MANUAL OF THE NILAGIKI DISTRICT. 155 



I would refer my readers to Temient's cliarraing- " Natural History CITAP. vni, 

 of Ceylon/' to which I have been indebted for some of the facts PART I. 

 already given. Zo^ogy. 



Deer. — Both the Samlirr and Spofted Beer frequent the ' ] 

 Nilagiris, but are getting scarce and shy owing to the constant 

 persecution to which they are subjected by men, who, being on the 

 hills and with nothing else to do, go out to shoot. The Eib-faced 

 or Barhlnq Deer receives the latter name from its peculiar call, 

 ■which somewhat resembles a bark. Its face is marked with two 

 long converging furrows, and it has large canines in the upper 

 jaw, with which it wounds dogs when brought to bay. It is not 

 gregarious, but leads a lonely life in remote jungle and is rather 

 timid. Its horns are small with one snag, and its general color 

 a bright rufous bay. The mouse-deer is also found in dense 

 forest on the lower slopes. 



The Nilagiri Wild Goat, the Ihex of sportsmen, is now — The Nfla- 

 becoming rather scarce on the hills, and so wary that it is nearly ^^^''^^ [^^^^ 

 impossible to get near it. It is quite peculiar to Southern India, 

 being found only on the Nilagiris and other portions of the 

 Western Ghdts south of that range. The male, vs^hen full grown, 

 is of a dark brownish color, with a pale saddle and stiff mane. 

 The horns ai-e short, curved, keeled internally, and closely ringed 

 externally. The Nilagiri wild goat frequents the ledges of 

 precipices and other difficult rocky retreats. It is gregarious 

 and extremely wary. Ou the slightest alarm the herd melt away 

 as if by magic, disappearing amongst the rocks. The Tehr or 

 wild goat of the Himalayas belongs to the same genus. 



Both the ibex and other game animals, at one time plentiful 

 on the hills, are being fast exterminated, there being no close 

 season. Bucks in soft-horn and does with young are wantonly 

 shot down; and if measures be not adopted to protect the animals 

 during the breeding season, there will not, in a few years, be one 

 left on any part of the range. 



A Bill has recently been introduced into the Legislative 

 Council to secure protection for both game and fish, indigenous 

 or introduced, on the Nilagiris. 



The Gaur or Bison of the sportsman frequents the dense moist —Bison, 

 jungles of the western slopes of the Nilagiris. It has a very 

 wide geographical distribution, being found wherever there is 

 sufficient cover all along the Western Ghdts, in the Pulni Hills, 

 and in the remote ranges of the Northern Circars. It also 

 occurs in Central India, the Terai and in Burmah. It is a very 

 timid animal, and when alarmed the whole herd dashes into the 

 forest regardless of every obstacle. It is also very wary, but 

 when wounded a bull bison will often charge with great ferocity. 



