82 CATTLE. Chap. III. 



Nilsson believes that his B. frontosus may be the parent of the mountain 

 cattle of Norway, which have a high protuberance on the skull between the 

 base of the horns. As Professor Owen believes that the Scotch Highland 

 cattle are descended from his B. longifrons, it is worth notice that a capable 

 judge 46 has remarked that he saw no cattle in Norway like the Highland 

 breed, but that they more nearly resembled the Devonshire breed. . 



Hence we see that three forms or species of Bos, originally 

 inhabitants of Europe, have been domesticated ; but there is no 

 improbability in this fact, for the genus Bos readily yields to 

 domestication. Besides these three species and the zebu, the 

 yak, the gayal, and the ami 47 (not to mention the buffalo or 

 genus Bubalus) have been domesticated; making altogether 

 seven species of Bos. The zebu and the three European species 

 are now extinct in a wild state, for the cattle of the B. frimi- 

 genius type in the British parks can hardly be considered as 

 truly wild. Although certain races of cattle, domesticated at a 

 very ancient period in Europe, are the descendants of the three 

 above-named fossil species, yet it does not follow that they were 

 here first domesticated. Those who place much reliance on 

 philology argue that our cattle were imported from the East. 48 

 But as races of men invading any country would probably give 

 their own names to the breeds of cattle which they might there 

 find domesticated, the argument seems inconclusive. There is 

 indirect evidence that our cattle are the descendants of species 

 which originally inhabited a temperate or cold climate, but not 

 a land long covered with snow ; for our cattle, as we have seen 

 in the chapter on Horses, apparently have not the instinct of 

 scraping away the snow to get at the herbage beneath. No 

 one could behold the magnificent wild bulls on the bleak Falk- 

 land Islands in the southern hemisphere, and doubt about the 

 climate being admirably suited to them. Azara has remarked 

 that in the temperate regions of La Plata the cows conceive 

 when two years old, whilst in the much hotter country of Para- 

 guay they do not conceive till three years old ; " from which 

 fact," as he adds, " one may conclude that cattle do not succeed 

 so well in warm countries." 49 



The above-named three fossil forms of Bos have been ranked 



46 Laing's 'Tour in Norway,' p. 110. 4S Idem, torn. iii. pp. 82, 91. 



*7 Isid. Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 'Hist. 49 'Quadruples du Paraguay,' torn. 



Nat. Gen.,' torn. iii. p. 96. ii. p. 360. 



