88 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA 



not properly belong to the same group of bovines as the 

 bisons of Europe and America. They would have us call 

 him the Gaur, which appears to be his vernacular name in 

 the Nepalese forests. I would, however, put in a plea for 

 the retention, by sportsmen at least, of the name " Indian 

 Bison." In the first place it fully accomphshes the object 

 of all names in distinctly denoting the animal meant. Ever 

 since he became known to Europeans he has been so called, 

 and no other animal has ever shared the name. Then his 

 structural distinction from the true bisontine group 

 appears to consist chiefly, if not solely, in his having 

 thirteen instead of fourteen or fifteen pairs of ribs, and 

 somewhat flattened instead of cylindrical horns (Jerdon). 

 Lastly, there is no vernacular name universally appHcable 

 to him, " Gaur" being unknown in Central India; while 

 his occasional Central Indian name of BMnsa (with Bun 

 or " wild " prefixed to it) is almost identical in sound with 

 " bison," and is no doubt derived from the same root. 

 If you ask for " bison " in these forests where he is known 

 (and speak a little through your nose at the same time), 

 you will certainly be shown Gavceus Gaurus and no other 

 animal. 



The respective ranges of this animal and the wild 

 bufialo {Bubalus) have sometimes been defined by sports- 

 men in the saying that the bison is not found north, nor 

 the buffalo south, of the Narbada river. Like most 

 apophthegms, however, this contains httle more than a 

 flavour of the truth. Not only does the bison inhabit 

 many parts of the Vindhya Mountains, directly to the 

 north of the Narbada, but he also stretches round the 

 source of that river and penetrates into the hiUs of Chota- 

 Nagpur and Midnapur, and crosses over to the Nepalese 

 Terae, and the hilly regions in the east of Bengal. The 

 wild buffalo also covers the whole of the eastern part of 

 the Central Provinces far to the south of the latitude of 

 the Narbada, and also the plateau of Mandla and the 

 Godavari forests, directly to the south of that river. In 

 fact, the bison appears to inhabit every part of India 

 where he can find suitable conditions. These appear to 

 be, firstly, the close proximity of hills, for though he is 



