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THE YAK. 
Bison poephagus,— S mith, 
Poephagus of E«a».— Boa Grunnicns of Pallas and Authors. 
—The Yak, Shaw, Zool. ii. P- 411.— Bison poephagus of 
Smith. 
The Yak inhabits the range of mountains which 
separates Thibet from Bootan, living in the wooded 
valleys, and often making excursions to the limits of 
the snow line ; and Major Smith is inclined to consi- 
der the white cattle of the Ramghur as varieties, 
which would extend the limits that have usually 
been assigned to it. The Yak is of an elegant form, 
heavy before, but not so light in the hind quarters as 
the bisons generally. The size varies, they aie some- 
times humped, sometimes without it. The general 
colour is black, or nearly so. The mane, hair on 
the hump and tail, nearly white, the latter almost al- 
ways so. The hair on the forehead is frizzled, that on 
the mane and fore quarters of some length, and that 
on the hump also long and curled. The tail is al- 
ways very long, one in the British Museum measur- 
ing six feet, and is composed of an immense mass of 
long, fine, and silky hair. These are in great re- 
