1847.] On Various Genera of the Ruminants. 707 



Bibos or of Gaveus, which could we test them might be respectively 

 called Classicus vel Csesaris et Aristotelis. The Gaurs inhabit the 

 primitive forests of India generally, under the great ranges of moun- 

 tains, such as the sub-Himalayas, the Vindhias, the Sathpuras, the 

 Ghats, Eastern and Western, and their links with the Vindhias, and 

 with the Nilgiris. Beyond the Brahmaputra Bibos is replaced by the 

 last type, of which there would seem to be two species in the Indo- 

 Chinese countries, one of them extending to Ceylon, if the Lanka wild 

 Ox be not rather a Bibos ; I suspect there will prove to be at least two 

 species of Bibos, as of Rusa, inhabitants of India between the Cape 

 (Comorin) and the sub -Himalayas, or B. Gaurus and B. Cavifrons. 



For the skeletion of the Gaur, I may refer the reader to the Asia- 

 tic Society's Journal, No. 114, and No. 69. Of the intestines I pos- 

 sess no memorandum. The period of gestation was in Nepaul always 

 stated to me to exceed that of the common Ox : but Mr. Elliot will 

 not allow this. The Gours rut in winter and procreate in autumn, 

 producing usually but one young at a birth. The herds are ordinari- 

 ly rather numerous, 20, 30, 40, and sometines even double these num- 

 bers, being found together, but in the breeding season, not above 10 

 or 15 cows with a single mature vigorous bull, who jealously expels 

 every young and old male from his Haram. The sub-Himalayan 

 species entirely avoids the open Tarai on the one hand, and the hills 

 on the other, adhering to the most solitary parts of the Saul forest, 

 close to and between the salient spurs of the hills where the periodi- 

 cal firing of the undergrowth of the forest never reaches. In the 

 Deccan these animals are said to penetrate into the hills in the hot 

 weather — very partially, I fancy, or else they must then lack cover on 

 the plain, for they are not a mountain race at all. They feed early and 

 late in the more open glades of the forest, posting sentinels the while 

 and manifesting in their whole demeanour a degree of shyness unparal- 

 leled among the Bovines. They never venture, even in the rains, when 

 there is abundance of most rank vegetation to cover their approaches, 

 into the open Tarai to depredate on the crops, as the wild Buffaloes 

 constantly do ; nor do they ever associate, or have sexual commerce, 

 with the tame cattle, though immense numbers of the latter every 

 spring are driven into their retreats to feed, and remain there in a half 

 wild- condition for three or four months, when the wild Buffaloes fre- 



