MAMMALIA—BUFFALO. 381 
ignoble manner, and his bead in a very bad posture, almost always inclined 
towards the ground. His voice is a hideous bellowing, with a tene much 
stronger and more hoarse than that of the bull; his legs are thin, his tail 
bare, and his physiognomy dark, like his hair and skin. He differs exter- 
nally from the ox, chiefly in the color of his hide; and this is easily per- 
ceived under the hair, with which he is but sparingly furnished. His body 
. is likewise thicker and shorter than that of the ox; his legs are longer, and 
proportionably much less. The horns not so round, black, and partly 
compressed, with a tuft of hair frizzled over his forehead; his hide is like- 
wise thicker and harder than that of the ox; his flesh is black and hard, 
and not only disagreeable to the taste, but to the smell; the milk of the 
female is not so good as that of the cow; nevertheless she yields a greater 
quantity. In the hot countries of the eastern continent, almost all the 
cheese is made of buffalo’s milk. The flesh of the young buffalo, though 
killed during the suckling time, is not good. The hide alone, is ot 
more value than all the rest of the beast, whose tongue is the only 
part that is fit to eat. This hide is firm, light, and almost impenetrable. 
As these animals, in general, are larger and stronger than the oxen, they 
are very serviceable in the plough; they draw well, but do not carry bur- 
dens; they are led by the means of a ring passed through their nose. Two 
buffalos, harnessed, or rather chained, to a wagon, will draw as much as 
four strong horses. 
The form and thickness of the buffalo, alone, are sufficient to indicate 
that he isa native of the hottest countries. The largest quadrupeds belong 
to the torrid zone in the Old Continent; and the buffalo, for his size and 
thickness, ought to be classed with the elephant, the rhinoceros, and the 
hippopotamus. The camel is more elevated, but slenderer, and is also an 
inhabitant of the southern countries of Africa and Asia; nevertheless, the 
buffalos live and multiply in Italy, in France, and in other temperate pro- 
vinces. Those that are in the French king’s menagerie, have brought forth 
two or three times. The female has but one ata time, and goes about 
twelve months; which is another proof of the difference between this 
species and that of the cow, who only goes nine months. It appears, also, 
that these animals are gentler and less brutal in their native country; ané@ 
the hotter the climate is, the more tractable is their nature. In Egypt they 
are more so than‘in Italy; and in India they are more so than in Egypt. 
Those of Italy have also more hair than those of Egypt, and those of Egypt 
more than those of India. Their coat is never entirely covered, because 
they are natives of hot countries; and, in general, large animals of this 
climate have either no hair, or else very little. 
There are a great number of wild buffalos in the countries of Africa and 
India, which are watered with many rivers, and furnished with large mea- 
dows. These wild buflalos go in droves, and make great havoc in cultivat- 
ed lands; but they never attack the human species, and will not run at 
