THE OX. 
IX 
HISTORY. 
wounds inflicted by Lions are often observed in the muzzles and bodies of such Buffaloes as are killed in the chase; and that the 
carcasses of Lions are sometimes found gored by the terrible horns of the Buffalo. A question that arises is, can these wild and 
dangerous animals be subjected to servitude and domestication ? Sparkman informs us, that he saw a Buffalo calf, taken soon 
after birth, grazing amongst the other calves of the farm, and as docile as any of the herd. He accordingly expresses his belief 
that the Buffalo calves, if taken young and properly trained, might be broken to the yoke. But the animals should not only 
be taken young, but should be born and made to breed in the state of servitude, in order that it might be fully known what 
ultimate changes domestication would produce in their habits, and to what degree they could be rendered the assistants of man, 
instead of being, as now, the victims of his persecution. 
The next to be mentioned of the Bovine family is a native of India. The Gayal or Jungle Ox, the Bos frontalis of Lam¬ 
bert, inhabits the mountain forests east of the Burrampootra, but doubtless extends far into the dense regions of forest beyond that 
noble river. The precise place which this species occupies amongst the Bovidse, has not been satisfactorily determined. He 
seems allied to the Bisontine and Taurine groups, and is probably to be regarded as the connecting link between them. 
The Jungle Ox has the head broad and flat above, and contracting suddenly to the muzzle. The horns are distant, thick at 
the base, and slightly compressed, the flat sides being towards the front and rear; the ears are long, the eyes are like those of the 
common Ox, the muzzle is destitute of hairs. A sharp ridge runs from the back part of the neck and top of the shoulder, along 
about a third part of the back, and then suddenly terminates. The sacrum has a considerable declination to the tail, making 
the lump round like that of a hog. The tail descends to about the hock, is covered with short hairs, and terminates in a tuft. 
The prevailing colour is brown of various shades, and the legs, belly, and tip of the tail are white. This animal has a somewhat 
clumsy aspect, but is yet possessed of great activity and strength. He is of the size of an ordinary Ox of this country. He does 
not grunt in the manner of the Yak of Tartary, but lows like the Ox of Europe, although with a shriller and softer tone. 
In then wild state the Gayals seem to be entirely the inhabitants of a country of dense forest, never of their own accord ap¬ 
proaching to the plains ; and this habit they do not lose in the state of slavery. They delight to roam in the thickest woods; they 
neglect the grasses, and rather love to browse on shrubs and the tender shoots of trees : they repair to the jungle in search of their 
natural food, and ruminate under the shade of trees. They have not the habit of the Yak and the Buffalo of wallowing in water, 
but rather in their habits approach to the domestic race. The female goes with young eleven months ; she yields very rich milk, 
but neither abundant nor lasting. She receives the male of the common race, and the progeny it is said is fruitful. 
The Gayals are hunted by certain tribes for their flesh, but they are also reclaimed to some extent in the East. They are 
perfectly docile in their domestic state, and are so fleet and active that they may be used for the saddle. Certain sects in India, it 
is said, sacrifice this animal to their gods; but the Hindoos will not shed the blood of the Gayal; their sacred books informing 
them that the Gayal is like the Ox, and so they hold it in the like veneration. 
The Taurine group of Bovidse comprehends the Domestic Ox, under its several modifications of varieties or species. Whe¬ 
ther the various numbers of this group are to be regarded as species, or merely as modifications of a common stock, that is, as va¬ 
rieties or races, depends upon the meanings which are to be assigned to those terms. The Taurine group throughout the world 
possesses characters of resemblance which may allow the naturalists to regard them as a single species, just as we may so regard the 
various races of mankind : but at the same time there are differences between the members quite as great as in other cases employed 
to discriminate species, as, for example, to distinguish the Ass from the Zebra. 
This group is distinguished by possessing thirteen pairs of ribs, and a broad muzzle, destitute of hairs; by having eight incisor 
teeth in the lower jaw, and in the upper a cartilaginous pad in place of incisor teeth; by being destitute of canine teeth; and by 
having twelve molai or grinding teeth in each jaw, in all thirty-two teeth. There are horns in the male and the female, which 
proceed from a ridge separating the occiput from the forehead : they are usually turned up at the points, but sometimes they are 
straight, sometimes they are bent downwards, and sometimes they are rudimental in one or both sexes. The female has a large 
udder, and four teats; she goes with young about forty weeks, and has one and rarely two at a birth. 
The Taurme family may be regarded as presenting two distinct types, which may be termed the Caucasian, and the Indian, 
to which we might add another derived from Africa, were we sufficiently acquainted with the races which people that continent. 
The Caucasian group comprehends the greater part of the Domestic Oxen of Western Asia, all those of Europe, and those 
of a part of Africa. In its connexion with the earlier history of man and the progress of civilization, it is the most important of 
any. Its different members have such common characters of resemblance in form, aspect, and habits, as to enable us to regard 
them as identical. 
A natural curiosity prompts us to look for the origin of this creature in the wild animals of similar characters which still exist, 
or which are found in the fossil state. We have seen that the parent stocks of the Buffalo, the Yak, and the Gayal, are all found 
