Gayal 35 



from a missionary, M. Barbe {"Joiirn. As. Soc. Bciiga/^ vol. xxix. p. 294). 

 This would explain the old accounts of Mr. M'Rae and the recent one 

 by Mr. Baker, both of which have every appearance of authenticity." 



The domesticated herds ot gayal enjoy a large amount of liberty, 

 roaming and feeding at will during the daytime through the torest, and 

 returning at nightfall of their own accord to the villages of their owners. 

 They never appear to be used either as beasts of burden or tor draught ; 

 and their main use seems to be for food. It has indeed been stated that 

 they are also milked, but as the majority at least of the Indo-Chinese tribes 

 by whom these animals are kept are not milk-drinkers, this seems more 

 than doubtful. 



Gayal breed freely with the Indian humped cattle, and in the London 

 Zoological Gardens a hybrid between a bull of the latter and a cow gayal 

 proved fertile. The pedigree of the product of the pair, crossed with a 

 male American bison, is as follows : — 



Bull Zebu — Cow Gayal. 



y/. Hybrid Cow — Bull Bison. 



B. Hybrid Cow— Bull Bison. 



C. Hybrid Cow. 



The hybrid cow B. was thus the product of three perfectly distinct 

 species ; so distinct, indeed, that they are regarded by many writers as 

 representing as many genera. And yet the animal was perfectly fertile. 

 As might have been anticipated from the preponderance ot bison blood, 

 the hybrid C. had lost almost all traces of the characters of the original 

 parents, and become practically indistinguishable from its sire. 



