THE YAK OF TARTARY. 
29 
These are their most valuable property,, for they live 
almost entirely upon the milk. They sell the hair 
of the yak to great advantage, as it is in much re- 
quest throughout the countries immediately around 
them. 
This animal is about five feet high and has much 
the form and bulk of a common English bull. The 
chief point of dissimilarity between the yak and 
every other animal of this genus consists in its sides 
being covered with long glossy hair which extends 
over the whole body, except the head and legs, and 
hangs from the flanks quite down to the hocks. The 
head is not so long as that of the English bull and 
the ears are smaller. The horns are of greater length, 
tapering from the skull to the extremities, and form- 
ing a horizontal arch ; they gradually incline towards 
each other until near the end, when they make a 
sudden curve upwards. The forehead seems to pro- 
trude considerably, but this is probably owing to a 
thick tuft of curly hair which traverses it, partly 
shading the eyes, and giving rather a heavy expres- 
sion to the animal’s features. The eyes are large, 
though not bright, and project boldly from the sockets, 
without however conveying the disagreeable impres- 
sion which a projecting eye-ball is apt to create ; as 
the hair of the forehead neutralizes the unfavourable 
effect. 
The yak has all the genuine marks of high breeding 
and unmixed blood. The nostrils are small but open, 
the nose is also small and delicately shaped, present- 
ing likewise that roundness and smoothness of surface 
so common to animals of a pure breed. The neck 
d 3 
