318 MAMMALIA. 



Africa ; Bubalis pygarga Sundv., Buntbock, South Africa ; Catolilcpas gnu, the 

 Gnu, plains of South Africa ; Rupicapra rupicapra Pall., Chamois, Pyrenees and 

 Alps. 



Sub-fam. Ovinae. Ovis aries L., domestic sheep, of which numerous races 

 are distributed over the whole earth (German sheep, Haideschnucke, Merino, 

 Zackelschaf, Fat-tailed sheep). There was a domesticated race of sheep in the 

 stone age. The Mouflon. O. musimon Schreb., and the Argali, 0. argali Pall., 

 living in Northern and Central Asia have been often regarded as the wild 

 ancestral species. Capra, Goats, and Ibexes. C. ibex L., Steinbock of the 

 Alps ; C. cegagriis L.. Bezoar-goat, Caucasus ; C. Jiircus L., Domestic Goat, 

 numerous races, distributed everywhere. 



Sub-fam. Bovinae. Ovibos moscliatus Blainv., Musk-ox of North America; 

 Bison ev.ropce.iis Ow. (improperly called Auerochs) ; B. amcricamis Gm. ; 

 Bnbaliis buffelus L., Indian buffalo ; B. caffer^L. ; Pcepliagus grunniens L., Yak, 

 Thibet and Mongolia, domesticated; Bos gaurus H., Sm., Gaur, East Indies ; 

 B. indices L., Zebu ; B. primigenius Boj ., diluvial, lived in Caesar's time in 

 Germany (called " Ur " in the Nibelungen-Liede), still preserved in a semi- wild 

 condition in Chillingham Park. Cuvier regarded them as the ancestral form of 

 the domestic ox. B. taurus L., and there can be no doubt that the Friesland 

 or Holstein ox is to be referred to B. primigenius. Poitimeyer has recently 

 shown that a second species, which existed in the diluvial period, B. bracliycerus 

 Ow., is to be regarded as the ancestral species of the domestic ox. 



2. DECIDTTATA. 



Order 7. PROBOSCIDEA. 



Multiungulates of very large size, with long proboscis, which 

 functions as a prehensile organ ; with compound grinding teeth, and 

 tusks in the prcemaxillce. 



The thick hide is folded, and is only sparsely covered with hairs. 

 There is a tuft of hairs on the tail. The head is short and deep, is 

 swollen by chambers in the frontal and parietal bones, and possesses 

 a long movable proboscis. The occipital region descends abruptly, 

 and almost perpendicularly. The perpendicularly-placed prsemaxillse 

 with their large rootless tusks, are enormously developed. In the 

 Mastodonta there are also two incisor teeth in the lower jaw, which 

 soon fall out in the female, but in the male are retained as tusks. 

 There are no canines. According to the age one, two, or sometimes 

 even three grinding teeth are present in each jaw ; they are com- 

 posed of a number of parallel dental plates placed behind one another. 

 In the genus Elephas these plates are connected with cement, and 

 present on the masticatory surface transverse rhombic spaces, bounded 

 by enamel substance. In the Mastodonta the cement is absent, and 



