Part 23

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:

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.

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.

| Cerv. | Dors. | Lumb. | Sacr. | Caud. | Total. American Bison | 7 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 12+ | European Bison, | | | | | | or Aurochs | 7 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 50 Yak | 7 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 45 Gayal (Domestic) | 7 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 47 Gayal (Asseel). | | | | | | Gyall | | | | | | Jungli Gau | | | | | | Italian Buffalo. | | | | | | Indian Buffalo. | | | | | | Skeleton of Buffalo | | | | | | in Surg. Coll. | | | | | | (locality unknown) | 7 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 16 | 47 Gaur | 7 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 50 Domestic Ox | 7 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 52 Condore Buffalo | | | | | | Manilla Buffalo | 7 | 13 | 6 | | | Pegasse | | | | | | Arnee | | | | | | Cape Buffalo | 7 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 49 Zamouse (Bos | | | | | | Brachyceros) | 7 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 50 Banteng of Java | | | | | | (Bos Bantinger) | 7 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 48 Zebu, or Brahmin Ox | 7 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 48 Galla Ox. | | | | | | Backeley | | | | | | (Caffraria). | | | | | | Musk Ox | | | | | |

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

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