Idiom question

[Natalie Maynor]

Andrea said:

> Interesting.  One of the few cases where the female term is the generic...

My students and I were discussing this just a few days ago, wondering
why we tend to use the female term as generic for one of a group of
bovines while using the male term for one of a group of canines.  I
suggested that it might be because we see far more cows than bulls.  In
driving along a highway looking out at a pasture full of cattle, how
many bulls do you see?
   --Natalie Maynor (maynor at ra.msstate.edu)