The Nyl Gliau. 153 



wild state these animals are very ferocious, but they 

 may be domesticated, and in that condition give fre- 

 quent tokens of familiarity, and even of gratitude, to 

 those under whose care they are placed. The female, 

 or doe, is much smaller than the male, and of a yellowish 

 colour, by which she is easily distinguished from the 

 buck, who is of a grey tint. 



Its manner of righting is very peculiar, and is thus 

 described : Two of the males, at Lord Olive's, being 

 put into an enclosure, were observed, while they were 

 at some distance from each other, to prepare for the 

 attack, by falling down upon their knees; they then 

 shuffled towards each other, still keeping upon their 

 knees ; and, at the distance of a few yards, they made a 

 spring, and darted against each other with great force. 



The following anecdote will serve to show that these 

 animals are sometimes fierce and vicious, and not to be 

 depended upon : A labouring man, without knowing 

 that the animal was near him, went up to the outside of 

 the enclosure; the Nyl Ghau, with the quickness of 

 lightning, darted against the woodwork with such vio- 

 lence that he dashed it to pieces, and broke one of his 

 horns close to the root. The death of the animal soon 

 after was supposed to be owing to the injury he sustained 

 by the blow. 



The Nyl Ghau usually keeps closely concealed in the 

 jungle, but in the night or early morning it sometimes 

 passes into the open ground, to feed in the cornfields 

 belonging to the neighbouring villages. This is the 

 moment chosen by the natives to attack it. A platform 

 is erected near the spot the Nyl Ghau is known to 

 frequent, from which the hunters can take aim with 

 precision and safety. 



