THE GAUR. 75 



muscles of the shoulders and arms enormously developed. The neck is strong and massive, 

 and supports a ponderous but high-bred looking head, which is set on at a rather peculiar 

 angle. The hind quarters are full and rounded ; the limbs are comparatively slender and 

 deerlike ; and the hoofs are small in proportion to the size of the animal. The tail is similar 

 to that of the domestic cow, and is furnished with a tuft of longish hair. 



The color is a deep chesnut, almost coal black in very old bulls, the hair being short and 

 remarkably glossy. The belly and inside of the limbs have an ochreous tinge, and the hair is 

 rather elongated on those parts. The frontal crest is arched and greatly developed, and 

 both it and the forehead are cream colored. The legs below the knees and hocks are dirty 

 white. 



The horns are not remarkably large, a fine pair attaining a length of about thirty inches 

 with a circumference of nineteen. They are yellowish at the base, of a greenish hue higher 

 up, and jet black at the tips. They are highly polished, and in young bulls they turn 

 inwards at the points, which are smooth and sharp. The horns of old bulls become rugged 

 at the base, and lose their handsome sweep, the points becoming blunt, and being frequently 

 broken off. 



The cow is considerably smaller, and more slenderly built than the bull ; her horns are 

 thin, and usually much curved. 



The Gaur is never found except in extensive forests, and in more or less hilly country, 

 although in the Terai a herd will occasionally stray to a considerable distance from the foot 

 of the hills. 



In the Bhutan Dooars and Assam, the Gaur principally frequent the lowest spurs, at 

 times ascending the higher ranges, or wandering down to level ground, according to the 

 season and the abundance or scarcity of grass and other fodder. In places where the jungle 

 has been burned, a crop of tender young grass springs up in a few weeks, and Gaur, as well 

 as deer of all sorts, are very fond of visiting these cleared spaces by night, retiring to the 

 densely wooded valleys during the day. Bamboo forest is a very favorite resort, the young 

 shoots being greedily devoured. 



In Chota Nagpiir the Gaur inhabit low ranges of rocky hills, covered with tolerably 

 open forest, consisting in great part of sal and bamboo, and intersected by numerous 

 streams. 



Gaur are generally to be found in herds, numbering from four or five to thirty, but old 

 bulls are usually alone or in pairs. They appear to move about a good deal at night, and 

 they may be found out feeding in open glades in the morning and evening, while they 

 generally retire to some shady spot during the heat of the day. 



They may be hunted like deer and other animals by simply searching for them in the 

 most likely localities, but the usual method, and by far the most interesting, is by tracking. 

 For this work it is absolutely necessary to enlist the services of some of the wild natives of 

 the forests, who are frequently excellent trackers, although I have never witnessed any of 

 the wonderful performances with which they are sometimes credited. I have heard that it 

 is easy to approach close to Gaur on an Elephant, but I should be sorry to resort to that 



