MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. • 227 



the poor little creature to my shooting hut over a mile away, and during the 

 long time it took to get it there I expected its mother would appear and attempt 

 a rescue. Next day I made up a hammock and had it carried by four coolies 

 some six miles over very rough and hilly ground to a cattle-shed belonging to 

 a friend and at once got it fed on cow's milk by means of a feeding bottle 

 made from a joint of bamboo. It took its nourishment very well from the first 

 and became much quieter. There were a lot of small calves in the shed 

 to keep it company. After a couple of days' rest I again had it 

 placed in the hammock, tying all its legs together, and, with four coolies 

 carrying it, started on an 18-mile march for the foot of the hills to Wallen- 

 ghary. I reached Wallenghary public bungalow late in the evening and stabled 

 my calf in one of the rooms, tying it to a very heavy washing-stand. While 

 having my dinner in the next room, I heard a great noise and was much 

 surprised at seeing the calf suddenly appear, dragging the stand after him. He 

 did not like being left alone. "Next morning I sent him off in a cart for Palghat 

 and had him railed from there to Mettapolliam, at the foot of the Nilgiri Hills. 

 and> again putting him in a cart, had him taken up to Wellington, where my 

 regiment was stationed. He stood the long journey extremely well. I kept 

 a lot of milk in bottles for him, getting it fresh at the various places we 

 stopped, and fed him by means of the bamboo bottle nurse. Shortly after 

 reaching Wellington I measured the calf and found as follows : — Height 

 to top of ridge on back, 2 ft. 10 in.; girth, 2 ft. 9 in.; length of head, 10§- in.; 

 general colour, a dark rufous-brown. I obtained a cow for his sole use. 

 This cow had a small calf of her own, and at first she showed the greatest 

 possible dislike to the young bison, so much so that, before I brought the bison 

 near to get milk, I was obliged to have her hind legs securely tied.- After some 

 five weeks the cow began to show a strong friendship for the bison, constantly 

 licking it all over, and would not permit her own calf to come near, kicking 

 at the little creature whenever it approached. Besides its foster-mother, the 

 bison struck up a close friendship with two small fox-terriers. These dogs took 

 to sleeping beside it every night, and one or the other closely attended it 

 during the day in order, apparently, to keep flies away from annoying it. In 

 return the bison often licked the dogs' faces ; it has now grown considerably 

 and has a pair of small horns ; its colour has become a dark brown and it has 

 four yellowish-white stockings. It is still extremely tame and full of 

 spirits, at times racing at a tremendous pace with its tail in the air all round 

 the compound. Its foster-mother still shows great affection for it. It eats 

 grass, bamboo leaves, bread, gram, oats, carrots, sugar-cane, well for a time, 

 but appears soon to tire of any one food. 



G-. S. RODON, Major, 



Royal Scots. 

 Belgaum, itJi April, 1894. 



