THE HORNED ANIMALS— DOMESTIC OXEN. 



483 



In Texas it was formerly quite frequently the case that many 

 Cattle would wander away or conceal themselves so effectually 

 that the vigilance of the cowboys was eluded, the result being 

 that there would be next year a number of two-year-old calves 

 unbranded. The rule for these calves was that the first Cattle 

 owner who caught such an outcast could brand it. A shrewd 

 stockman named Maverick, seeing a chance .of profit in it, 

 made a special feature of capturing these ownerless yearlings 

 and branding them, doing the business so successfully that it 



JERSEY COW. The breeds of Cattle from the British Channel 



Islands bear the palm for choice quality of cream and butter obtained from 

 their milk. The Jersey is the type of these animals and is a favorite dairy 

 cow in America and Great Britain. 



became the custom for the other stockmen to call unbranded 

 yearlings "Mavericks," and they are known by that name to this 

 day. Such opportunities as those of Maverick are not now 

 open. Closer attention is paid to the Cattle and it is seldom 

 that a calf escapes being branded. The Cattle raising industry 

 is one of great importance in the West, where there are large 

 areas not fitted for cultivation, which are admirably adapted 



for Cattle raising. 



On the Falkland Islands the Oxen have com- 

 pletely returned to savagery and are entirely eman- 

 cipated from the yoke of Man, 

 being but occasionally hunted 

 by sailors whose provisions of 

 meat have run out. On the 

 Galopagos Islands, the Philip- 

 pine and Sandwich Isles and 

 on the Celebes, Oxen having 

 reverted to a wild state are 

 also found, and the same may 

 be said of Australia and New 

 Zealand. In the high moun- 

 tainous regions of central Asia 

 Cattle which have resumed 

 their wild habits also occur, 

 especially in instances in 

 which herds have become 

 ownerless in consequence of 

 wars. In Colombia, as in 

 most other countries of South 

 America, they live in unre- 

 strained freedom, not in the 

 low lands, however, but on 

 the heights of the Cordilleras. 



Manner of Life of A glimpse at 

 Cattle in Vari- the manner of 

 ous Nations. ljf e Q f tne do- 

 mestic Cattle of various coun- 

 tries is instructive as well as 

 fascinating. In order to begin 

 our consideration in histor- 

 ical fashion, let us turn our attention 



of Cattle constitute their only riches. Their wealth 

 is estimated by the number of their Sheep and 

 Cattle, as that of the Laplander is estimated by the 

 number of his Reindeer. 



The greatest of European land-owners and cattle- 

 breeders, including those of Holland and Switzer- 

 land, can hardly realize the vast numbers contained 

 in the herds of those nomads. Near the' village of 

 Melbess, which I have already mentioned once, the 

 plain shows a deep depression, at the bottom of 

 which a number of wells have been dug, one beside 

 the other, for the sole purpose of watering the herds 

 congregating there during the noon hours. Begin- 

 ning in the afternoon and during the whole night, far 

 on towards noon of the next day nearly a hundred 

 people are busy hauling water from the wells and 

 pouring it into pools in which a little salty earth is 

 added to it. From all sides innumerable herds of 

 Sheep, Goats and Cattle draw near, first the Sheep 

 and Goats, then the cows. In a few minutes the 

 valley is filled with them. One sees nothing but an 

 unbroken herd of animals pressing back and forth, a 

 dark human form looming up between them at inter- 

 vals. Thousands of Sheep and Goats keep arriving, 

 while as many are departing, satisfied. I believe it 

 impossible to count the number of Cattle; for one 

 soon gives up as hopeless the task of counting in 

 the confusion of the throng; yet I believe I do not 

 exaggerate if I put down the number of the animals 

 daily congregating at the spot as sixty thousand. 



In the south of Africa the Oxen are of great im- 

 portance, as without them the extended trip neces- 

 sary for purposes of trading and hunting through 

 the vast wastes in parts entirely devoid of water and 

 grass would be impossible. 



i-utfar vr,p. 

 ^^ 



DUTCH COW. The breed of Dutch Oxen, of which the female is depicted in the illustration, has 



been bred in Holland for hundreds of years, and is especially adapted to marshy regions. It is a rather hand- 

 some animal, easily fattened, and the cows yield milk abundantly. (Bos taurus hollandicus.) 



our attention first to those 

 herds which still lead the same manner of existence 

 as did those belonging to the patriarchs. The wan- 

 dering tribes of eastern Soudan are herdsmen, who 

 attend to their duties in exactly the same way as 

 their ancestors did thousands of years ago. Herds 



Cattle Life in Tern- In southern Russia, Tartary, and 

 perate and North- probably also a great portion of 

 em Lands. central Asia, considerable herds of 



Cattle are kept. All of the steppes of southern 

 Russia are covered with herds of Horses, Sheep and 

 Cattle. In summer all these animals live outdoors; 



