SLADANG. 89 



height that is impressive. The fore-legs are short, 

 and the body comes down to within two feet of 

 the ground ; at the shoulder, therefore, the sladang 

 presents an expanse whose breadth and depth are 

 most imposing, and suggestive of enormous weight 

 and power. A big bull will weigh nearly a ton. 

 The "ridg" to which Knox refers, runs from the 

 point of the shoulder half-way down its back, where, 

 with a sudden drop of about three or four inches, it 

 disappears : it is caused by the elongation of the 

 vertebrae above the spine, and, unless the eye can 

 take in the noble girth of the animal, is apt to 

 give it a somewhat " humped-up " appearance. Ex- 

 cept on its forehead and below its knees, the colour 

 of a bull sladang is a rich black, the hair being 

 fine and sleek, and so short that the hide shows 

 through it. The legs have cream-coloured stockings, 

 which well set off the prevailing black. The hooves 

 are fine and neatly shaped, and very small in pro- 

 portion to the size of the heavy animal they have 

 to carry much smaller than the splayed-out hooves 

 of the buffalo, which is a far smaller animal. The 

 head is very broad, the distance between the eyes 

 being exceptionally wide, and the muzzle is very 

 square. The forehead rises between the horns into 

 a high arched ridge, that gives the animal a peculiar 

 look of lofty dignity, and this frontlet is covered 

 with short, crisp curls of ashy-grey hair. Lower 

 on the forehead the hair gets shorter, and at the 

 level of the eyes gradually shades into the glossy 

 black of the rest of the body. 



But it is in the massive girth and shapely curve 



