92 CATTLE. Chap. III. 



the case with the cattle of Benguela. The Namaqua cattle 

 in size and shape nearly resemble European cattle, and have 

 short stout horns and large hoofs. The Damara cattle are 

 very peculiar, being big-boned, with slender legs, and small 

 hard feet ; their tails are adorned with a tuft of long bushy 

 hair nearly touching the ground, and their horns are extra- 

 ordinarily large. The Bechuana cattle have even larger horns, 

 and there is now a skull in London with the two horns 

 8 ft. 8| in. long, as measured in g, straight line from tip to tij), 

 and no less than 13 ft, 5 in. as measured along their curva- 

 ture ! Mr. Andersson in his letter to me says that, though 

 he will not venture to describe the differences between the 

 breeds belonging to the many different sub-tribes, yet such 

 certainly exist, as shown by the wonderful facility with 

 which the natives discriminate them. 



That many breeds of cattle have originated through 

 variation, independently of descent from distinct species, we 

 may infer from what we see in South America, where the 

 genus Bos was not endemic, and where the cattle which now 

 exist in such vast numbers are the descendants of a few 

 imported from Spain and Portugal. In Columbia, Eoulin ^^ 

 describes two peculiar breeds, namely, pelo7ies, with extremely 

 thin and fine hair, and calongos, absolutely naked. According 

 to Castelnau there are two races in Brazil, one like European 

 cattle, the other different, with remarkable horns. In Para- 

 guay, Azara describes a breed which certainly originated 

 in S. America, called chivos, " because they have straight 

 vertical horns, conical, and very large at the base." He 

 likewise describes a dwarf race in Corrientes, with short 

 legs and a body larger than usual. Cattle without horns, 

 and others with reversed hair, have also originated in 

 Paraguay. 



Another monstrous breed, called niatas or natas, of which I 

 saw two small herds on the northern bank of the Plata, is so 

 remarkable as to deserve a fuller description. This breed bears 

 the same relation to other breeds, as bull or pug dogs do to 



" 'Mem. de I'Institut present, par June 15, 1846. iSee Azara, 'Quadru- 

 divers Savans,' torn, vi., 1835, p. 333. pfedes du Paraguay, torn. ii. pp. 359, 

 For Brazil, see ' Comptes Rendui,' 361. 



