162 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Oxen, 



lery is tried by a charge greater than is ever required 

 in ordinary practice ; and an ox is fattened for exhi- 

 bition beyond a useful marketable condition simply 

 to show the capacity of the breed for acquiring, at 

 the least expense of food, and at the earliest age, 

 such a condition as the public demand really renders 

 necessary. 



"We must now leave the subject of British cattle, 

 and comment upon our pictorial specimens from 

 other portions of the globe. 



Figs. 703, 704.— These delineations present us 

 with an uncouth, savage, half-wild breed of cattle, 

 spread through the Maremma of Italy. The Ma- 

 remma is a fiat stripe of country, except in a few 

 places where hills intervene, extending from the 

 mountains of Genoa to the extremity of Calabria, a 

 length of about seven hundred miles. Its breadth 

 is from the base of the lower range of the Apennine 

 chain to the shore of the Mediterranean. This 

 sweep of country is pestilential in the extreme in 

 summer, and though it yields the most luxuriant 

 harvests, is only partially brought into cultivation, 

 the greater portion being left for pasture. Here, 

 besides the cattle used as beasts of burden, or 

 draught, and employed in the work of the farms, 

 large herds roam unmolested under the care of 

 keepers, which, together with the buffalo-keepers, 

 and forest-rangers, are the only stationary popula- 

 tion in the wild Maremma. The former, as wild 

 and savage as the animals under their charge, are 

 always mounted on fleet horses, and armed with a 

 long lance, which they use in driving the cattle, 

 and in defending themselves against the fierce bulls, 

 which, as well as the buffaloes, are extremely dan- 

 gerous. These men are often criminals, who have 

 fled from justice into the Maremma, where they are 

 obliged to sojourn, and are often employed by the 

 proprietors of the farms and cattle, as rangers or 

 drivers. Those who are not fugitives adopt their 

 occupation from choice, which, dangerous and labo- 

 rious as it is, is one of independence and freedom ; 

 they are the analogues of the Arab of the desert, 

 or the Gauchos of the Pampas. Besides being paid 

 for their services, they rear cattle of their own, which 

 they are allowed to feed with the rest. In the sum- 

 mer months they retire to the shady forests along 

 the sea-shore, where the air is not so unwholesome 

 as in the open plains. The cattle are collected at 

 various times, and driven by these men, called 

 vaccari, to the fairs held in the towns, for sale. Both 

 the bull and the buffalo are baited in Italy, by 

 men and dogs, for the entertainment of the Roman 

 people, who seem to be as fond of circenses as 

 were their great predecessors. The scene of the 

 sport, which is called La Giostra, is, like many other 

 buildings in Rome, a curious compound of the 

 modern and ancient. The _Amfiteat.ro Correa, as 

 the place is designated, is situated in the massive 

 cluster of buildings raised upon the site, and partly 

 with the materials, of the mausoleum of the em- 

 peror Augustus in the Campus Martius. The 

 walls of this amphitheatre and the seats are all 

 of modern structure. The arena occupies the plat- 

 form of the ancient mausoleum, which in other 

 times was cultivated with flowers and rare shrubs, 

 while the pyramid that bore the statue of Octavius 

 rose in the midst. The vaults beneath, which once 

 held the ashes of the Ceesars, are now in part used 

 as dens for the wild cattle that are brought in from 

 the Campagna and other places to be baited. Twice 

 every week during the summer do these exhibitions 

 take place : they begin at five in the evening, and 

 last till dusk. 



The men who are to encounter the bulls and buf- 

 faloes are called Giostratori. They are dressed in 

 white, with a red sash round the waist ; each bears a 

 short staff with a red pennon at the end of it : they 

 muster in the arena, make their bows to the assem- 

 bled spectators, and wait the onset of the mighty 

 animal. Among them are generally two or three 

 of great reputation for skill, these are usually 

 vaccari (herdsmen), or buffalari (buffalo-keepers), 

 men brought up from their childhood among the 

 cattle they respectively manage, and familiarized 

 with their habits. The Giostratori from Viterbo 

 have the reputation of excelling all others, and 

 hence the term II Viterbese (the Viterbonian) is used 

 metonymically to designate any celebrated bull- 

 fighter. In the centre of the arena is a strong post 

 firmly fixed, by dodging round which a man may 

 for a considerable time evade the assaults of a bull 

 or buffalo. At a given signal the door of a den is 

 opened, and the bull rushes forth, wildly gazing 

 around him, til! observing the Giostratori, with their 

 scarlet sashes and pennons, he singles out one, 

 and roaring and lashing his tail drives furiously to- 

 wards him. The man nimbly avoids the charge, 

 others come to the rescue, drawing off the bull's 

 attention from him, and inviting its attack ; "till the 

 enraged animal, distracted by the number, quick- 

 ness," and manoeuvres of his antagonists, and wearied 

 with vain efforts, ceases the pursuit. The den is 

 then thrown open, and le generally retires of his own 



accord, as if glad to escape. When the bull, as is 

 sometimes the case, perseveringly follows a man, and 

 presses him hard, he catches hold of one of the iron 

 rings placed at certain distances round the wall en- 

 closing the arena, and by a rapid movement springs 

 to the top, which like a terrace runs round the foot 

 of the lower seats of the amphitheatre. The height 

 of this parapet is 6 or 7 feet, and it requires great 

 agility, strength, and presence of mind, as well as 

 precision, to avoid being pinned to the wall in the 

 act of taking the leap ; such accidents sometimes 

 happen, but "when the Giostratori see one of their 

 number thus endangered, they use every means to 

 divert the bull's attention. 



The bull (and also the buffalo) is on some occa- 

 sions baited with fierce dogs of Ihe Corsican breed, 

 resembling our bull-dog, and distinguished by the 

 same " tenacity of tooth" and indomitable courage. 

 They usually pin the bull by the nose or lip, but are 

 very frequently tossed in the air, or ripped up by 

 the sharp horns of the maddened animal. At these 

 exhibitions, strange to say, females are among the 

 spectators, and not less interested than the rougher 

 sex. 



Some of the bulls procured in the Campagna of 

 Rome are very noble and spirited animals, of fine 

 figure and great strength. 



Fig. 705 represents a bull of the Campagna of 

 Rome. 



In Spain and Portugal, where extensive wilds 

 and forest lands afford ample pasturage, large herds 

 of oxen, born in freedom, wander uncontrolled, and 

 untroubled, excepting by man, from whom they flee 

 with precipitation, till roused to fury by his assaults, 

 when they attack in turn, and bear upon him with 

 resistless impetuosity. It is from these herds that 

 the Spaniards and Portuguese select the fiercest 

 and boldest for the revolting contests of the arena; 

 while others are tamed, paid broken in for the ordi- 

 nary purposes of husbandry. 



We may easily imagine the excitement produced 

 by the chase and capture of a herd of these fierce 

 animals, and the danger to man and horse. The 

 engraving (Fig. 706) represents such a scene in the 

 great forest of Alemtejo. 



The chase is thus described by an eye-witness, who 

 was engaged in it :— " I had received," he says, 

 "intimation that the village of Alcoxete, on the 

 Tagus, was to be the scene of a bull-fight, and that 

 the villagers for many miles were invited to join in 

 the hunt, which was to take place the following 

 day. I accordingly crossed the river in the company 

 of about twenty persons, each being provided with 

 a long pole having a small spike fixed in one end, 

 and mounted as inclination or ability suited. When 

 we arrived at the opposite bank a little before day- 

 break, we found about two hundred and fifty or 

 three hundred persons assembled, some mounted on 

 different sorts of quadrupeds, from the noble An- 

 dalusian horse to the humble donkey, and manv 

 were on foot. All were armed in a similar manner 

 to ourselves. We divided into two parties, one 

 stretching in a long line to the right, the other to 

 the left; not far had we advanced in this manner, 

 when we fell in with a herd of cattle having twelve 

 bulls with it, which no sooner descried us, than 

 they bounded off with the speed of lightning. The 

 sport had now begun; we put our horses to the 

 utmost speed, threading our way among the tall 

 pine-trees as well as we could, and endeavouring 

 by wild cries to drive the bulls towards the other 

 party. At length, after about an hour's chase, some 

 half-dozen of us, who were better mounted than the 

 rest, came up with them, and commenced the at- 

 tack with our long poles. The manner was this: — 

 one person riding at full speed gave the bull nearest 

 him a sharp prick with the goad, which it no 

 sooner felt than it turned upon its assailant and 

 gave chase ; another horseman then coming up 

 attacked it on the other side, when, leaving the 

 first assailant, it turned upon the second; he in like 

 manner was rescued by a third, and so on. The 

 attention of the infuriated animal was thus so dis- 

 tracted as to prevent his escape, and give time for 

 the other hunters to come up. The bulls were thus 

 at length separated from the herd, and a sufficient 

 number of persons having arrived to form a circle 

 round them, we commenced operations for the 

 purpose of driving them towards the town. All the 

 skill of the riders was now necessary, and all the 

 activity possessed by both man and horse, to keep 

 clear from the pointed horns which were presented 

 against him, as well as to prevent the herd from 

 breaking through the living net with which it was 

 surrounded. This was, perhaps, I lie most difficult 

 part, and was attained by keeping each bull sepa- 

 rately engaged, and thus preventing united ac- 

 tion ; for what line was sufficient to resist the 

 simultaneous rush of these powerful animals ? The 

 continued exertion had knocked up many of 

 the horses which had started in the morning, and 

 the circle became smaller and smaller as the day 

 advanced; several persons, indeed, had been car- 



ried off severely wounded by the horns and feet of 

 the bulls. Redoubling our efforts, however, we at 

 length, about four o'clock in the afternoon, succeeded 

 in driving them into an inclosure, where a number 

 of oxen (all at one time wild) were quietly grazing. 

 Here they were kept till required for the next day's 

 sport." These bulls were baited in the square of 

 Alcoxete, converted into a temporary arena, and 

 afterwards reduced to a complete state of servitude. 

 The picadores, or men who encountered them, were 

 on foot, and only armed with short, darts, and dis- 

 played the most surprising courage and address, 

 and when at last they were to be thrown, a man 

 leaping between the horns (Fig. 707), there sup 

 ported himself till the cords were lashed round the 

 animal's limbs. 



The bull-fights as conducted in the amphitheatres 

 of Spain and Portugal, the lingering relics of those 

 contests in which Rome so much delighted, and 

 which prevailed more or less throughout the Roman 

 empire, have been often described. These san- 

 guinary spectacles are the delight of the Spanish 

 people, and are not only tolerated, but encouraged 

 by the higher classes of both sexes, who find great 

 satisfaction in the torments which the bull endures 

 from the lance of the cavalier, or the horse from the 

 horns of the bull. 



The most graphic and spirited description of this 

 " ungentle sport" is that by Lord Byron, in ' Childe 

 Harold's Pilgrimage,' canto i., which we forbear to 

 quote, feeling assured that all are familiar with it. 

 In a note by Sir J. C. Hobhouse the following ad- 

 ditional particulars are recorded : — " The magistrate 

 presides, and after the horsemen and picadores 

 have fought the bull, the matadore steps forward 

 and bows to him for permission to kill *he animal. 

 If the bull has done his duty by killing two or three 

 horses, or a man, which last is rare, the people 

 interfere with shouts, the ladies wave their hand- 

 kerchiefs, and the animal is saved. The wounds 

 and death of the horses are accompanied with the 

 loudest acclamations and many gestures of delight, 

 especially from the female portion of the audience, 

 including those of the gentlest blood." Fig. 70S, 

 representing a bull-fight, shows the manner in 

 which— 



" the matadores around him play, 

 Shake the red cloak, and poise the ready brand" 



before dealing the fatal blow which severs the spinar 

 chord at the back of the neck. 



Of the effects of such exhibitions on the charac- 

 ter of the people nothing need be said ; whatever 

 atrocities may be committed by men " nurtured in 

 blood betimes" cannot, surprise us. 



Within the Arctic Circle the ox gives place to 

 the rein-deer, but in Iceland cattle are reared in 

 great numbers, and are valuable. In size and ap- 

 pearance, excepting that they are seldom horned, 

 they resemble the breeds of the Scottish Islands. 

 It would appear that the Icelandish farmers conduct 

 the breeding of their stock on no principles; con- 

 sequently, there is great room for improvement ; 

 nevertheless, the cattle on the whole are handsome, 

 and the cows yield a considerable quantity of milk. 

 In Norway and Sweden cattle are numerous, and 

 also in Russia ; as is well known, the main exports 

 from Russia to England are tallow and hides. In 

 that extensive empire vast numbers are reared, 

 principally in the southern provinces, and the mar- 

 kets of St. Petersburg and other towns are supplied 

 by cattle sent from distant parts of the country. 

 The herdsmen live in a state of barbaric simplicity, 

 and are nomadic in their habits ; they travel with 

 their herds to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other 

 places, which depend more upon them for a supply 

 than upon the farmers of the adjacent districts. 

 The following passage in Johnston's ' Russia' con- 

 veys a good idea of the Russian cattle-keeper and 

 his herd: — " Along the road," he says, "we passed 

 one or two large droves of horned cattle proceed- 

 ing to St. Petersburg. We learned that they were 

 brought from the provinces south of Moscow. 

 These cattle are all of a whitish colour, well made, 

 and of about seven hundredweight. Their journey 

 to St. Petersburg occupies three months; they 

 travel from eight to sixteen miles during the night, 

 and are allowed to pasture and rest during the day 

 on the sides of the road. The herds are attended 

 by one or two men, who convey their cooking uten- 

 sils, baggage, &c. in a waggon drawn by two oxen; 

 and while their numerous herds repose undisturbed 

 under the shade of the delicate birch, they stretch 

 themselves on the ground and pass their time in a 

 true Scythian state. Here are also seen a few sheep, 

 but of an inferior breed, covered with hair some- 

 what like that of a goat. This country is not favour- 

 able for the pasture of sheep, owing to the coarse- 

 ness of the grass and quantity of wood. Little or 

 no attention seems to be used in the rearing of any 

 other animal besides the horse ; to him alone the 

 Russ devotes his whole attention, and from him he 

 derives his livelihood." 



In Wallachia and Moldavia cattle are abundant ; 



