OF THE INDIAN WILD OXEN. [ 40]

THe horns of the Oxen of the Garamantons do grow downewards to∣ward the earth,* and therefore when they feede they bow the hinder part of the necke, (as Solinus writeth) and as we haue spoken before in the diuersities of wilde Oxen. The woods also in India are filled with wild Oxen. In the prouince of India where the Gymnits inhabit, are great multitudes of Oxen which liue in the forrests or woods. In the kingdomes which are vpon the borders or Confins of India,* (in the mid of the day) are many faire and great Oxen which liue in the woods. There are Mountains in the in most regions of India, which are very hard to come [ 50] vnto, where they say liue those beasts wilde, which are among vs domesticall and tame, as sheepe,* Goates, Oxen, and so forth. The great King of India doth elect or choose a day euery yeare for the runnings and combats of men, and also fightings of beastes, who set∣ting their hornes one against another, do fight irefully with admirable rage, vntill they o∣uercome their aduersaries. They do also labour, and striue withall their nerues and sin∣newes, euen as if they were champions, or fought for some great reward, or should get honor by their battell.

Page  725Wilde bulles, tame Rams, Asses with one horne, Hyaenaes, and lastly Elephantes, as if they were capable of reason, they wound them among themselues, and the one doth of∣tentimes ouercome and kill the other, and sometimes fall downe togither being both wounded. I haue also recited before in another place of the intreaty of Oxen, those Indi∣an Oxen which are said to be most swift in their ioynts in running too and fro, when they are at combate, because there we had not distinguished whether these were wild Oxen or not: but it doth appeare in this place, that they are wholy taken for wilde Oxen: and the thing it selfe doth manifest that domesticall Oxen are not so swift nor so strong.

The Oxen in India haue altogether whole hoofes, and also but one horne. Aethiopia al∣so doth breede Indian Oxen, that is to say, Oxen that are like to those of India,* for some [ 10] haue but one horn, & othersome 3. Solinus saith, that there are found in India some Oxen which haue but one horn, & othersome which haue 3. horns with whole hoofs, & not clo∣uen. The Indian Oxen are said to bee as high as a Cammell, and their horne foure foote broad. Ptolomaeus doth report, that he saw a horne of an Indian Oxe which did hold in the bredth of it thirty gallons.

There are also Oxen which are bred in India, which in greatnes are no bigger then a Bucke, or Goat, they do run yoaked together very swift, nor do end their race with lesse speed then the Goat-land horses, and I did not take them to be Oxen liuing in the woods, for our Rangifer and Oxen which liue in the woods, are the swiftest of al beasts in this kind,* and most apt to combats and runnings, and they may partly be called Oxen hauing one horne, and partly Oxen hauing three hornes, neither are they found in Scandinauia, but [ 20] also in other Regions and Dominions of Asia, as we beleeue that Indian Oxen are of the same kind. Solinus doth not rightly cal those Indian Oxen, which Aelianus calleth Aethio∣picos, as I haue declared aboue in the storie of the Aethiopian Oxen, for their hornes are moouable. Ctesias doth write, that there are sprung vp among the same beasts, that beast which is called Mantichora: which is manifested by Aristotle in his Historie of Foure-foo∣ted beasts. Hermolaus also and others haue not considered this error. Among the Aracho∣tans there are Oxen which liue in the woodes, which do differ from those that are bred in the Citty, as much as wilde swine from tame. Their colour is blacke, bending a litle down∣wards, and their hornes broad and vpright. There is a Citty in India called Arachotus, ta∣king the name from the riuer Arachotus, which do flow out of Causacus, what those beasts [ 30] are which bend their hornes vpward, I haue declared in the story of the Bison, for as there may be spoken something concerning the difference of the plantes of the woods, so also concerning the beasts that are bred in the Citty, and those that are bred in the woods.