244 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



and, though a delicate animal in captivity, seems to be the ancestor of the semi- 

 domesticated cattle called Gayals kept by the native hill-tribes in Assam and 

 Tenasserim. These, like most domestic animals, are often more or less pied, and 

 are not rare in menageries. 



THE BANTENG 



(Bibos sondaicus) 



The Banteng is more like some domestic cattle than any of the preceding, being 

 nearly straight-backed ; it is short-coated and white-stockinged like the Gaur, 

 but also has a white patch on the stern, and the cows as well as the calves are 

 chestnut, as are the bulls in Burma, where the animal is known as Tsine. In 

 the typical race of the Banteng, however, from Malacca east to Borneo, the old 

 bulls are black, contrasting beautifully with their mates. This is an animal of 

 the grass-plains, while the Gaur frequents hill-forests ; it is domesticated in Java 

 and Bali. Notwithstanding this, it is a rare animal in zoological collections, and 

 even in museums, though at the time of writing there is a male of a tame strain 

 in the London Zoological Gardens. 



THE WILD OX 



{Bos taurus) 



As this animal, the Urus of Roman writers, still survives in the persons of its 

 numerous tame descendants, it needs mention here, though it has been extinct 

 since the seventeenth century, having formerly shared the European forests with 

 the Bison. It seems to have been black or brown in colour, and to have resembled 

 in form the white " wild " cattle still preserved in some British parks — which, by 

 the way, still sometimes produce black calves. Its size, however, was much larger 

 than that of any modern breed, and it is believed to have reached a couple of yards 

 at the shoulder. Julius Caesar says it was little smaller than an Elephant. 



Cattle which have run wild in modern times from undoubtedly tame stock 

 are found in many parts of the world, notably in America and Australasia, and 

 are fierce and dangerous to a degree. 



The humped tame cattle of India and most of Africa — the so-called Zebus 

 (Bos indicus) have apparently descended from a perfectly distinct animal than 

 the Urus, but one which became extinct so long ago as to leave no record in 

 history. They differ from our breeds in their shorter body and higher legs, 

 differently shaped and set horns, their rarely heard grunting voice, and their 

 gentle disposition, and usually in their different colouration, most usually iron- 

 grey. Some have run wild in India. 



