The late mode of killing them is described as "perhaps the o_Delineations of the Ox Tribe: The Natural History of Bulls, Bisons, and Buffaloes. Exhibiting all the Known Species and the More Remarkable Varieties of the Genus Bos.

remains of the grandeur of ancient hunting. On notice being given, that

a wild bull would be killed on a certain day, the inhabitants of the

neighbourhood came mounted and armed with guns, &c., sometimes to the

amount of a hundred horse, and four or five hundred foot, who stood upon

walls or got into trees, while the horsemen rode off the bull from the

rest of the herd until he stood at bay, when a marksman dismounted and

shot. At some of these huntings twenty or thirty shots have been fired

before he was subdued. On these occasions the bleeding victim grew

desperately furious, from the smarting of his wounds, and the shouts of

savage joy that were echoing from every side. But from the number of

accidents that happened, this dangerous mode has been little practised

of late years, the park-keeper alone generally shooting them with a

rifled gun at one shot."

This vivid portraiture of a scene, which the writer is pleased to

consider _grand_, does not appear to have much relation to the history

of the _Genus Bos_: it however, exhibits the brutal and ferocious habits

of two varieties of _Genus Homo_, namely _Nob_ility and _Mob_ility--two

varieties which, although distinguished by some external marks of

difference, possess in common many questionable characteristics.

Culley proceeds:--"When the cows calve, they hide their calves for a

week or ten days in some sequestered situation, and go and suckle them

two or three times a day. If any person come near the calves, they clap

their heads close to the ground, and lie like a hare in form, to hide

themselves; _this is a proof of their native wildness_, and is

corroborated by the following circumstance that happened to Mr. Bailey,

of Chillingham, who found a hidden calf, two days old, very lean and

very weak. On stroking its head it got up, pawed two or three times like

an old bull, bellowed very loud, stepped back a few steps, and bolted at

his legs with all its force; it then began to paw again, bellowed,

stepped back, and bolted as before; but knowing its intention, and

stepping aside, it missed him, fell, and was so very weak that it could

not rise, though it made several efforts. But it had done enough: the

whole herd were alarmed, and, coming to its rescue, obliged him to

retire; for the dams will allow no person to touch their calves without

attacking them with impetuous ferocity."

It seems almost unnecessary to remind the reader that all animals are

naturally wild; and that even those animals that have been the longest

under the dominion of man, are born with a strong tendency to the wild

state, to which they would immediately resort, if left to themselves: it

appears, therefore, rather gratuitous to tell us that the NATURAL

_actions of young animals_ (whose parents have been allowed to run

wild), _are proofs of their native mildness_!

The concluding paragraph requires no observation:--"When a calf is

intended to be castrated, the park-keeper marks the place where it is

hid, and, when the herd are at a distance, takes an assistant with him

on horseback; they tie a handkerchief round the calf s mouth, to prevent

its bellowing, and then perform the operation in the usual way. When any

one happens to be wounded, or is grown weak and feeble through age or

sickness, the rest of the herd set upon it, and gore it to death."

The following engraving exhibits the effects of castration on the

curvature and length of the horns.

[Illustration: 1. Head of the perfect animal. 2, 3. Heads of the

emasculated animal.]

We learn, on the authority of the present Lord Tankerville, that during

the early part of the life-time of his father, the bulls in the herd had

been reduced to three; two of them fought and killed each other, and the

third was discovered to be impotent; so that the means of preserving the

breed depended on the accident of some of the cows producing a bull

calf.

In 1844 I wrote to Mr. Cole, the late park-keeper at Chillingham,

requesting information on the following queries, to which he returned

the answers annexed; and although they are not so explicit as might be

wished, they embody facts both interesting and important.

_List of the Queries with their Answers._

1. How many pairs of ribs are there in the skeleton of the Chillingham

Ox? _Thirteen pairs._

2. How many vertebrae are there (from the skull to the end of the tail)?

_Thirty in the back-bone, twenty in the tail._

3. Will the wild cattle breed with the domestic cattle? _I have had two

calves from a wild bull and common cow._

4. What is the precise time the wild cow goes with young? _The same as

the domestic cow._

5. At what age does the curly hair appear which constitutes the mane of

the wild bull? _They have no mane, but curly hair on their neck and

head; more so in winter, when the hair is long._

6. In what month does the rutting take place among the wild cattle? _At

all times,--no particular time._

J. COLE.

Here we have precise information on the following points:--namely, the

number of ribs; the period of gestation; their having no mane; their not

being in heat at any particular period; in all which points, they

perfectly agree with the ordinary domestic cattle; and it is important

to observe, that in the last point, namely, that of not being in heat at

any particular time, they differ from every known _wild_ species of

cattle, among which the rutting season invariably occurs at a particular

period of the year.

FOOTNOTES:

[D] Formerly these cattle were much more numerous, both in England and

Scotland, than they are at present. Scanty herds are still preserved at

the following places:--Chillingham Park, Northumberland; Wollaton,

Nottinghamshire; Gisburne, in Craven, Yorkshire; Lime-hall, Cheshire;

Chartley, Staffordshire; and Cadzow Forest, at Hamilton, Lanarkshire.

At Gisburne they are perfectly white, except the inside of their ears,

which are _brown_.

From Garner's 'Natural History of Staffordshire,' we learn that the Wild

Ox formerly roamed over Needwood Forest, and in the thirteenth century,

William de Farrarus caused the park of Chartley to be separated from the

forest, and the turf of this extensive enclosure still remains almost in

its primitive state. Here a herd of wild cattle has been preserved down

to the present day, and they retain their wild characteristics like

those at Chillingham. They are cream-coloured, with _black muzzles and

ears_; their fine sharp horns are also tipped with black. They are not

easily approached, but are harmless, unless molested.

THE KYLOE, OR HIGHLAND OX.

_Bos Taurus._

[Illustration]

The Chillingham Cattle are _white_, and the Highland Cattle or Kyloes

are generally _black_; but with this exception the same description

might almost serve for both breeds.

In their natural and unimproved state, the Highland cattle are

frequently well formed; their fine eyes, acute face, and lively

countenances, give them an air of fierceness, which is heightened by

their white, tapering, black-tipped, and sharp horns.

The Kyloe Oxen are very small (another respect in which they resemble

the Chillingham Oxen). They likewise partake much of the nature of wild

animals, which might be expected from the almost unlimited extent of

their pasture, and their being but little subject to artificial

treatment.

Upon a close comparison of these two breeds, there appears not to be so

much difference between the Highland cattle and the cattle of

Chillingham as there is between any two breeds or varieties of British

cattle. Indeed so great is the similarity, that the Kyloe appears to be

only a black variety of the Chillingham Ox, and the Chillingham Ox only

a white variety of the Kyloe.

Dr. Anderson speaks of having seen a kind of Highland cattle which had a

mane on the top of the head, of considerable length, and a tuft between

the horns that nearly covered the eyes, giving them a fierce and savage

aspect. He likewise mentions another kind which have hair of a pale lead

colour, very beautiful in its appearance, and in its quality as glossy

and soft as silk.

The Kyloe Oxen are natives of the Western Highlands and Isles, and are

commonly called the Argyleshire breed, or the breed of the Isle of Skie,

one of the islands attached to the county of Argyle. They are generally

of a dark brown colour, or black, though sometimes brindled.

The Cows of the Isle of Skie (as is recorded by Martin, in his

'Description of the Western Islands of Scotland,') are exposed to the

rigour of the coldest seasons, and become mere skeletons in the spring,

many of them not being able to rise from the ground without help; but

they recover as the season becomes more favorable, and the grass grows

up; then they acquire new beef, which is both sweet and tender; the fat

and lean is not so much separated in them as in other cows, but as it

were larded, which renders it very agreeable to the taste. A cow in this

isle may be twelve years old, when at the same time its beef is not

above four, five, or six months old.

TABLE OF THE NUMBER OF VERTEBRAE IN THE VARIOUS SPECIES OF THE GENUS BOS.

American Bison | 7 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 12+ |

or Aurochs | 7 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 50

Yak | 7 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 45

Gayal (Domestic) | 7 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 47

(locality unknown) | 7 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 16 | 47

Gaur | 7 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 50

Domestic Ox | 7 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 52

Manilla Buffalo | 7 | 13 | 6 | | |

Cape Buffalo | 7 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 49

_Brachyceros_) | 7 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 50

(_Bos Bantinger_) | 7 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 48

Zebu, or Brahmin Ox | 7 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 48

The osteological details in the above Table (except those of the Yak,

which are given on the authority of Pallas) are from the Author's own

observations.

TABLE OF THE PERIODS OF GESTATION OF THE VARIOUS SPECIES OF THE GENUS

BOS.

| Periods

American Bison. | 270 days.--Zool. Proc., 1849.

European Bison. | Between 9 and 10 months.

Gayal (Domestic) | Over 10 months

Gyall | 11 months

Indian Buffalo | 10 months 10 days.

Gaur | 12 months

Domestic Ox. | 270 days

Manilla Buffalo. | 340 days

Arnee | 12 months

Cape Buffalo | 12 months

Zebu, or Brahmin Cow | 300 days

Musk Ox | 9 months

To supply the deficiencies in the foregoing Tables, the results of

original observations are respectfully solicited. Address the Author or

Publisher.

NOTE ON THE AMERICAN BISON.

It was Cuvier, I believe, who first made the statement, that the

American Bison is furnished with _fifteen_ pairs of ribs. In this

particular he has been implicitly followed by every subsequent writer on

the subject. Not being able to refer to a skeleton, and, moreover, never

suspecting any inaccuracy in the statement, I followed the received

account. But since this work has gone to press, I have had the

opportunity of examining two skeletons, by which I find that--

_The American Bison has only_ FOURTEEN _pairs of ribs._

I have, therefore, in the "Table of the Number of Vertebrae," (see p.

152,) set this species down as possessing only that number.

Of the two skeletons referred to (both of which are now in the British

Museum), one is from a female Bison, some years a living resident in the

Zoological Gardens; and the other is from a male, late in the possession

of the Earl of Derby, at Knowsley, in Lancashire.

A corroborative circumstance (amounting, indeed, to a complete proof of

the accuracy of these observations,) is presented by the fact, that, in

both the cases _the number of lumbar vertebrae is precisely_ FIVE; thus

making the true vertebrae to consist of nineteen, which Professor Owen[E]

has shown to be the invariable number possessed by all ruminants.

FOOTNOTES:

[E] See, in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, Professor Owen's

'Account of his Dissection of the Aurochs.'

APPENDIX

THE FREE MARTIN.

Cows usually bring forth but one calf at a birth; occasionally, however,

they produce twins. John Hunter, in his 'Observations on the Animal

Economy,' says: "It is a fact known, and I believe almost universally

understood, that when a cow brings forth two calves, one of them a

bull-calf, and the other to appearance a cow, that the cow-calf is unfit

for propagation; but the bull-calf grows up into a very proper bull.

Such a cow-calf is called, in this country, a FREE MARTIN, and is

commonly as well known among the farmers as either cow or bull. It has

all the external marks of a cow-calf, namely, the teats, and the

external female parts, called by farmers the bearing. It does not show

the least inclination for the bull, nor does the bull ever take the

least notice of it. In form it very much resembles the Ox, or spayed

heifer, being considerably larger than either the bull or the cow,

having the horns very similar to the horns of an Ox. The bellow of the

Free Martin is similar to that of an Ox, having more resemblance to that

of the cow than that of the bull."

Free Martins are very much disposed to grow fat with good food. The

flesh, like that of the Ox or spayed heifer, is generally much finer in

the fibre than either the bull or cow; is even supposed to exceed that

of the Ox and heifer in delicacy of flavour, and bears a higher price

at market. However this superiority of the flavour does not appear to be

universal, for Mr. Hunter was informed of a case which occurred in

Berkshire, in which the flesh of a Free Martin turned out nearly as bad

as bull beef. This circumstance probably arose from the animal having

more the properties of a bull than a cow.

Mr. Hunter, having had many opportunities of dissecting Free Martins,

has satisfactorily shown that their incapacity to breed, and all their

other peculiarities, result from their having the generative organs of

both sexes combined, in a more or less imperfect state of development,

in some cases the organs of the male preponderating, in others those of

the female.

[Illustration]

The above, which is copied from an engraving in Hunter's work on the

'Animal Economy,' is a representation of a Free Martin, five years old;

it shows the external form of that animal, which is neither like the

bull nor cow, but resembling the Ox or spayed heifer.

Although, as Hunter observes, "it is almost universally understood, that

when a cow brings forth two calves, one of them a bull-calf, and the

other to appearance a cow, that the cow-calf is unfit for propagation,"

it is by no means universally the fact, as instances of such twins

breeding were known even in Hunter's time, and have been witnessed more

recently. The following is recorded in Loudon's 'Mag. of Nat. History,'

and occurred a few years previous to 1826: Jos. Holroyd, of Withers,

near Leeds, had a cow which calved twins, a bull-calf and a cow-calf. As

popular opinion was against the cow-calf breeding, it being considered a

Free Martin, Mr. Holroyd was determined to make an experiment of them,

and reared them together. They copulated, and in due time the heifer

brought forth a bull-calf, and she regularly had calves for six or seven

years afterwards.

"If," says Hunter, "there are such deviations as of twins being perfect

male and female, why should there not be, on the other hand, an

hermaphrodite, produced singly, as in other animals? I had the

examination of one which seemed, upon the strictest inquiry, to have

been a single calf; and I am the more inclined to think this true, from

having found a number of hermaphrodites among black cattle, without the

circumstance of their birth being ascertained."

If Hunter had carried this reasoning a little further, he might have

asked,--Why should there not be a Free Martin, or hermaphrodite,

produced in the case of twins, when they are both apparently males, or

both apparently females? Had he done this, he would not, probably, have

made the following observation: "I need hardly observe, that if a cow

has twins, and they are both bull-calves, they are in every respect

perfect bulls; or if they are both cow-calves, they are perfect cows."

What is this but saying that a bull-calf is a bull-calf, and a cow-calf

is a cow-calf? For a Free Martin, or hermaphrodite, is not, in any case,

either a bull or a cow.

There does not appear to be anything known of the peculiar circumstances

under which, what is termed a Free Martin is produced.

[Illustration: Skull of Domestic Ox.]

The most general observation that can be made on the subject appears to

be, that cows sometimes produce calves, which, by reason of their

imperfectly developed generative system, are incapable of procreating.

THE SHORT-NOSED OX.

[Illustration: Skull of short-nosed Ox of the Pampas.]

The common Ox, originally taken over to America by the early Spanish

settlers, now runs wild in immense herds on the Pampas, where it is

hunted and slain for its hide. Some idea may be formed of the immensity

of these herds, from the circumstance that nearly a million of hides are

annually exported from Buenos Ayres and Monte Video to Europe.

Some of the herds in these wild regions have undergone a most singular

modification of the cranium, consisting in a shortening of the nasal

bones, together with the superior and inferior maxillaries. There is a

skull of this variety in the Museum of the College of Surgeons, of which

the above is a sketch.

ON THE UTILITY OF THE OX TRIBE TO MANKIND.

How eminently serviceable to man these animals are, is shown in the

following table, in which are set forth the most important uses to which

their various parts are applied:

SKIN.--The skin has been of great use in all ages. The ancient Britons

constructed their boats with osiers, and covered them with the hides of

bulls; and these boats were sufficiently strong to serve for short

coasting voyages. Similar vessels are still in use on the Irish lakes,

and in Wales on the rivers Dee and Severn. In Ireland they are called

_curach_, in England _coracles_, from the British _cwrwgl_, a word

signifying a boat of that structure.

Boots, shoes, harness, &c. for horses, and various kinds of travelling

trunks are made from hides when tanned. The skin of the calf is

extensively used in the binding of books, and the thinnest of the calf

skins are manufactured into vellum. The skin of the Cape Buffalo is made

into shields and targets, and is so hard that a musket ball will

scarcely penetrate it.

HAIR.--The short hair is used to stuff saddles and other articles; also

by bricklayers in the mixing up of certain kinds of mortar. It is

likewise frequently used in the manuring of land. The _long_ hair from

the tail is used for stuffing chairs and cushions. The hair of the Bison

is spun into gloves, stockings, and garters, which are very strong, and

look as well as those made of the finest sheep's wool; very beautiful

cloth has likewise been manufactured from it. The Esquimaux convert the

skin covering the tail into caps, which are so contrived that the long

hair falling over their faces, defends them from the bites of the

mosquitoes.

HORNS.--The horns of cattle consist of an outside horny case, and an

inside conical-shaped substance, somewhat between hardened hair and

bone. The horny outside furnishes the material for the manufacture of a

variety of useful articles. The first process consists in cutting the

horn transversely into three portions.

1. The _lowest_ of these, next the root of the horn, after undergoing

several operations by which it is rendered flat, is made into combs.

2. The _middle_ of the horn, after being flattened by heat, and its

transparency improved by oil, is split into thin layers, and forms a

substitute for glass in lanterns of the commonest kind. [The merit of

the invention of these horn plates, and of their application to

lanterns, is ascribed to King Alfred, who is said to have first used

lanterns of this description to preserve his candle time-measurers from

the wind.]

3. The _tips_ of the horns are generally used to make knife-handles; the

largest and best are used for crutch-stick heads, umbrella handles, and

ink-horns, and the smallest and commonest serve for the tops and bottoms

of ink-horns.

Spoons, small boxes, powder flasks, spectacle frames, and drinking horns

are likewise made of the outer horny case.

The interior or core of the horn is boiled down in water, when a large

quantity of fat rises to the surface; this is sold to the makers of

yellow soap.--The liquid itself is used as a kind of glue, and is

purchased by the cloth-dressers for stiffening.--The bony substance

which remains behind, is ground down, and sold to the farmers for

manure.

Besides these various purposes to which the different parts of the horn

are applied, the chippings which arise in comb-making are sold to the

farmer for manure, at about one shilling a bushel. In the first year

after they are spread over the soil they have comparatively little

effect; but during the next four or five their efficiency is

considerable. The shavings, which form the refuse of the lantern-maker,

are of a much thinner texture. Some of them are cut into various

figures, and painted and used as toys; for they curl up when placed in

the palm of a warm hand. But the greater part of these shavings are sold

also for manure, which from their extremely thin and divided form,

produce their full effect upon the first crop.

FEET.--An oil is extracted from the feet of oxen--hence called

Neat's-foot-oil--of great use in preparing and softening leather.

SKIN, _horns_, _hoofs_, and _cartilages_ are used to make glue.

BLOOD is used in the formation of mastic; also in the refining of sugar,

oil, &c.; and is an excellent manure for fruit trees.

_Blood_, _horns_, and _hoofs_ in the formation of Prussian blue.

_Gall_ is used to cleanse woollen garments, and to obliterate greasy and

other stains.

SUET, FAT, TALLOW are chiefly manufactured into candles; they are also

used to precipitate the salt that is drawn from briny springs.

INTESTINES, when dried, are used as envelopes for German and Bologna

sausages; in some countries to carry butter to market. By gold-beaters,

in the process of making gold-leaf. Gold-beater's skin, as it is called,

forms the most innocent sticking plaster for small cuts on the hands or

fingers.

The STOMACHS vulgarly called _inwards_, after being washed and boiled,

are sold as an article of food under the name of _tripe_.

The EXCREMENTITIOUS MATTERS are used to manure the land.

The BONES are used as a substitute for ivory in the manufacture of a

variety of small articles of a common kind; also for manuring land.

"When calcined they are used as an absorbent to carry off the baser

metals in refining silver. From the tibia and carpus is procured an oil

much used by coach-makers and others in dressing and cleaning harness,

and all trappings belonging to carriages."

FLESH, both fresh and salted, is generally esteemed as an article of

food. _Pemmican_ is made of the flesh of the American Bison: this is

dried in the sun by the Indians, spread on a skin, and pounded with

stones. When the Indians have got it into this state, they sell it to

the different forts, where all the hair is carefully sifted out of it,

and melted fat kneaded into it. If it be well made, and kept dry, it

will not spoil for a year or two.

MILK, a nutritious beverage, _per se_, is used in the composition of

innumerable articles of diet; from milk is obtained cream, butter, and

cheese.

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ALPINE COWHERDS,

WITH A NOTICE OF THE CELEBRATED SWISS AIR

_The Ranz des Vaches._

In the Alps, fine cattle are the pride of their keeper, who, not being

satisfied with their natural beauty, also gratifies his vanity by

adorning his best cows with large bells, suspended from broad thongs.

Every _Senn_, or great cow-keeper, has a harmonious set of bells, of at

least two or three, chiming in accordance with the famous _Ranz des

Vaches_. The finest black cow is adorned with the largest bell, and

those next in appearance wear the two smaller ones.

Delineations of the Ox Tribe: The Natural History of Bulls, Bisons, and Buffaloes. Exhibiting all the Known Species and the More Remarkable Varieties of the Genus Bos. · 第 8 / 10 段

The late mode of killing them is described as "perhaps the only modern