ORDER RUMINANTIA. 405 



wards, black or white with black tips, or even pure white, 

 and there are some hornless. The colour varies greatly, but 

 in general it is black ; but many have their fine tails pure 

 white, as also the ridge on the shoulders, which is abun- 

 dantly covered with light frizzled hair, that it appears like 

 a hunch ; two or four legs are commonly of the same co- 

 lour, and the line of the back sometimes extends in a broad 

 white streak to the tail : a few have locks of rufous among 

 the white about the shoulders. 



Like the rest of the Bisontes. the Yaks are more fond 

 of mountainous woods and valleys, than the open plains, 

 keeping on the south side in winter, and on the north in 

 summer. They are said to be fond of wallowing in water, 

 and to swim well ; but to take the water, can only be in 

 the summer heats, and in the countries where their fleece 

 drops. The species is both wild and domesticated, but the 

 latter have still much of the sombre menacing, and down 

 aspect of wild animals, and all their irascibility at the 

 sight of the gay colours They will attack strangers, or at 

 least throw out signals of hostility, stamping with the 

 feet, whisking their tails aloft and tossing the head : they 

 are active in running and climbing. The mountains of 

 Bhotan and Thibet offer the principal asylum to the wild 

 species, where they appear to enjoy the vicinity of the 

 snow ; but they are also domesticated in that country, 

 spreading from thence over a great part of China, and even 

 to Central India, where they seem to be without woolly 

 hair, but still marked by the white feet. We are inclined 

 to consider the white species of wild cattle in the Ramghur 

 Mountains as a variety of this species ; for a country 

 which includes the course of the Ganges from beyond the 

 Himalaya range to the sea, contains every degree of cli- 

 mate, and may, therefore, well be supposed to mark also 

 its various impressions upon animals, to the two extremes 

 of which their nature is capable; and the practice of the 



