34 ARKIV FÖR ZOOLOGI. BAND 8. NIO 23. 



from that town. This »species» should not be very shy and 

 sometimes seen in herds especially when the rainy season 

 began and the animals were descending from the adjacent 

 hill forests to the open grass plains. However, the name of 

 »red cattle» has perhaps to be referred to the cows which 

 at least in Bos banteng birmanicus always are of a bright 

 reddish chestnut at all ages, while the colour of adult bulls 

 is dark tawny or dark chestnut. 



45. Bos bubalus L. — I do not believe that really wild 

 water-buffaloes are to be found any more in Siarn. However, 

 there are sometimes water-buffaloes which are nearly wild. 

 Such animals have once been domesticated, but by some 

 reason they have escaped from captivity and after a few 

 years liberty they behave like real wild animals. 



His Royal Highness Prince William of Sweden shot 

 during his stay in Siarn a rather fine water-buffalo North of 

 the small town of Muang Pimai on the Korat plateau. This 

 buffalo was called a »wild» one, but all the natives I ques- 

 tioned about the occurrence of really wild water-buffaloes 

 never knew anything about them. They always answered 

 that some buffaloes escape from the domesticated herds and 

 then they are called »paa», that is wild in English. Such 

 animals are much dreaded by the natives on account of the 

 damage they do in the herds of domesticated water-buffaloes. 

 I once heard about such a »wild» bull having mingled in a 

 herd. Tt at once killed the leading bull, badly damaged a 

 younger one, and then it disappeared followed by all the 

 cows. 



Even the tame water-buffaloes are rather dangereous 

 for Europeans, which I once experienced when I had rather 

 a narrow escape from a charging bull. To the natives they 

 are on the contrary very seldom dangerous, and big herds 

 are tended by small children, but as soon as the animals 

 get wind of a foreigner they at once begin to be uneasy and 

 now and then they even charge. Especially the old bulls are 

 very fierce. Water-buffaloes are of a great use to the Sia- 

 mese who particularly use them for ploughing the paddy- 

 fields. The natives do the ploughing in such a manner that 

 the buffaloes are allowed to feed on the watery fields where 

 they by their great weight make the earth ready for sowing. 



