294 HOOFED ANIMALS 



The Ruminant chews the cud and also it ' divides the 

 hoof.' The cow has typical cloven feet, in which the thumb 

 of the fore and the great toe of the hind feet are entirely 

 wanting. The foot consists really of the third and fourth 

 toes, upon which it walks, while the second and fifth are less 

 developed, and though hoofed are little less than mere spurs. 

 In the camels and giraffes even these last are lacking. 



Many, if not most, of the Ruminants possess horns on the 

 head, which may be either one of two distinct kinds. Those 

 of the deer tribe are not true horns, but antlers, composed of 

 the same material as bone ; they are not permanent, but are 

 shed annually. The horn of the cow is made of the same 

 material as the hoof, and is like baleen, or whalebone, which 

 is nothing less than an agglomeration of hairs (see p. 405). 

 It is formed round a projection of the skull, called the core, 

 and consequently is hollow at the base, and practically 

 throughout its entire length. Generally the horns are 

 permanent, there being but few exceptions. The Hollow- 

 horned Ruminants are of the utmost importance to man, 

 and may well take the first place in a description of the 

 various species of the Artiodactyla. 



HOLLOW-HORNED RUMINANTS. 

 FAMILY BOVID^E (OXEN, &c.) 



Included in the Oxen are not only the massively built 

 animals with which we are acquainted in our own country, 

 but also the Bison, Buffalo, and Yak. A child, when asked 

 to define an Ox, said it was a square animal with a leg at 

 each corner, in which was naively expressed the childish 

 conception of the solidity which marks the Oxen family. 

 The head, short in proportion to the body, and attached to 

 a short, thick neck, is nearly in a line with the back. The 

 muzzle is broad and naked ; the tail is long, thinly haired 

 for the most part, but with a tuft at the end. Most of the 

 males show a large dewlap, extending from the chin to well 

 between the fore legs. 



Both sexes possess horns, and there is usually little 

 difference in their dimensions. The horns may be cylindrical 



