1 64 THE OX AND ITS KINDRED 
4 and 5 feet. Darwin/ for instance, records a skull 
in which the tip-to-tip interval is 8 feet 8J inches, 
and the total span measured along the curve no less 
than 13 feet 5 inches. 
In addition to the long - horned and frequently 
humpless breeds, many of the natives of eastern and 
central Africa also possessed short-horned cattle with 
well-developed humps. Mr. S. L. Hinde,^ for instance, 
has published a photograph of a group of such cattle 
belonging to the Masai, most of which appear to be 
uniformly light-coloured, although one has the face 
black. 
In common with the cattle owned by other tribes 
in East Africa," writes Mr. Hinde, "the Masai cattle 
are extremely docile, and allow themselves to be 
handled by natives in a manner hardly credible. 
The herds of Masai cattle are, however, well able to 
protect themselves in daylight on the open plains, 
and a young lion, leopard, or hyaena has small chance 
of escape if he approaches a herd too closely. The 
whole herd will charge together, leaving nothing in 
their rear but a shapeless pulp to represent their 
over-bold enemy. Yet two children of five or six 
years of age can manage, guide, and hold such a 
herd without any apparent difficulty. One peculiarity 
of tropical African cattle is specially marked in East 
Africa; cows have complete control of their milk- 
supply, and the loss of a calf is a serious considera- 
tion, as it is customary to bring it alongside the 
mother before making any attempt at milking her. 
The calf is so well aware of the futility of trying to 
obtain nourishment before its mother is conscious of 
^ Animals and Platits tinder Domestic atio7t, vol. i. p. 92. 
2 xhe Last of the Masai, London, 1901, p. 78. 
