486 



THE tWVEN-HOOFED ANIMALS. 



Range and Habits The range of the Cape Buffalo com- 

 of the Cape prises, like that of the Giraffe, the 

 Buffalo. greater part of the eastern half of 

 Africa. In Cape Colony it has, together with the 

 few surviving Elephants of that country, only a 

 restricted and quite isolated habitat between the 

 bays of Mossel and Algoa. The southern boundary 

 of its present range might be described by a line 

 running along the Cubangu to the Ngami lake ; 

 thence eastward to the Limpopo and to the east of 

 the Transvaal; thence it would run south to about 

 the bay of St. Lucia. To the north of this line it is 

 found in most of the African territory, up to about 

 the sixteenth parallel of north latitude. It affects 

 the plain more than the mountains, and for its per- 

 manent abode it always selects a locality where 

 water is plentiful. 



The Cape Buffalo is gregarious by nature, and 

 constantly lives in association with its own kind, in 

 bands of from thirty to sixty in regions where it is 

 pursued, and in herds numbering hundreds or even 

 thousands in those localities in which it is little or 

 not at all molested. 



During the hot hours of the day the Cape Buffalo 

 lies in its retreat still and motionless, sleeping or 

 sometimes ruminating; it not infrequently makes its 

 resting place in a pool of water or a mud-hole, for 

 this reason often appearing covered with a goodly 

 crust of mud. In the late afternoon or toward even- 

 ing it rises, and grazes at intervals from that time till 

 early morning, not in leisurely comfort, like other 

 Oxen, but by fits and starts. With a restless haste, 

 driving away the obnoxious Flies, and often uttering 

 its dull growl, it sways from side to side its ever 

 damp, thick muzzle, pricks up its broad ears, deco- 

 rated with a bristly fringe of hair, and lashes its 

 flanks nervously with its tufted tail. Apparently 

 ever sulky and completely inaccessible to any mol- 

 lifying influence, grim and vicious, it carries its 

 broad, bulky head partly concealed by its horns 

 halfway lowered, as if ever ready to make an attack, 

 and the large, blue-black eyes glare wildly from 

 under the huge horns, so that the animal can not 

 avoid producing upon the beholder the impression 

 of unrestricted fury and deliberate malice. 



Without being really timorous, the Buffaloes flee 

 at the approach of Man, and, especially if they have 

 been repeatedly pursued, they shun the proximity 

 of their most formidable enemy as much as possible; 

 but if driven to bay or provoked, they turn against 

 him without scruple and then heed neither spear 

 nor bullet in their blind rage. A wounded Buffalo, 

 which does not immediately charge at his enemy, 

 never flees far, but hides in ambush in the high grass 

 and there awaits the approach of his pursuers, with 

 the intention of rushing at them with lightning-like 

 rapidity. If its enemies flee or hide, it follows them 

 snorting, trying to trail them by its powers of scent. 

 The old solitary bulls separated from their herds are 

 said to be simply terrible. Drayson says: "It is well 

 known that it is the habit of nearly all animals to 

 flee from Man, provided he does not wound them 

 or intrude on them at an unsuitable time; these old 

 hermits, however, certainly do not wait for such ex- 

 cuses, but meet the sportsman half way, and pick a 

 quarrel with him." 



The Pursuit of Selous, who shot several hundred 



the Cape Buffaloes in south Africa, says: "I 



Buffalo. did not find the old solitary bulls 



any more dangerous than the animals living in 



a herd. Unless they are wounded, they generally 



flee from Man; and even when injured, they are no- 

 worse than any Buffalo out of a herd under similar 

 circumstances." He further relates, to indicate the 

 strength of an old bull, that he once was charged at,. 

 while on horseback, by a wounded bull, which threw 

 the Horse into the air "as if it were a Dog." 



Thus one may conclude that the chase of the Cape 

 Buffalo is not devoid of danger; the animal prob- 

 ably is not usually felled by the first shot, hence 

 generally has time and strength enough to confront 

 its antagonist. 



The beef of the Cape Buffalo vies with that of 

 fattened Oxen in its savory taste. It is tougher and. 

 of coarser grain, but is very juicy in spite of the lack 

 of fat; hence it is an object of zealous pursuit among 

 African huntsmen. But Man is not the only dan- 

 gerous enemy of the Buffalo; the Lion also dares, 

 attack the powerful creature and sometimes succeeds, 

 in killing it by breaking its neck. At any rate it, is. 

 nothing uncommon for hunters in south Africa ta 

 encounter Buffaloes which have succeeded in shak- 

 ing off, and perhaps in killing, the beast of prey, hut 

 bear deep wounds on neck and shoulders received, 

 during their struggle. 

 The Cape Buffalo The first living Cape Buffaloes were 



Capable of Do- taken to Europe by Th von Heug- 



mestication. \{^_ He says: "Notwithstanding its 



ferocious temper in the wilderness, it seems that the 



animal may be easily tamed and then probably put 



to excellent use." 



Cape Buffaloes have propagated themselves in. 

 various zoological gardens; but those which are born 

 in confinement differ little or not at all from those 

 which are imported from Africa. Both grow as 

 rapidly as other Oxen; but the huge horns of the 

 bulls are very slow in development, and extended, 

 observations lead to the belief that many years are 

 needed for their growth before they assume their 

 chai'acteristic shape and size. 



The Indian Buf- The ancestor of the completely 



falo's Physical tamed and domesticated Buffaloes, 



Peculiarities, which are to be frequently seen Jii 

 the valley of the Danube and in Italy and in much 

 greater numbers in Egypt and India, is not the Cape 

 Buffalo,- but an animal still living in southeastern 

 Asia. 



The Indian Buffalo {^Bos or Bubalus ami) attains,, 

 according to its breed, a total length of from nine 

 feet four inches to ten feet, including the tail, which 

 measures from. twenty to twenty-four inches. The 

 height at the shoulder ranges from four feet eight 

 inches to six feet. The head is shorter and broader 

 than that of the Ox, the forehead large, the facial 

 portion short, the neck short and stout, longitudi- 

 nally wrinkled in front, but destitute of a dewlap. 

 The abdomen is slightly elongated, but full and 

 rounded. The body shows a hump-like elevation 

 on the withers, and a depression along the back. 

 The chest is narrow, and the flanks are retracted r 

 the tail is rather short; the sturdy legs are pro- 

 portionately short and the feet are equipped with 

 broad hoofs, capable of a remarkable degree of lat- 

 eral extension. The small eyes have a ferocious, de- 

 fiant expression; the ears are long and broad,, 

 covered with short hair on the outside, and decorated 

 with long tufts of hair on the inner surface. The 

 horns are long and strong, expanded at their roots, 

 then tapering and ending in blunt points; on their 

 two anterior surfaces they show deep transverse fur- 

 rows from their bases up to their middles; from that 

 point to their extremities, as well as along the entire 



