I 86 THE OX AND ITS KINDRED 
cows, are much longer, reaching in many instances 
well behind the shoulder. In a well -grown bull they 
may attain a length of 3 feet. 
Among the smaller breeds found in many parts of 
Madras may be mentioned the Godaveri buffalo, the 
buffalo of the east coast of Kistna, and the Carnatic 
buffalo, all of which, so far as can be judged 
from the photographs at my disposal, appear to be 
very nearly allied. The greatest length of horn in the 
Carnatic breed is attained in the cows. The Pedakimidi 
buffalo of the Ganjam district, on the other hand, is 
a larger and heavier breed, with shorter horns, which 
curve upwards and inwards not unlike those of the 
circular-horned race of the wild buffalo. In one 
individual represented in a photograph the fore-legs 
are whitish below the knees. In the Toda buffalo 
the curve of the horns is still more pronounced, their 
tips inclining markedly downwards as well as inwards. 
These Toda buffaloes are indeed much finer animals 
than those of the Madras plains, such as the Godaveri 
breed ; and, as already mentioned, are much wilder 
and fiercer in disposition. 
Among the Todas, according to Mr. W. H. R. 
Rivers,^ female buffaloes, each of which has a name 
of its own, are held more or less sacred, although this 
sanctity does not necessarily extend to the bulls. 
Most bull calves are, indeed, killed at an early age, 
their carcases being either employed in certain 
ceremonies or given away to the neighbouring 
people known as Kotas, by whom the flesh is eaten. 
A few are, however, kept for breeding purposes, 
usually in the proportion of one to every fifty cows. 
It appears that only a certain number of the herds 
^ The Todas, London, 1906. 
