Oxen
ture and direction of the horns between the aurochs on the One hand,
and the Celtic short-horn and park-cattle on the other. When, however,
we admit—as we must— that both the two latter (in common with other
European cattle) are the ultimate, i f not the proximate, descendants of the
former, this is really begging the whole question. Apart from this, every
breeder knows how easily the form of the horns of cattle is altered ; and
the more upward direction of the horns of the Chillingham Park cattle,
as compared with those^of the aurochs, is quite what might be expected to
occur when the massive horns of the original wild race became lightened
by partial or complete domestication.
That a certain similarity in the direction of their cranial appendages
is sufficient to indicate that the Chillingham cattle are wholly derived
from an Italian breed introduced into Britain by the Roman invaders, does
not appear a warrantable supposition, although it is -quite possible that
some Italian cattle may have been imported to improve the original British
breed. In Scotland and the north of England there is not the decisive
evidence that the aurochs wasj:xterminated at such an early date as in the
south, and it has yet to be demonstrated -that the park-breeds are hot the
immediate descendants of a partially domesticated race of the- former.
With regard to the Celtic short-horn, all the available evidence points to
the conclusion that it belongs to a thoroughly domesticated race derived
from the wild aurochs at a very remote epoch. Indeed, the occurrence of
remains of an apparently similar breed in the prehistoric lake-dwellings of
Switzerland suggests that the breed may have been established prior to the
separation of Britain from the Continent.
2. T he N a r b a d a O x -—Bos n am a d ic u s (Extinct)
Bos namadicus, Falconer, Cat. Foss. Vert. As. Soc. Bengal\ p. 232 (1859),
Pa l. Mem. vol. i. p. 280, pi. xxii, (1868) ; Lydekker, P al. Ind. (Mem. Geol.
Zebu l 9
Sum. Ind.), seif 10, vol. i. p. 95, pi. xi. (1878), Cat. Foss. Mamm. Brit. Mus.
pt. ii.p . 22 (i88!j) j Riitimeyer, Abh. schweiz. pal. Ges. vol. v. p. 176 (1878).
Bm(Urus) namadicus, Falconer, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xxi. p. 381
(1865).
Characters.—Typically very closely allied to the European wild ox, of
which Riitimeyer suggested it w s p l l y ajtpcal race, but in some instances
the horn-cores more or less flattened at the base, and thus approximating to
the bibpyine type. From this feature I was formerly led to hazard the
conjecture that the Narbada ox was the ancesto||jJ|the latter group, but it
is extremely doubtful whether such a view can be maintained, although
there is probably a near relationship between the two.
Distribution.— Southern India during the Plistocene epoch. Remains
of this species have been found in association with chipped stone implements.
The dying out of this taurine ox and its replacement by the
bibovine group would appear jjlmost extraordinary feature, were it not
for the circumstance that the latter appears to be represented in the
Narbada depdriHHI
3. T he Z e bu Ikor H um p ed Q x S B os in d icu s '
Bos indicus, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 99 (1766) 5 Blanford,
Fauna Brit. Ind.—Mamm. p. 483 (1891).
Bos pusiA Swainsonj Classif. Quadrupeds, p. 283 ('1835).
Bos dank, Gray, Cat. Ungulata Brit. Mus. p. 2 2^ 18 52 ), Cat. Ruminants
Brit. Mus. p. 9 (1872).
Zebus gibbosus, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, vol. xxix. p. 282
(i860).
Bibos indicus, Riitimeyer, Denkschr. schweiz. Ges. v:oI. xxii. art. 3, p. 170
(1867),. Abh. schweiz. pal. Ges. vol. v. p. 189 (1878).
Bos zfbu, Blanford, Zool. Abyssinia, p. 277 (1870).