The Arvada enterprise., 1913-01-23

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<csyc~a HE differentiation between these
two animals is a subject Of unusual
M interest to the sportsman natural
V J lst To trace the origin Of the
~ popular misconccption that the two
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ICI7-rYy-77T.1 names are synonymous, mistake
III ENklD \ to which even some Of our best.
lS#@ known sportsmcu of today must
III |YG0 Il | plead guilty. we. have to dive into
| T., NJ the not always limpd depths OF
N----O early mcdiacval history For the
event which has probably more to
do than any other with the promuIEation OF this
error was the famous hunt given by Charlemagnc
10 the ambassadors OF IIaroun-atashid in the
dank Hcrcyian woods that surrounded his hunt
ing lodge. Hcrisallum According to the original
account by the monk Egiuhard OF st. Gall. the
aurochs of such terrorinstiIng appearance
70 the men from the east that they could not
even bear the sight of them and fed from the
cmpcrors side. The latter. attacked by the lcrc
est Of these monsters. missed the vital spot
with the result that before brave Isambart could
Buy II the emperor was slightly wounded in tn"
thigh and had bis neither garment torn into
shrcd3 Rushing to his side the assembled cour-
tiers offered TO divert themselves Of their own
hose but the emperor lnughugly rejected their
offers, declaring that he intended to show him
Who was great huutress herself Needless to
say this adventure proved medieval scoop"
OF the gaudiest kind. but in the of uu-
numbered retcllings the auroChs became a wi
sent. called the European bison and since
that time a perplcNiug confusion has reigncd be-
tween these two animals That the true aurochs
which became extinct three hundred years ago
entirely different animal from the bison
whose name, alas is also ON the list Of animals
about to share the aurochs fate. is now a fact
known to all scientific men. To the writer the
poor old bsons pathetic fate appeals more par
riculary, for when shooting in the Rockies In
the seventies Of last century he still them in
herds OF ten thousand But the men who can
claim to have seen the same marvellous sight
will before long follow these lordly inhabitants
uf the wilds to the happy hunting grounds the
study of the past history Of these two spccics
has for some people unusual attractions. And
not the least interesting phase of it is the col
leCtinE of pictures made at a time when both
beasts still roaming over the wastes o;
the earth" or had but recently disappeared
or the earliest of all pictures OF what was prob
ably meant to be the bison. an interesting arti.
Gle which recently appeared in an illustrated week
ly in which the roof pictures in the Altamira
Cave were reproduced. gave one capital idea
After gap of untold centuries We reach the
various pictorial records left to us by the CHS.
els. Eravers or brushes OF the classic ages.
Among those who have made important dscoy.
cries respecting the distribution Of the aurochs,
2ooIogst occupies prominent place. His dis
cuveries in the ruins OF the ancient palace OF
King Minos In Crete OF fewer than sixteen
hurn-cores and one skull OF what uuqucstiouHbly
was tho original wild OK Of Europe or aurochs.
show that 1t lived there at one period, and that
the famous legend OF the minotaur has sub
stratum OF truth. From his pages we borrow
Illustration Of an important frosco in knossos de-
piCtinE auroChs In the act OF impulnE a help
lcssoolinE victim. while n bold bullnghtor IS
actually turning a sOmcrsault over the back OF
the beast n third possibly female lookcrou at
tempting to seize the bulls tail, the scene being
probably enacted in arena. It is possible that
the Thcspus story came from the slaughter Of
yautIyes in such exhibitions. Several other pic.
lures have been recently discovered which be
long to tho Miuos period g. e.. between 1000 and
1900 r. G. Professor Kellcr's highly instructive
writings contain many other illustrations OF Bos
prlmifcnius
skipping tens OF centuries. we reach the Hcs
ttaros the most ancient OF which originated iu
the period touched at the outset when speak.
ing OF Charlcmagno's aurochs-hunt These oN.
credinEly primitive pictorial records do not add
much to our information, the choice hurts one"
ms Germans describe that state OF uncertainty in
regard to what the mUuastlc artists meant to
represent by their crude attempts. Skipping a
few more centuries, we at last reach. In the be-
ginning Of the fifteenth century fairly intelligent
accounts OF the animals habitat and are fur
utshed with drawings presenting features sun.
,lautly distinct to Indicate even to eyes accus.
toned to Photographic accuracy, the identity OF
the animal the picture means TO represent
Very curious is the circumstance to which.
by the way, nobody has so far drawn attention,
that none OF the French sporting books OF the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries such as Roy
Modus." Castor Phoebus," "Gace de Ia BuIgne
and "FontaincsGuern." mentions either the