1 82 



TYPES OF ANIMAL LIFE 



The true buffaloes come very near the bison in form 

 and structure, but they have more or less flattened horns, 

 which incline upward and backward, the tips curving 

 inward. The Indian buffalo has been domesticated in 

 Egypt and southern Europe. The wild animal is a huge 

 beast with enormous horns, and frequents swampy, moist 

 districts. There are two African species, and a small 

 kind, known as the anoa, is found in Celebes. Three 



FIG. 46. 



THE CAFE BUFFALO. 



other kinds of large, ruminating animals lead from the 

 bisons and buffaloes to the true oxen. These are the 

 gaur, the gayal, and the banteng. The gaur is the 

 largest, being fully six feet high at the withers. It is 

 found in all the large Indian forests south of the Hima- 

 layas, and is known to sportsmen as the Indian bison. 

 It is very shy, and has never been domesticated. The 

 gayal has not yet been found wild, though semi-domesti- 

 cated individuals are to be met with here and there. Its 

 light-coloured legs, which look as if the animal had on 

 white stockings, give the creature a very singular appear- 



