1837.] Description of the Gauri Gau. 745 



The Pracel or Parocels, is a labyrinth of small islands, rocks and 

 sand-banks, which appears to extend up to the 11th degree of north 

 latitude, in the 107th parallel of longitude from Paris. Some navi- 

 gators have traversed part of these shoals with a boldness more for- 

 tunate than prudent, but others have suffered in the attempt The 

 Cochin Chinese called them Cdn uting. Although this kind of archi- 

 pelago presents nothing but rocks and great depths which promises 

 more inconveniences than advantages, the king Gia Long thought he 

 had increased his dominions by this sorry addition. In 1816, he went 

 with solemnity to plant his flag and take formal possession of these 

 rocks, which it is not likely any body will dispute with him. 



III. — On the Bibos, Gauri Gau or Gaurikd Gau of the Indian forests. 



By B. H. Hodgson, Esq. Resident in Nepal. 



To the Editor Journal Asiatic Society. 



I have the honor to submit to you the following subgeneric and 

 specific characters of that magnificent wild Bovine animal, whose 

 skull Mr. Evans recently exhibited in your Society's rooms. Amongst 

 my drawings, transmitted to England two years ago, you may remem- 

 ber to have seen delineations of this animal's cranium, pourtrayed 

 comparatively with those of Bubalus, Bos and Bisonus. The dis- 

 tinctive characters, as therein depicted, were certainly sufficiently 

 striking, and were noticed by me at that time : but, until I had had 

 opportunity to examint the whole bony frame of both sexes, I did 

 not venture to give public expression to my conviction that this 

 animal would be found to constitute a new type of the Bovidee. I 

 have recently had such opportunity, and my hesitation has ceased. I 

 have no longer any doubt that the Gouri Gau of the Saul forest and 

 of the hilly jangals of south Behar, is neither a Bos nor a Bison, 

 but an intermediate form ; and, from the vague indications of writers, 

 I apprehend that the Fossil Urns of Europe*, and Aristotle's Persian 

 wild bull with depressed horns, were other species of the same type. 



Whether our species be identical with the Gaurus or with the 

 Gayaus of authors, it is impossible to conjecture ; since the descrip- 

 tions of them amount to little more thau the tittle-tattle of sportsmen, 

 most unwarrantably (as I conceive) adopted into science by men like 

 Traill, G. St. Hilaire, and H. Smith, who have, some of them, made 

 Bisons of these animals, and others Tauri, according to the almost 

 unaided dictates of mere imagination ! My subgeneric and specific 

 characters are both prolix ; but so long as our classification continues 



* There are two animals bearing the name of Dos Urus. 

 5 B 



