THE COW: A Natural and Cultural History

Visitors to France who drive through Normandy may feel the countryside is similar to what they left behind on the other side of the Channel, but one big difference is the cows. French cows look different from British ones, and this fascinating book opens up the world of 40 different breeds of cow, fully described in a gazetteer at the end of the book. The prehistoric paintings at the Lascaux caves in the Dordogne feature the cow's ancestor, the Auroch. Although the last Auroch died in 1627 in Poland, their descendants are seen in 75 breeds of Indian zebu cattle, which have a high tolerance of heat, drought and sunlight. Environmental issues are key to current discussions of the future of cattle. Cows are essential to most economies as a source of food, whether dairy produce or meat. The author is a professor of developmental genetics and notes that cows have been discovered to produce more milk to the accompaniment of slow music - not fast - and also to the sound of Shakespeare being read. She moves from the history to the biology of the cow, with detailed diagrams and photos on milk production, cud-chewing, the digestive system, and the hoof. She then covers breeding and farming, with discussions of controversial issues such as vaccination and antibiotics, survival and diversity. Finally the gazetteer introduces us first to the dairy breeds, including those gentle Normandy cows, possibly descended from Viking predecessors and producing tender meat as well as the famous Camembert cheese. The Belarus Red is a breed we are less likely to meet, and as you would expect, its milk yields vary with the quality of the feed. Further afield, the Sahiwal of Pakistan is a zebu breed, bony-looking with a prominent thoracic hump, and strong enough to pull carts. 224pp, glossary, colour photos.
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