The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-01-24

E..a u..~J the not always limpid depths OF
- early medieval history For the
event which has probably more to
do than any other with the PRONUNCIATION OF this
error was the famous hunt given by Charlemagne
to the ambassadors of Haroun-alRashid IN the
dank Hercyian woods that surrounded his hunt
ing lodge Heristallum. According to the original
account by the monk Eginhard of st. Gall, the
aurochs were of such terror-instilling appearance
to the men from the east that they could not
even bear the sight of them, and fed from the
emperor's side. The latter, attacked by the ferc-
est of these monsters, missed the vital spot,
with the result that before brave Isambart could
STAY It the emperor slightly wounded in the
thigh and had his neither garment torn into
shreds. Rushing to his side, the assembled cour-
tiers offered to divert themselves Of their
hose, but the emperor laughingly rejected their
Offers declaring that he intended to show him
self In his sorry plight to the fair Hildegarde,
who was a great huntress herself. Needless to
say this adventure proved a medieval scoop"
of the gaudiest kind, but in the of
numbered retellings the aurochs became a wi
sent as called the European bison, and since
that time a perplexing confusion has reigned be-
tween these two animals. That the true aurochs
which became extinct three hundred years ago,
was an entirely different animal from the bson
whose name alas! is also the list of animals
about to share the aurochs fate, is fact
known to all scientific men. To the writer the
poor old bison's pathetic fate appeals par
the seventies of last century he still them in
herds of ten thousand. But the men who can
claim to have the marvellous sight
will before long follow these lordly inhabitants
Of the wilds to the happy hunting grounds, the
study of the past history of these two species
has for people unusual attractions. And
not the least interesting phase OF it is the col
ecting Of pictures made at time when both
beasts still roaming the wastes of
the EARTH or had but recently disappeared
OF the earliest of all pictures of what was prob
ably meant to be the bison. an interesting arti-
Gle which recently appeared in illustrated week
ly, in which the roof pictures in the Atamira
Cave were reproduced, ave one capital idea.
After a gap of untold centuries reach the
various pictorial records left to by the CHS
els gravers or brushes of the classic ages.
Among those who have made important discov
cries respecting the distribution of the aurochs,
Professor Conrad Keller the well-known Zurich
zoologist, occupies a prominent place His dis
eoveries in the ruins Of the ancient palace of
King Minos in Crete of no fewer than sixteen
horn-cores and one skull of what unquestionably
the original wild Of Europe aurochs
show that 1t lived there at period, and that
the famous legend of the minotaur has sub
stratum of truth. From his pages we borrow an
Illustration of an important fresco in Knossos de-
picting aurochs in the act of impaing help
lesslooking victim, while bold bullfghter is
actually turning somersaut the back of
the beast, third possibly female, looker-on at
tempting to seize the bulls tail. the scene being
probably enacted in 1t is possible that
the Theseus story came from the slaughter Of
captives in such exhibitions. Several other pic
lures have been recently discovered which be-
long to the Minos period, l. e. between 1000 and
1900 B. c. Professor Kellers highly instructive
writings contain many other illustrations of Bos
primfenius
Skipping tens of centuries reach the Bes
tiaTies, the most ancient Of which originated in
the period we touched at the outset when speak
ing of Charlemagnes aurochs hunt These
eeedingly primitive pictorial records do not add
much to our information; 4-the choice hurts one
as Germans describe that state OF uncertainty in
regard to what the monastic artists meant to
represent by their crude attempts Skipping
few more centuries. at last reach in the be-
ginning of the fifteenth century fairly intelligent
accounts of the animals habitat, and are fur
nished with drawings presenting features suff-
GENTLY distinct TO indicate. even TO eyes accus-
toned to Photographic accuracy, the identity of
the animal the picture means 10 represent
Very curious Is the circumstance, to which,
by the way nobody has so far drawn attention,
that of the French sporting books of the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, such as Roy
Modus," Castor Phoebus "Gace de la Buigne
and FontainesGuerin" mentions either the