THE GAUR 63 



their portion, or animals in their prime who 

 merely join a herd for the time being and wander 

 off again when their desires are satisfied. How 

 else can recent fighting scars in the body of a 

 solitary bull be accounted for ? And why is it 

 that a very old solitary bull, though he may be 

 covered with old scars, and his ears may be torn 

 to ribbons from fights in bygone days, does 

 not possess the signs of a recent scar anywhere 

 about him, except such as may be caused by 

 forcing his way through thick jungle ? It must 

 be remembered that when animals fight, it is 

 generally for the possession of the attractive 

 female. Doubtless, an old bull, past his prime, 

 who has led a solitary existence for years, 

 joining a herd whenever prompted by nature to 

 do so, continues to consort with a herd from 

 time to time, until realisation of his declining 

 strength is forced upon him by one or two 

 defeats inflicted by animals still in their fullest 

 bodily vigour. These old fellows, in the writer's 

 humble opinion, are the only genuine hermits of 

 the tribe, and he rejects as untenable the theory 

 that every so-called solitary bull leads a solitary 

 existence throughout the year, any more than 

 does a solitary elephant or stag, until the weight 

 of years has begun to tell. It is simply a further 

 instance of the survival of the fittest. The best 

 bull — by no means necessarily the younger 

 animal — wins, and the other has a solitary 



