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 
Distribution. 
Habits. 
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 
D oD ? SD 
VOL. Il.—12 
