84 CATTLE. Chap. Ill 



possess their own sub-'breeds ; ^* and these again differ from 

 the cattle of the other British islands, such as Anglesea, and 

 the western isles of Scotland. Desmarest, who paid attention 

 to the subject, describes 15 French races, excluding sub- 

 varieties and those imported from other countries. In other 

 parts of Europe there are several distinct races, such as the 

 pale-coloured Hungarian cattle, with their light and free 

 step, and enormous horns sometimes measuring above five 

 feet from tip to tip : ^^ the Podolian cattle also are remarkable 

 from the height of their fore-quarters. In the most recent 

 work on Cattle,^'' engravings are given of fiftj^-five European 

 breeds ; it is, however, probable thait several of these differ 

 very little from each other, or are merely synonyms. It must 

 not be supposed that numerous breeds of cattle exist only in 

 long-civilized countries, for we shall presently see that several 

 kinds are kept by the savages of Southern Africa. 



With respect to the parentage of the several European breeds, 

 we already know much from Nilsson's Memoir,^^ and more especially 

 from Elitimeyer's works and those of Boyd Dawkins. Two or three 

 species or forms of Bos, closely allied to still living domestic races, 

 have been found in the more x'ecent tertiary deposits or amongst 

 prehistoric remains in Europe. Following Eiitimeyer, we have : — 



Bos primigenius. — This magnificent, well known species was 

 domesticated in Switzerland during the Neolithic period ; even at 

 this early period it varied a little, having apparently been crossed 

 with other races. Some of the larger races on the Continent, as the 

 Friesland, i&c, and the Pembroke race in England, closely resemble 

 in essential structure B. primigenius, and no doubt are its descen- 

 dants. This is likewise the opinion of Nilsson. Bos primigenius 

 existed as a wild animal in Caesar's time, and is now semi-wild, 

 though much degenerated in size, in the park of Chillingham ; for 

 I am informed by Professor Eiituneyer, to whom Lord Tankerville 

 sent a skull, that the Chillingham cattle are less altered from the 

 true primigenius type than any other known breed.^* 



3« Mr. H. E. Marquaud, in 'The sance Gen. du Bceuf,' Paris, 1860. 



Times,' June 23rd, 1856. Fig. 82 is that of the Podolian breed. 



^'' Vasey, ' Delineations of the Ox- ^^ A translation appeared in three 



Tribe, p. 124. Brace's 'Hungary,' parts in the ' Annals and Mag. of Nat. 



1851, p. 94. The Hungarian cattle Hist.,' 2nd series, vol. iv., 1849. 



descend, according to Riitimeyer ^* See, also, Riitimeyer's ' Beitrage 



('Zahmen Europ. Ilindes,' 1866, s. 13 pal. Gesch. der Wiederk'auer Busel, 



from Bos primigenius. 1865, s. 54. 



36 



Moll and Gayot, 'La Connais- 



