192 JOrRNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Yol. X/T. 



a domestic cow ns a companion, so that, if lie approved of her, she might be 

 let into the stockade. 



" He took to his new quarters very kindly, and soon got to know that grass 

 was left for him at the inner gate of the shed. In a short time it was found 

 that he liked having his nose and head rubbed, and licked the clothes of the 

 person who rubbed him. Betook salt from the hand, but did cot at first 

 seem to care about it, probably because it was not mixed with earth as in salt 

 licks which he was accustomed to, spitting it out if he got too much in his 

 mouth at one time. After two months he became quite tame, and permitted 

 his captor to come into the enclosure, not even moving if he happened to be 

 lying down. After the third month he began to shed his hair, and liked it 

 rubbed off with a wisp of grass, allowing the operator to sit on him whilst 

 cleaning him ; but he did not like his hind legs or tail to be touched, kicking 

 out as if he were tickled when this was done. 



"After four months a domestic cow was put into the shed, and the two 

 ate from the same bundle of grass, oue on the outside and the other from the 

 inside of the shed. When the cow was let into the stockade, neither of the 

 animals took any notice of the other, so the cow was taken out. Although 

 so tame with a European, the praur would never allow a native to come near 

 him ; and it was unsafe to be in the enclosure if a native came anywhere near^ 

 as the bull would jump up, snort, and rush about the place in a very excited 

 manner. The cost of bringing grass for him (of which he ate 2 cwt. per diem) 

 was so considerable that it was thought advisable to put a ring through his 

 nose and have him led out to graze with the domestic cattle. A rope was tied 

 round his horns, and his head securely fastened between two bars of the 

 stockade ; it would then have been easy to ring his nose from the outside, and 

 it is a thousand pities that this was not done. His terror was however so 

 great that the attempt was given up for that day, and it was settled to postpone 

 the operation until he had become accustomed to have his head tied up. Alas ! 

 as will be seen, the glorious golden opportunity was lost in this wise : — 



" It will be remembered that there was a shed in one corner of the stock- 

 ade built with a view of introducing a domestic cow to bear the gaur com- 

 pany. In this shed was kept guinea-grass to be given to him in the mornings. 

 One night however he thought he would prefer having this grass, of which he 

 was inordinately fond, without waiting for daybreak. lie managed to push 

 aside one of the sliding bars of the gate, break a lower one down, and raise 

 the top bar sufficiently for himself to get through. He ate the bundle of 

 o-uinea-gtass, and when this was finished he repeated the performance with 

 the outer bars of the shed and walked out to freedom. We are all wise after 

 the event; but it was great carelessness in not pinning the bars as is done in- 

 all well-managed stables in India. If this plan had been adopted, this m-ngni- 

 ficent animal, 18 hands 1^ in fair vertical height, might by this time be 

 enriching the 'Zoo,' where nothing but a miserable two-year old calf has 

 ever been exhibited." 



