20 
BUFFALO. 
curved towards the points, which are generally 
distant from each other about three feet. Mr. Bar- 
row informs us, that the fibres of its muscles are 
like so many bundles of cords ; and they are covered 
with a hide little inferior in strength and thickness 
to that of the rhinoceros. 
The peasantry prefer this hide to the skin of all 
other animals for cutting into thongs, to be used as 
traces and harness for their carts and waggons. The 
flesh is too coarse-grained to be good; yet the 
farmers generally salt it as food for their Hottentots. 
A singular circumstance is mentioned by Mr. Bar- 
row respecting this kind of buffalo. He says that 
the teeth are always so perfectly loose in their 
sockets as to rattle and shake in the head. 
Buffaloes are domesticated in India and in Italy, 
but it seems that no attempts have been made by 
the Dutch to render them useful in Africa. “ Any 
other nation,” says Barrow, “ possessing the Cape 
for one hundred and fifty years, would certainly 
have effected it.” Though the buffalo and the ox 
are very similar, and, where domesticated, not only 
live under the same roof, and enjoy the same liberty, 
but feed in the same pastures ; yet we are assured 
they will never intermix ; that cows will refuse to 
suckle young buffaloes, and that female buffaloes 
will refuse to suckle calves. A mutual antipathy 
seems to have been planted in them by nature. The 
habits of this animal are gross and brutal, and he is 
said to be the dirtiest of all creatures except the 
hog. Fond of wallowing in the mud, the buffalo 
