THE NYL-GHAU. 67 



THE NYL-GHAU, 



IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 



The nyl-ghau is a very remarkable! animal, uniting in some degree the characters of the antelope 

 and the ox. Its height is about four feet to the top of the shoulder, and it measures nearly the same 

 in length from the base of the neck to the commencement of the tail. The male is of a dark gray 

 colour, and furnished with short blunt horns that bend a little forward. It has some white spots on 

 the neck, as well as on the fore-legs, on each side behind, the shoulder joints, and on each fore-foot. 

 Its ears are large, edged with white, and marked within with two black stripes. A slight black mane 

 runs along the top of the neck, and which is continued to some distance down the back, and in the 

 fore part of the throat there is a thick tuft of the same colour. The tail is moderately long and 

 tufted at the end. The horns are short, pointed, smooth, and three-cornered at the base. The 

 female resembles the male in general appearance, but is considerably smaller. The female, which is 

 destitute of horns, is of a pale brown colour, with two white and three black bars on the fore part of 

 each foot, immediately above the hoofs. 



The first of the species that were brought to England were a male and female, sent from Bombay 

 as a present to Lord Clive, in 1767. They bred every year, but their offspring were not reared. 

 Two others were afterwards sent over, and were presented to the queen by Mr. Sullivan. 



The manner in which these animals fight is very remarkable, and was particularly observed at 

 Lord Clive's, where two males were put together in a small enclosure. While they were at a con- 

 siderable distance from each other they prepared for the attack by falling down upon their fore knees, 

 and when they came within a few yards they made a spring and darted against each other. 



The nyl-ghau is seldom found wild in any of the parts of India within the British Settlements, and 

 such of the animals as have been seen there have been brought from the distant interior parts of the 

 country. Bernier makes mention of them in his travels from Delhi to the Province of Cachemire. 

 He describes the emperor's amusement of hunting them, and says, that sometimes great numbers of 

 them are killed. In several parts of the East they are considered as royal game, and are only hunted 

 by the princes. 



Although the nyl-ghau be reported to be an exceedingly vicious animal, yet one of them, that was 

 in the possession of the late Dr. Hunter, was quite tame and docile. It was pleased with every kind 

 of familiarity ; always licked the hand which either stroked it or gave it bread, and never once 

 attempted to use its horns offensively. It seemed to have much dependence on the organs of smell, 

 and snuffed keenly and with considerable noise whenever any person came within sight. It did the 

 same when food or drink was brought to it, and was so easily offended with an uncommon smell, or 

 •was so cautious, that it would not taste bread that was offered with a hand which had touched turpen- 

 tine or spirits. 



At the time that the two nyl-ghaus were in the stable, Dr. Hunter observed that whenever any one 

 approached them with a hostile appearance, they immediately fell upon their fore-knees, and some- 

 times they would do so when he came before them, but as they never darted forward, he so little sup- 

 posed this to be a hostile posture, that he rather considered it to be expressive of a timid or obsequious 

 humility. 



In regard to the genuflexion of the nyl-ghau it is directly the reverse of a hostile attitude, for we 

 18 X 



