CHAPTER VII 
THE HUMPED CATTLE, OR ZEBU, OF ASIA 
AND AFRICA 
In the preceding chapter it was necessary to allude 
to humped cattle in connection with the origin of 
the large-horned Spanish breed, and likewise when 
treating of the cattle of Egypt and Asia Minor; and 
it was shown that while the former, together with 
the long-horned cattle of Hungary, etc., have zebu- 
blood in their veins, some of the Syrian breeds are of 
the pure humped type, the ancient Egyptian cattle 
being likewise derived from the zebu, but having lost 
the hump. The present chapter is entirely devoted 
to the humped breeds, which belong to a species 
apart from the European Bos taurus, and known as 
B. indicus. 
The name " zebu," which is in universal use all 
over Europe as the designation of the Indian humped 
cattle, is not a part of any of the numerous languages 
of India; and it does not appear to be of African 
origin, although humped cattle are found over the 
greater part of Africa, as well as in Madagascar. 
How it originated, and by whom it was first em- 
ployed in literature, is difficult to ascertain ; but 
there seems considerable probability that it was 
introduced into natural history literature by French 
M7 
