NATURAL HISTORY OF THE OX. 17 



the antelope nor the horse is found in South America, although 

 traces of these animals have been discovered in caves of Brazil. 

 Sheep and goats comprise a later group in geological history. 

 The horns of these animals are well developed. Horns are 

 generally present in the case of wild sheep, although as a rule 

 they are not found in those which are domesticated. 



The antelope has hollow horns over the frontal bone cores. 

 With regard to the material of horns, the rhinoceros has horn 

 only, the deer has bone only, the ox has horn and bone, and 

 finally the giraffe has bone and skin. 



The goat has a vacuity between the lachrymal and nasal 

 bones, but the sheep has not this vacuity. The sheep is a pale- 

 arctic animal, and only met with for the chief part in the tem- 

 perate regions of the Old World. The true sheep has no beard. 

 As for the forehead, it varies in shape. The ibex of the Alps, 

 Pyrenees, &c. is a wild goat. Fossil forms of the goat are met 

 with in the drift of Europe, and also in the Post-Pliocene of 

 America. In the Miocene strata antelopes alone represent the 

 Cavicorne ruminants. 



Bovidce. — The domesticated ox has a hairless part in the 

 front of the mouth. There are no oxen found in Australia 

 nor in South America. With reference to their distribution 

 in time, it may be said that they occur in the Pliocene of 

 Europe, but that no oxen are met with in the Miocene of 

 Europe, although in the Miocene in India remains of Bovidse 

 have been found. The Bovidse are descended from Bos primi- 

 genius, of which the nearest living representative is the Chil- 

 lingham ox. 



The place of the domestic ox in the scale of life is seen to 

 be as follows, namely, that animal is said to belong to the sub- 

 genus Bos tuurus, the domestic ox; of the genus Bos, in which 

 the horns occupy the crest, and project at first sideways and are 

 hollow or cellular within ; of the tribe Bovidae; of the Pecora 

 or true ruminants (animals which chew their food a second time) ; 

 of the Artiodactyla or even-toed Ungulata ; of the Mono- 

 delphous Mammalia, and of the Vertebrata, or animals with 

 back-bones. 



(1) There are two types of Bovidae. One of these is the 

 musk ox. The horns come close down to the nose. 

 This ox has a long fleece and it is called Ovibos Mos- 



2 



