OXEN. 



177 



individuals; the upper part of the head, from above the eyes to the nape of the 

 neck, is, however, ashy-grey, or occasionally dirty-white, the muzzle is pale- 

 coloured, and the lower part of the legs pure white. The cows and young bulls 

 are paler, and in some instances have a rufous tinge, which, according to 

 Mr. Blanford, is most marked in individuals inhabiting dry and open districts. 

 The colour of the horns is some shade of pale green or yellow throughout the 

 greater part of their length, but the tips are black. 



The gaur appears to be the tallest of all the oxen, old bulls sometimes reaching 

 as much as 6 feet (18 hands) at the shoulder, or even, it is said, exceeding these 

 dimensions by an inch or more. The more usual height is, however, from 5 

 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches ; while the cows do not exceed 5 feet. Mr. Blan- 

 ford gives the average size of the horns of bull gaur as from 20 to 24 inches along 

 the outer curve ; but specimens have been recorded with a length of 39 inches and 

 a basal girth of 19 inches. This girth has, however, been exceeded by horns of 

 which the length was less, a pair from the Malay Peninsula having a circumference 

 of 22 inches, with a length of 32 inches. The horns of the cows are smaller, 

 measuring in large examples from 23 to 24 inches above the curve, with a girth of 

 about 13 inches. 



The geographical range of the gaur is extensive, comprising all 

 the larger forest regions of India from Cape Comorin to the foot of 

 the North-Eastern Himalaya, but excluding Ceylon. To the north-west its limits 

 in India are marked, according to Mr. Blanford, by the valley of the Narbada 

 River; while in the grass-jungles of the Ganges Valley the gaur is met with 

 only along the skirts of the Himalaya. Eastwards the range of the gaur 

 extends from Nipal through the hilly districts on the south of Assam into Burma, 

 and thence as far south as the Malay Peninsula, where it is known to the natives 

 as the sladong. It has been stated that the gaur occurs in Siam, but this 

 requires confirmation. 



. The gaur prefers hilly districts to the plains, and in India is 



more generally found at elevations of from two thousand to five 

 thousand feet than in the low country. While aged bulls are generally or invari- 

 ably solitary in their habits, gaur, as a rule, collect together in small herds of about 

 a dozen individuals, although the number may be increased to twenty or thirty, 

 and one instance is recorded where the number in a herd was estimated at not less 

 than one hundred head. Such an unusual gathering was, however, probably but 

 temporary, and due to the scarcity of pasture. Each herd is governed by an old 

 bull ; the other members of that sex present being always younger animals. The 

 best account of the habits of the gaur is by G. P. Sanderson, from whose work 

 the following extracts are taken, with the substitution of the word gaur for bison. 



The gaur living in herds " are shy and retiring in their habits, and retreat at 

 once if intruded upon by man. They avoid the vicinity of his dwellings, and 

 never visit patches of cultivation in the jungle. The gaur is thus an animal 

 which would soon become extinct before the advance of civilisation were the latter 

 rapid, or were the jungles in which he roams limited in extent; but his exemption 

 from serious diminution, except in isolated positions, is secured by the existence of 

 the continuous jungles of the Western Ghats and other forest ranges. Gaur, though 



vol. 11. — 12 



