70 



those of the fore feet abruptly rounded at the end ; those of the hind feet 

 are much narrower and more pointed. The mufHe is broad and naked, 

 having much the same form as in the domestic ox. The short tail has 

 the long hairs restricted to a tuft at the end. 



In winter the head, neck, legs, tail, and whole under parts are blackish 

 brown; the upper surface of the body lighter. The color above becomes 

 gradually lighter towards spring ; the new, short hair in autumn is soft 

 dark-umber, or liver-brown. In very old individuals, the long, woolly 

 hair over the shoulders bleaches to a light yellowish-brown. Young 

 animals are generally wholly dark-brown, darkest about the head, on the 

 lower surface of the body, and on the limbs. The young calf is at first 

 nearly uniform light chestnut-brown, or yellowish-brown, with scattered 

 darker hairs on the belly, where are also occasionally small patches of 

 white. Toward autumn the light yellowish color is replaced by a darker 

 brown that characterizes the older animals. After the first few months 

 the younger animals are darker than they are later in life ; at middle 

 age the coat, especially over the shoulders, becomes lighter, and pre- 

 sents a bleached or faded appearance, which increases with age. The 

 horns, hoofs, and muflie are black, the hoofs being sometimes edged or 

 striped with whitish. The woolly hair over the shoulders is much longer, 

 and more shaggy than elsewhere on the body ; it increases in length on 

 the neck above, gradually losing its woolly character, and between the 

 horns attains a length of ten to fourteen inches, nearly concealing the 

 ears and the bases of the horns, and often partially covers the ears. The 

 long hair advances also on the face, where it decreases in length and 

 becomes more •woolly again, extending far forward in a pointed area nearly 

 to the nose. The chin and throat are also covered with long hair, which 

 under the chin forms an immense beard eight or ten inches to a foot or 

 more in length. Thick masses of long hair also arise from the inner 

 and posterior surfaces of the upper part of the fore legs, where the hair 

 often attains a length of six or eight inches. A strip of long hair also 

 extends along the crest of the back nearly to the tail. The tail is cov- 

 ered with only short, soft hair till near the tip, from which arises a tuft 

 of coarse, long hair, twelve to eighteen inches in length. The hinder 

 and lower portions of the body and legs are covered with a short, soft, 

 woolly hair. This is moulted early in spring, aft^r which, for a few 

 weeks, the hinder portions of the body are quite or nearly naked. The 

 shoulders retain permanently the long, shaggy covering, which, with the 

 long hair of the neck and head, gives them (especially during the moult- 

 ing season) a singularly formidable aspect. 



The female, as already stated, is much smaller than the male, with a 



