THE MAHADEO HILLS. 109 



the fall of the rains has renewed the supply of water, and 

 freshened the grass in the higher hills, they retire again to 

 their favourite plateaux. At this season the cows begin to 

 calve, and separate a good deal, remaining for two or three 

 months secluded in some spot where grazing and water are 

 plentiful. The bulls and young cows are then often found 

 together in herds of six to ten, the oldest bulls, however, 

 always remaining alone. During the lulls in the monsoon 

 a species of gadfly appears in the jungles, which is exceed- 

 ingly troublesome to all animals. At such times the bison 

 seek the high open tops of the mountains ; and I have then 

 seen a solitary bull standing for hours like a statue on the top 

 of the highest peak in the Puchmurree range. 



Though at first sight a clumsy-looking animal, which is 

 chiefly due to his immensely massive dorsal ridge, the bison 

 is one of the best rock climbers among animals. His short 

 legs, and small game-like hoofs, the enormous power of the 

 muscles of the shoulder, with their high dorsal attachment, 

 and the preponderance of weight in the fore part of the body, 

 all eminently qualify him for the ascent of steep and rocky 

 hills. For rapid descent, however, they are not so well 

 adapted ; and I have known cases of their breaking a leg 

 when pushed to take rapidly a steep declivity ; a bull with 

 one foreleg broken is at once brought to a standstill. 



Terrible tales are told of the relentless ferocity of the bison 

 by the class of writers who aim rather at sensational descrip- 

 tion than at sober truth. I have myself always found them 

 to be extremely timid, and have never been charged by a 

 bison, though frequently in a position where any animal at all 

 ferocious would certainly have done so. In all my experience 

 I have only heard of one or two cases of charging which I 

 consider fully authentic, and in all these cases the animal had 



