the British Museum measures 

 17-75 inches in basal length by 8-75 in zygomatic breadth. 



Distribution. Throughout Burma and the Malay Peninsula, also 

 in the islands of Borneo, Java, and Bali. This species is probably 

 found also in Sumatra and Siam. It extends north to Northern Pegu 

 and Arrakan, and probably to the hill-ranges east of Chittagong. 



Habits. So far as is known, similar to those of Bosgaurus, except 

 that B. sondaicus, from the greater proportional length of the legs, 

 is probably less of a climber and more restricted to the plains of 

 high grass. 



The banting is domesticated in Java, and perhaps in other parts 

 of its range. 



341. Bos grunniens. The Yak. 



Bos grunniens, L.~ Syst. Nat. i, p. 99 (1766); W. Sclater, Cat. 



p. 128. 



Bos poephagus, H. Smith, Griffith's An. King, iv, p. 404 (1827). 

 Bison poephagus,If(%sow, J. A. S. B. x, pp. 449, 912, xi, p. 282, xvi, 



p. 708. 



Poephagus grunniens, Gray, List Mam. B. M. p. 153 (1843); 

 Horsfield, Cat. p. 184 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 529 ; Blyth, Cat. 

 p. 158. 



Dong, Brong-dong (wild), Pegu (tame), Tibetan; Yak, Tibetan of 

 Ladak and N. Kumauu ; Ban-chintr, H.; Kuch-gau, P.; Boku (old <S), 

 Kotass, Kirghiz. 



The form is massive, high at the shoulder, back nearly level, not 

 falling away above the hips. Legs short and thick ; hoofs large, 

 rounded. Muzzle small. Ears small. No dewlap. Hair nearly 

 smooth on upper parts aud sides, very long on lower part of each 

 side, forming a deep fringe extending across the shoulder and thigh . 

 A tuft of long hair also on the breast. Terminal half of tail thickly 

 covered with long hair, forming an enormous tuft, not descending 

 in general below the hocks. Eibs 14 pairs. Head elongate. 

 Forehead nearly flat. Horns smooth, round, slightly oval at the 

 base in very old animals, curving outward and upward at first, then 

 forward, then inward and upward, and slightly backward in some 

 at the end. 



Colour dark brown, almost black, throughout, with the exception 

 of a little white about the muzzle, and a sprinkling of grey on the 

 head and neck in old animals. Old bulls are reddish on the back. 



Dimensions. According to Captain E. Smyth (J. A. S. B. xxx, 

 p. 393) some bulls are nearly 18 hands (6 feet) high ; the same is 

 stated by Prejvalski and others. A bull 16| hands (5 ft. 6 in.) high 

 measured from horns to root of tail 7 ft. 3 in. ; length of tail 

 (with hair) 3 ft. 4 in., girth round chest 7| feet. A bull weighs, 



