298 
ox. 
that would not, were he under a forced option, 
prefer sacrificing his parents or children to the 
slaving of a bull or cow. Believing fully in the 
doctrine of transmigration, they are also alarmed 
at the idea of injuring the souls of those of their 
fellow-creatures that have taken their abode in 
these animal cases. This also tends to restrain 
them from destroying designedly any of the brute 
creation, and to prevent them from dispossessing, 
by violence, any being of that life which God 
alone can give ; and they respect it in the flea 
equally with the elephant. 
The Indians, who use the ox in agriculture, 
think it more convenient for their purposes to be 
without horns. They have, therefore a mode of 
impeding the growth of these, by making an in- 
cision, at a proper period, where the horns are 
first seen, and afterwards applying fire to the 
wounds. 
The aurochs of the modern Germans, the urus 
of Caesar and Pliny, was well known in ancient 
times as an inhabitant of the Hercynian forest. 
Caesar describes this animal as little inferior to the 
elephant in size ; in shape and colour like acorn- 
mon bull ; of amazing strength ; so ferocious as 
to attack, even unprovoked, people who approach* 
edit; and absolutely untameable.— -Their horns, 
which were large, were often hooped with silver^ 
and used as cups. 
The American bison, a variety of this species, 
has short, rounded horns, pointing outwards. It 
is covered in many parts with long shaggy hair, 
and has a high protuberance on the shoulders. 
The fore parts of the body are excessively thick 
and strong ; and the hinder parts are comparative- 
ly very slender. 
These animals range in droves, feeding in the 
ppen savannahs morning and evening. They re- 
