551 

 On Bos Gaurus. — By Dr. Spilsbury. 



[Extract of a letter from Dr. Spilsbury (with plate) to Prof. W. B. O'Shaughnessy.] 



" Ouseley writes me that he has sent you the skull and horns of a 

 wild bull ; now I send you a frontal and occipital view of a bovine 

 skull, and part of horn (similar animal as delineated in November 

 Journal) both done to the same scale; the upper one shews well 

 the breadth and flatness of the occiput, and the whole being clear 

 of matrix, a good notion is obtained of the size of the horn, of the 

 teeth, breadth of skull, &c. You have a good view in the former 

 plate.* Now I should like to have a cognoscent account of this 

 animal. I have perused Dr. Evans' paper on Bos Gaurus ; Pearson 

 on Gour, and Gyal; and Hodgson on the Bibos, all in vol. VI. for 

 1837, of the Asiatic Journal, without being able to come to a conclu- 

 sion as to which the fossil belongs, and it is equally distinguished 

 from the fossil Buffalo. The horn of the latter is straight, also great 

 breadth of forehead, as shewn in the contrasted specimens No. 3 and 

 9 with Nos. 7> and 8, in the November Journal. Along with the 

 fossil ones, I send you a drawing of a recent head of the wild bull, as 

 found in our wilds, for comparison with the Sirgorjals. This specimen 

 has the crest, as shewn in p. 16, vol. VI. but I do not think so large, 

 but the age of the animal may alter it ; see p. 18, same vol. Hardwicke's 

 horn and forehead are delineated, which does not come so near the ap- 

 pearance of ours as p. 16. The fossil has no crest, and the horns are 

 quite different; so I submit them to the cognoscent, and shall be 

 glad to see your remarks, or those of some one conversant with 

 Zoology upon them. I have another batch nearly ready for trans- 

 portation, which will be under weigh in due season." 



Note. — I regret exceedingly that the departure of Dr. Thomson, our late 

 Curator, prevented my having the pleasure of submitting the above ex- 

 tract, and the accompanying plates with remarks upon them, with which he 

 had promised to furnish me. I trust that Dr. Spilsbury's discovery may 

 not pass uncommented upon, and shall have great satisfaction in giving 

 early publication to the further specimens he promises to oblige us with. 



* November Journal, 1839. 



