_A Calf saving a Child from Drowning--Another that
Seasoned--Illustrations of the Intelligence of Horned Cattle--Oxen
taking care of Sheep--The Cow that sought Help for Another--Natural
History of the Ox--Peculiarities of the Bison--Encounter with a
Bull-bison--How a Hunter Escaped being Trampled to Death--Stampeding a
Herd--The Aurochs or European Bison--A bad Character--The Yak and the
Musk-ox--Mr. Graham's Narrow Escape from an Egyptian Buffalo--The Cape
Buffalo--How the Natives Hunt him, and are Hunted by him._
Here's a good story,” said Harry, “about the intelligence of a calf. It
is copied from the Atlanta Constitution.”
Mr. Graham and George listened attentively while Harry read as
follows:--“Little Dillie Welsh is the four-year-old daughter of
Yard-master Welsh, of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.
[Illustration: 8188]
She is bright and a general favorite. Her father keeps a Jersey cow,
which has a calf. The calf and little Dillie have formed a mutual
affection.
“In the adjoining lot to Mr. Welsh is a mineral well, which has a low
opening, and a child can stand and look over it. A few days ago Dillie
and her calf were playing near the well when the little girl went too
near. She crawled up and was looking over, when the calf came up and
held onto her dress with his teeth. She lost her balance and fell over
in the mouth of the well. The calf held on to the child's clothes while
she was suspended in the air over the water. If the animal had let go
the dress, the child would have been drowned. The child was rescued by a
servant, and the calf was happy.”
“That's a very pretty story,” said George; “and I have a good one to
go with it.” Thereupon he read something which he said was from _The
Greenville (N. C.) Reflector_.
“An amusing incident occurred at the home of Mr. S. M. Jones, near
Bethel, recently. Among his cattle was a calf that seemed to possess a
very great dislike to being roped at milking time and always made quite
an objection. One morning Mrs. Jones went out to attend the milking,
and upon looking in the accustomed place for the rope failed to find it.
While the search for it was going on the calf thought, perhaps, to get
more than his share of the milk, but something seemed to interfere with
the imbibing process, and his peculiar actions attracted attention to
him, whereupon it was discovered that the calf had swallowed the rope,
but failed to make a complete job of it, as the noose was hanging from
one corner of his mouth. The noose was laid hold of and a steady pull
brought the rope to light. The calf is sufficiently amused and doesn't
swallow any more ropes to evade being tied.”
“Isn't it unusual for calves or any of their relatives to display as
much intelligence as we have in these two stories?” one of the boys
asked.
“Decidedly unusual,” was the reply, “and that's the reason why these
performances have been placed on record. But the fact is,” the gentleman
continued, “that the ox is not as stupid a creature as is generally
supposed. He is patient and slow, and for this reason the conclusion has
been arrived at that he is correspondingly dull. The naturalists tell us
that some of the tribes of South Africa trust to oxen to care for their
flocks, and that the sagacious animals perform their duties in a manner
worthy of the highest praise. They are quick to discover the approach of
danger, and if the flocks are attacked by wild animals the oxen show a
great deal of bravery in defending their charges. But while brave, they
are prudent, and will not take any needless risk. When night approaches
they drive the flocks to the camp or village, and if any of the sheep
are inclined to straggle. The watchful guardians prod them in no gentle
manner with their horns and make them understand that they are liable to
severe punishment.
[Illustration:0191]
“The South African oxen are not only used for teaming purposes like oxen
in other parts of the world, but they are excellent for carrying burdens
on their backs. African hunters tell how they have used oxen in this
way. Andersson, a famous hunter in South Africa, had an ox that he rode
more than two thousand miles, and for ordinary traveling preferred him
to a horse. When it came to pursuing wild animals, and especially to
escape from a furious elephant or lion, he found a great advantage
in the superior speed of the horse. His plan was to ride the ox while
traveling and reserve his horse for hunting expeditions.
“There are many varieties of _bovidae_,” said Mr. Graham, “as this family
is called, and these varieties have certain subdivisions. The most
remarkable are the American bison, commonly called the buffalo, the
European bison or aurochs, the yak of Tartary, and the musk ox of the
extreme parts of North America. The greatest intelligence of the bovine
family is displayed by the wild animals, for the reason that they
have been obliged to depend entirely on themselves, while the domestic
species have the protection and care of their owners on whom they rely.
A domestic ox or cow, when in trouble, will seek the aid of his master
when it is possible to do so.
“I was reading not long ago,” said Harry, “of a cow that came from the
pasture one afternoon, and called the attention of some of the men about
the place in a way which told very plainly that help was wanted. She
repeatedly tried to induce somebody to follow her; when she finally
succeeded she trotted off and led the way to a clump of trees, where
another cow had become entangled in such a manner that she could not
free herself without assistance. When the prisoner was liberated both
she and the cow that had gone for help fairly danced about the man, and
showed in every way in their power how grateful they were to him. They
licked his hands with their rough tongues, caressed him with their
noses, and when he returned to the barn they trotted along, one on
each side of him until he reached the gate. Then they went back to to
pasture and resumed their grazing.”
“Many stories of the same kind have been told about domestic cattle, all
of them showing the reliance that these good-natured animals place upon
man.
[Illustration: 9193]
The time when they were first domesticated is unknown; the Egyptians had
their herds of oxen and cows, and some naturalists think the ox was a
domestic animal while the dog and cat were still in a wild state, in
other words it was the earliest animal which submitted to the control
of man. Centuries of domestication have made him the patient and gentle
animal that he is, but he retains enough of his original instincts to be
made wild again without much difficulty. A herd of cattle turned loose
and allowed to run free for a single season are half wild at the end of
it, and very difficult to manage. A few seasons make them fully so, and
the calves that grow to maturity without any association with man seem
to have lost everything that came from centuries of domestic ancestors.
The wild cattle of South America are descended from tame ones and the
same may be said of wild cattle in most parts of the world.”
George asked if the buffalo of America was anything like that of the
old world. He said he had read about the differences between them but
couldn't remember what they were.
“The name of buffalo,” said Mr. Graham, “is improperly applied to the
bison, whose scientific name is _Bison Americanus_. The American bison
is rapidly becoming extinct, and it is quite probable that there will
not be one of these animals alive at the end of the present century.
Fifty years ago there were countless millions of these animals, and as
recently as twenty-five years ago vast herds of them roamed the western
prairies from Texas to the Saskatchewan.
[Illustration: 0194]
At this moment their numbers have diminished to a few dozens, or at most
a few hundreds; if I have read correctly there are only two or three
small herds known to exist, one of them being in the north of Texas and
the other near the boundary between Canada and the United States. An
effort is being made to capture the few remaining bison and keep them
in reserve fields or pastures, but it is doubtful if the experiment
succeeds. The bison does not thrive in captivity, and as for taking him
alive that is a very difficult matter. The calves and cows may possibly
be captured but as for the bulls I would rather not be the one to
attempt to take them.”
“They are hard fighters; I suppose,” said George.
“When driven into a corner and forced to defend themselves,” Mr. Graham
answered, “they do so with great vigor. Properly speaking, the bison
is not a ferocious animal: he does not wantonly attack man but on
the contrary will always flee from him if he has the opportunity. His
fighting qualities come out when he is obliged to defend himself or when
men get in the way of the herds in their movements across country. The
fiercest and strongest bulls are always in advance: they turn aside if
they can do so in time, but if men get in their way and attack them they
dash on without regard to circumstances. A man who is thrown down in
front of an advancing herd has very little chance of escape. The herd
passes on and tramples him to death, even if he escapes the advance
guard of bulls.”
“I have read,” said Harry, “of a man who was in front of a herd of
buffalo when his horse stumbled and fell. The man had the presence of
mind to draw his revolver and fire it several times, not at the herd or
any animal in it, but straight up in the air. If he had wounded one of
the bulls he and his horse would have been gored to death; the sound of
the shots caused the advance to divide and leave him unharmed. The rest
of the herd followed the example of the advance and for several hours
the man and the horse lay there like a little islet in a vast river of
buffaloes. When the last of the herd had passed, the man mounted his
horse and rode away, very thankful to have escaped unharmed from so
great a danger.”
“Incidents of the same kind have occurred in stampedes of cattle in the
far west of our country and in Australia,” said Mr. Graham.
Harry asked what a stampede was.
“Cattle and horses are said to be stampeded,” Mr. Graham answered, “when
they take fright at anything and run away. The word is of Spanish origin
and seems at present to be regularly adopted into our language. When a
large herd of half-wild cattle is stampeded it is very apt to run over
anything that comes in its way. Sometimes the herdsmen are thrown from
their horses right in the midst of a frightened herd and trampled to
death; if it happens that the herd separates at the moment a man falls
the rest of it will do likewise and nothing serious occurs.
“Returning to the bison,” continued Mr. Graham, “the animal looks much
more fierce than he really is. His head is large and carried quite low,
his eyes are small and piercing, and his head and shoulders are covered,
with long shaggy hair that make the forward half of the animal look very
heavy. He has a hump on his shoulders which consists partly of fat and
partly of strong muscles, the amount of fat varying according to the
season of the year and the condition of the animal. The flesh of the
bulls is so tough and strong that only a very hungry man can eat it,
but that of the young cows is rich and juicy like good beef. The choice
parts of the buffalo are the hump and the tongue, the latter being the
greatest delicacy of the buffalo country. You see I have fallen into the
universal practice and speak of the animal as the buffalo, when he is
really the bison, as I have before told you.
[Illustration: 0196]
“But by whatever name he is known, it is a pity that he is rapidly
becoming a creature of the past. Indians and white men have waged
incessant war upon him: as long as only the Indians attacked him with
their arrows and lances, the slaughter was not sufficiently great to
make any impression upon the herds, but when the white men poured into
the West bringing their improved weapons, which were speedily acquired
by the Indians, the destruction of the buffalo became simply a question
of time. When the buffalo became scarce on the plains they were followed
to their winter haunts, and killed in the deep snow, where they were
unable to make any resistance. Thousands, and we could almost say
millions, of buffaloes have been shot for mere sport and left to rot on
the ground, not even their hides being taken away. Of late years their
hides have risen to high figures owing to their scarcity; 'buffalo
robes' were common enough twenty or thirty years ago, but at the present
time they are rarely seen.”
[Illustration: 0198]
“Isn't there a bison in Europe as well as in America?” queried George.
“There is,” was the reply, “and he is known as the aurochs in books on
natural history. He is thought to be the oldest of his race, and
would have been extinct long ago were it not for the protection he has
received. He is found only in a few localities in Russia, where he is
protected by the Government, and no animal of the race can be killed
under severe penalties except by permission of the Russian Emperor. It
is needless to say that this permission is seldom or almost never
given. These creatures have never been domesticated, but run wild in the
forest, where they eat grass and brushwood, and the bark and twigs of
young trees. The aurochs does not reach maturity until its sixth year,
and next to the elephant, rhinoceros and giraffe it is the largest of
land animals.”
One of the youths asked what was the size of a full-grown aurochs.
“Measured at its withers,” was the reply, “it is nearly six feet high,
and it is immensely strong. Its horns are large, round and lateral, and
its tail is long with a tuft of hair at the end. The shoulders and all
the front part of the body are covered with long coarse hair very
much like that of the American bison, and it has a long mane under
its throat. The rest of the body has a thick coat of black hair, and
altogether the aurochs is not an amiable looking beast.”
[Illustration:0200]
One of the listeners asked whether he was fierce or gentle in his ways.
“As to that,” Mr. Graham answered, “he bears a bad reputation. He is
very shy, and like the American bison will keep out of the way man face
to face, but rushes at him with great fierceness. If captured when young
he becomes accustomed to his keepers, but will not tolerate the presence
of any one else.
“The aurochs is the urus of the ancients,” continued the gentleman, “his
name coming from Ure-ox. Fossil remains of the animal have been found
all over Europe, and in the time of Julius Cæsar it lived in Germany. It
was a contemporary of the mammoth and is the only existing land
animal whose skeleton has been found side by side when he can. He also
resembles his American cousin in having a keen scent, so that he can
only be approached against the wind; the buffalo hunters will tell you
that you cannot get anywhere near a herd if you approach it with the
wind, as the animals will scent the danger miles away and start off at a
rapid pace to avoid it.
[Illustration: 0201]
The aurochs also resembles the bison in fighting fiercely when cornered;
he is worse than the bison in one respect, as he will not try to escape
when he meets a with that of the huge creature whose remains have
astonished the scientific world.
“From the bison to the buffalo is a very natural step, and by buffalo I
mean the animal to whom the name properly belongs. But before taking him
up I will mention the yak of Tartary, which has a flowing tail like that
of a horse, a hump on its shoulders, a tuft of hair on its forehead, a
mane along its neck and shoulders, and long hair on the lower part of
its body which varies in quantity according to the season of the year.
He is used as a beast of burden and can carry a very heavy load, and
he is as sure-footed as a goat. The Tartars keep large herds of these
animals and move about from place to place to find pasturage; they make
tents and ropes of the hair of the yak, and clothing out of his skin,
and they occasionally eat the flesh of the beast, though they prefer
that of the horse. They make butter from the milk, and by putting it
in bladders tightly closed against the air they can preserve it a long
time.”
[Illustration: 0203]
“I've been reading about another animal,” said Harry, “that must be a
near relative of the yak.”
“What is that?”
“The musk ox of North America,” was the reply.
“Yes,” said Mr. Graham, “he is a relative of the yak, though somewhat
smaller, in fact he is so small that he resembles a large sheep more
than an ox. He belongs in the cold regions of North America, and is very
useful to Arctic explorers, who feed upon his flesh. He has a covering
of thick and long hair of a dark brown color, and his horns are thick
and large, bending downwards over the sides of his head and then
suddenly backwards and upwards at the tips.”
“He looks very clumsy.” said George, glancing at the picture of the
animal, “and evidently can't, get over the ground very fast.”
“On the contrary.” was the reply, “he is as nimble as a goat and can
make astonishingly rapid speed over the rough and rocky ground where lie
lives. The hunter who thinks he can travel as fast as this apparently
clumsy animal makes a great mistake.”
“He's not the only animal that deceives us that way,” said George.
“Nobody would think the hog could run and yet what a lively chase it is
to catch a wild one. But some hogs are swifter than others, and I have
heard of parts of the country where hogs were prized not according
to their fatness, but for their ability to out-run professional
hogthieves.”
[Illustration: 0204]
The buffalo of Europe and Asia,” said Mr. Graham, “is supposed to be
a native of the damp parts of India, whence he has spread over the
countries where he is now found. He is essentially a tropical animal and
does not thrive in mild climates, and he is fond of wallowing in the mud
and lying down to rest there.”
[Illustration: 0205]
George asked in what the Asiatic buffalo resembled the common ox. Mr.
Graham said it was about the size of the ox and had a bulging-forehead
with two black horns curved outward. It has a scanty coat and generally
presents a very dingy appearance. “It is of an ugly disposition,”
continued the gentleman, “and is much inclined to attack strangers. I
had an adventure with one of these creatures in Egypt that came near
costing me my life.”
“Please tell us about it,” said one of the boys.
“I was taking a walk in the fields a few miles from Cairo,” said Mr.
Graham, “and carried nothing except a small walking stick. While I was
looking at the grasses and the fields of cotton and douro, and watching
the pigeons circling in the air, I heard all at once the shouting of
the natives to indicate something unusual. Looking around I saw that a
buffalo was coming directly toward me and was not more than a hundred
feet away. His head was lowered and it was very evident that I was to be
the object of his attack.
“I had to think and act very quickly, as none of the natives were near
enough to divert the attention of the brute. There was no fence near and
no building or enclosure in which I could find safety.
“Close by me was a field of cotton, the bushes being as high as my head.
Into this field I ran, and once in its shelter I doubled on my pursuer
and ran the way that both of us had come. Then I met the crowd of
natives that were trying to catch the runaway animal and they soon had
him secured. A friend of mine in Egypt that same year only saved himself
by firing a charge of shot directly at the buffalo's eyes when the
creature was not more than ten yards away. He was compelled to pay for
the destruction of the animal, as it was very properly argued that he
was a trespasser in the field where the buffalo was grazing. You may be
sure that he was careful after that not to go where he had no right to
be, especially if there was a likelihood of encountering buffaloes.
“A very pugnacious variety of the buffalo is the South African one. He
has large horns, that spread out at the base so as to form a sort
of helmet that is impenetrable for a bullet or for any other missile
smaller than a cannon shot. The African buffalo is found all the way
from Guinea to the Cape of Good Hope, and is often called the Cape
buffalo. He lives in large herds in the forests, though he sometimes
comes into the open plains, where he is more cautious and less
quarrelsome than when in the woods. The natives hunt the Cape buffalo,
but very often the animal shows so much fight that he becomes the hunter
and drives his assailants away. Not infrequently he kills some of them
with his powerful horns, and also with his feet, which he uses with
great alertness. A single buffalo has been known to resist successfully
a hundred natives armed with spears; since the introduction of fire-arms
the numbers of the Cape buffalo have diminished, as he is unable to
stand against the weapons of civilization any more than can his American
namesake.
“We'll go from the cows to sheep at our next talk,” said Mr. Graham to
the youths, “and in the meantime please look at the books, and when we
sit down to discuss them you may tell what you have found.”
In the language of Parliamentarians “the meeting then adjourned,” and
the boys proceeded to look at Cassell's Natural History and other books
for information on the topic which they were next to consider.
[Illustration: 0207]