The Living Animals of the World, Volume I: Mammals
Photo by W. Reid] [ Wishaw, N.S. the finest of all in animals standing some EGYPTIAN DONKEYS. 15 or 16 hands (5 feet or 5 feet 4 inches)
The ass has long been known to the Egyptians, having been in use by them before the introduction of the horse. high.
MULES. .
The term MULE, strictly speaking, should be reserved for the offspring of the male ass and the mare: the offspring of the opposite cross is called the HINNY. Mules are valued on account of their great powers of endurance and their sure-footedness. The finest and handsomest are bred in Spain, the United States, and North-west India.
It is interesting to note that mules exhibit a strong tendency to revert to the dun-coloured and striped coloration believed to belong to the primitive horses. The spinal and shoulder stripes which sometimes appear in horses, and more frequently in asses, occur yet more frequently in mules. The legs of the mules appear particularly liable to revert to this striped coloration in the United States, it photoiyc.Reid] is said nine out of ten being MULES. SO marked. A couple of fine mules belonging to Lord Arthur Cecil.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE HOLLOW-HORNED RUMINANTS: OXEN, BISON,
BUFFALOES, AND MUSK-OX.
, Deer, Camels, Pigs, Horses, Tapirs, Khinoceroses, and Elephants differ greatly in _J structure from the orders already described. They are classed as the Ungulates, or
Hoofed Mammals. In most of these, such as the Horse, Deer, and Oxen, the toes are contained within a solid hoof; in others, such as the Khinoceros, they are protected by broad nails. Great differences exist in the feet of the various groups of Ungulates, caused by the degree in which the digits, or " toes," remain in use or not. Except in the Elephant, where is four. Inthere are five, the greatest number of "working" digits found in existing forms the Horse and its surviving allies the digits are reduced to one; in the Giraffes, to two. it can be learnt from the remains of the horse-like animals of the The general process, as past, seems to have been as follows. One or more of the toes were developed in length and strength at the expense of the others, until, in the case" of the Horse, only one toe remained, which was enclosed in a large and solid hoof, little splints on either side of the cannon-bone being left to hint where the second and fourth toes had once been. In the Oxen and Deer the third and fourth toes developed equally, at the expense of the others, and each gained a case or covering, which makes the two parts of the "cloven hoof" of these groups.
The first group of the order of Ungulates is represented by the Hollow-horned Kuminants. These have horns set on a core of bone, the horns themselves being hollow throughout. They "chew the cud," after receiving the food eaten into the first of four divisions in the stomach, whence it is brought up into the mouth, and then swallowed again for digestion. The Oxen, Sheep, and Goats have no popular name by which they are collectively distinguished, but their characteristics are sufficiently well known. The horns are never shed annually, as is the case with the Deer; and the hoofs are cloven. They have no incisor teeth in the upper jaw, a characteristic also shared by the Giraffes, the Prongbuck (or American antelope), and the Deer. The lower jaw has its full complement of incisor teeth.
The Oxen and the allied Bison, Yak, and Buffaloes are the bulkiest and most important to man of all ruminants. Some are found in nearly all inhabited parts of the Old World, and there is one North American species, now practically exterminated as a wild animal.
ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE.
Photo by E. Landor. [Ealing.]
This photograph represents two animals of different types. The bull (on the right) is from Earl Ferrers’ herd at Chartley Castle; the cow is a cross-bred.
20b The Living Animals of the World
BRITISH PARK-CATTLE, AND
THE AUROCHS.
THE so-called "WiLD CATTLE" found in the parks of Chillingham and Chartley, as well as in Lord Leigh's park at Lyme, and in that of the Duke of Hamilton at Cadzow Castle, Scotland, are probably not the descendants of an indigenous wild race. It is not without reluctance that the belief in their wild descent has been abandoned..But the evidence seems fairly conclusive as to the antiquity of these white cattle, regarded as a primitive breed, and of the unlikelihood of their being survivors of a truly wild stock. They are almost identical in many points with the best breeds of modern cattle, and probably represent the finest type possessed by the ancient inhabitants of these islands.
Photo by JJ". P. UciMlol [Regent's Park. But they are far smaller than the original ENGLISH PARK BULL. WILD Ox, or AUROCHS, the ancestor of our
The similarity in shape to the best-bred modern shorthorns is obvious. domestic breeds. The skulls of these large wild oxen, which still survived in the Black Forest in Caesar's time, have been dug up in many parts of England, especially in the Thames Valley, and may be seen at the Natural History Museum. The remains of the extinct wild ox, the Bos urus of the Romans, show that, if not so large as an elephant, as Caesar heard, its size was gigantic, reckoned by any modern cattle standard whatever. It probably stood 6 feet high at the shoulder, and there is every reason to believe that it was the progenitor of the modern race of domestic cattle in Europe. It seems certain that the Chartley Park herd did once run wild in Needwood Forest; but so do the Italian buffaloes in the Maremma, and the Spanish bulls on the plains of Andalusia. Those at Chartley have been kept in the park, which is very wild and remote, so long that they have gradually lost many of the attributes of domestication. This is even more marked in the case of Lord Tankerville's white cattle at Chillingham. An observant visitor to Chillingham lately noted that the bulls fight for the possession of the cows, and that one is occasionally killed in these combats. The cows still " stampede " with their. calves when alarmed, and hide them for a week or ten days after they are born. The horns of the Chillingham cattle turn up; those of the bulls of the Chartley herd are straight or slightly inclined downwards. Cross-breds between the Chartley cattle and some other herds of reputed ancient
p. [Regent'sdescent may generally be seen at the Photo iy w. Zoological Gardens. They remain CALF OP ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE. remarkably true tO type. Though the stock is very old and inbred, the white park-cattle are still fairly prolific.
The Hollow-horned Ruminants 209
Formerly there were several other herds of ancient white cattle. One was at Gisburne, in Yorkshire; another at Chatelherault Park, in Lanarkshire; and records of herds at Bishop Auckland in Durham, Barnard Castle, Blair Athol, Burton Constable, Naworth Castle, and other ancient parks are preserved. Probably all were of a breed highly prized in ancient days, which was allowed the run of the forests adjacent to the homes of their owners; then, as the forests were cleared, they were gradually taken up and enclosed in parks. Another theory is, that they were the white cattle of North-western Italy, imported by the first settlements of Italian monks after the conversion of the Saxons.
SOME DOMESTICATED CATTLE.
THE various species of European domestic cattle have in most cases been brought to a degree of excellence even higher than that which might be expected from the long period of time in which their improvement has been an object of solicitude to man. Of the foreign races, the dark red cattle of the Spanish Peninsula—animals which have been exported to the Canary Islands and Madeira with great success—are justly famous. The white oxen of Northeast Italy have been famous since the days of the Romans. The tall long-horned cattle of Hungary are excellent alike as beasts of draught and for beef. The black-and-white Dutch cows are, and have been, the mainstay of the dairy industry of Holland, and later of Denmark; while the small Brittany cows are perhaps the best butter-producers on the continent of Europe. But England and the Channel Islands may justly claim to rear the finest cattle of the temperate parts of the world. The diminutive Jersey cows, now reared in all parts of the kingdom, surpass all the animals of Europe or America in the richness of their milk, while stock from the pedigree herds of various English breeds is eagerly sought by foreign and continental buyers on both sides of the Atlantic, and in New Zealand and Australia. These foreign strains need constant replenishing from the English herds, and the result is a golden harvest to the breeders in these islands.
The SHORTHORN was the first breed to be brought to perfection. Two main stocks-one for producing beef, the other for the dairy—are recognised; they are the “all-round breed” most in favour, and it is said that the improvement in this race alone has
Photo by J. T. Newman] [Berkhamsted.
JERSEY COW.
The property of Lord Braybrooke. Though small in size, the Jersey cows produce more butter than any English breed.
Photo by W. P. Dando] [Regent’s Park.
SPANISH CATTLE.
These belong to the long-horned race of Southern and Eastern Europe. In the bulls the horns are shorter, and often turn downwards. 27
raised the value of average Irish store cattle 2 per head during the last twenty years. The shorthorns are level-backed, large animals, maturing very quickly. The commonest colours are roan, white, red, and red-and-white. HEREFORD CATTLE are red, with white faces and long, upturned horns; they fatten quickly on good grass, and are in most demand for summer beef. HIGHLAND CATTLE have long horns, rough, shaggy coats, and bodies of moderate size and great symmetry; they are grazed on the mountains of the West Highlands mainly, and " all redfattened in the south. The beef is of the finest quality. SUSSEX CATTLE are an " variety, large, and formerly much used for draught and farm work. The DEVONS are another red variety, very like the Sussex, yielding excellent and rich milk, and, when fattened, being to a greatlittle inferior to any breed as beef. The long-horned black WELSH CATTLE grow size, as do the polled ANGUS breed of Scotland. The polled or hornless cattle include the red SUFFOLKS, a most valuable breed, hardy, and wonderful producers of milk. The cows often give milk every day of the year. The LONGHORN breed is almost disappearing, as the horns are a disadvantage both in the fields and when the animals are carried on board ship or in the train. The HUMPED CATTLE of India and East Africa belong to a race different from European cattle, of which the parent stock is not known. They have a hump upon the withers, drooping ears (a sign of ancient domestication), and a very large is dewlap. The coat always exquisitely fine. They are of all sizes, from the tall Brahminee [Aberdeen. YOUNG GATJB. bull to dwarf breeds The largest and handsomest of the wild oxen. not larger than a Newfoundland dog. The commonest colours are cream, grey, mouse-colour, and white. They do not low, but grunt, and are by no means so fond of shade and water as European cattle.