FLESH FOOD FEOM MAMMALS. 119 



consumed, leaving a surplus of 60,206 tons, of which about 

 12,000 tons were exported. Since then the horned cattle 

 have increased by more than 6,000,000 head, and many 

 live animals (in 1880 to the value of £3,177,000) are now 

 shipped from thence to Europe. In 1880 there was ex- 

 ported from American ports 84,717,000 lbs. of fresh beef, 

 and 45,237,000 lbs. of salted beef, or nearly 65,000 tons. 



Very many of the European States besides our own 

 are obliged to import supplies of foreign meat. France 

 imported in 1880 55,400 tons of fresh and salted meat, 

 Belgium 42,500 tons, Denmark about 5,70O tons, and 

 Italy 6,000. Greece imported in 1875 about 4,500 tons. 



Buffaloes. — This species of ox {Biibalus hifius) is found 

 in large numbers in various parts of India and the East- 

 ern islands, and to a limited extent in Eastern Europe 

 and Africa. Itisthechief draught animal of Asia. There 

 are five or six millions in British India. In India animal 

 food is hardly at all used by the natives, but in the large 

 towns there are markets for buffalo beef for the low caste 

 and poorer Mussulman populatlop. The fl^sh is stringy, 

 and gives off a musky odour ; but the veal is considered 

 good. The hump on the back is considered a delicacy. 

 In Java the inhabitants cook the fresh hide for food, 

 esteeming it a dainty beyond any other morsel. There 

 are about 3,000,000 buffaloes in Java. In Sumatra they 

 dress their meat immediately after killing it, while it is 

 still warm, which is conformable with the practice of 

 the ancients, as recorded by Homer and others, and in 

 this state it is said to eat tendeirer than when kept for a 

 day ; longer the climate will not admit of, unless it is pre- 

 served by the method of sun-drying and called "dendeng." 



The flesh of the young yak or grunting ox {Poe^yhagits 

 grunniens), according to Sir J. Hooker, is delicious, much 

 richer than common veal. Opinions differ as to that of 

 the old yak. Pallas says the flesh is hard and bad- 

 tasted ; Hue, on the contrary, asserts, it to be very good. 

 The Lepchas eat not only the flesh, but the entrails, and 

 singe and fry the skin. They also jerk the meat, which 

 when dried is called " shat-chew," and is a very common 



