natural history society of glasgow. 19 



March 29th, 1870. 



Professor John Young, M.D., F.G.S., President, in the chair. 



Mr James Lumsden and Mr David M. Lyle were elected resident 

 members. Mr James A. Mahony, Librarian, who was leaving 

 Glasgow to settle in Ireland, was elected a corresponding member. 



SPECIMENS exhibited. 



Mr Eobert Gray exhibited skulls of the male and female Gaur 

 or Indian Bison {Gavceus gaurus, Jerd.), which had been forwarded 

 by Capt. H. W. Feilden, 4th King's Own Royal Regiment, 

 corresponding member, Mr Edward R. Alston, F.Z.S., read the 

 subjoined remarks, j)repared by Capt. Feilden. 



In the introduction to Dr Jerdon's " Mammals of India," occurs 

 the following : — " The magnificent Gaur, the Bison of sportsmen, 

 abounds in the forests of Southern India, and extends more sparingly 

 into Central India, as well as to Burmah and the Malay peninsula." 

 This describes its habitat correctly and concisely. Sportsmen from 

 the Bengal Presidency do not talk much of the Gaur; being a wood- 

 land species, it is not found on the great plains of Bengal, Oude, 

 Rohilcund, and the Punjaub, though it is said by Hodgeson to 

 occur in the Terai, the jungle-belt that skirts the base of the 

 Himmalayas. It must be rare there, however, for I have hunted 

 in the Terai, and have never come across it. In the Bombay and 

 Madras Presidencies, sportsmen are well acquainted with the Gaur, 

 and from its exceeding shyness, esteem it highly as an object of 

 chase. When wounded it is sometimes exceedingly fierce and 

 dangerous, and requires all the skill and courage of the hunter 

 to destroy it. The great Wynaad forest — the favourite elephant 

 hunting-ground in the Madras Presidency — abounds with this 

 species, and Col. W. Campbell's interesting book of sporting 

 adventures in India contains most accurate descriptions of the 

 appearance, habits, and chase of the Gaur. 



I will quote Jerdon's description: — "The skull is massive, the 

 frontal large, deeply concave, surmounted by a large semi-cylindric 

 crest rising above the base of the horns. There are thirteen pairs 

 of ribs. The head is square, proportionally shorter than in the 

 Ox; the bony frontal ridge is five inches above the frontal plane. 

 The muzzle is large and full; the eyes small, with a full pupil of a 

 pale blue colour. The whole of the head in front of the eyes is 

 covered with a coat of close short hair of a light greyish-brown 



