OXEN. 



199 



sparse, and it is only on the head and limbs that old bulls can properly be said to 

 be haired at all. In the cows and young bulls the hair is, however, thicker ; and 

 its colour in these is dark brown, with a more or less marked reddish tinge. A 

 well-grown bull buffalo will stand between 4 feet 7 inches and 4 feet 8 inches at 

 the shoulder. The horns vary in shape with the age of the animal. In regard to 

 their size, Mr. Selous states that the largest pair he obtained had an extreme span, 



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from bend to bend, in a straight line, of 3 feet 8 inches, with a depth on the 

 forehead of 15 inches; the total length of each horn along the curve being 3 feet. 

 In another example the same three dimensions were respectively 3 feet 6 inches, 

 17 inches, and 2 feet 11 inches. 



The typical Cape buffalo is usually found in reedy swamps from 

 the Cape as far north as the Equator ; but some individuals distin- 

 guished, according to the Hon. W. H. Drummond, by their blacker hair and more 

 spreading horns inhabit forests. From the Equator northwards to Abyssinia the 



Habits. 



