DISTINGUISHING BULLS FROM COWS 347 



criminate betwixt the two. It is harder still to obtain a 

 clear shot, as not only in the majority of cases has the bullet 

 to penetrate many small intervening twigs, which are apt to 

 turn it from its course, but the gloom is also so great in many 

 parts of the jungle, especially in cloudy weather, there is a 

 want of contrast between the foresight and dark hide of the 

 animal, which adds to the difficulty of planting a bullet in the 

 right spot. 



There is a distinct difference, nevertheless, between the male 

 and female gaur, which is, however, only noticeable at close 

 quarters. Colonel Pollok gives this difference. He says that 

 the Burmese cow bison has a longer head, nose more arched, 

 and the points of the horns bend slightly backwards, and are, 

 of course, much smaller ; the frontal ridge is also prominent. 1 



Having made up my mind to change my camp from the 

 Nampan Tankta-kugyi forest, and work up the Shwe-u-taung 

 hill and its outlying spurs for rhinoceros, elephants, wild goats, 

 and the like, I issued orders accordingly, and we were soon 

 en route. The climate in the neighbourhood of the Shwe"-u- 

 taung hill would also be more enjoyable and cooler, having an 

 elevation of some 4000 to 5000 feet. The water was not only 

 cooler at that time of the year May but was also purer and 

 more wholesome than that found in the low-lying country of 

 the Nampan forest, which was invariably brackish, and nearly 

 always in a tepid state. 



After arriving at the village of Pinkan, near Sagadaung, 

 Moung Hpe and I started for the hills, leaving our camp 

 people to follow, having previously arranged with them as to a 

 suitable spot for camping, in a gorge some eight miles from 

 Pinkan. Moung Hpe and I, after wandering about for some 

 time without seeing any tracks, were thinking of returning to 

 camp, when a loud, long, deep, sonorous roar or bellow pro- 

 ceeded from an adjacent ridge. I was quite convinced in my 

 own mind that the noise had been made by elephants. On 

 the sound being repeated, however, Moung Hpe, although 

 himself rather doubtful, informed me that it was the call of a 

 gaur, and that a herd must be in the neighbourhood, as 

 solitary animals seldom, if ever, call or bellow. After pro- 

 1 These I have noticed in all I have seen or slain. F. T. P. 



