398 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



cover them, and that the intermediate animal is prolific. 

 Our inquiries on the spot never produced a proof, or even 

 an assertion, from the well-informed, that they had seen 

 the hybrid offspring. 



The Bison. (B. Bison.) The animal commonly known 

 by the names of Aurochs and Zubr is, as before explained \ 

 the true Bison of the Ancients. It is distinguished by an 

 elevated stature, measuring six feet at the shoulder, and 

 ten feet three inches from the nose to the tail. In adult 

 specimens the withers are elevated, but when old they do 

 not appear so, nor are they conspicuous in the females. 

 The head is broad, and the horns far distant, short, robust, 

 pointed, slightly turned forwards, and dark-coloured ; the 

 forehead is arched ; the eye large, full, and dark ; the body 

 is formed with fourteen pair of ribs; the mammae are four, 

 disposed in a square ; the anterior half of the animal, with 

 the exception of the chaffron, is covered with a heavy coat of 

 mixed woolly and long harder hair measuring more than a 

 foot in winter ; the internal parts of the woolly, is gray or 

 whitish, as also in general that on the top of the head, throat, 

 and breast ; the external browner on the throat and breast, 

 abundant and bearded ; the lower extremities, back, flanks, 

 and croup, short haired, of a brownish-black colour. The 

 females are smaller, with shorter and less hair on the 

 shoulders and throat, and the colour paler. 



Mr. Gilibert, who resided a longtime in Poland, and reared 

 a female, is the author who dissected and best described this 

 species. As we have observed, it was known to the Ancients, 

 and their bones are often found in the superficial strata of 

 temperate Europe. At present they are nearly destroyed 

 in Lithuania, though they were still common in Germany 

 in the eighth century. They may now be looked upon as 

 residing only in the forests of Southern Russia in Asia, 

 the Carpathian and Caucasian mountain-forests, and the 

 Kobi Desert ; but none exist in Siberia. They prefer high 



