TllJu YAK.] 



CATTLi:, AND Till: IK VARIETIES. 



iTilE TAK. 



THE YAK OF TART.VRY. 



We may here brieily notieo n species of the 

 bovine nice, the Yale ot'Tartary {JJos grunnies), 

 too reinarlvable to bo altogether oiuitleil in our 

 sketch of the ox tribe. Whether the yak 

 belongs to the restricted genus Bos is very 

 iloiibtful. In some points ib certainly is re- 

 lati'J to tlie musk ox {Ovibos), at least if wo 

 are to judge from the skins, more or less im- 

 perfect, which wo have had opportunities of 

 examining. The following is the description 

 of a skin wanting the liorns and limbs, iu the 

 Zoological Museum : — The nostrils are narrow, 

 converging below, with a small uudc space be- 

 tween them, and a thia naked border round 

 them, so that there is no true broad naked muz- 

 zle, as in the common ox. The ears are small and 

 pointed, and the forehead is covered with black, 

 curling locks ; but its degree of convexity can- 

 not be accurately determined, owing to the 

 absence of the skull. The back is clothed with 

 smooth hair, of a deep chocolate brown, a white 

 stripe occupying the ridge of the withers, and 

 another the centre of the croup. iTrom the 

 shoulders, sides, and under surface of the body, 

 and also from the inside of the thighs, hangs a 

 pendent mane of long hair, falling in huge 

 masses, so as to cover the limbs, and almost 

 touch the ground. This mane is grizzled 

 black, except a central line along the belly, of 

 pure white. The tail is tufted with a huge 

 mass of glossy white and rather coarse hairs, , 

 from eighteen to twenty inches in length. In 

 size, the animal could not have exceeded the 

 small Scotch breed of cattle. On the authority 

 of Gmeliu and Turner, the horns are round, i 

 small, pointed, and bent in a semicircle for- 

 wards. The withers are elevated, and the ! 

 colour is said to vary. We have known an 

 instance in which the tail was black. 



The yak is a native of the mountains ofi 

 Tibet, and, when wild, is said to be savage and 

 dangerous. It is, however, reclaimed, and a 

 domestic breed is kept by the natives of the 

 range tenanted by the animal in its wild con- 

 dition. It is, perhaps, the Pocphagus described 

 by ^Elian. From an early period, its tail was 

 used as a standard by the Mongols and Tartars, 

 being one of the distinguished insignia of 

 superior officers. In India these tails are 

 mounted on ivory or silver handles, and, under 



the name of chowries, ore used to brush oway 

 tho Hies. Eli'phanls of state are taught to 

 carry a splendidly mounted chuwrie in their 

 ' proboscis, and wave it backwards and forwards. 

 Of the habits of the yak, in a slate of free- 

 dom, little or nothing is known. Aa regards 

 the domestic yak. Turner, in iiis Account of 

 an Einhassy to C/a';m, alter giving a description 

 of it, observes, that " tlieso cattle, thougli not 

 large-boned, seem, from tho profuse quantity 

 of hair with which they are provided, to be of 

 great bulk. They have a downcast, heavy look, 

 and ap[)ear, what indeed they are, sullen and 

 suspicious, discovering much impatience at tho 

 near approach of strangers. They do not low 

 loud, like the cattle of England, any more than 

 those of Hindostau, but make a low grunting 

 noise, scarcely audible ; and this but seldom, 

 when under some impression of uneasiness. 

 These cattle are pastured in the coldest parts 

 of Tibet, upon the short herbage peculiar to 

 the mountains and bleak plains. The chain of 

 mountains, situated between the latitudes 27^ 

 and 2b°, which divides Tibet from Bootan, and 

 the summits of which are mostly clothed with 

 snow, is their favourite haunt. In this vicinity 

 the southern glens ailbrd them food and shelter 

 during the severity of the winter. Iu milder 

 seasons the northern aspect is more congenial 

 to their nature, and admits a wider range. 

 They are a very valuable property to the tribes 

 of itinerant Tartars called Duckba, who live in 

 tents, and tend them from place to place, and to 

 whom they afford an easy mode of conveyance, 

 a good covering, and wholesome subsistence. 

 They are never employed iu agriculture, but 

 are extremely useful as animals of burden, for 

 they are strong, sure-footed, and carry a 

 great weight. Tents and ropes are manu- 

 factured of their hair; and, amongst tho 

 humbler class of herdsmen, I have seen caps 

 and jackets made of their skins. The best 

 requital with vihich the care of their keepers 

 is at length rewarded, for scl'cting them ^ood 

 pastures, is iu the abundant quantity of rich 

 milk which they yield, and in the butter pro- 

 duced from it, w^hich is most excellent. It is 

 the custom of tho Tartars to preserve this iu 

 skins or bladders, and, the air being thus 

 excluded from it, it will keep iu this cold 

 climate throughout the year; so that, after 

 some time tending their herds, when a suflicieafc 



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