C in a Nutshell

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects.

The animal on the cover of C in a Nutshell is a cow, in the broad sense that it is a member of the domesticated species generally known as Western or European cattle (Bos taurus). In cattle terminology, the word “cow” refers to an adult female (or more specifically, a female who has given birth), as opposed to a heifer (young female), steer (castrated male), or bull (intact male).

All domesticated cattle evolved from aurochs, ancient long-horned oxen that stood six feet at the shoulder and had roughly half the mass of a rhinoceros. The head of an aurochs (the term is both singular and plural) is currently featured on the Romanian coat of arms and the Moldovan flag, tracing back to the royal standard adopted in 1359 by Bogdan I, founder of the Romanian principality of Bogdania (later renamed Moldova). Full-body profiles of the animal survive in Paleolithic European cave paintings, and animated renderings can be found in video games; aurochs have been objects of fear and worship in a number of societies through the ages.

Aurochs are believed to have originated in India some two million years ago; over time, they spread to neighboring continents and split into at least three genetically distinct groups, which were domesticated independently. ...