WILD OX AND ITS EXTERMINATION 45 
and in the following year he accompanied the princess 
on her bridal journey to her new home. Finally, in 
1 545, he brought the young queen her dowry. During 
these journeys Herberstein passed through a great 
part of Poland, and enjoyed full opportunities of 
studying the country and its people. 
After these journeys Herberstein occupied himself 
with writing up his experiences and an account of 
Poland, Lithuania, and Russia generally. His work 
was published anonymously in the year 1549, under 
the title Rerum Moscovitaricuin Coinmentarii^ with 
many illustrations. The work, which subsequently 
was republished with the author's name, went through 
a number of editions, and was translated into various 
languages, with some modification of the title; a 
circumstance which has given rise to much confusion 
with regard to its real date. An Italian edition was, 
for instance, published by G. B. Pedrezzano at Venice 
in 1550. Another edition appeared in 1552, a third in 
1556, and a fourth in 1557, while there were also 
others, the 1557 edition published at Antwerp ^ being 
said to be the best, and containing a fuller account of 
the aurochs than is found in the earlier issues. The 
later editions also contain figures of the aurochs and 
the bison, these figures differing in size and in certain 
slight details in some of the editions. 
In addition to giving a detailed account of the 
bison in Lithuania, Herberstein states that in his 
time the aurochs was restricted to Masovia, mention- 
^ Herberstein (S. von), Baron. Rerum JMoscoviticartim Co7nnientarij ^ 
Sigismundo Libero authore. Russioe brevissima descriptio, & de 
religione eorum varia inserta sunt. Chorographia totius imperij 
Moscici, & vicinorum quorundam mentio. 8vo, Rom. type, with 
Ital. passages. — loan. Latins for loa. Stelsms, Antwerp, 1557. 
