622 THE BUFFALO. 
The BUFFALO is spread over a very wide range of country, being found in Southern 
Europe, North Africa, India, and a few other localities. 
This animal is subject to considerable modifications in external aspect, according to 
the climate or the particular locality in which it resides, and has in consequence been 
mentioned under very different names. In all cases the wild animals are larger and more 
powerful than their domesticated relations, and in many instances the slightly different 
shape, and greater or lesser length of the horns, or the skin denuded of hairs, have been 
considered as sufficient evidences of separate species. 
In India, the long; smooth-horned variety chiefly prevails, and is found in tolerable 
profusion. This animal frequents wet and marshy localities, being sometimes called the 
Water Buffalo on account of its aquatic predilections. It is a most fierce and dangerous 
animal, savage to a marvellous degree, and not hesitating to charge any animal that may 
arouse its ready ire. An angry Buffalo has been known to attack a tolerably-sized 
elephant, and by a vigorous charge in the ribs to prostrate its huge foe. Even the tiger is 
found to quail before the Buffalo, and displays the greatest uneasiness in its presence. 
The Buffalo, indeed, seems to be animated by a rancorous hatred towards the tiger, 
and if it should come inadvertently on one of the brindled objects of its hate, will at once 
rush forward to the attack. Taking advantage of this peculiarity, the native princes are 
in the habit of amusing themselves with combats between tigers and trained Buffaloes. 
The arena is always prepared by the erection of a lofty and strongly-built palisade, 
composed of bamboos set perpendicularly, and bound together wpon the outside. The 
object of this contrivance is, that the surface of the bamboo is so hard and slippery, that 
the tiger’s claws can find no hold in case of an attempted escape. 
The tiger is first turned into the arena, and generally slinks round its cirewmference, 
seeking for a mode of escape, and ever and anon looking up to the spectators, who are 
placed in galleries that overlook the scene of combat. When the tiger has crept to a safe 
distance from the door, the Buffalo is admitted, and on perceiving the scent of the tiger, 
it immediately becomes excited, its hairs bristle up, its eyes begin to flash, and it seeks on 
every side for the foe. As soon as it catches a glance of its enemy it lowers its head towards 
the ground, so that the tips of its horns are only a few inches above the earth, and its nose 
lies between its fore- legs, and plunges forward at the shrinking tiger. Were the latter 
animal to dare the brunt of the Buffalo’s charge, the first attack would probably be the 
last ; but as the tiger is continually shifting its position, the force of the onset is greatly 
diminished by the curve in the Buffalo’s course. 
As a general rule the Buffalo comes off the victor, for even when the tiger has gained 
an advantage, he does not follow it up with sufficient celerity, but permits his antagonist 
to regain his lost breath. The Buffalo, on the contrary, allows the tiger no breathing time, 
but continues his rapid charges without cessation, until he forces the tiger off his ground, 
and then with a rapid spring impales the foe on his horns. “Jungla,” however, the 
celebrated fighting tiger, whose portrait may be seen on page 161, was invariably the 
conqueror in these combats, as he never tried to escape from the Buffalo, or to struggle 
with it, but quietly awaited its onset, and then, leaping nimbly aside from the deadly 
horns, dealt such a tremendous blow on the Buftalo’s head with his herculean paw that 
he laid his antagonist dead on the ground. 
It is generally supposed that the wild Buffaloes will destroy any tigers that may 
happen to approach their herds too closely. A wild adult male Buffalo, or Arnee as it is 
also called, is one of the largest of the Ox tribe, measuring no less than ten feet six 
inches from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail, and from six feet to six feet six 
inches in height at the shoulders. So confident are even the tiger-dreading herd-keepers 
of the prowess of their tamed animals, that they will ride them in search of pasture even 
when they know tigers to be in the near vicinity. One of these herds chanced to come 
across the spot where a tiger had been recently shot, and on perceiving the scent of the 
blood, they became powerfully excited, bellowed furiously, and at last charged in a body 
directly into a neighbouring covert, crushing everything that impeded their progress. 
The Arnee lives in large herds, arranged after the manner of all bovine animals, the 
females and young being always placed in the safest spots, while the males post themselves 
