Part 12

The Gnu, sometimes called the Gnu Antelope, inhabits Southern Africa. It is about the size of a Donkey, and is curiously formed. Added to its muscular and thick-set body, it has the muzzle of an Ox, the legs of a Stag, and the neck, shoulders and rump of a small Horse. Its head is flattened, and its brown hair is short. On its neck it has a mane of white, grey and black hair, and under its chin hangs a thick brown beard. It also has horns, something like those of the Cape Buffalo, which first bend downwards and then curve in an upward direction. It is not surprising with such a queer combination, that strange stories were told of this animal in the past, as it has the appearance of being made up of various portions of several other animals.

These strangely constructed animals are found in the mountainous districts to the north of the Cape of Good Hope, and probably throughout a large portion of Africa. They are very wild, and are swift runners and may be seen skimming along in single file following one of their number as a guide.

THE GOATS.

These animals differ among themselves to a wonderful extent in their shape, their color and even in the texture of their fleece. The Goats of Angora in Cappadocia are provided with a soft and silky clothing. Those of Thibet have become celebrated for the delicacy of a kind of wool which grows among their hair, from which Cashmere shawls are manufactured. In Upper Egypt is a race remarkable for the roughness of their coat, while the Goats of Guinea and of Judea are distinguished by the smallness of their dimensions, and by their horns, which are pointed backwards. But whatever may be the cause of these peculiarities, the whole race seems to retain the characters derivable from a mountain origin; they are robust, capricious, and vagabond; they prefer dry hills and wild localities, where they can procure only the coarsest herbage, or browse upon the shrubs and bushes. They are likewise very injurious in forests, where they destroy the young trees by devouring the bark. Their flesh is strong and rank, so that they are seldom eaten; nevertheless, their milk is an article of diet, and the Kid, while young, is tender and nutritious.

THE COMMON GOAT.

The Common Goat inhabits wild and mountainous regions in a state of semi-wildness, seeming to have little regard either for the protection or the neglect of people resident in its vicinity; but although not cared for, like its not very distant relative, the Sheep, it is by no means without its value. The Goat affords milk in considerable abundance; its hair, though more harsh than wool, is useful in the manufacture of various kinds of stuffs, and its skin is more valuable than that of the sheep. The Goat has more intelligence than the Sheep, and soon becomes familiar and attached; it is light, active, and less timid than the Sheep; it is capricious and loves to wander, to climb steep mountains, sleeping frequently on the point of a rock or the edge of a precipice. It is robust, and will feed on almost any plant. It does not, like the Sheep, avoid the mid-day heat, but sleeps in the sunshine, and exposes itself willingly to its full glare. It is not alarmed by storms, but appears to suffer from a great degree of cold.

THE IBEX.

The Ibex combines with the characters of the Goat the agility and fleetness of the Antelopes. “All readers of natural history,” says Col. Markham, “are familiar with the wonderful climbing and saltatory powers of the Ibex; and although they cannot (as has been described in print) make a spring and hang on by the horns until they gain a footing, yet in reality for such heavy animals they get over the most inaccessible-looking places in an almost miraculous manner. Nothing seems to stop them nor to impede their progress in the least. To see a flock, after being fired at, take a distant line across country, which they often do over all sorts of seemingly impassable ground, now along the naked surface of an almost perpendicular rock, then across a formidable landslip or an inclined plane of loose stones or sand, which the slightest touch sets in motion both above and below, dividing into chasms to which there seems no possible outlet, but instantly reappearing on the opposite side, never deviating in the slightest from their course, and at the same time getting over the ground at the rate of something like fifteen miles an hour, is a sight not to be easily forgotten.”

The Ibex inhabits the most inaccessible summits of the loftiest mountains of Europe, Asia and Africa, and may frequently be seen bounding from rock to rock among the highest peaks of their snow-clad grandeur, climbing cliffs with the activity of a Bird, and disporting itself in regions unapproachable by any other quadruped.

THE BEZOARGOAT.

There is a striking resemblance in form, the habit of living and character of the Bezoargoat, (extensively raised in mountainous regions of Asia Minor, Persia and various islands of Greece) and the Stonebuck of the Alps. The body of the Bezoargoat is narrow and the limbs high. The long, strong horns form a uniformly curved arch, and both sexes have strong beards. The skin is colored reddish gray along the sides of the neck, growing lighter towards the body. The thigh is white both underneath and outside. The breast, chin and ridge of the nose is blackish brown. Their nourishment consists of dry grasses, cedar needles, leaves and fruits.

The Bezoargoats are very shy and experts in racing and climbing, venturing the most dangerous leaps with the utmost courage and dexterity. They are able to brave the greatest dangers. There is, nevertheless, a source of danger threatening their young from the Eagle, the Bearded Vulture and the Pardellynx. The Birds of Prey swoop rapidly and unexpectedly from the heights and carry off the young Kid; but the Pardellynx steals slyly upon the herd at pasture. This beautiful, slender, crafty beast of prey, about the size of the Lynx, which is also abundantly found in the Spanish mountains, eagerly hunts the Bezoargoat. Through his exceptionally keen sense of sight and hearing, the crafty, noiseless, sneaking Pardellynx frequently succeeds in stealing upon the herd and despite their watchfulness attempts to overpower one of the flock. The illustration on page 105 carries us into the mountain regions of Taurus. A Pardellynx has crept unnoticed upon a family of grazing Bezoargoats and has suddenly sprung upon the back of the old Goat, burying his fangs into the neck of his prize.

THE SHEEP.

The members of this family have horns which, at first directed backwards, wind spirally forwards; their forehead is generally convex, and they are without any beard. In other respects they are closely allied to the Goats.

The Common Sheep, like other animals placed at the disposal of mankind, presents innumerable varieties in accordance with the breed or climate to which it may belong. Thus we find in Europe flocks with coarse or fine wool, of large or of small size, with long horns or with short horns—some in which the horns are wanting in the females; others in which they are deficient in both sexes.

The Spanish varieties are distinguished by their fine curly wool and large spiral horns, which exist in the males only; while the English breeds are celebrated on account of the length of their fleece and the delicacy of their mutton.

The Sheep of Southern Russia are remarkable on account of the length of their tails; while those of India and some parts of Africa are distinguished by the length of their legs, pendent ears, coarse wool, and total want of horns in either sex. In Persia, Tartary, and China the tail of the Sheep appears to be entirely transformed into a double globe of fat; and those of Syria and Barbary, notwithstanding the length of their tails, have them loaded with fat, while their wool is intermixed with coarse hair. Everywhere, however, the Sheep is invaluable to the human race, and the care of their flocks one of the earliest occupations of civilized nations.

“This species,” says Buffon, “appears to be preserved only by the assistance and care of Man; it seems unable to subsist by itself. The reclaimed Sheep is absolutely without resource and without defence. The Ram is but weakly armed; its courage is only petulance. The females are still more timid than the males. It is fear that causes them so often to assemble in flocks; the slightest noise makes them throw themselves down headlong or crowd one against the other; and this fear is accompanied with the greatest stupidity, for they know not how to avoid danger.”

They appear not even to feel the inconveniences of their situation; they remain obstinately where they are exposed to the rain or snow. In order to oblige them to change their situation and take a certain road, a leader is necessary, whose movements they follow at every step. This leader would himself remain motionless with the rest of the flock, if he were not driven by the Shepherd or excited by the Sheep-dog, which knows well how to defend, direct, separate, reassemble them, and communicate to them all necessary movements.

They are, of all animals, the most stupid and devoid of resources. Goats, which resemble them in so many other respects, have much more sense. They know how to guide themselves, they avoid danger, and easily familiarize themselves with new objects; while the Sheep neither retreats nor advances, and although it stands in need of assistance, does not approach Man so willingly as the Goat, besides—a quality which, in animals, appears to indicate the last degree of timidity or of want of feeling—it allows its Lamb to be taken away without defending it, without anger or resistance, or even signifying its grief by a cry differing from its usual bleat.

Nevertheless, this creature, so helpless and so apathetic, is to mankind the most valuable of all animals, and of the most immediate and extensive use. Alone it suffices for his most pressing wants, furnishing both food and clothing, besides the various uses of the fat, milk, skin, entrails and bones. Nature has not bestowed anything upon the Sheep that does not serve for the advantage of the human race.

THE OX FAMILY.

This family is easily distinguished from the other groups of Hollow-horned Ruminants. It is composed of large, heavy animals, in which the skin of the neck is loose and hanging, forming a large fold called the dew-lap.

There are eight species found in this family—the American Buffalo or Bison, the Musk Ox, the Cape Buffalo, the European Bison or Auroch, the Yak, the Jungle Ox, the Common Buffalo of India, and the Common Ox, or the well known group including our domestic Cattle.

THE AMERICAN BUFFALO.

The American Buffalo, commonly known in other countries as the Bison, is a gigantic species which ranges over the temperate and northern provinces of the American continent. It is of thick-set shape, and carries its head low, on a level with its back, while its shoulders are high. Its head is short and large; its horns are small, lateral, far apart, black and rounded. Its head, neck, and shoulders are covered with thick, curly, dark brown hair. Its tail is short, and terminated by a tuft of long hair.

This immense animal inhabits all parts of North America, especially the plateaux on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. In the spring, herds of thousands of Buffaloes, crowded closely together, make their way up from the south to the north of these vast steppes; in the autumn they migrate again to the south. When the summer comes, these wild troops break up, and the Buffaloes separate into couples or small herds.

American Buffaloes are not ferocious in their nature; they seldom attack Man, but will defend themselves when wounded; they then become formidable adversaries, for their enormous heads, well furnished with horns, and their fore-feet, are terrible weapons. In their migrations, their numbers are so enormous, that as they advance everything that comes in their way is devastated.

THE MUSK OX.

The Musk Ox is much smaller than the Common Ox, and has somewhat the appearance of an enormous sheep. Its forehead is arched; its mouth small; its muzzle completely covered with hair; and its horns, which are very large, are closely united at the base, and bending downwards over the sides of its head, suddenly turn backwards and upwards at the tips. Its long and abundant coat is of a dark brown color. It exhales a strong odor of musk.

This animal, which is a combination of the Ox, Sheep, and Goat, inhabits North America below the polar circle, and lives in families of from ten to twenty individuals.

Notwithstanding its apparent heaviness, the Musk Ox climbs over rocks almost as nimbly as a Goat, and its speed across the rocky, rough, barren grounds, (its principal habitat) for an animal so clumsy, is truly astonishing.

THE EUROPEAN BUFFALO.

The European Buffalo, or Auroch, is, next to the Elephant, Rhinoceros and Giraffe, the largest terrestrial Mammals. It is nearly six feet high. Its horns are large, round and lateral, and its tail is long; the front of the body, as far as the shoulders, is covered with coarse, harsh, brown hair; the underneath part of its throat, down to its breast, is furnished with a long pendulous mane, and the rest of its body is covered with short black hair.

This animal is the Urus of the ancients. It formerly lived in all the marshy forests of temperate Europe, even in Great Britain. In the time of Caesar it was still to be found in Germany, but, from the increase of Man and his conquests, it has become more and more rare. At the present time it is only to be found in two provinces of Russia. Very severe orders have been issued by the Emperor of Russia to prevent the destruction of these animals, and not one can be killed without his permission.

THE CAPE BUFFALO.

The Cape Buffalo is distinguished by its large horns, from all the other species peculiar to the Old World, the flattened bases of which cover the top of its head like a helmet, only leaving a triangular space between them. The horns of this African Ruminant are black, while its coat is brown. It lives in numerous herds in the thickest forests of Southern Africa, from the northern limits of Cape Colony as far as Guinea.

When in the open country it is shy and cautious; but is formidable and aggressive when hunted in the woods which form its principal retreat. Buffalo hunting is one of the occupations of the natives of the south of Africa; and it is not unaccompanied by danger, for it often happens that the respective characters are inverted, and it is the Buffalo which chases the hunters.

THE YAK.

The Yak, or Horse-tailed Buffalo, has a large tuft of woolly hair on its head, and a sort of mane on its neck; the underneath part of its body, particularly around the legs, is covered with very bushy, long, pendent hair; its tail, which is entirely covered with hair, resembles that of a horse; while its voice is a low and monotonous sound, which becomes harsh and discordant when the animal is excited.

It is found undomesticated on the confines of Chinese Tartary. It is then wild, and dangerous; but when captured and broken in, it proves a useful servant to the inhabitants of Thibet and the north of China, who utilize it as we do our Cattle. Its milk is excellent; and its strength in carrying loads and dragging ploughs and conveyances extraordinary. But it is with difficulty they are tamed, for their disposition is always restless and wilful, and subject to fits of bad temper. Its flesh is highly esteemed, and coarse fabrics are made from its hair.

The tail of this Ruminant has long been valued in the East. Attached to the end of a lance, with the Mussulmen it is the insignia of the dignity of Pacha; and, the higher this dignity, the greater is the number of tails which the possessor of rank has a right to have carried before him. The Chinese also adorn themselves with the tail of the Yak, dyed red, by placing it in their caps. It is moreover employed as a switch for driving away flies.

THE JUNGLE OX.

The Jungle Ox very strongly resembles the Common Ox, but its horns are flattened from front to back, and tend outwards and upwards. These Oxen are reared in a domestic state in the mountainous countries of the northeast of India.

THE COMMON BUFFALO.

The Common Buffalo appears to be a native of the warm and damp parts of India and the neighboring isles, from whence it has spread into Persia, Arabia, the south of Africa, Greece and Italy. It is nearly the same size as an Ox. Its bulging forehead, which is longer than it is wide, bears two black horns, turned outwards. Its coat is coarse and scant, except on its throat and cheeks, and it has a very small dew-lap. It lives in numerous herds in marshy and low plains, where it delights in wallowing. It is of a wild and untractable disposition, particularly towards strangers; and, in order to make use even of those which are the tamest, the more perfectly to control them, a ring of iron is passed through their nostrils. In the cultivation of rice that cereal particularly requiring moist land—their services are most valuable, for their power of draught, even when immersed to the knees in mud, far exceeds all other animals in a similar situation.

The Arna, or Wild Buffalo, must be considered as a variety of this species. Its horns are very large, about five feet long, wrinkled on their concave side, and flat in front. It is principally found in Hindostan.

RUMINANTS WHICH SHED THEIR HORNS.

The distinctive characteristic of the animals of this group consists in the texture, shape and manner of growth of their frontal protuberances. These projections, which are called antlers, and not horns, are bony, solid, and more or less branching. They do not have the horny casing which exists in all Hollow-horned Ruminants. They fall off and are renewed at a certain period every year up to a certain age, and it is because of this peculiarity that these animals are known as Ruminants with deciduous horns.

In the full grown animal the antler is composed of a cylindrical or flattened stem, according to the genus, which is called the brow-antler, from which branch out at intervals slighter or shorter additions, called tines or branches. The base of the brow-antler is surrounded by a circle of small bony excrescences, which afford a passage to the blood vessels intended to provide for the growth of the antler; these are called burrs.

There are various terms used to indicate the growth of the antlers. In the first place, on the brow of the young animal, two small elevations or knobs are seen to make their appearance, above each of which there soon grows a projection of cartilage, which finally assumes a bony texture.

Until they become perfectly hard, these two early sprouts are protected from any external friction by a kind of velvety skin, which dries up as soon as the cartilage turns to bone.

The short horns which then adorn its brow take the name of dags. At the commencement of the third year the dags fall off, but soon after they are replaced by other and longer ones, which throw out their first tines; and from this time they are considered as entitled to the name of antler.

The falling off and periodical renewal of these bony projections is really a very curious phenomenon. It seems as if it ought to take several years for the horns to regain, as they do, equal or even larger dimensions than their predecessors; nevertheless, they shoot out all complete in the space of a few weeks. Still, the explanation of this fact is simple enough.

The skin which covers the base of the antlers of this animal is traversed by a large number of blood vessels, which supply the phosphate of lime necessary to solidify the bony parts. Up to the time when the antler has acquired the full growth which it is to attain in each year, this skin continues to receive the requisite flow of blood; it retains, in fact, its living action. But as soon as the growth is complete, and it becomes bony, the burrs increase in size, strangulate the vessels, and stop the flow of the alimentary fluid. This skin then withers and comes away from the antler, which, thus laid bare and no longer receiving nourishment, gradually wastes away or decays, and falls off at the end of a few months, again making its appearance in the approaching season.

Nearly all the members of this family are remarkable for the elegance of their shape, the dignity of their attitudes, the grace and vivacity of their movements, the slenderness of their limbs, and the sustained rapidity of their flight. They have a very short tail; moderately sized and pointed ears, and their eyes are clear and full of gentleness.

The coat of Ruminants which shed their horns is generally brown or fawn-colored. It is composed of short, close and brittle hair, which assumes a somewhat woolly nature in the inclement regions of the extreme north, more especially in the winter season.

These Ruminants live in small droves or herds in forests, on mountains or plains, and feed on leaves, buds, grass, moss, or the bark of trees, etc. They are distributed over all the surface of the globe, both in the hottest and coldest climates. The Reindeer and Elk are peculiar to the northern regions of both continents; but numerous species are, on the contrary, found in hot and temperate countries.

The family of Ruminants which shed their horns comprehends three genera—the Reindeer, the Elk, and the Deer proper—all differing in the shape and size of their antlers.

THE REINDEER.

The Reindeer is of about the size of the Red Deer, but its legs are shorter and thicker. The horns, which exist in both sexes, are divided into several branches; at first they are slender and pointed, but as they grow they extend, and ultimately terminate in broad and toothed palmations. The hair of this animal, which is brown in summer, becomes almost white as winter approaches—a circumstance which accounts for the idea among the ancients, that the “Tarandus” could assume any color it thought proper.

The Reindeer is met with only in the extreme north of Europe and of America. It is more especially a native of Lapland, where it is as serviceable to the sojourner in those icy regions as the Camel to the inhabitants of the sandy desert. The Laplanders keep numerous flocks of them, drive them in summer-time to the mountains of their country, and in winter cause them to return to the plains, where they use them as beasts of burden and of draught, eat their flesh, feed their children with their milk, and clothe themselves with their skins. “These useful animals,” says Mr. Lloyd, “not only mainly contribute to the subsistence, but constitute the chief riches of that nomade people. Without the Reindeer, indeed, the Lapp could hardly contrive to exist in the dreary region he inhabits, the needful provender being too scanty to admit of the well-being of other animals, such as Sheep and horned Cattle, which in more southern countries are made subservient to the purposes of Man.”

“A large herd of Reindeer,” says Lloyd in his Scandinavian Adventures, “traversing the open country or the surface of a frozen lake, as the case may be, when the Lapp is changing his encampment, is a very magnificent sight. In the front walks a Man leading a Reindeer, or perhaps the Man quite alone, who only now and then calls to the animals, which, at a few paces’ distance, faithfully follow where he leads.