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THE BUFFALO. 



The BUFFALO is spread over a very wide range of country, being found in Southern 

 Europe, North Africa, India, and a few other localities. 



This animal is subject to considerable modifications in external aspect, according to 

 the climate or the particular locality in which it resides, and has in consequence been 

 mentioned under very different names. In all cases the wild animals are larger and 

 more powerful than their domesticated relations, and in many instances the slightly 

 different shape, and greater or lesser length of the horns, or the skin denuded of hairs, 

 have been considered as sufficient evidences of separate species. 



In India, the long smooth-horned variety chiefly prevails, and is found in tolerable 

 profusion. This animal frequents wet and marshy localities, being sometimes called the 

 Water Buffalo on account of its aquatic predilections. It is a most fierce and dangerous 

 animal, savage to a marvellous degree, and not hesitating to charge any animal that may 

 arouse its ready ire. An angry Buffalo has been known to attack a tolerably-sized ele- 

 phant, and by a vigorous charge in the ribs to prostrate its huge foe. Even the tiger is 

 found to quail before the Buffalo, and displays the greatest uneasiness in its presence. 



The Buffalo, indeed, seems to be animated by a rancorous hatred towards the tiger, 

 and if it should come inadvertently on one of the brindled objects of its hate, will at 

 once rush forward to the attack. Taking advantage of this peculiarity, the native 

 princes are in the habit of amusing themselves with combats between tigers and trained 

 Buffaloes. The arena is always prepared by the erection of a lofty and strongly-built 

 palisade, composed of bamboos set perpendicularly, and bound together upon the out- 

 side. The object of this contrivance is, that the surface of the bamboo is so hard and 

 slippery, that the tiger's claws can find no hold in case of an attempted escape. 



The tiger is first turned into the arena, and generally slinks round its circumference, 

 seeking for a mode of escape, and ever and anon looking up to the spectators, who 

 are placed in galleries that overlook the scene of combat. When the tiger has crept 

 to a safe distance from the doo.r, the Buffalo is admitted, and on perceiving the scent 

 of the tiger, it immediately becomes excited, its hairs bristle up, its eyes begin to flash, 

 and it seeks on every side for the foe. As soon as it catches a glance of its enemy it 

 lowers its head towards the ground, so that the tips of its horns are only a few inches 

 above the earth, and its nose lies between its fore-legs, and plunges forward at the 

 shrinking tiger. Were the latter animal to dare the brunt of the Buffalo's charge, the 

 first attack would probably be the last ; but as the tiger is continually shifting its posi- 

 tion, the force of the onset is greatly diminished by the curve in the Buffalo's course. 



As a general rule the Buffalo comes off the victor, for even when the tiger has gained 

 an advantage, he does not follow it up with sufficient celerity, but permits his an- 

 tagonist to regain his lost breath. The Buffalo, on the contrary, allows the tiger no 

 breathing time, but continues his rapid charges without cessation, until he forces the 

 tiger off his guard, and then with a rapid spring impales the foe on his horns. " Jungla," 

 however, the celebrated fighting tiger, whose portrait may be seen on page 161, was 

 invariably the conqueror in these combats, as he never tried to escape from the 

 Buffalo, or to struggle with it, but quietly awaited its onset, and then leaping nimbly 

 aside from the deadly horns, dealt such a tremendous blow on the Buffalo's head with 

 his herculean paw that he laid his antagonist dead on the ground. 



It is generally supposed that the wild Buffaloes will destroy any tigers that may 

 happen to approach their herds too closely. A wild adult male Buffalo, or Arnee as 

 it is also called, is one of the largest of the Ox tribe, measuring no less than ten feet 

 six inches from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail, and from six feet to six feet 

 six inches in height at the shoulders. So confident are even the tiger-dreading 

 herd-keepers of the prowess of their tamed animals, that they will ride them in search 

 of pasture even when they know tigers to be in the near vicinity. One of these herds 

 chanced to come across the spot where a tiger had been recently shot, and on perceiv- 

 ing the scent of the blood, they became powerfully excited, bellowed furiously, and at 

 last charged in a body directly into a neighboring covert, crushing everything that im- 

 peded their progress. 



The Arnee lives in large herds, arranged after the manner of all bovine animals, the 

 females and young being always placed in the safest spots, while the males post themselves 



