26 LARGE GAME. CHAP. i. 



an ineffectual struggle to rise, and then I went up closer 

 and closer, until I could see the back of its head, and 

 shot it through that part into the brain. On examining 

 it I found a deep hole in the upper part of its chest, and 

 on the ground there was such a pool of blood as showed 

 that one of the great arteries had been severed. It was 

 otherwise slightly scarred on the neck, but there was no 

 other wound of importance, though I believe that this one 

 was sufficient in itself to have caused death. When it 

 was afterwards cut up I noticed a slight discoloration of 

 the brain, but my last bullet was sufficient to account for 

 that. 



Fights of this description, though probably not un- 

 usual, are rarely witnessed, and I should judge that any 

 fatal results from them were most uncommon. The horn 

 of the buffalo is not suited from its curve for stabbing, and 

 unless their skull gets injured in their furious onsets, as I 

 have heard of its doing, no very severe wounds are likely 

 to be effected. I also believe that had the older bull been 

 conquered, or, perhaps, after being conquered on several 

 similar occasions, that he would have become an outcast 

 from the herd, and would have joined the ranks of " soli- 

 tary " or " rogue " bulls ; and it is probable that this is 

 the case with all those species of large game amongst 

 which we find similar exiles. 



These animals breed during summer, and most of the 

 young calves are running by their mother's sides at the 

 end of February. I have never heard of twins at a birth, 

 though as in most points they closely resemble domesti- 

 cated cattle, I can see no reason to doubt it. For about 

 ten days after the young calf s birth, the mother separates 



