. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. THE BOVID^, OR HOLLOW-HORXED RUMINANTS. In these ruminating animals the permanent bone-cones on the forehead are covered with a black horny coating, which is not shed during the whole life of their owners, and in which, as they continue to grow until adult life at least, the tips are the oldest parts. The females in some species have horns like theii- mates, but smaller, as in the Ox and Eland; while in others—the Koodoo and the Sing-Sing Antelope, for example—the males alone are horned. The most aberrant members of this gi-oup are the Gii
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. THE BOVID^, OR HOLLOW-HORXED RUMINANTS. In these ruminating animals the permanent bone-cones on the forehead are covered with a black horny coating, which is not shed during the whole life of their owners, and in which, as they continue to grow until adult life at least, the tips are the oldest parts. The females in some species have horns like theii- mates, but smaller, as in the Ox and Eland; while in others—the Koodoo and the Sing-Sing Antelope, for example—the males alone are horned. The most aberrant members of this gi-oup are the Gii;affe, the Cabrit, and the Musk, which will be considered after the less. MERINO SHEEl". [leculiar genei-a have been discussed. These include the Oxen, Bush-Bucks, Antelopes, Koodoos, Goats, Sheep, ifec, which will be referred to more in detail. THE SHEEP AND GOATS.* Between the bearded Goat and the beardless Sheep there exist intermediate species, which so completely fill up the gaps that it is almost impossible to separate the two into different genera. With triangidar, curved, and transversely-ridged horns in both sexes, a chai-acteristic general appear- ance, and feet fonned for mountain climbing, the species present differences which are recognised with facility. With reference to the domestic Skeep, it is the opinion of most naturalists that it has descended from several distinct species. "Abel was a keeper of Sheep," is a Biblical .statement from which the immense antiquity of a domestic breed may be infeiTed, whose origin cannot be better studied than by a comparison of the different foi-ms foimd wild in Asia, the head-q\iarters of the genus. That no Sheep existed in Australia when that continent was first discovered i,s a well-known fact. * The menus Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly rese
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