TSAINE 447 



Head of Tsaine or Burmese Bantin. From a specimen shot by 

 Lieut.-Col. H. D'U. Keary. 



The BANTIN or TSAINE (Bos [Bibos] sondaicus). 



The third and last member of the gaur group departs less widely 

 from the type of the common ox than do the two others, the ridge on 

 the withers being less developed, and the horns almost cylindrical. 

 The cows, too, are always reddish coloured, although the bulls may be 

 black, and in the latter sex at least there is always a large white patch 

 on the rump. Very distinctive of the species is the presence of a 

 horny shield on the crown of the head connecting the bases of the 

 horns. Height at shoulder about 5 feet 9 inches. 



Distribution. Burma, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Java, Bali, and 

 perhaps Sumatra. At least two distinct races of the bantin are 

 distinguishable. First, the true bantin, or Java ox (Bos sondaicus 

 typicus\ from Java, and perhaps some of the other Malay islands 

 and the Peninsula. In this race the old bulls become of a deep 

 blackish-brown colour. The same tint is characteristic of the old 

 male bantin in Borneo, but the horns are directed more uprightly. 

 The second well-defined race is the tsaine (B. sondaicus birmanicu$\ 

 which inhabits Burma, and may extend northwards to Manipur. 

 Old bulls generally retain the fawn-colour of the cows throughout 



