MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 
787 
course of time merge into each other and turn a dirty grey.” Is it not pro- 
bable that the white flecked colouring described by Lydekker as distinctive of 
the Siamese race {B.b. porteri) is merely the colouring of an immature animal. 
Writing of the Siamese race Major Stockley says : — 
“ As for Bos banteng porteri, I consider the subspecific quite unwarranted. 
The type specimen of B.b. porteri was shot by Mr. Porter on groimd where 
several other tsaine had been shot previously, none of which had been spotted, 
or noted as such. I saw a photo of the specimen which was shovTi me by Mr. 
K. G. Gardiner, a keen and competent naturahst who has lived in Siam for nearly 
twenty years, and who doubted the validity of the race. The photo was pub- 
lished in the journal of the Natural History Society of Siam and showed a spot- 
ted bull with a poor head, which I would say was not quite mature, and cer- 
tainly did not look to be an old animal. The spots were distributed fairly 
thickly over the shoulders and decreased in frequency towards the rear. The 
second specimen of B.b. porteri was shot by Mr. C. Yates at the end of March 
1917, and was one of the three shot by him in that month on the same ground. 
Mr. Elwes was with him all the time, and himself shot a bull tsaine. Neither Mr. 
Elwes’ bull or Mr. Yates’ other two were spotted, nor were any of the bulls 
which Mr. Elwes had shot on the ground in previous years. It is improbable 
in the extreme that there could be two races of tsaine hving in continuous areas 
of which specimens occasionally invade each other’s territory. I may say 
that I have photos of two buck Barking Deer {Cervulus muntiacus grandicornis) 
shot in the Yamethin district of Burma in the same week on the same ground : 
one of them has two parallel rows of white spots on its sides, the other is quite 
unspotted. WiU any sane person maintain that they are of different races ?” 
j\Iature bulls according to Evans are usually yeUovash brown, sometimes 
turning to dark grey colour on the sides and flanks. Old bulls usually have the 
face down to the muzzle a dirty white approaching to grey. They may be en- 
tirely grey (grey bulls according to Evans always possess magnificent heads) or the 
prevailing colour may be dull yeUovdsh red (the shade of a withered leaf, or 
the red of old brown canvas) occasionally the colour is almost dark chocolate 
and rarely black {the normal colour of the Javan race.) 
Thus we find in the males of the Burmese Banting a range of colour extending 
in the immature animals from bright chestnut, chestnut flecked with white to 
yello'wish brown mixed with grey and in the older animals ranging from uniform 
grey to red, chocolate and black. Evans states that ordinarily in Burma the 
older the bull the lighter he is while Lydekker is of opinion that “ very old 
bulls apparently become darker.” Major Stockley is in agreement 'ivith Col. 
Evans. He writes : — 
“ I differ altogether from Lydekker when he states that the colour of old bulls 
goes darker with age. The khaki coloured bulls, I am sure, do nothing of 
the sort. As I have said in my original notes, I think it possible that the grey 
and copper-beech bulls possibly become buffalo-blue and chocolate, respectively, 
eventually, in some cases, going quite black ; but this is merely a suggestion, 
and not even my opinion, as I think the matter is quite imcertain.” 
The question arises in the absence of complete data and material as to how 
far the colouration of the Banting can be made the basis for distinguishing the 
various races of animal. What exactly are the features or characteristics by 
which the various races can be recognised, as tending to become permanent 
forms inhabiting a definite area ? 
I think that a perusal of Major Stockley’s and Col. Evans’ notes ■null show how 
entirely unrehable colour is as a basis for determining the races of Bos banteng. 
Distinctions based on scanty museum material are not in many instances 
borne out by the subsequent observation of field Naturahsts and it would be 
better if decisions of this nature are deferred until sufficient material and data 
were forthcoming. Major Stockley writes : — 
