MISCELLANIES. 



6'£g 



off from the sliorc, and the 

 buffaloes driven into the water, 

 along- with it ; these thongs, or 

 rattans, keeping- their noses 

 above water, and assisting them 

 in swimming, until they gain the 

 opposite shoi'e, vuiless seized on 

 their pass;ige by the alligator. 



The buffidoe often becomes a 

 most dangerous animal when en- 

 raged by the heat of the sun, or 

 any other cause. At these pe- 

 riods the animal rushes furiously 

 upon any thing in its way, and 

 dashes into the houses, u])setting 

 and breaking through all obstruc- 

 tions ; as it is possessed of great 

 niuscular strength, and runs about 

 with impetuous velocity, there is 

 no mode of subduing it, but by 

 killing the animal with spears or 

 shot. 



A large one lately made a des- 

 perate sally through George- 

 town, while the gentlemen of the 

 settlement fired on him in all di- 

 rections, from their verendahs; 

 at length he rushed through the 

 governor's kitchen, upsetting the 

 cook and all his utensils ; but 

 what was still worse, a ball from 

 a rifie, aimed at the furious buf- 

 falo, unfortunately struck the 

 poor harmless cook ; and between 

 the fright occasioned by t!ie ani- 

 mal, and the idea of being sliot to 

 boot, he very nearly died. 



As these creatures have very 

 little hair on their bodies, they 

 are utterly unable to bear the 

 scorching rays of the sun to- 

 wards mid-day : at these times, 

 therefore, they betake themselves 

 to eveiy j)ool and puddle in the 

 neighbourhood, rolling them- 

 selves in the nuid, and then lying 

 with their nostrils just above wa- 

 ter, until the fervency of the at- 



mosphere has somewhat abated. 

 On coming out fiom tlieir cool re- 

 treats, they are the most uncouth 

 and disgustingobjects imaginable, 

 having a coat of clay an inch or 

 two in thickness, which, in a few 

 minutes, is hardened by the sun 

 into a crust that defends their 

 hides from his powerful rays du- 

 ring the remainder of the day. 



iliey are the only animals used 

 in labour ; theii' flesh is tolerably 

 good, and an excrescence that 

 grows on the top of their shoul- 

 ders called a hump, when salted 

 and well preserved (especially ia 

 Bengal), is esteemed excellent 

 eating; in short, it is the most 

 useful animal in India. 



Alligators are very common 

 round the shores of this island, 

 rendering it very unsafe to bathe 

 on any part of the coast. Snakes 

 of an immense size have likewise 

 been found here by the early 

 settlers, hut are now very rare. 

 Eandicotes (a species of laige rat) 

 are extremely numerous on the 

 island, and do a great deal of 

 miscliief, as does likewise the 

 white ant. It is astonishing what 

 effects these very small insects 

 are capable of producing ; they 

 will destroy the interior parts of 

 tlie beams and rafters in houses ; 

 leaving a thin external shell of 

 solid wood, that completely de- 

 ceives the eye, and lulls into a 

 fiilse security the imsuspecting 

 lodger, who frequently sees with 

 astonishment the whole fabric 

 come tumbling to the ground 

 without any api)arent cause, oi 

 j)erhaps is himself involved in its 

 ruins ! 



AV'hen these dangerous insects 

 find iheir way on board shijis it 

 becomes a very serious concern ; 



as 



