6508 



Notice of the various 



immemorial ; and without any variation in their appearance from the 

 wild stock. No difference whatever is observed in the colour of the 

 wild and tame breeds ; brown of different shades being the general 

 colour of both. The wild gayal is about the size of the wild buffalo 

 of India. The tame gayal, among the Kukis, being bred in nearly the 

 same habits of freedom, and on the same food, without ever under- 

 going any labour, grows to the same size as the wild one. 



" He lives to the age of fifteen or twenty years, and when three 

 years old the gayal cow receives the bull ; goes eleven months with 

 young, and does not again engender until the following season, after 

 she has brought forth. She thus produces a calf once only in three 

 years, and so long an interval between each birth must tend to make 

 the species rare ; the calf sucks his dam for eight or nine months, 

 when he is capable of supporting himself. The Kukis tie up the calf 

 until he is sufficiently strong to do so. The gayal cow gives very 

 little milk, and does not yield it long ; but what she gives is of a 

 remarkably rich quality — almost equally so with the cream of other 

 milk, which it resembles in colour. The Kukis make no use what- 

 ever of the milk, but rear the gayals entirely for the sake of their 

 flesh and skins ; they make their shields of the hide of this animal ; 

 the flesh of the gayal is in the highest estimation among the Kukis, 

 so much so that no solemn festival is ever celebrated without 

 slaughtering one or more gayals, according to the importance of the 

 occasion. 



" These animals lose their sight as they grow old, and are subject 

 to a disease of the hoof, which often proves fatal at an early age ; 

 when the Kuki considers the disease beyond the hope of cure he kills 

 the gayal and eats its flesh, which constitutes his first article of 

 luxury. 



" The Kukis train their gayals to no labour, although, from the great 

 strength and gentle disposition of this animal, he must be very com- 

 petent to every purpose, either of draught or carriage, to which the 

 buffalo or the ox is applicable.* 



" The domesticated gayals are allowed by the Kukis to roam at 

 large during the day through the forest, in the neighbourhood of the 

 village ; but, as evening approaches, they all return home of their own 

 accord; the young gayal being early taught this habit, by being 



* Mr. G. Harris remarks, however, of the gayal cow, that " she is very quiet, is used 

 for all the purposes of the dairy, as also (I have been informed by the natives) for 

 tilling the ground, and is more tractable than the bllffalo. ,, We suppose that the 

 bulls rather are used for the latter purpose. 



