CHAPTER XIV. 



THE GAUR. 



Bos Gaurus. 

 In the Terai. — Gdori-gai — Mitlian. In Chota Nagpur. — Gdor — Gail. 



THIS splendid animal is an inhabitant of most of the primeval forests of India, being 

 found in suitable localities from the Terai to the southern coast. It is abundant in the 

 Bhutan Dooars, in the Assam valley, in the Central Provinces, in Chota Nagpur, Chaibassa 

 and the neighbouring states ; in the Western Ghats, Travancore, and Canara. 



It is commonly known among British sportsmen by the misnomer of Bison, a name 

 which is as inapplicable as that of Buffalo to the American Bison. As I studiously avoid 

 the use of misnomers, I have retained the name of Gaur as the proper English appellation, 

 as it is recognised throughout all the districts of Northern India where I have hunted. 

 In the Bhutan Dooars and neighbouring jungles it is called indifferently ' Gdori-gai' and 

 ' Mithan,' the latter being the name of the closely allied domestic race of cattle usually 

 known to Englishmen as the Gayal. 



It is believed by many that a wild Mithan as well as the Gaur inhabits Assam, Chitta- 

 gong, and the adjacent countries, but, although I have made many enquiries, I have been 

 unable to obtain satisfactory evidence of the existence of more than one breed of wild cattle 

 in those parts, and I much doubt the occurrence of the true Mithan in a feral state at the 

 present day. The wild Gaur and the tame Mithan have many points of resemblance, but in 

 addition to the heavier and clumsier formation of the Mithan, which might be due to long 

 domestication, the skulls and horns of the two races differ very considerably. 



The Gaur is the largest of all the known members of the bovine family, and in height it 

 only comes second to the Elephant among the Large Game of India. I cannot help think- 

 ing, however, that its size has been considerably exaggerated, and although my limited 

 experience of the animal necessitates my giving my opinion with some diffidence, I have 

 great doubts as to the accuracy of measurements of twenty or twenty-one hands, which 

 have been given by some authors. 



Be this as it may, the bull Gaur is one of the most magnificent animals in creation, and 

 its pursuit will always have great attractions for the real sportsman. An old bull stands at 

 least eighteen hands at the shoulder, the withers being much elevated, and merging into 

 a well defined dorsal ridge, somewhat like the keel of a boat, which extends to about the 

 centre of the back, when it ends rather abruptly. The depth of girth is immense, and the 



