486 BOTID^. 



not absolutely, the northern boundary of its range. It does not 

 inhabit the grass-jungles of the Gangetic plain, except close to the 

 Himalayas ; but it is found in tlie forests at the foot of those 

 mountains as far west as Nepal. South of the Ganges it exists in 

 suitable tracts in Cbutia Nagpur, Orissa, and the northern Circars, 

 the Central Provinces, Hyderabad territories, Mysore, and through- 

 out the Western Ghats, wherever it has not been exterminated 

 or driven away. 



Habits. Excellent accounts are given by Elliot (?. r.), Forsyth 

 ('Highlands of Central India'), tSterudale (Nat. Hist. Indian Mam. 

 and ' Seonee '), Ilornaday (' Two Tears in the Jungle *), J. D. 

 Inverarity (Jour. Bombay N. H. Soc. iv, p. 294), and above all 

 by Sanderson (' Thirteen Tears &c.'). Hodgson's description is 

 evidently from native reports and is untrustworthy ; whilst Col. 

 Campbell's delightful stories in ' The Old Eorest Eanger,' though 

 quoted with approval by many writers, must, I fear, be regarded as 

 works of imagination. 



The gam- keeps to forest or high grass, generally but not always 

 near hills, and is found in herds of from five or six to about 20, 

 or occasionally more. Bulls often wander by themselves, and the 

 finest and oldest bulls are said always to occur solitary ; still very 

 large bulls are found with herds, and young bulls are frequently 

 seen alone, or two or three together. All are shy and avoid 

 cultivated tracts as a rule, though instances occur in wild parts of 

 the country of gaur feeding on growing crops. Their food consists 

 chiefly of grasses ; they do not commonly browse, though they 

 occasionally eat the leaves and even the bark of particular trees, 

 and they are fond of the shoots of bamboos. They feed generally 

 in the early morning and evening, and lie down to rest from about 

 9 A.M. to about 4 p.m., and at night. They drink as a rule in the 

 afternoon. 



These bovines inhabit the hills of the Indian Peninsula to an 

 elevation of 5000 or GOOO feet, or occasionally even higher ; but 

 they do not ascend the Himalayas to nearly the same extent. 

 They are admirable climbers, and ascend or desceiid steep hills 

 with wonderful facility. They are timid animals, but in wild 

 places, where they are rarely subject to attack and disturbance, 

 they are by no means remarkably wary. Wounded animals occa- 

 sionally charge, and solitary bulls have been known to attack 

 without provocation ; but the tales of the gaur's ferocity recorded 

 by some sportsmen are not confirmed by any of the later writers 

 who have had good opportunities of studying the animals. A hidl 

 gaur is one of the noblest animals in the world, a model of strength 

 and symmetry, and his formidable appearance has led to his being 

 luijustly credited with a savage disposition. 



The period of gestation is not known with any certainty. 

 Breeding is said \o lake ])]ace in the cold season. The calv(>s are 

 mostly born (in the Peninsula of India) in August or Se])teiiiber, 

 a few early in Ai)ril, May, or June. Gaur sulfer from the same 

 diseases as domestic cattle. 



