158 THE BUFFALO, &c. 



imagined that the wild ox defcribed by Ariftotle, 

 under the name cf bonafus^ could be one or o- 

 ther of thefe oxen whofe names they had Lati- 

 nized. 



The length of the hair is another difference 

 between the aurochs and bifon. The neck, the 

 fhoulders, and the throat of the bifon, are cover- 

 ed with very long hair. But, in the aurochs, all 

 thefe parts are covered with fhort hair, fimilar to 

 that on the reft of the body, except the front, 

 which is covered with crifped hair. This diffe- 

 rence of the hair, however, is ftill more acciden- 

 tal than that of the bunch, and depends likewife 

 on the food and the climate, as we have proved 

 under the articles Goat, Sheep, Dog, Cat, Rab- 

 bit, &c. Thus, neither the bunch, nor the dif- 

 ference in the length of the hair, are fpecific 

 characters, but accidental varieties only. 



A more extenfive variety than the other two 

 arifes from the figure of the horns ; to which 

 character naturalifts have afcribed more impor- 

 tance than it deferves. They have not confider- 

 ed, that, in our domeftic cattle, the figure, the 

 fize, the pofition, the direction, and even the 

 number of the horns, vary fo greatly, that it is 

 impoffible to afcertain what is the real model 

 of Nature. In fome cows, the horns are much 

 crooked, and hang fo low as to be almoft pendu- 

 lous ; in others, they are more erect:, longer, and 

 more elevated. There are entire races of ewes 

 with fometimes two, fometimes four horns } and 



there 



