“The South African oxen are not only used for teaming purposes like oxen in other parts of the world, but they are excellent for carrying burdens on their backs. African hunters tell how they have used oxen in this way. Andersson, a famous hunter in South Africa, had an ox that he rode more than two thousand miles, and for ordinary traveling preferred him to a horse. When it came to pursuing wild animals, and especially to escape from a furious elephant or lion, he found a great advantage in the superior speed of the horse. His plan was to ride the ox while traveling and reserve his horse for hunting expeditions.
“There are many varieties of bovidae,” said Mr. Graham, “as this family is called, and these varieties have certain subdivisions. The most remarkable are the American bison, commonly called the buffalo, the European bison or aurochs, the yak of Tartary, and the musk ox of the extreme parts of North America. The greatest intelligence of the bovine family is displayed by the wild animals, for the reason that they have been obliged to depend entirely on themselves, while the domestic species have the protection and care of their owners on whom they rely. A domestic ox or cow, when in trouble, will seek the aid of his master when it is possible to do so.
“I was reading not long ago,” said Harry, “of a cow that came from the pasture one afternoon, and called the attention of some of the men about the place in a way which told very plainly that help was wanted. She repeatedly tried to induce somebody to follow her; when she finally succeeded she trotted off and led the way to a clump of trees, where another cow had become entangled in such a manner that she could not free herself without assistance. When the prisoner was liberated both she and the cow that had gone for help fairly danced about the man, and showed in every way in their power how grateful they were to him. They licked his hands with their rough tongues, caressed him with their noses, and when he returned to the barn they trotted along, one on each side of him until he reached the gate. Then they went back to to pasture and resumed their grazing.”
“Many stories of the same kind have been told about domestic cattle, all of them showing the reliance that these good-natured animals place upon man.
The time when they were first domesticated is unknown; the Egyptians had their herds of oxen and cows, and some naturalists think the ox was a domestic animal while the dog and cat were still in a wild state, in other words it was the earliest animal which submitted to the control of man. Centuries of domestication have made him the patient and gentle animal that he is, but he retains enough of his original instincts to be made wild again without much difficulty. A herd of cattle turned loose and allowed to run free for a single season are half wild at the end of it, and very difficult to manage. A few seasons make them fully so, and the calves that grow to maturity without any association with man seem to have lost everything that came from centuries of domestic ancestors. The wild cattle of South America are descended from tame ones and the same may be said of wild cattle in most parts of the world.”
George asked if the buffalo of America was anything like that of the old world. He said he had read about the differences between them but couldn't remember what they were.
“The name of buffalo,” said Mr. Graham, “is improperly applied to the bison, whose scientific name is Bison Americanus. The American bison is rapidly becoming extinct, and it is quite probable that there will not be one of these animals alive at the end of the present century. Fifty years ago there were countless millions of these animals, and as recently as twenty-five years ago vast herds of them roamed the western prairies from Texas to the Saskatchewan.