1862.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 339 



in the hills along the Kaladyne river (which flows from the north 

 into Akyab harbour), and thence northward through Chittagong 

 and Tippera, to the Khasya hills and ranges of mountains bordering 

 the valley of Asam to the south, and along them eastward to the 

 Mishmi hills at the head of that valley, where abundantly wild. 

 The domestic herds are even found together with those of Yaks : 

 thus Lt. K. Wilcox, in his memoir of a survey of Asam and the 

 neighbouring countries (As. Hes. XVII, 387), notices that " Mit'huns 

 and chori-tailed cows were grazing in great numbers ;" which indi- 

 cates that the G-ayal can withstand a considerably low tempera- 

 ture for a member of its particular group, that of the flat-horned 

 taurine cattle of S. E. Asia.* 



The domestic humped cattle of Burma are remarkably handsome 

 animals, though with small and commonly abnormally developed 

 horns, that are mostly directed forward. Col. Yule notices this race as 

 one of " sturdy and well-conditioned red oxen." The prevalent colour 

 is, indeed, a chesnut or bay of various shades, or commonly a dun, as in 

 the cows and immature bulls of B. sokdaicus. White or pale grey 

 cattle, retaining the black tail-tuft, so very general in India, are rare, 

 even at Akyab, where the common Bengali type prevails. Col. Yule 

 continues — " These cattle, though much smaller than the stately breeds 



an islet which is named Tambadau Island from the occurrence of these wild 

 Cattle upon it. Elsewhere, he mentions a piebald individual ! " About 2 A. M., 

 our garei [boat] being well ahead, we saw before us a herd of wild Cattle, quietly 

 picking at a few blades of grass on a broad pebbly flat. I landed with a couple 

 of men, to get between them and the jungle. I was within twenty yards of the 

 nearest, a piebald, and was crawling through the tangled bushes to get a sight of 

 him, which I could hear browsing [grazing ?] near me, when there arose a snort, 

 then a rush, and the Cattle were off dashing close to me, but perfectly concealed 

 by the matted brushwood. It was the crew of one of the newly-arrived boats 

 that, regardless," &c. &c. " About five, we were passing clown a rapid at a great 

 pace, when one of the men touched me and pointed. I looked up, and there was 

 a magnificent bull, three-parts grown, standing within fifteen yards of me." 

 Ibid, II, 162-3. Such cursory notices are all that are given by Mr. St. John ! 



Since the above note was printed, I have received a living two-year-old bull of 

 Bos SONDAICTJS from Col. Phayre, for presentation to the London Zoological Soci- 

 ety. He is more nearly akin to the Graour, and less so to the true B. taubus, than 

 I had anticipated ; and is perfectly quiet and tractable. He habitually grazes. 

 Colour that permanent in the cow, a bright ehesnut-dun, with the white stock- 

 ings and oval rump-patch on each side. 



* As regards the notice by Col. Low of three presumed species of wild taurine 

 cattle in the Malayan peninsula, and that by Dr. Heifer, of three presumed 

 species in the Tenasserim provinces (both quoted in J. A. S. XXIX, 299), I 

 have now arrived at the conviction that both writers intended B. GAUiiUS and 

 the different sexes of B. sondaicus, the latter supposed to be distinct animals. 

 Of the Jungli Qau, figured M. Fred. Cuvier, I may remark that the male un- 

 doubtedly represents a hybrid between this and the humped species ; but his 

 female would seem to be a Gbyal of pure blood. 



