538 HISTORY OF 



be rather less than that of the ancient continent ; its hair is 

 longer and thicker, its beard more remarkable, and its hide more 

 (ustrous and soft. There are many of them brought up tame 

 in Carolina ; however, their wild dispositions still seem to con- 



<rertain cattle at tlieir deaths, may produce great difterences upon animals, 

 ■ivlio are tlius restored to a state of nature. The yak inhabits also the Altaic 

 mouDtains, and supplies milk to the Calraucks, the Mongolian and Doukta 

 TiU-tars, and affords materials of trade in the sale of their white tails, of 

 which the Turks and Persians make standards, commonly named horse-tails, 

 dyed of various colours, but principally crimson. In India and Persia, 

 ehoivries or fly-drivers are made of them, and they adoiu the ears of ele. 

 phants, the throat band and croups of horses, as may he se«n to have con. 

 stitutedaprailiceof antiquity in the bas-reliefs of Chelininar, (Persepolis) 

 and Naktchi Roustam, the temple of Salsette, and is still in vogue at this day. 

 The Tartars lead a wandering life with these cattle, preserving the milk, 

 which is very good and abundant, in bladders, till they load the animals witU 

 their own produce, and carry it to market ; they make tents and ropes of 

 the hair; caps and clothes of the skin. The Chinese name them Si-nyn or 

 water-OS, and adorn tlieir caps with the fringes of the hair. 

 The Gm/al. It.appears that the gayal is nearly the size and shape of an English 

 bull, with a dull lieavy appoaiance ; but at the same time, of a form equal ia 

 strength and acti\ity with the wild buifalo. It luis short horns, which are dis- 

 taut at the biises. and rise in a gentle ciu-ve directly out and up. The head 

 Kt zhe upper part is very broad and flat, and contracted suddenly towards the 

 jiose, which is naked like that nf the common cow ; from the upper angles of 

 the forehead, proceed two thick short horizontal processes of bone, which 

 are covered with a tuft of lighter coloured hair : on these are placed the 

 hums, shorter than the head, and lying nearly on the plane of the forehead : 

 at the base they are very thick, and slightly compressed, the flat sides bein^ 

 towards the front and tail ; the edge next the ear is rather the thinnest, so 

 that a transverse sectiim would somewhat ovate ; towards their tips they 

 are rounded, and end in a siiarp point. The eyes resemble those of a com- 

 mon ox, the ears much longer, broader, and blunter than those of that ani- 

 mal ; the neck is very slender near the head, at some distance from which a 

 dewlap commences ; but this is not so deep, nor so much undulated as in 

 the zebu. The dewlap is covered with strong longish hair, so as to join 31 

 kind of mane on the lower part of the neck ; but is not very conspicuous, 

 especially when the animal is young. 



In the place of the hump, the gayal has a sharp ridge, which commences 

 nn the hinder part of the neck, slopes gradually up till it comes over tho 

 shoulder joints, then runs horizontally almost a third part of the back, whero 

 it terminates with a very sudden slope. The height of this ridge makes tho 

 neck appear much depressed, and also adds greatly to the clumsiness of the 

 chest, which although narrow is very deep; the- sternum is covered by a 

 continuation of the dewlap ; the belly is protuberant, but in its hinder part, 

 is greatly contracted ; the rump, or os sacrum, has a more considerable de.. 

 clivity than that of the European ox, but less than that of the zebu. The tail 

 is covered with short hair, except near the end, where it is tufted, but dp. 

 scends no lovirer than the shins. The legs, especially the fore ones, are thici 



