heir full stature until after the sixth year, and
live till between thirty and forty.

"The strength of the Zubr," says Dr. Weissenborn, "is enormous; and
trees of five or six inches diameter cannot withstand the thrusts of old
bulls. It is neither afraid of wolf nor bear, and assails its enemies
both with its horns and hoofs. An old Zubr is a match for four wolves;
packs of the latter animal, however, sometimes hunt down even old bulls
when alone; but a herd of Zubrs has nothing to fear from any rapacious
animal.

"Notwithstanding the great bulk of its body, the Zubr can run very
swiftly. In galloping, its hoofs are raised above its head, which it
carries very low. The animal has, however, but little bottom, and seldom
runs farther than one or two English miles. It swims well, and is very
fond of bathing.

"The zubr is generally exceedingly shy, and avoids the approach of man.
They can only be approached from the leeward, as their smell is
extremely acute. But when accidentally and suddenly fallen in with, they
will passionately assail the intruder. In such fits of passion the
animal thrusts out its tongue repeatedly, lashes its sides with its
tail, and the reddened and sparkling eyes project from their sockets,
and roll furiously. Such is their innate wildness, that none of them
have been completely tamed. When taken young they become, it is true,
accustomed to their keepers, but the approach of other persons renders
them furious; and even their keepers must be careful always to wear the
same sort of dress when going near them. Their great antipathy to the
Bos Taurus, which they either avoid or kill, would render their
domestication, if it were practicable, but little desirable. The
experiments made with a view of obtaining a mixed breed from the Zubr
and Bos Taurus have all failed, and are now strictly prohibited."

The rutting season is in August, and continues for about a fortnight;
the calves are produced in May; thus, the period of gestation is between
nine and ten months. The calves continue to suckle nearly twelve months,
and the cows seldom calve oftener than once in three years.

The European Bison differs internally from the common ox in having
fourteen pairs of ribs, whereas the common ox has but thirteen. The
external differences between the two animals are too obvious to require
pointing out.

In 1845, the Emperor of Russia presented to the British Museum a very
fine stuffed specimen of this animal