Indian Buffalo Shooting. 135 



native, who, thinking his enemy killed, was hurrying 

 up to insult and vilify the slain. I bid the man not 

 to move, but he replied " Murgya" (He is dead), and 

 ran forward. He got close up to the beast and* com- 

 menced to spit upon it, when up jumped the bull, and 

 before I could fire he had rolled over the native, and, 

 kneeling down, he began pounding the man into the 

 soft ground so as to almost bury him, and then 

 fell dead. I went back and related what had 

 occurred. The body was recovered and taken to the 

 Assistant Commissioner, before whom a complaint was 

 lodged that I had caused the man's death and heavy 

 damages were demanded. After my explanation I 

 never heard anything more of the matter, so I presume 

 the case was dismissed. 



GAUR, FAMILIARLY CALLED BISON SHOOTING. 



The gaur is a noble animal to look at. It is 

 widely distributed throughout our Eastern posses- 

 sions, but has been extinct in Ceylon for a consider- 

 able time I may say. beyond the memory of man. 

 It is found in Travancore, in all the Western Ghauts, 

 in most of the hilly ranges in Southern, Eastern and 

 Central India, and in Assam, but nowhere does it 

 grow to the size it does in Burma, unless it be in the 

 Mishmi Hills, from whence I have had brought down 

 some very fine heads. There is only one species of 

 the Bos gaur us or Gaveus gaurus, but two distinct 

 varieties, which may be due to climatic causes, to 

 superabundance of food, or diversity of external 

 influences ; but there is no doubt that the two 

 varieties exist, and a comparison of the skulls in the 



