187 



INDIAN WILD CATTLE: THE TSINE AND THE GAUR 

 (MISCALLED BISON), 



Yery little is known of the Tsine (Bos sand-aictis), and any detailed account 

 of it must be interesting to all zoologists. The account given by naturalists 

 of the Indian wild cattle is very meagre, for very few of them have been 

 personally acquainted with these beasts in their wild state. I have no preten- 

 sions to be considered a scientific naturalist, for I know nothing vi anatomy, 

 and very little on the subject of species, genera, &c. But I have observed to 

 ihe best of my opportunities, and havinw been a fairly successful sportsman, 

 I trust I may be excused for otifering the following observations. Tsine are 

 certainly kittle cattle. During thirteen years' wanderings in Burma I only suc- 

 ceeded in killing three bulls and two cows, and four of them only just before 

 I left India. I agree with Dr. Wood's description and remarks, with the 

 •exception that I never saw the warts he mentions, and that those killed by me 

 had the whitish rings round the eyes. Can there be two varieties ? Mine were 

 shot at the foot of the Yomas on the Sittang side. The bulla also were of a 

 •deep red, but I have seen them in the distance almost as dark as a middle-aged 

 gaur {Bos gaurus), that is coffee-coloured, but never could get at them ; nor 

 did I notice the "thickened portion of skin devoid of hair and of a gre_\ish- 

 black colour, the general surface smooth, but in patches Very warty, like the 

 skin of a rhinoceros." Could this have been caused by the animal rubbing 

 bis forehead to get rid of parasites, as all sambur have in May a bare spot 

 about the size of a shilling on the neck, caused, the Burmese said, by their 

 rubbing it on fallen trunks to rid themselves of parasitic pests. There is 

 a dorsal ridge of course as in the other wild cattle, but not nearly sa 

 pronounced as in the gaur or gayal and not more than in the wild buffalo. 

 Mr. Carter, a well-l<nown naturalist and sportsman ('* om«othbore"" of Tltt 

 Field) wrote as fallows : — 



•' Colonel Pollok when referring to the tsine says that it has a slight dew- 

 Jap, which is not always apparent''; whilst Jerdon, writing of the same animal- 

 says " it resembles the gaur more than the gayal, and it wants the dewlap." 



I do not think Jerdon had ever seen a tsine. I can ^ee no resemblance 

 between a tsine and a gaur, but a very great one, especially at a distance 

 between the gaur and the.gayiil, I am glad to see that the doctor says the 

 bull he shot had a slight dewlap, about three inches in its greatest breadth. 

 But whilst his bulls were wanting in the white patches on the buttocks, 

 anine had them very distinctly. The bulls are certainly savage, and attacc 

 most pluckily after being wounded, at least mine did. The first and only 

 tone I shot for years was in company with Captain Hill (now Governor of 

 H.M.'s Jail, Manchester), and he came at us with a will, but had no chance 

 as Hill used a breech-loading rifle of mine, and I had two heavy two-grooved 

 No, ly bore riHcs by Joseph Lang. 



