MANILLA. 303 



stoutest ox, and he is admirably adapted for the rice or paddy fields. 

 They are very docile when used by the natives, and even children 

 can manage them ; but it is said they have a great antipathy to the 

 whites, and all strangers. The usual mode of guiding them is by a 

 small cord attached to the cartilage of the nose. The yoke rests on 

 the neck before the shoulders, and is of simple construction. To 

 this is attached whatever it may be necessary to draw, either by 

 traces, shafts, or other fastenings. Frequently this animal may be 

 seen with lar^e bundles of bamboo lashed to them on each side. 

 Buffaloes are to be met with on the lake, with no more than their 

 noses and eyes out of the water, and are not visible until they are ap- 

 proached within a few feet, when they cause alarm to the passengers 

 by raising their large forms close to the boat. It is said that they 

 resort to the lake to feed on a favourite grass that grows on its bottom 

 in shallow water, and which they dive for. Their flesh is not eaten, 

 except that of the young ones, for it is tough and tasteless. The milk 

 is nutritious, and of a character between that of the goat and cow. 



The general appearance of the buffalo is that of a hybrid of the 

 bull and rhinoceros. Its horns do not rise upwards, are very close 

 at the roots, bent backwards, and. of a triangular form, with a flat 

 side above. One of the peculiarities of the buffalo is its voice, which 

 is quite low, and in the minor key, resembling that of a young colt. 

 It is as fond of mire as swine, and shows the consequence of recent 

 wallowing, in being crusted over with mud. The skin is visible, 

 being but thinly covered with hair; its colour is usually that of a 

 mouse ; in some individuals darker. 



Rice is, perhaps, of their agricultural products, the article upon 

 which the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands most depend for food 

 and profit; of this they have several different varieties, which the 

 natives distinguish by their size and the shape of the grain : the 

 birnambang, lamuyo, malagequit, bontot-cabayo, dumali, quinanda, 

 bolohan, and tangi. The three first are aquatic ; the five latter up- 

 land varieties. They each have their peculiar uses. The dumali 

 is the early variety ; it ripens in three months from planting, from 

 which circumstance it derives its name : it is raised exclusively on 

 the uplands. Although much esteemed, it is not extensively culti- 

 vated, as the birds and insects destroy a large part of the crop. 



The malagequit is very much prized, and used for making sweet 

 and fancy dishes; it becomes exceedingly glutinous, for which reason 

 it is used in making whitewash, which it is said to cause to become 



