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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
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BOOK I.
MARCO POLO
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humped or Indian ox in books of Zoology, was taken by Buffon from the exhibitors of such a beast at a French Fair, who probably invented it. That the humped breeds of oxen existed in this part of Asia in ancient times is shown by sculptures at
f; Kouyunjik. (See cut below.)
A letter from Agassiz, printed in the Proc. As. Soc. Bengal 0865), refers to wild
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iw .. zebus," 1 calls the species a small one. T1- - -- is no ---.1_7 LC --eL__ " and ..----- of
the breeds are of enormous size.
[ " White oxen, with short thick horns and a round hump between the shoulders,
are now very rare between Kermán and Bender 'Abbás. They are, however, still to
be found towards Belúchistán and Mekrán, and they kneel to be loaded like camels. The sheep which I saw had fine large tails ; I did not, however, hear of any having so high a weight as thirty pounds." (Houtum-Schindler, l.c. p. 493.)—H. C.]
The fat-tailed sheep is well known in many parts of Asia and part of Africa. It is mentioned by Ctesias, and by 2Elian, ho says the shepherds used to extract the tallow from the live animal, sewing up the tail again ; exactly the same story is told by the Chinese Pliny, Ma Twan-lin. Marco's statements as to size do not surpass those of the admirable Kämpfer : " In size they so much surpass the common sheep that it is not unusual to see them as tall as a donkey, whilst all are much more than three feet ; and as to the tail I shall not exceed the truth, though I may exceed belief, if I say that it sometimes reaches 4o lbs. in weight." Captain Hutton was assured by an Afghan sheep-master that tails had occurred in his flocks weighing 12 Tabriz mans, upwards of 76 lbs. ! The Afghans use the fat as an aperient, swallowing a dose of 4 to 6 lbs ! Captain Hutton's friend testified that trucks to bear the sheep-tails were
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Humped Oxen from the Assyrian Sculptures at Koyunjik.
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sometimes used among the Taimúnis (north of Herat). This may help to locate that
ancient and slippery story. Josafat Barbaro says he had seen the thing, but is vague
as to place. (/Elian Nat. .-1 n. III. 3, IV. 32 ; zl moeiz. Exoticae ; Terrier, H. of Afghans, p. 294 ; f A. S. B. XV. 16o.)
[ Rabelais says (Bk. I. ch. xvi.) : " Si de ce vous efmerveillez, efmerveillez vous d'advantage de la queue des béliers de la Scythie, qui pesait plus de trente livres; et des moutons de Surie, esquels fault (si Tenaud, dict vray) affuster une charrette au
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cul, pour la porter tant qu'elle est longue et pesante." (See G. Capus, travers le roy.
Tamerlan, 2 ~ -2 on the fat sheep.)—H. C. '•
pp. 3, p. )— C.] .>` ,
NO'l'F 3.—The word rendered banditti is in Pauthier Carans, in G. Text Caraunes, in the Latin " a scaranis c't malandrinls." The last is no doubt
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