2 50 THE OX AND ITS KINDRED 
prairie, and no shelter at all. In nearly all the 
ranching parts of North America foddering and 
housing of cattle is imperative in more or less degree ; 
but the buffalo half-breed retains all its native hardi- 
hood, needs no housing, forages in the deepest snows 
for its own food, yet becomes easily domesticated, 
and consequently needs but little herding." 
When this passage was penned it was considered 
that it would be profitable to breed these hybrid 
buffaloes as farm-stock ; but I have not heard that 
the project has been continued, or, at all events, 
continued to any great extent. 
That the American bison will breed with its 
European relative has been demonstrated in the 
preserve of Count Joseph Potocki at Pilawin, near 
Shepetowka, Volhynia, where a hybrid of this nature 
was born in 1909. I have, however, no information 
of other hybrids of this type, and cannot therefore 
say whether they are fertile. 
According to Brehm ^ the European bison will not 
breed with domesticated cattle. 
On the other hand, as mentioned in an earlier 
chapter, the Tibetan yak, which is no very distant 
cousin, will breed readily w^th humped cattle ; and 
hybrids of this description are largely employed in 
the lower valleys of Ladak, both as beasts of burden 
and for agricultural purposes. According to Mr. F. 
Drew ^ these hybrids are the product of the bull yak 
and the cow zebu, the male of the crossbreed being 
known to the Ladakis as zo and the female as zomo. 
I have no information whether the hybrids are fertile 
inter se or with either of the parent species. 
^ Tieideben, Satigetiere^ Berlin, 1891, vol. iii. p. 267. 
^ The fiiinmoo atid Kashmir Territories^ London, 1875, p. 246. 
