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0161 Explorations in Turkestan : Expedition of 1904 : vol.2
Explorations in Turkestan : Expedition of 1904 : vol.2 / Page 161 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000178
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CAVICORNIA.

359

CAVICORNIA.

BOVINA.

(Plates 73 and 74; plate 78, figs. 1-4, and 7; plate 81, fig. 1; plate 83, fig. i;
plate 85; text-fig. 49o.)

Bos namadicus Falconer & Cautley (Bos macroceros Duerst) or the Asiatic form of the urus (Bos primi-genius Bojanus).

The remains of this bovid are also not very complete, but next to those of the sheep and the fox they are certainly the best of the bone fragments. They at least answer the requirements for the exact determination of the species present and are sufficient for the reconstruction of the skeletons. Among the 68 fragments of parts of the skull, trunk and extremity bones, the most remarkable pieces are two proximal ends of the radius with the corresponding olecranon of the ulna, Nos. 13 to 18. Both bones show old fractures, about ro cm. below the articulations, and the ulna, No. 13, has distinct traces of gnawing, probably by human teeth. The dimensions of these bone fragments compared with the homogeneous bones of other animals are given (in mill:meters) in the following table of dimensions :

*David, A., Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Abstammung des Hausrinds. Landw. Jahrbuch der Schweiz Bern, 1897, p. 134.

It is easy to observe that the dimensions of the subfossil bones from Anau greatly exceed those of the corresponding bones of one of the greatest modern horses and closely approach the bones of Bos primigenius of the ancient European culture-strata. It is not probable, considering the remains we find in the later periods of the kurgan, that the first inhabitants of Anau hunted. a gigantic wild horse or had a horse of the size of a Clydesdale or a Percheron; and there can be no doubt that the bones mentioned belonged. to a large bovine animal. Another extremity bone, a metacarpus medius, No. I2I, confirms this conclusion. Marked

Radius.   Ulna.

Width Diam-

of   : eter of
proxi- proxi-

mal   mal

end.   end.

Width
of
mid-
dle.

Diam- eter of

mid-

dle.

Length
of ole-
cranon.

Least width of oleeranon.

Height of sigmoid fossa.

North Kurgan, Anau (-24 feet   Ior

t — 20 feet   96

Dos primigenius .! after David*    99

t after Rütimeyer    103

Egyptian Apis, Paris Mus    89

Bubalus arnee, No. 6707, Paris Mus    78

Equus caballus (Clydesdale) ..    92

51   33

52   33

48

40

43

48

49

30

28

20

22

64

84

4

45 5o

53

Metacarpus.

North Kurgan, Anau, — 20 feet   

Bos primigenius, after Tscherski    

Egyptian Apis, Paris Mus   

Bubalus arnee, No. 6707, Paris Mus   

Bos taurus, Paris Mus.   

Bubales bainii, Ambolisatra   

Width of distal end.

7o

76.5 7o

67

68

92

36

37

37 34 42 45

Diameter of
distal end.

Width of middle.

Diameter of middle.

37 5I

38

35

4

62

26

35

27

23

32

36

140?

146

I 52

130