34 MAMMALIA. 
Horns, single horn. India. 
Horns, single horn. India. 
Horns, single horn. Nepal. Presented by B. H. Hodgson, 
Esq. 
DRAWINGS. 
Bos Gour, Hardwicke, Icon. ined. B. M. 10,974. t. 107. 
The Gours inhabit the primitive forests of India, under the 
great ranges of mountains; they rut in winter, procreate in au- 
tumn, producing one ata birth. The herds are ordinarily rather 
numerous, twenty, thirty, forty, and sometimes even double that 
number being found together; but in the breeding season not 
above ten or fifteen cows, with a smgle mature, vigorous bull, 
who jealously expels every young or old male from his harem. 
They entirely avoid the open Tarai on the one hand, and the hill 
on the other, adhering to the most solitary part of the Saul 
forest, close to and between the salient spurs of the hills, where 
the periodical firmg of the undergrowth of the forest never 
reaches. They feed early and late in the more open glades of 
the forest, posting sentinels the while, and manifesting in their 
whole demeanour a degree of shyness unparalleled among the 
Bovines. They never venture even in the rains, when there 
is abundance of rank vegetation to cover their approaches, mto 
the open Tarai, to depredate on the crops, as the Wild Buffaloes 
constantly do; nor do they ever associate or have sexual com- 
merce with the tame cattle, though immense numbers of the | 
latter every spring are driven into their retreats, to feed and re- 
main there in a half-wild condition for three or four months, 
when the Wild Buffaloes frequently have sexual intercourse with 
the tame ones of their kind, of which likewise vast numbers are 
despatched there. 
Old males of the Gour are often found solitary, wandermg m 
the forests they frequent, especially im winter; but these have 
probably been recently expelled the herd by their more vigorous 
juniors, and reunite themselves with some herd after the season 
of love and contention has passed. 
It is exceedingly difficult to rear the Gour in confinement. 
Nor did I ever know a successful experiment, though the attempt 
has been for fifty years constantly made by the Court of Nepal, 
which finds no difficulty in rearmg Wild Buffaloes and causing 
them to breed in confinement with the domestic species, which is 
thus greatly improved in size and other qualities. 
The Gours are exceedingly shy, and when approached they 
retreat as long as they can; but if compelled to stand and de- 
fend themselves, they do so with a courage and determimation 
not to be surpassed. ’ 
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