Game Animals of India, etc. 



With a peculiarly long and pointed head, the nilgai has 

 the fore-legs considerably longer than the hind pair ; 

 and it is largely owing to this feature that it has such 

 an ungainly and clumsy appearance. Although the 

 neck is ornamented with a mane in both sexes, it is 

 only the bulls that develop a tuft of hair on the throat. 

 The ears are of moderate size, and pointed ; there are 

 glands of small size below the full ox-like eyes ; the 

 narrow and delicate muzzle is naked and moist ; and 

 the tail, which reaches about to the hocks, is tufted ^ 

 with long hairs in its terminal half. The hair of the 

 body is short and somewhat wiry ; and it does not 

 appear that the winter coat is appreciably longer than 

 that of summer. Neither does there seem to be that 

 change in colour between the winter and summer coats 

 so conspicuous in most deer. 



The general colour of a full-grown blue bull is dark 

 speckled grey, more or less distinctly tinged with either 

 blue or brown ; the mane and other tufts of long hair 

 are, however, deep glossy black ; and streaks and 

 patches on the ears and face, a gorget on the throat, a 

 narrow streak on each buttock, as well as a ring above 

 and below each fetlock, together with the under surface 

 of the body and tail, are white. The terminal half of 

 the outer surface of each ear, as well as two spots in 

 the interior of the same, are black, as are the horns. 

 In young bulls and cows at all ages the grey of the 

 adult bulls is replaced by rufous brown, A large bull 

 nilgai stands from 13 to 14 hands (4 feet 4 inches to 

 4 feet 8 inches) at the withers, which are relatively 

 high. Average horns measure about 8 inches along 

 the curve in front, but Mr. Rowland Ward records six 

 specimens exceeding 9 inches in length, the largest (in 

 the possession of Sir E. G. Loder) measuring 9^ inches 

 in length and J^ inches in circumference. These 

 dimensions are, however, exceeded by the horns of a 

 bull killed by Mr. A. O. Hume in the Aligarh district 

 in the year 1855, which measured ii;| inches along 



166 



