OXEN. 



175 



Hills there occurs the gigantic sharp-fronted ox (B. acutifrons), distinguished by 

 the sharp ridge running down the middle of the forehead, and the enormous length 

 of the horns, winch swept upward* and outwards in a bold curve, and were probably 

 but little short or 10 feet in span. 



galla bull (A nat. size), 



The Gaur (Bos gaurus). 



With the magnificent animal known as the gaur, but generally misnamed by 

 Indian sportsmen the bison, we come to the first of three species from South-Eastern 

 Asia, nearly allied to one another, and broadly distinguished from those already 

 noticed. These animals, which include the handsomest existing representatives of 

 the genus, are collectively characterised by the following features. The horns 

 are flattened to a greater or less degree from front to back, more especially 

 at their bases, where they present an elliptical cross-section ; this character being 

 more strongly marked in the bulls than in the cows. The tail is shorter than in 

 the typical oxen, and reaches but little if at all below the hocks. A third feature 

 is presented by the distinct ridge running from the shoulders to the middle of the 



