54 ZOOLOGY OF INDIA. 



are curved inwards. They are about nine inches long;. 

 This species has no beard, but the sides of the head and 

 whole body are covered with an abundance of long buff- 

 coloured hair. A darker-coloured streak prevails down the 

 face and along the spine. It is the Capa Jemlahica of 

 Hamilton Smith.* 



The wild-sheep, or Asiatic argali {Ovis Ammon), scarcely 

 falls within the limits of our present inquiry ; but the high 

 mountains of Bootan are inhabited by an animal of the 

 genus, which is supposed to be nearly allied, if not identi- 

 cal. This is the wild-sheep of Bhoti, the colour of which 

 resembles that of the chiru. They are known under the 

 name of nervati ; but little has transpired of their history, 

 and the form of the horns has not been ascertained. 



The last of the ruminating order which we shall notice 

 are the Bovidce. The buffalo {Bos Buhalus), so long intro- 

 duced to the southern countries of Europe, is of Asiatic 

 origin. It is an animal of almost amphibious habits, loving 

 the long, coarse, rank pasture which springs up in moist 

 and undrained lands. Hence its love of the Pontian matshes, 

 where, according to Scaliger, it will lie for hours submerged 

 almost to the very muzzle, — an instinctive habit which it 

 exhibits equally in Timor, where it was more recently ob- 

 served to indulge its aquatic propensities in a precisely 

 similar manner by Dr. Quoy of the Uranie. Although by 

 no means remarkable for any intellectual qualities, nor dis- 

 tinguished even in the domestic state by more than a dull 

 docility, the following anecdote related by Mr. Johnson 

 seems to indicate both courage and attachment : " Two 

 biparies, or carriers of grain and merchandise on the backs 

 of bullocks, were driving a loaded string of these animals 

 from Palamow to Chittrah. When they were come within 

 a few miles of the latter place, a tiger seized on the man 

 in the rear, which was seen by a guallah (herdsman) as he 

 was watching his buffaloes grazing. He boldly ran up to 

 the man's assistance, and cut the tiger very severely with 

 his sword ; upon which he dropped the biparie, and seized 

 the herdsman. The buffaloes, observing it, attacked the 

 tiger and rescued the herdsman ; they tossed him about 

 from one to the other, and, to the best of my recollection, 



* See the Figure in the 4th volume of Griffith's Animal Kingdom, p. SOB. 



