in captivity in lower bengal. 139 



Observations on the habits of the Wild Ass and Zebra. 



The wild ass, unlike its domestic congener, is an intractable 

 animal, very shy and difficult to approach. Attempts have been made 

 to break them in, but without success. A fine adult male once ran 

 amuck and " in a state of temporary furor ran against the iron railing 

 of its compound with great violence and thus fractured its skull." The 

 zebra is an equally intractable and untameable animal, addicted to 

 kicking and biting ; but from what has been observed of the specimen 

 (E. burchelli) it does not appear that they are altogether devoid of 

 sociable qualities. This animal was at first shy and vicious, but 

 it has gradually become so tractable as to allow itself, with a little 

 coaxing, to be groomed and rubbed, and if in good humour it comes 

 to the side of the fencing to be stroked and patted. Its call-note is 

 a ringing musical bellowing, somewhat like that of the swamp deer 

 (C. duvauceli), but uttered more quickly and less prolonged. The 

 most characteristic peculiarity is the periodicity of the call, which may 

 be heard at an interval of half an hour or more for two or three days 

 once every month or a month and a half. 



(173) THE DOMESTIC OX. 

 (BOS TAURUS— Linn) 



(174) THE ZEBU. 



(BOS INDICUS— Linn) 



Both the above species, which are now only found in a domesticat- 

 ed state, have been represented in this collection. 



(175) THE GYAL, OR MITHAN. 



(BOS FRONTALIS-(Lambert) ) 



Description. — Height at the shoulder 4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet; 

 heavy in build; general colour varies from black with a coffee brown 

 shade to dark brown ; legs from knee downwards white ; dewlap well 

 developed ; tail short ; horns short, very nearly straight (extent of the 

 curvature upwards varies in different specimens) ; colour of the horns 

 greyish black ; in older animals they are very rough and somewhat 

 scaly at the base; forehead very slightly depressed, and of a greyish 

 brown colour ; there is no ridge in the median line of the skull 

 between the horns. The aspect of the skull is markedly triangular. 



Many intermediate forms of gyals, including hybrids between it 

 and the domestic cattle, have also been exhibited. The white in the 

 legs, so characteristic of a pure gyal, is either wanting or imperfect in 

 these ; the forehead in some is altogether white or blotched with, white 

 spots; the horns are sometimes rounded and more curved than in a 

 pure gyal ; others have almost straight and flat horns, and the ridge on 

 the anterior part of the back is much less prominent ; in the hybrids, 



