Chap. I.] 



51 



eruptive appearances, seem to indicate that the disease 

 is a feverish influenza, attributable to neglect and ex- 

 posure in a moist and variable climate ; and that its 

 prevention might be hoped for, and the cattle pre- 

 served, by the simple expedient of more humane and 

 considerate treatment, especially by affording them 

 cover at night. 



During my residence in Ceylon an incident occurred 

 at Neuera-ellia, which invested one of these pretty 

 animals with an heroic interest. A little cow, belong- 

 ing to an English gentleman, was housed, together with 

 her calf, near the dwelling of her owner, and being 

 aroused during the night by her furious bellowing, the 

 servants, on hastening to the stall, found her goring a 

 leopard, which had stolen in to attack the calf. She 

 had got it into a corner, and whilst lowing incessantly 

 to call for help, she continued to pound it with her 

 horns. The wild animal, apparently stupified by her 

 unexpected violence, was detained by her till despatched 

 by a bullet. 



The number of bullock-carts encountered between 

 Colombo and Kandy, laden with coffee from the interior, 

 or carrying up rice and stores for the supply of the 

 plantations in the hill-country, is quite surprising. The 

 oxen thus employed on this single road, about seventy 

 miles long, are estimated at upwards of twenty thou- 

 sand. The bandy to which they are yoked is a barbar- 

 ous two-wheeled waggon, with a covering of plaited 

 coco-nut leaves, in which a pair of strong bullocks will 

 draw from five to ten hundred weight, according to the 

 nature of the country; and with this load on a level 

 they will perform a journey of twenty miles a day. 



A few of the large humped cattle of India are an- 



E 2 



