The Nilgai, or Blue Bull 



the front curve, and 9^ inches in basal girth. They 

 were lost during the Mutiny. 



The range of the nilgai includes a large portion of 

 peninsular India, from the foot of the Himalaya to the 

 south of Mysore, in Madras, but excluding Assam, 

 Eastern Bengal, and apparendy the Malabar coast. 

 The animal is particularly common in many parts of 



Fig. 26. — A Female Nilgai, from a photograph by the Duchess of Bedford. 



the Punjab, such as the neighbourhood of Jhelam, 

 Guzerat, and the North-West and Central Provinces. 

 In Ceylon, as already said, it is unknown, as it is in 

 the countries to the eastward of the Bay of Bengal ; 

 so that it may be regarded as a characteristic Indian 

 animal. 



Like so many of the larger Bovid^^ old bull nilgai 

 generally prefer a solitary existence for the greater part 

 of the year, although they occasionally collect in parties, 



167 



