re absent from Africa south of the
Sahara and well represented in South America, the Bovidae are unknown in
the latter area, but are extraordinarily abundant in Africa. Neither
group is represented in Australasia; Celebes being the eastern limit of
the _Bovidae_. The present family doubtless originated in the northern
half of the Old World, whence it effected an entrance by way of the
Bering Strait route into North America, where it has always been but
poorly represented in the matter of genera and species.

The _Bovidae_ are divided into a number of sections, or subfamilies,
each of which is briefly noticed in the present article, while fuller
mention of some of the more important representatives of these is made
in other articles.

The first section is that of the _Bovinae_, which includes buffaloes,
bison and oxen. The majority of these are large and heavily-built
ruminants, with horns present in both sexes, the muzzle broad, moist and
naked, the nostrils lateral, no face-glands, and a large dewlap often
developed in the males; while the tail is long and generally tufted,
although in one instance longhaired throughout. The horns are of nearly
equal size in both sexes, are placed on or near the vertex of the skull,
and may be either rounded or angulated, while their direction is more or
less outwards, with an upward direction near the tips, and conspicuous
knobs or ridges are never developed on their surface. The tall upper
molars have inner columns. The group is represented throughout the Old
World as far east as Celebes, and has one living North American
representative. All the species may be included in the genus _Bos_, with
several subgeneric divisions (see ANOA, AUROCHS, BANTIN, BISON, BUFFALO,
GAUR, GAYAL, OX and YAK).

The second group, or _Caprinae_, includes the sheep and goats, which are
smaller animals than most of the _Bovidae_, generally with horns in both
sexes, but those of the females small. In the males the horns are
usually compressed and triangular, with transverse ridges or knobs, and
either curving backwards or spiral. The muzzle is narrow and hairy; and
when face-glands are present these are small and insignificant; while
the tail is short and flattened. Unlike the _Bovinae_, there are
frequently glands in the feet; and the upper molar teeth differ from
those of that group in their narrower crowns, which lack a distinct
inner column. When a face-pit is present in the skull it is small. The
gen