Habits of the Buffalo. 169 



clad, for the lighter one is, the quicker he can move, and 

 heavy boots, leggings, and coats are not wanted at this 

 work. 



A buffalo's speed is astonishing considering his bulk r 

 and it is quite impossible to judge pace by watching 

 retreating animals at a distance. Once a buffalo gets hold 

 of a man he is usually marked for life, if he has not the 

 misfortune (or perhaps the fortune) to be killed at once. 

 It is almost impossible to brain an oncoming buffalo, so his 

 chest is the only mark to shoot at ; and buffaloes have been 

 known to be hit in the heart and yet have enough tenacity 

 of life to travel a long way before dropping. Again, I may 

 mention that a buffalo moves with his head up and nose 

 straight out, and only dips his horns when within striking 

 distance, and then the thing he strikes is usually deeply 

 marked, for they are possessed of tremendous strength 

 in their necks. 



Buffaloes drink every day and they love to wallow in 

 mud and water, so they often present a reddish colour. 

 I once saw three buffaloes almost white, as they had been 

 wallowing in some slaty white soil. 



The cows have poor trophies compared to the bulls, and 

 they are not nearly so difficult to kill, and the same applies 

 to cow elephants. Buffaloes wander a good deal, and 

 personally I have found that they take longer to get up to 

 than is usually the case with elephants. 



If much harried they become most wary, and travel along 

 distance before stopping to rest, and the old solitary bulls 

 do this more than herds. However, a single bull is much 

 easier to approach closely than a herd, as he is often 

 dull of sight and hearing. In a herd comprising many 

 younger animals there are always plenty of eyes and ears 

 on the alert for danger. Herd animals never travel so lar 

 as single animals, for the cows and young animals make 

 the herd lag and lie up quicker. 



Young buffaloes are of a brownish colour, and when old 

 become a slaty black, while some of the older animals may 

 be almost hairless on their bodies. Their hoofs are nice 



