1867.] Mr. W. T. Blanford's Zoological Notes. 193 



depth of body, the dorsal ridge terminating abruptly about half way 

 down the back, the general colouring, are all characters common to 

 both. But one or two differences are immediately perceived, and 

 others become conspicuous on closer examination. The most remark- 

 able of course are the comparatively straight and wide-spreading 

 horns and the enormously developed dewlap of the gayal, as contrasted 

 with the sharply curved horns and absence of any dewlap in the gaur, 

 and the shorter tail of the former. But if Dr. Anderson's specimens 

 are fair examples of the gayal, they shew that there are several minor 

 distinctions between the two. In the gayals the head is shorter and, 

 I think, altogether smaller than in the gaur, and the dorsal ridge is 

 not quite so high. In the adult bull gayal in Calcutta, the skin of 

 the back and sides is almost naked, as in the buffaloes of the plains of 

 India ; this I have never seen in the gaur. The legs below the knees 

 too, which in the gaur are dirty white, are, in these gayals, dirty 

 yellow. The female gayal is darker in colour than the cow gaurs 

 which I have seen, but as the latter vary considerably in tint, the 

 former may possibly do the same. 



I have seen a good deal of the gaur in the Satpoora hills during the 

 last few years. It there inhabits the peculiar thin jungles which 

 cover the trap rocks of Central and Western India. These jungles, as 

 is well known, consist of tolerably open spaces of thick grass 3 to 5 

 feet in height, with small scattered trees. This grass is burnt at the 

 end of the cold weather over the greater portion of the country. In 

 ravines and along the banks of streams the jungle is thicker, but 

 elsewhere there are few places where the trees are an impediment to 

 riding. The gaur feeds in these plains in the morning and evening, 

 drinking in the evening, or at night, and retreating during the clay 

 either to a shady ravine, or, during the hot weather, at least, to the 

 top of a high hill, the most breezy spot being apparently chosen, 

 irrespective of shade. So far as I have observed, the gaur, like the 

 sambur, never remains in the vicinity of water, or drinks, during the 

 heat of the day.* 



The ferocity of the gaur has been, I think, greatly overstated. I 

 have never heard of but one well authenticated instance of an 

 unwounded animal attacking man, though the bulls, like those of all 



* The spotted deer, on the other hand, almost invariably does so. The sam.- 

 burs, I believe, only drink at night. 



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