The Animal World, A Book of Natural History: Young Folks' Treasury (Volume V)Wood, Theodore
General
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History: Young Folks' Treasury (Volume V)
Wood, Theodore
Animals -- Juvenile literature
This animal lives in reedy swamps, and is generally found in herds,
which often number from 250 to 300 individuals. They are very wary, and
difficult to approach, while they are so swift of foot that only a very
fast horse can escape from them when carrying a rider on its back. In
charging they throw their heads back, with the horns upon the shoulders,
and then suddenly bend down and strike upward when they come within
reach.
The buffalo does not usually attack unless it is wounded, however,
though solitaries will often lie in concealment and rush out upon the
hunter as he passes by.
THE INDIAN BUFFALO
There is another kind of buffalo found in India, which is a very
different animal in every way. It is different in appearance, for it has
its head drawn out into a kind of muzzle, while its horns are very long
indeed, and taper gradually from base to tip, at the same time curving
outward and upward and backward. And it is different in disposition,
because it is easily tamed, and is employed in many parts of India as a
beast of draught and burden. You might see buffaloes drawing a plow, for
example, or dragging a cart, and for these and similar purposes they
have been introduced into Egypt, and even into Southern Europe. The wild
bulls, however, are apt to be very savage when they live alone. But a
herd of buffaloes, strange to say, though they will gallop up close, and
toss their heads, and behave in a most threatening manner, seem never to
actually attack a man so long as he has the courage to stand perfectly
still.
THE MUSK-OX
Though it is called an ox, and looks like an ox, this animal is in
reality much more closely related to the sheep. It is of about the size
of a rather large ram, but looks much bigger than it really is, owing to
the great masses of long hair, which cover the whole of its body, and
hang down so far that one can scarcely see its legs at all. It is even
more hairy than the yak.
The horns of the male animal are very curiously formed, for they are so
broad and flat at the base that they form a kind of helmet, which covers
almost the whole of the forehead. They then droop downward on either
side of the face, but curve upward and outward at the tips. Those of the
cow, however, are very much smaller.
The musk-ox lives in the most northerly parts of North America. It is
perfectly at home amid the snow and ice, and lives in the wildest and
dreariest regions, in which the ground scarcely thaws during the whole
of the year; so that the life of those who hunt it is a very hard one.
But, as a rule, its only enemies are the arctic wolves, which drive it
to bay on some rocky mountain slope, and tear it to the ground by the
mere force of numbers.
The name of this animal is due to the musky flavor of its flesh, which
is said to be very tender and delicate.
SHEEP
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