332 DOMESTIC CATTLE. 



of distinct species ; even if the dairy cattle, the beef oxen, 

 and the animals valued for their hides alone, were not 

 each assigned to a separate genus. 



Spanish writers say, that the origin of the vast herds 

 of cattle which cover the plains of Paraguay and other 

 parts of South America, can be traced back to several 

 cows and a bull that arrived at the City of Assumption 

 from Andalusia in 1556. Whether this is literally true 

 may be questioned, but it is certain that the European 

 cattle, whatever may have been their original number, 

 multiplied amazingly in their new habitat, and now 

 extend in countless multitudes to the northward from 

 the southern boundaries of the La Plata over a ter- 

 ritory stretching from the Atlantic to the Cordilleras. 

 In the beautiful country between the Andes mountains 

 and the Pacific coast the oxen are reared in a state of 

 domestication, but west of the mountains they have 

 entirely escaped from the dominion of man, and are 

 hunted by the Gauchos of the country solely for their 

 hides, the carcasses being left upon the fields to rot or 

 to be devoured by the vultures and beasts of prey. 



The Galloway oxen are a polled Scottish breed of 

 obscure origin, but are believed to have been descended 

 from the West Highland Kyloes. They are characterized 

 by their short limbs. The typical color of this species is 

 black, but brown and reddish specimens are frequent. 

 The hair is long and thick, especially in the winter, and 

 the skins of the calves make warm and sightly as well 

 as serviceable coats for men, the main objection to them 

 being their weigh-t, for w r hile they are soft to the touch 

 the skins are thick and heavy. Undoubtedly many of 

 the coats sold as Galloways are made from the skins of 

 other varieties of calves that are probably just as good 

 for the purpose as the one that has been favored by the 

 furriers. 



The skins of still-born young cattle of various breeds, 

 known as "Yetta" skins, are sometimes worked up by 

 the furriers into coats and even suits for women, but 

 cattle are chiefly prized for their food value, and the 

 various bi-products that are obtained from different parts 

 of the body. The skins or hides are mainly used for 

 making leather. 



