34 MAMMALIA. 



Horns, single horn. India. 



Horns, single horn. India. 



Horns, single horn. Nepal. Presented by B. H. Hodgson, 

 Esq. 



DRAWINGS. 



Bos Gour, Hardwicke, Icon. ined. B. M. 10,974. t. 107. 



The Gours inhabit the primitive forests of India, under the 

 great ranges of mountains ; they rut in winter, procreate in au- 

 tumn, producing one at a birth. The herds are ordinarily rather 

 numerous, twenty, thirty, forty, and sometimes even double that 

 number being found together ; but in the breeding season not 

 above ten or fifteen cows, with a single mature, vigorous bull, 

 who jealously expels every young or old male from his harem. 

 They entirely avoid the open Tarai on the one hand, and the hill 

 on the other, adhering to the most solitary part of the Saul 

 forest, close to and between the salient spurs of the hills, where 

 the periodical firing of the undergrowth of the forest never 

 reaches. They feed early and late in the more open glades of 

 the forest, posting sentinels the while, and manifesting in their 

 whole demeanour a degree of shyness unparalleled among the 

 Bovines. They never venture even in the rains, when there 

 is abundance of rank vegetation to cover their approaches, into 

 the open Tarai, to depredate on the crops, as the Wild Buffaloes 

 constantly do ; nor do they ever associate or have sexual com- 

 merce with the tame cattle, though immense numbers of the 

 latter every spring are driven into their retreats, to feed and re- 

 main there in a half-wild condition for three or four months, 

 when the Wild Buffaloes frequently have sexual intercourse with 

 the tame ones of their kind, of which likewise vast numbers are 

 despatched there. 



Old males of the Gour are often found solitary, wandering in 

 the forests they frequent, especially in winter; but these have 

 probably been recently expelled the herd by their more vigorous 

 juniors, and reunite themselves with some herd after the season 

 of love and contention has passed. 



It is exceedingly difficult to rear the Gour in confinement. 

 Nor did I ever know a successful experiment, though the attempt 

 has been for fifty years constantly made by the Court of Nepal, 

 which finds no difficulty in rearing Wild Buffaloes and causing 

 them to breed in confinement with the domestic species, which is 

 thus greatly improved in size and other qualities. 



The Gours are exceedingly shy, and when approached they 

 retreat as long as they can ; but if compelled to stand and de- 

 fend themselves, they do so with a courage and determination 

 not to be surpassed. 



