70 



INDIA. 



tjuaiuk*. sue ; but though nearly as small as those of Bengal, 

 -,-' they are much more handsome, active, and strong. 

 The British have also frequently obtained horses from 

 the middle districts of Guzerat and from Lahore : the 

 latter are particularly excellent. Those from Guzerat 

 ronsi.-t principally of two breeds, from Cottiwar and 

 U ti rear; the latter are small in size. They ar ex- 

 ported to the territories of the Rajah of Joudpoor. 

 Tb *M- In some parts of India, the ass is a common and use- 



ful animal, particularly in Bengal, the Carnatic, and 

 above the Ghauts. They are small in size, and are 

 distinguished by the great variety of their colour. 

 There are some entirely black ; and it is remarked of 

 these, that there is no appearance of the cross on their 

 shoulder. This animal seems regarded with various 

 feelings in different parts. of India. It is generally 

 deemed an animal which none but the lower castes 

 would ride on, or otherwise employ; and yet in the 

 Mysore, if a dispute arises in a village, one of the par- 

 ties frequently terminates it by killing a jack-ass. By 

 this, indeed, they both suffer; for no Hindoo would re- 

 main in the place where the ass was killed, and conse- 

 quently they are both obliged to fly. This singular 

 mode of revenge, if so it can be called, is also had re- 

 course to by the inhabitants of the Mysore, when they 

 consider themselves aggrieved, oppressed, or affronted 

 In any thing relating to their caste by their rulers. The 

 milk of the ass is never used. Herds of wild asses are 

 sometimes seen near the mountains in the north of 

 Hindostan. 



Ciute and '^' ne catt ' e kept in India are the common black cat- 

 buffulocs. tie, and the buffalo. They are both very numerous, 

 particularly in the ceded districts, where, in the year 

 18 6, there were 1,198,613 black cattle, and 1,147,492 

 buffaloes in Bengal, where it is supposed that there 

 are of both kinds above 50 millions in Guzerat, where 

 the bullocks are reckoned the strongest, swiftest, and 

 handsomest in India, from the Choteesgur district of 

 this province, which contains about 20,000 square miles, 

 part of which, however, is mountainous, er covered 

 with jungle, they export in favourable seasons 100,000 

 bullocks. The British government in India have paid 

 considerable attention to the improvement of the breed 

 of bullocks for their ordnance; but there are oi,ly two 

 districts in the Bengal presidency, in which bullocks 

 of a size required by. the British for this purpose are 

 bred the Purneah district of Bengal, and the Sarun 

 district of Bahar. The bullocks of the former are of a 

 large size, very strong and active, well formed, and 

 much superior to the cattle employed for draught in 

 the lower parts of Bengal. The bullocks in the Sarun 

 district are not so excellent i.i their qualities, nor so 

 large; but they are little inferior in these respects. Up- 

 wards of 5000 from these districts are employed by 

 the Bengal government for the conveyance of artillery, 

 camp equipage, &c. besides elephants and camels. The 

 natives in these and the adjoining districts, have made 

 no attempts to improve their breed of bullocks, not- 

 withstanding the example and success of the British. 

 The common draught cattle all over India have a 

 haunch on their shoulders, on which the yoke rests ; 

 they are ot'a white colour, small size, but active and well 

 proportioned ; as used in agriculture, they will be after- 

 wards considered, as well as the buffalo. See BIJFFALOE. 

 Sbetf. The sheep in India are small, generally of a black 



or dark grey colour, with wool-like hair for hardness 

 and coarseness, and scarcely fit for any purpose. In 

 Allahabad and on the Coromandel coast the sheep are 

 small, and of an inferior quality, even compared with 

 those of Bengal. In the year 1806, the number of 



sheep in the ceded districts amounted to 1,1 17,492. St.. 

 They are also numerous, in the Mysore, where they > *~~'.'~ ' 

 are of three varieties of colour, red, black, a'nd white. 

 Here the shepherds and their families* live with their 

 flocks ; the men sleeping in the open air among their 

 sheep, wrapped up in blankets ; and the women and 

 children under baskets made of leaves, and about six 

 feet in diameter. These baskets will keep out the rain. 

 On one side of them is a small hole, by which they 

 creep into them. As there is no door or covering to 

 it, it is always turned from the wind or rain. Of the 

 provinces in the south of India, there are most sheep 

 bred in that of Coimbetoor, particularly in the Arana- 

 si district of it. There are in Bengal a few,.sheep with 

 four horns, superior in size, and better proportioned 

 than the common kind. Goats are by no means un 

 common in the hilly districts of India. They resem- 

 ble in size, c. the "European goat. In the year 1806 

 there were 6'94,6'3<J in the ceded districts. Swine were 

 common in the Mysore till they were almost extirpa- 

 ted by Hyder Ali. They are not numerous in any 

 part of Hindostan, either domestic or wild. 



Next to the animals which we have described, in Elephant. 

 point of use, and indeed before some of them in this 

 respect, the elephant claims our attention. In the ele- 

 phants of India there is a considerable variety, with 

 respect not only to size, but also to colour, and the 

 length of the tusks. They seem to be generally a black, 

 ish brown colour. Sometimes an elephant of a reddish 

 colour is seen in the forests; but this is supposed to 

 arise from the red earth in which it has rolled itself. 

 White elephants are rendered so by disease. The best 

 elephants are reckoned to be those of Chittagong, and ge- 

 nerally such as are found near the sea. In the Tipperah 

 district of Bengal they are very numerous, but not of the 

 first size or quality. On the mountains in the north of 

 Hindostan, they are still smaller, seldom exceeding se- 

 ven feet in height ; these are frequently caught merely 

 for their teeth. With respect to the height of this ani- 

 mal, it appears that of 150 elephants employed in the 

 first war against Tippoo Sultan, there was only one 

 which reached the height of ten feet. The height re- 

 quired by the British government in Bengal for the ele- 

 phants which they purchase for the service of the army 

 is nine feet. The common height of the Indian female 

 elephant seems to be from seven to eight feet ; and that 

 of the males from eight to ten feet, measured at the 

 shoulder. The largest ever seen in Hindostan mea- 

 sured 1 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. It was caught 

 in the year 179^, and belonged to the Nabob of Oude. 

 The largest tusks in Bengal very seldom exceed the 

 weight of 70 or 80 pounds. See ELF.PHANT. 



Camels are bred in that part of the Delta of the Indus Camels, 

 which is nearest the sea. On the sea beach and sandy slips 

 in that part of Gu/erat which is separated by the main- 

 land by the Run, they are suffered to run wild among 

 the jungles, the tender parts of the brushwood serving 

 them for food ; they are, however, of an inferior de- 

 scription. The camel is not unfrequent about Patna; 

 they are employed by the British government in carry- 

 ing military stores, &c. See CAMEL. 



Notwithstanding the positive opinion of Mr. Pennant, 

 that the lion is met with near the fort of Gwalior, in the 

 province of Agra, it is generally believed by naturalists 

 ahd travellers, that this animal is not a native of Hin- 

 dostan. " The royal tiger of Bengal, however, is a far Tiger, 

 more terrible animal than the stoutest lion, and was 

 known in classical times, as Seneca the poet calls it 

 Gungetica tigris, or the Gangetic tiger. Such is their 

 size and strength, that they are said to carry off bill- 



