

1841.] Illustrations of the Genera of the Bovince. 449 



No. 17. Is also unfortunately not copper ore, bnt cubical iron pyrites, 

 containing no trace of copper, and quite valueless, unless it be abundant 

 enough to smelt for its sulphur where fuel and labour are cheap. The 

 mass of silver ore alluded to by Capt. H. was probably a lump of the 

 white kind of pyrites. 



The coal I should think promises well, judging from these specimens 

 at the out-crop of a seam, it is bituminous, though not highly so, and 

 I found also its Sp. Grav: to be 1-31, which is that of the best 

 Burdwan coal. Its appearance and the fracture of some of the specimens 

 are also in its favour, but any opinion would be premature till we have 

 samples from a greater depth. 



The petroleum does not call for any remark. 



H. PlDDINGTOtf. 



Illustrations of the Genera of the Bovince. — Part I. Skeletons of 



Bos, Bibos and Bison, the individuals examined being the 



Common Bull of Nepal, tke Gowri Gao of Nepal and the Yak. 



Bos and Bibos, resemble one another in the general formation of the 



trunk, and in having each 13 pairs of ribs, ami 6 Lumbar vertebrae. In 



both, the ribs, from the 5th pair inclusive, bulge outwards gradually to 



the 13th which are the farthest apart. In Bisonus, on the contrary, all 



the ribs are much straighter; the first 6 pairs diverging very little more 



from the perpendicular than in a horse ; from the 7th to the 10th pair 



inclusive, the bulging is greatest ; the latter pair being the farthest 



apart, whence to the 14th they rather approximate, the last pair being 



nearer one another than the intermediate ones. This gives a cervine 



character to the trunk of Bisonus. In Bisonus 14 pairs of ribs, and only 



5 Lumbar Vertebree, making an equal number of Vertebrae, in all 3 



animals. 



The differences between Bos and Bibos, are as follows. The spinous 

 process of the Dorsal Vertebrae in Bibos from the 3d to the 5th inclusive 

 are of equal length, with a very gradual shortening of the others to the 

 10th which is 2 inches longer than the 1 1th, and the 12th is two inches 

 shorter than the 11th. The droop towards the loins from the greatly 

 elevated spinal crest of Bibos is so sudden, that in one specimen in which 

 the spinous process of the 10th vertebra measured 10| inches, that of 

 the 13th was only 5 inches. In Bos, the 3d spinous process is the longest 

 whence the droop commences, the dorsal spines gradually shortening 

 until the 10th, whence to the 13th they are not longer than those of the 



