Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/403

392 universal fly-flapper  in  the  great  houses  of  the Lower Himalaya,  in  China,  and  in  India  itself.

A wild race  still  exists; it  is  so  large  that there is  a saying  in  the  mountains  that  the  liver  of a wild  yak  is  a load  for  the  tame. Certain it  is, that the  skins  brought  home  by  Colonel  Charlton, one of  which  is  in  the  Crystal#  Palace,  bespeak a noble animal,  not  of  the  gigantic  stature  of of  the  Gour  and  Gayal,  of  the  Arnee,  or  the  Cape Buffalo, but  a fine  sporting-looking  beast,  with every indication  of  pace  and  power. Even the domestic animal,  when  free  in  the  mountain  pastures of  Jura,  is  full  of  fire,  his  eye  flashing,  his head high  in  the  air,  his  tail  thrown  forward over his  back  or  carried  aloft  like  a standard with the  long  silky  hair  depending; galloping  with high horse-like  action; and,  when  excited  by rivalry,  charging  his  antagonist  with  the  velocity of an  avalanche.

The native  region  of  the  yak  is  the  northern side of  the  Himalaya,  from  Ladak,  through  Thibet, to  northern  China; on  the  south-side  of  the range he  does  not  come  lower  than  10,000  feet, and has  been  seen  as  high  upas  16,000,  where  the

pasture is  necessarily  of  the  scantiest. His hardy nature suffices  itself  with  the  fare  of  a goat. The wild yak  is  of  a beautiful  dark  ruddy  brown,  passing into  black; the  long  silky  fringe  which  ornaments his  flank  almost  touching  the  ground, reminds one  of  the  Musk-ox,  his  congener  in  the Arctic circle.

The yak  was  known  to  the  ancients. Ælian speaks of  him,  calls  him  Poephagus: Marco  Polo knew him  in  1275: and  then  there  is  a long  in- terval of silence  until  we  come  to  Pallas  and Gmelin in  the  last  century.

And what  is  a yak? The woodcut  explains  his outward form  to  a certain  extent. You will observe that  he  is  a species  of  cattle,  not  an  artificial  breed,  but  a well-defined  species; domesticated  indeed,  but  derived  from  the  existing  wild animal which  is  still  hunted  on  the  northern  slopes of the  Himalaya. Poephagus grunniens, the Grunting Ox,  because  his  voice  is  the  voice  of  a hog — a peculiarity  which  the  domestic  race  have preserved to  perfection. He delights  in  many names, he  is  called  the  Sarlyk,  the  Svora  Goy,  and the Chauri  Gun,  as  well  as  Yak,  and  the  cross- bred offspring  of  yak  and  zebu  is  called  the  Dzo. Mr. Brian  Hodgson,  who  from  his  long  residence in Nepaul  had  unparalleled  opportunities  of  collecting  information  about  the  natural  history  of the  mountains,  asserts  that  the  yak  inhabits  all the loftiest  plateaux  of  High  Asia,  between  the Altai and  the  Himalaya,  the  Beelut  Jag,  and  the Peling Mountains.

The form  of  the  yak  is  horse-like  in  the  contour of  the  withers  and  back,  which,  combined with the  short  and  well-compacted  loins,  adapt him in  a singular  manner  for  the  saddle. The setting on  of  his  tail  is  peculiarly  equine,  and when in  moderate  action  he  carries  it  with  the  gay and jaunty  air  of  an  Arab  courser. Great depth of chest,  short  muscular  legs,  well-knit  thighs,