26 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF THE OX. 



6 and 7 feet in height at the shoulder. The horns are of enor- 

 mous length, the tail is very short, and tufts of hair grow on the 

 forehead and horns. The tamed variety is at least one-third 

 smaller, and, unlike the Arnee, never seems to become well- 

 conditioned. It is an ungainly kind of animal, and very 

 unsightly on account of the bald patches mostly found upon its 

 hide. The buflfalo loves the water, and always inhabits the low- 

 lying districts. It is fond of wallowing in the marshes, in which 

 it lies for hours, almost entirely submerged, and tranquilly chew- 

 ing the cud while enjoying its mud-bath. Little more than the 

 animal's eyes, ears, and nose remaia above the surface, so that 

 the motionless heads are scarcely distinguishable from the grass 

 and reed tufts which stud the marshes. One may pass by a 

 silent and tranquil pool where the muddy surface is unbroken 

 except by a number of black lumps and tufts of rushes, and then 

 these tufts may suddenly be transformed into twenty or thirty 

 huge beasts rising out of the water as if by magic. If so, it is 

 best to get out of the way as quickly as possible, as the buffalo 

 is apt to resent being startled out of its state of dreamy repose. 



In the Jordan valley the buffalo is found, and is used for agri- 

 cultural purposes, being of the Bhainsa, or domesticated, variety. 

 It is larger and stronger than the ordinary cattle, and hence the 

 animal is useful in drawing the plough ; but its temper is uncer- 

 tain. As is the case with all half-wild cattle, its milk is very 

 scanty, but is of a very rich quality. 



TheUrus, an animal which possibly was the distant progenitor 

 of the modern ox, was fierce and of enormous size. Now, it is 

 to be remembered that in almost every part of the Continent and 

 of England the skulls of oxen far exceeding in size any now 

 known have been found. A fine specimen is preserved in the 

 British Museum. The horns of this skull are of a peculiar de- 

 scription. They resemble some smaller ones dug up in the mines 

 of Cornwall, and in some measure those of the wild cattle of 

 Chillingh^m Park, and also, although, as is only natural, in a 

 much less marked manner, those of our native breeds of cattle 

 now found in Devon and East Sussex, and those of the Welsh 

 mountains and the Scottish Highlands. It seems impossible to 

 trace the migrations of the ox, which must have gradually taken 

 place from its ancient home in Western Asia towards the West; 

 but we cannot doubt that the characters of the animal were 



