194 THE BOVINE TRIBE OR OXEN. 



with certainly the most important, and endeavour to 

 trace the stock of our domestic races of cattle, and 

 the forms they are supposed to assume in extra Eu- 

 ropean countries. These stand in our systems as 

 the Bos taurus of the older naturalists, the B. tau- 

 rus domesticus of Linnaeus. 



It may be observed in this place, that our author, 

 whose arrangement we have followed, divides this 

 group into three subgenera, Bubalus, Bison, and 

 Taurus. Mr Swainson, in his Natural System, 

 makes Bos as pre-eminently typical of the Bovidce. 



By most persons it is thought that the domestic 

 races of our cattle are originally sprung from the 

 Bos bubalus, the Indian and European Buffalo, 

 Some, again, treat of them as arising from the Au- 

 rochs or wild cattle of Germany and Poland. These, 

 according to the system of Smith, come into subge- 

 nera different from the domestic breeds ; and from 

 both these suppositions the opinion of the Baron 

 Cuvier varies, as he is inclined to consider our pre- 

 sent cattle identical with a species no longer existing 

 in a wild state, but which has, by the exertions of 

 man, as in the instance of the Camel and Drome- 

 dary, been for ages entirely subjected to his power. 

 The remains of this animal has been found in a fos- 

 sil state, and it is upon the comparison of these re- 

 mains with the skeleton of the Auroch, the Buffalo, 

 and our domestic races, that the Baron has founded 

 his opinion. 



In examining the skull of any of the breeds of 



