182 CATALOGUE. 



SELOI, of the Cucis, or Kookies, Macrae. 



P'HANJ, of the Mugs and Burmas, Macrae. 



? FHAIN, Heifer. 



? PAUNG, Judsons Burmese Dictionary. 



? SENBOR, vel PHAIN, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. XVI. p. 706. 



HAB. South-eastern Frontier of Bengal and Silhet, Hard- 

 wicJce, Macrae. Tenasserim, Heifer (?). 



A. A Skull, with horns, presented by General T. 

 Hardwicke. 



The name of Asseel, by which this animal is distinguished by the 

 natives of eastern India, indicates their notions of its character. The 

 meaning of the term is original, noble, or untamed. General Hardwicke 

 states that " the natives make a great distinction between the wild and 

 domesticated Gayal." The only authentic account of the wild species 

 hitherto communicated to the public, is contained in General Hard- 

 wicke's paper " On the Bos Gour of India," in the third volume of the 

 Zoological Journal, where he informs us that " the provinces of Chitta- 

 gong and Sylhet produce the wild, or, as the natives term it, the Asseel- 

 Gaydl, and the domesticated one. The former is considered an un tame- 

 able animal, extremely fierce, and not to be taken alive. It rarely 

 quits the mountainous tract of the south-east frontier, and never mixes 

 with the GOBBAH (GABAY), or village Gayal of the plains. I suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining the skin, with the head of the Asseel Gayal, which 

 is deposited in the Museum of the East-India Company, and from this 

 the drawing was taken which accompanies that of the horns of the 

 Gour." This account of the habits of the Asseel Gayal is confirmed 

 by Mr. Macrae, who informs us, in the Asiatic Researches (vol. VIII. 

 p. 495), that the natives of the south-east provinces " consider him, 

 next to the tiger, the most dangerous and the fiercest animal of their 

 forests." 



The specimen of the Bibos Asseel, when presented to the Company's 

 Museum, was covered with its natural hide, and was generally con- 

 sidered as the head of the Gavaeus frontalis ; but by the removal of the 

 covering the true character is developed, and it is apparent that the 

 animal to which it belonged is more nearly related to the Bibos cavi- 

 frons than to the G. frontalis. 



In placing the skulls of the Gour and Asseel together for comparison, 

 the following more prominent differences were observed : In the Gour 

 the skull is very massive, broad above, and gradually attenuated 



