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 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, 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 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.