THE OX TRIBE.
The horned-cattle are generally divided into several species, some of which are natives of Europe, others of America, others of Africa, and others of Asia. Of the European kinds, the first is the common domestic cow. This species still exists in a wild state at two or three places in England, and at Hamilton in Scotland. They are also said to exist wild in some parts of Poland. They were formerly very abundant in Great Britain, and FitzStephen, who lived in the twelfth century, speaks of the wild cattle which, in his time, inhabited great forests in the neighbourhood of London, and of which forests Kenwood, the seat of Lord Mansfield, near Hampstead, is now almost the only remains. In Scotland they were also very abundant, and we find that, in the fourteenth century, King Robert Bruce "was nearly slain by a wild bull, which attacked him 'in the Great Caledon Wood,' but from which he was rescued by an attendant, 'whom he endowed,' says Holinshed, 'with great possessions, and his lineage is to this day called of the Turnbulls, because he overturned the beast, and saved the king's life, by such great prowess and manhood.'"
The European bison, or bonasus, is a large and powerful animal, which inhabits the marshy forests and vales of Poland and Lithuania. It is also found on the Caucasus, and on the Carpathian mountains. It is the largest of all the European quadrupeds, measuring six feet in height at the shoulder, and ten or eleven feet in the length of the body. It has prodigious strength, and its head and neck are covered with frizzled wool, which forms a kind of beard upon the throat. Some parts of the hide have a musky smell, especially during the winter season, and hence the name of the animal is supposed to be derived from the German word bisam, which signifies musk.
Among the American cattle, the most remarkable is decidedly the musk ox, which is the smallest animal of the kind yet discovered, one of the largest not weighing above 300 pounds. Its flesh, even when in good condition, is coarse-grained, and smells strongly of musk. The body is covered with wool, which is of a silky nature, and from which stockings and other articles of clothing have been manufactured. The appearance of the animal is very singular, and rather resembles that of a sheep than that of any kind of cattle. The horns are remarkably broad at the base, and they cover the brow and crown of the head where they come in contact with each other. The legs are naturally short, and they are almost hidden by the great length of the hair.
The American bison, or buffalo, which is found in numerous herds on the prairies and pampas of North and South America, is another remarkable animal. Washington Irving, in his Tour on the Prairies, mentions that in several places he found deeply-worn footpaths traversing the country in different directions; and these, he was informed, were the tracks of the buffaloes. These creatures have immense heads in proportion to their bodies, and the heads and shoulders are covered with loose shaggy hair, while the hind part of the body is left perfectly bare. Each animal has a large hump, which adds to the enormous size of the fore part of the body; and as the head and chest are broad and the legs are strong, while the hind part of the body is narrow and comparatively weak, it appears evident that the creature was intended to defend itself by butting its enemies. As a confirmation of this, the head is furnished with short strong horns, which, when the animal strikes with its head, become formidable weapons.
BISONS.
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"Congregating in vast herds, these animals are said to cover the wide-extended savannahs of the more southern districts of the north, for miles in extent. 'Such was the multitude,' say Lewis and Clarke, speaking of an assemblage of bisons as they crossed the water, 'that although the river, including an island over which they passed, was a mile in length, the herd stretched, as thick as the animals could swim, completely from one side to the other.' The same travellers, speaking of another of these grand spectacles, say, 'if it be not impossible to calculate the moving multitude which darkened the whole plains, we are convinced that 20,000 would be no exaggerated number.' Catesby, after stating that they range in droves, feeding on the open savannahs, morning and evening, says, that in the sultry time of day they retire to shady rivulets and streams of clear water gliding through thickets of tall canes. Dr. James had an opportunity of observing them on such occasions, and he thus describes their march; — 'In the middle of the day countless thousands of them were seen coming in from every quarter to the stagnant pools;' and in another place he says, that their paths are as frequent, and almost as conspicuous, as the roads in the most populous parts of the United States." The motive which guides their endless wanderings, is no doubt principally the desire for change of pasture; and, accordingly, whenever the old dry grass has been destroyed by fire, the young and tender herbage which springs up in the room of it is so agreeable to the buffaloes, that they are sure to come in great numbers to graze on it; and the hunters are so well aware of this, that they frequently set fire to the prairies, purposely, as a means of attracting the buffaloes. These creatures are generally shy, and fly from the face of man till they are wounded; but they then become furious, and pursue their enemy with a vindictive spite. In South America, these animals are found in equal abundance, and they are generally taken with what is called a lasso. The lasso, Captain Basil Hall informs us, "consists of a rope made of twisted strips of untanned hide, varying in length from fifteen to twenty yards, and about as thick as the little finger. It has a noose or running knot at one end, the other extremity being fastened by an eye and button to a ring in a strong hide belt and this belt is bound tightly round the horse on which the Indian rides. It must be observed, that the native inhabitants of the Pampas of South America, who are called Guachos, may be almost said to live on horseback, for they never move a hundred paces from their habitations without mounting a horse, one ready saddled always standing before the door. "A Guacho is clad in the poncho, which is manufactured by the women. It is about the size and shape of a small blanket, with a slit in the centre to admit the head. It, therefore, serves to keep out the wet and wind, and leaves the arms at perfect liberty. The jacket of the Guacho resembles the jackets worn by the Spanish peasantry, and is made of coarse cloth or baize, or of velveteen; his breeches, made of the same materials, are open at the knees. His leggings are composed of horse-hide, and his toes are left bare. A straw hat, with a cotton handkerchief tied round his face, complete his dress." When the lasso is to be used, the Guacho gathers it up into a coil before he discharges it. "The coil is grasped by the horseman's left hand, while the noose, which is held in the right hand, trails along the ground, except when in use, and then it is whirled round the head with considerable velocity, during which, by a peculiar turn of the wrist, it is made to assume a circular form, so that when delivered from the hand, the noose preserves itself open till it falls over the object at which it has been aimed."
The Gauchos are also armed with another instrument called the bolas. This instrument is composed of a piece of string or leather thong with a round stone at one end; or instead of a stone, balls of hardened earth, iron, copper, or lead. These balls are connected with one another by thongs equal in length, the ends of which are united. "Taking one ball in the right hand, the other two are whirled round several times, and the whole then thrown at the object to be entangled. They do not strike the objects with these balls, but endeavour to throw them so that the thong shall hit a prominent part, and then, of course, the balls swing round in different directions, and the thongs become so twisted, that struggling only makes the captive more secure. A powerful missile is formed of a single ball, similar in substance and size to the others, but attached to a slighter rope about a yard long. Whirling this ball, about a pound in weight, with the utmost swiftness round his head, the Guacho dashes it at his adversary with almost the force of a shot. At close quarters it is used with a shorter scope of cord as a very efficient head-breaker." "It is astonishing with what dexterity the Guachos use both the bolas and the lasso, on horseback and at full gallop, and how they hit with unerring precision the object aimed at." "Even when standing still," Captain Hall observes, "it is by no means an easy thing to throw the lasso; but the difficulty is vastly increased when it comes to be thrown from horseback and at a gallop, and when, in addition, the rider is obliged to pass over uneven ground, and to leap hedges and ditches in his course." "Yet such is the dexterity of the Guachos, that they are not only sure of catching whichever animal they please, but they can fix their lasso on any part of the animal they like; as, for example, they can either throw it over the horns, or the neck, or the body, or any one of the legs they please, with such ease and dexterity that it appears like magic. This extraordinary dexterity can only be gained by the arduous practice of many years. It is, in fact, the earliest amusement, as well as business, of these people for I have often seen little boys just beginning to run about, actively employed in lassoing cats, and entangling the legs of every dog that was unfortunate enough to pass within reach. In due season they become very expert in their attacks on poultry, and afterwards in catching wild birds; so that by the time they are mounted on horseback, which is always at an early age, they begin to acquire that matchless skill from which no animal of less speed than a horse has the slightest chance of escaping." When a wild bull is to be caught and killed by two Guachos, the men dash off at full gallop, each swinging his lasso round his head. "The first who comes within reach aims at the bull's horns, and when he sees, which he does in an instant, that the lasso which he has thrown will take effect, he stops his horse, and turns it half round, the bull continuing his course till the whole cord has run out. The horse, meanwhile, knowing by experience what is going to happen, leans over as much as he can in the opposite direction from the bull, and stands trembling in expectation of the violent tug which is to be given to him by the bull when brought up by the lasso. So great, indeed, is the jerk which takes place at this moment, that were the horse not to lean over in the manner described he would certainly be overturned; but standing as he does across the road, with his feet planted firmly on the ground, he offers sufficient resistance to stop the bull as instantaneously as if it had been shot, though the instant before he was running at full speed. In some cases, this check is so abrupt and violent, that the animal is not only dashed to the ground, but rolls along at the full stretch of the lasso; while the horse is drawn sideways, and ploughs up the earth with his feet for several yards. This, which takes so long to describe, is the work of a few seconds; during which the other horseman gallops past, and, before the bull has time to recover from the shock, places the noose over his horns, and continues advancing till this lasso also is at full stretch. The bull, stupified by the fall, sometimes lies motionless on the ground; but the