THE BUFFALO, &c. 203 



the neighbourhood of rivers. Water, and a 

 moft foil, feem to be itill more necefiary to them 

 than the warmth of the climate *. It is for this 

 reafon that none of them are found in Arabia, 

 where almoft the whole country is dry. The 

 wild buffaloes are hunted, but with much cau- 

 tion ; for they are exceedingly dangerous, and, 

 when wounded, run againrt men with great 

 fury. As to the domeftic buffaloes, Niebuhr re- 

 marks, that, in fome places, as at Bafra, it is the 

 practice, when milking the female, to thruft the 

 hand, as far as the elbow, into the vagina, be- 

 caufe this operation makes her yield a greater 

 quantity of milk f. This fact appears not to be 

 probable ; but the female buffalo, like fome of 

 our cows, may forcibly retain her milk ; and 

 this gentle kind of titillation may relax the con- 

 traction of her teats. 



At the Cape of Good Hope, the body of the 

 buffalo is of the fame fize with our ox ; but he 

 has fhorter legs, and a larger head. He is a 

 very formidable animal. He frequents the bor- 

 ders of the woods, and, as his fight is not good, 

 he remains there with his head placed near the 

 ground, in order the better to diftinguifh objects 

 among the roots of the trees. When he per- 

 ceives 



* I formerly remarked, that the buffaloes might fucceed in 

 France. Attempts have lately been made to propagate them 

 in Brandenbourg, near Berlin ; Gazette de France, June 9. 1775. 



I Defcript. de l'Arabie, par M. Niebuhr, p. 145. 



