458 Illustrations of the Genera of the Bovince. [No. 114. 



limited in extent to the withers; and which is therefore justly consi- 

 dered to belong to the Bisontine group, though it be perhaps an aberrant 

 or osculant species more connected by some of the characters of its scull 

 with the Bubalines than with the Taurines. The distinctive characters 

 of this scull are moderate size and weight, dimensions of length more 

 preponderant (from increase in the facial region) over those of breadth, 

 and more specially of height, than in either of the foregone or even in 

 the common Ox ; and, lastly, frontals distinctly though trivially convex 

 in the upper part, whence they pass with a somewhat obtuse angle into a 

 semi-circular or rather trigonal occipital plane of very moderate size. 

 The excess in length of the facial over the frontal portion of the scull is 

 as 11 to 7. The greatest width of the frontals at the two points before 

 named is to their length as 10 and 9 respectively to 62 : but as, owing to 

 the higher position of the orbits, the nasals do not really extend upwards 

 beyond a line drawn across anteal the edge of the orbits, the proper pro- 

 portion of length to breadth of frontals is really about 7| to 9|. This is 

 an excess of proportionate width by no means exceeding that of the preced- 

 ing examples, nay rather falling short of their proportionate breadth, 

 It, however, exceeds the proportion in the common Ox, whose frontals. 

 measured in the way just suggested and for the same reasons, are only as 

 broad as long, and that equally whether we take the breadth between the 

 orbits or between the bases of the horns. At first sight the frontals seem 

 flat, owing to the elevation of the orbits; but they are effectually, and 

 especially in the upper part, arched, as well across as longwise, so as to 

 lessen the angle made with the occipital plane which is of moderate size, 

 and composed entirely of the true occipital and parietal bones. These 

 bones, elimited by a continuous ridge, whose apex constitutes at once the 

 summit of the frontal crest and of the occipital plane, constitute the 

 latter aright angled triangle, defined laterally (below the parietals) by 

 the temporal fossae and lambdoid crest, and basally by an imaginary 

 straight line drawn transversely through the condyles of the foramen 

 magnum. The indentation of the temporal fossae upon the occipital plane, 

 though larger than in the domestic Ox, is far less than in either of the 

 preceding species ; and, as it is drawn much upwards close under the 

 horns, ihe occipital trigon is uninterrupted ; as, for a similar reason, is the 

 occipital square of the Ox, whose parietes, however, are merged, as in the 

 Gouri and Gayal, though placed as high as in the Yak. Owing to this 

 merging and to the absence of transverse arcuration in the frontal ridge 

 line, the occipital plane in the Ox becomes square ; whereas, owing to 

 the boldly defined and pointed parietal ridge, and to the rounding off of 



