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27th repoet, bureau of animal industry. 
Great Britain had a common origin, which can be traced back to 
Scandinavia. This is contrary to the prevailing view that the Brit- 
ish hornless breeds have originated independently. 
ORIGIN OF THE MODERN BREEDS OF CATTLE. 
Regarding the origin of Bos taurus domesticus (typicus) and the 
modern European breeds of cattle it may be asked, Did our modern 
breeds come from more than one species? If from more than one, 
can the various breeds be classified according to their ancestry? 
What was the original home of the wild ancestor or ancestors ? At- 
tempts to answer these questions have been made in various ways, 
and though we are still in doubt and are likely to remain so for some 
time, we shall review the opinions of those who have endeavored to 
feel their way through this mist of bewildering evidence. 
At one time Cuvier thought our domesticated breeds came from 
Asia, but later discoveries led him to change his opinion and ascribe 
to them a European origin, Avith Bos primi genius as the ancestor. 
Riitimeyer thought that they were all derived from the European 
primigenius except those of longifrons type, whose ancestor must 
have been of African origin. Darwin derived them from several 
species, as he conceived longifrons and frontosus to be species dis- 
tinct from primigenius. Hahn (189G) says they are descended from 
primigenius, with the possibility of some bison blood, as the geo- 
graphical distribution of the two species is about the same. 
Notwithstanding all the evidence which has been produced since 
Cuvier's time, Middendorf, Nehring, and AYerner still hold to his 
view that the European primigenius was the sole ancestor, because 
primigenius remains have been found chiefly in Europe, and Europe, 
in their opinion, is the home of the domesticated Bos taurus. 
Frantzius (1878), Pagenstecker (1878), and Keller follow Riiti- 
meyer in thinking Africa the home of at least some of the ancestors 
of European cattle, while Hartmann is of just the opposite opinion 
when he looks to the marsh cow for the ancestry of the cattle in the 
Barbary states. In this he is probably wrong, for they show too 
close a relationship to the rest of the cattle of Africa. 
Keller (1897, 1899) has made a special study of African cattle, 
and believes in a diphyletic origin of European breeds, the lowland 
breeds coming from primigenius and the longifrons breeds from the 
African zebu. Unlike primigenius no fossil remains of wild longi- 
frons have been found, hence we should study the migrations of man 
to seek its original home. 
In the plains of Algeria, Tunis, and Morocco the cattle are small, 
of the short-headed type, resembling zebus in structure and habits, 
with the exception of the hump. This is Imown to zootechnicians as 
the Algerian race. In the more fruitful valleys some of the cattle 
