518 BOA'ld. 



Portax tragocamelus, Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 523 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 165. 



Poitax picta, Horsjie/d, Cat. p. 170 ; Jerdon, Main. p. 272. 



lioselaplius tragocamelus, W. Sclater, Cat. p. 154. 

 Nil, Nilguo S , Nilgai $ , Rojh, Roz, Eojra, II. ; Hu-i, Dakhani, Mahr., 

 Guzr , &c. ; Giiraya, Gond ; Murim (^ , Susam 5, Ilo Kol ; Mdnu-potu, 

 Taui. ; Mairu, 3Iaravi, Kard-kadrai, Can. 



General form somewhat equine ; neck deep and compressed. 

 Tail reaching hocks. 



Colour oi adnlt male dark grey, varying from bluish to brownish 

 grey throughout, except the mane, throat tuft, terminal half of 

 the ear outside and two spots inside, and the tip of the tail, which 

 are black, and a patch on the throat, two spots on each cheek, the 

 lips, chin, inside of the ears, except the two black spots, the lower 

 surface of the tail, the abdomen, and a ring above and another below 

 each fetlock, which are white. Females and young males brown. 

 Horns black. 



Dimensions. Male usually 52 to 56 inches (13 to 14 hands) high 

 at the shoulder, but 58 inches is said by McMaster to have been 

 measured ; length from nose to rump 6^ to 7 feet, tail 18 to 21 

 inches, ear 7. Basal length of a male skull lo-'3 ; orbital breadth 

 5-85. Females considerably smaller. Horns are usually 8 to 9 

 inches long and 8 in girth at the base, maximum recorded measure- 

 ments 11'75 and 9-5. 



Distribution. The Peninsula of India from the base of the 

 Himalayas to the south of Mysore ; not in Ceylon, nor, I believe, 

 near the Malabar coast in the Madras Presidency, although the 

 nilgai inhabits the Konkan near Bombay. It is common in parts 

 of the Eastern Punjab, the IS'orth-west Provinces, Guzerat and 

 the Central Provinces, rarer to the southward. It is not found in 

 Eastern Bengal, Assam, nor anywhere east of the Bay of Bengal, 

 nor does it range to the Indus on the west. 



Habits. Thin bush with scattered low trees or alternations of 

 scrub and open grassy plains are the usual haunts of this animal ; 

 it is found either on level or undulating ground or on hills. 

 It is rarely met with in thick forest, though it may often be found 

 on cultivated plains, A\here it does much damage to crops. 



Males are often solitary, but they occasionally associate in herds, 

 and I have seen as many as a dozen old blue bulls togethei*. 

 Females and young, sometimes accompanied by one or moi'e old 

 males, are found usually in small parties of from four to ten, 

 though sometimes in herds of 15 to 20 or more. Nilgai feed a good 

 deal throughout the day, and care but little for sun, though they lie 

 down at times in shade. They both graze and browse, feeding on 

 the leaves of ber {Zizyphus) and other trees, and, according to 

 8terndale, they devour quantities of the acrid fruits of aonla 

 {Fhyllantlius). He also says that they drink daily, but this does 

 not correspond with my observations. So far as I could ascertain, 

 in the cold season they only drink at intervals of two or three 

 days. They keep much to the same ground, and their haunts may 



