482 



Crearfttrg at 



lingham (as well as in some other ancient 

 forests), where they escaped the fury of their 

 destroyers. The only other tenable hypo- 

 thesis is, that after the enclosure of the park 

 at Chillingham, they had been brought from 

 Scotland and located there as a relic of the 

 ancient Caledonian cattle ; but the absence 

 of all tradition and record upon the subject, 

 and the circumstance of a similar breed 

 having been found in places far removed 

 from the Borders, render this supposition less 

 probable than the former. 



The CAPE Ox, or CAPE BUFFALO. (Bos 

 IBubaJml Coffer.) This species of the Bo- 

 vine genus is superior in size to the largest 

 English Ox, is very strong and muscular, and 

 has a most fierce and malevolent aspect. It 

 inhabits the interior parts of Africa, north of 

 the Cape of Good Hope, where these ani- 

 mals are found in large herds. Its colour is a 

 deep cinereous brown : the hair on the body 

 is rather short, but that on the head and 

 breast very long, coarse, and black, hanging 

 down the dewlap, like that of a Bison : from 

 the hind part of the head to the middle of 

 the back is also a loose black mane : the tail 

 is nearly naked at the root, the remainder 

 being covered with long loose hair. The 

 horns are black, and extremely broad at 

 their base : they are transversely wrinkled 

 above, and are very large and long, spread- 

 ing far over the head towards the eyes, then 

 growing taper, and bending down on each 

 side of the neck ; the ends inclining back- 

 i wards and upwards : the space between the 

 tips is sometimes five feet. The ears are a 

 foot long, and half-pendulous. These power- 

 ful animals are described as sometimes rush- 

 ing suddenly on the African traveller, goring 

 and trampling both man and horse under 

 foot. The skin is excessively strong, and 

 is, on this account, in high estimation with 

 the colonists at the Cape, for its superior 

 excellence in making harness, &c. 



The GRUNTING Ox. (Bos \_Poephagus] grun- 

 niens.) Respecting the size of this animal 

 (which is also called the Horse-tailed Ox, or 

 ! Yack) there is much dispute, some travellers 

 i describing it as smaller than the domestic 

 breeds of Oxen, while others contend that it 

 is much larger ; but from the accounts of 

 Russian naturalists, it appears probable that 

 | there are two varieties, differing materially 

 in size, but in other respects corresponding. 

 It has a short head, broad nose, and large 

 ears : the horns are short, slender, round, 

 upright, sharp-pointed, and bent inwards. 

 The whole body is covered with long hair, 

 and is entirely black, except the front, ridge 

 of the back, and tail, which are white. One 

 peculiarity belongs to this species, which is, 

 that instead of lowing, like others of the 

 genus, they utter a sound resembling the 

 grunting of a hog. In Thibet and other parts 

 of central Asia, where they exist in a wild 

 state, they are very dangerous, fighting, des- 

 perately when attacked; and though they are 

 susceptible of domestication, they always re- 

 tain some of their natural ferocity. The tails 

 of these animals are very valuable : they 

 form the standards designating the rank of 

 superior officers in the Turkish army j they 



are extensively used in India as brushes to : 

 drive away insects ; and the Chinese adorn j 

 their caps with them. 



The JUNGLE Ox, or GYALL (Bos frontalis) 

 resembles the domestic Ox in most of its 

 characters, but has horns flattened from be- j 

 fore backwards, and no angular ridges. They ! 

 are directed laterally, and more or less up- j 

 ward, but not backward. It is a domestic 

 race in the mountain districts of the north- , 

 east of India, and although it has been sus- , 

 pected by some persons to be derived from : 

 the intermixture of the Buffalo with the ] 

 common species, is quite a distinct species 

 from either. [See BISON : BUFFALO : UKUS.] ! 



OX-BIRD. [See SANDERLING.] 

 OX-PECKER. [See BUPHAGA.] 



OXYLOPHUS. A genus of Cuckoos ; the 

 best known species of which is the Oxylophus ; 

 ylandariw. [See CUCKOO.] 



OYSTER. (Ostrea cdulis.) A well-known j 

 edible Mollusc, the shell of which is formed , 

 of two unequal valves, connected together j 

 by a hinge of the simplest character. Ex- 

 ternally the shell has a coarse and dirty | 

 appearance ; each shell being composed of 

 a great number of laminse irregularly closed 

 down on each other. In some species it ! 

 is smooth ; in others striated, tuberous, or i 

 prickly ; the lower shell being always the j 

 deepest. The animal itself is also of very I 

 simple structure : no vestige of a foot can i 

 be seen ; and the ligament which unites the I 

 valves is of small size. On separating the | 

 valves, four rows of gills, or what is called | 

 the beard, are observed at a little distance j 

 from the fringed edge of the mantle. The i 

 abductor muscle is situated at about the i 

 centre of the body, near which the heart is ; 

 to be distinguished ; and the mouth may be : 

 seen beneath a kind of hood, formed by the ; 

 union of the two edges of the mantle near ! 

 the hinge. Many curious discussions have i 

 arisen as to whether Oysters possessed the ; 

 faculty of locomotion. It is well known 

 that, in general, they are firmly attached to i 

 stones, or to each other ; and it has been 

 stated, and generally believed, that they are , 

 not endowed with any powers of changing 

 their position. This much, indeed, is certain, i 

 that it is one of the most inanimate of the 

 Mollusca ; remaining fixed upon some sub- i 

 marine substance, enjoying only the nourish- I 

 ment brought it by the waves, and giving ] 

 scarcely a sign of life, except the opening i 

 and shutting of its valves. In the British 

 Museum there is a large specimen of a crab, j 

 to the back and claws of which a number 

 of good-sized oysters have attached them- ' 

 selves. From the observations and experi- 

 ments of naturalists, it appears, however, 

 they can move from place to place by sud- 

 denly closing their shells, and thus ejecting 

 the water contained between them with 

 sufficient force to throw themselves back- 

 ward, or in a lateral direction. 



The principal breeding time of the common 

 Oyster is in April or May, when their spawn 

 is usually cast: this appears at first like little 

 spots of grease, which fasten upon rocks, 



