THE GAME ANIMALS
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THE GAME ANIMALS OF INDIA,
BURMA, MALAYA, AND TIBET
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THE GAME ANIMALS
OF
INDIA, BURMA, MALAYA,
AND FIBET
BEING A NEW AND REVISED EDITION OF
‘THE GREAT AND SMALL GAME OF
INDIA, BURMA, AND TIBET’
PA ey
R!’ LYDEKKER
WITH NINE PLATES AND FIFTY-NINE OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON
ROWLAND WARD, LimitTep
i (UNGER) 167, PICCADILLY
1907
<xnsenian Instit,., ~
of Yo,
Y UL 25 08,
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Nation ase
¢
PREPACE
SEVEN years have elapsed since the publication of the
original quarto edition of this work, which is now out
of print. During that interval considerable progress
has been made in the recognition of local races of many
of the animals described therein ; some of these races,
such as the Shan brown bear and the Tibetan bruan,
adding very largely to the geographical range of the
species. Another important addition to our knowledge
is the occurrence of a goral in Burma.
Descriptions of these newly recognised forms, to-
gether with much other important information, have
been incorporated in the present edition, which has
thus been brought thoroughly up to date.
Another innovation is the inclusion of the Malay
Peninsula, which is now an integral portion of the British
Empire, in the area coming within the purview of the
volume.
In its present smaller and cheaper form the work
will be found more convenient to the sportsman in the
field than the original edition.
Since the text was in type I have had an opportunity
of seeing the head and neck of the red serow, an animal
which has never previously come under my notice.
Vv
Game Animals of India, etc.
This serow was described by Blyth under the name of
Capricornis rubida, from a specimen obtained in the
hill-ranges of Aracan, on the sea-board of Upper
Burma. It was subsequently regarded by Dr. Blan-
ford as inseparable from the ordinary Burmese serow
(Nemorhedus sumatrensis), of which I suggested that
it might be a local race. The new specimen, which
is almost entirely of a foxy-red colour, with a little
brownish on the backs of the ears, and becoming rather
paler on the throat, was obtained by Mr. A. Sinclair
Thomson, of the Essex Regiment, near Mogaung,
nearly due north of Bhamo, on the eastern border of
the Singpho country. The occurrence of the red
serow in localities so distant as Aracan and Mogaung
indicates that its range extends right across that of the
ordinary serow, and suggests a colour-phase rather
than a local race. Indeed, in view of recent observa-
tions as to the red phase of the African tiger-cat being
merely the early stage of the dusky form of that species,
the suspicion arises that a similar change may take
place in the case of the serow. Accordingly, any
observations bearing on this point from sportsmen in
Burma will be of interest.
R.. LYDEKKER.
Harpenven, July 1907.
vi
CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction. : ; : : ‘ : I
The Indian or Asiatic i eee 3 : : : : : 6
The Great Indian Rhinoceros. ; : : 4 bf 20
The Singpho Rhinoceros. F ‘ : ; : Sr?
The Javan Rhinoceros : : : 5 : : ee a
The Sumatran Rhinoceros . ‘ ; : f : meade)
The Malay Tapir. : ; : Bel A
The Kiang, or Tibetan Wild Ass : : : ey
The Ghor-Khar, or Baluchi Wild Ass ; , : SrA
The Gaur, or Indian Bison : ; 3 : 22 50
The Gayal, or Mithan : : : : : : One OH
The Bantin, or Tsaine 2 ; : : : £07
alee. Mak. : E ; : i ; : aie
The Arna, or Indian Buffalo : ; : : : eno
Marco Polo’s Sheep . : : : : 2 180
The Tibetan Argali, or Feien s sides ; : : 2 95
The Shapo, or Urial . : : : : : 2 99
The Bharal, or Blue Sheep : ; : ; TG
The Sind Wild Goat : : : : Sa Hos
The Sakin, or Asiatic Ibex ; : : : Ma 1’
The Markhor . : 4 : i ‘ : : Reds i) |
The Tahr ‘ : F : : : : EN ER Sa
The Nilgiri Tahr, or ies é : : : ; nts
The Serow : ; : : ; ‘ : 5 EZO
The Himalayan aa ‘ ; : : : ; Papen tit
The Burmese Goral . : s : ) ; : ba as
vil
Game Animals of India, etc.
PAGE
The Ashy Tibetan Goral . : : : 5 : e75s
The Grey Tibetan Goral . Taner Shey ; aia 6
The Takin : ; ; A i : : SER B67)
The Nilgai, or Blue Bull ‘ : : : Wako!
The Chousingha, or Four-horned aietene : A ¢ Sua
The Blackbuck, or Indian Antelope. : , : or ll 75
The Chiru, or Tibetan Antelope : ; ; ; =. elon!
The Goa, or Tibetan Gazelle. : : : ee 189
The Goitred Gazelle . : : : ) : 2 =z
The Chinkara, or Indian Gazelle : ; : ‘ PozOr
The Hangul, or Kashmir Stag. é 2 : : 1 208
The Shou, or Sikhim Stag . : : ; : : Re ke,
Thorold’s Deer, or the Lhasa Stag 5 ; ; : ee I
dhetSambar |: : : : : . (aaa
The Chital, or Indian ee Dee : : . : te 5238
The Para, or Hog-Deer_ : ; ; : gt 2A
The Swamp-Deer, or Barasingha : : : ; Se eo Us
The Thamin, or Eld’s Deer : : ; ; : 2 P52
The Miuntjac- : : 5 : : a, G7.
The Tibetan Muntjac : ; é ‘ by aE Z6s
The Tenasserim Muntjac . ; é ; 2209
The Tibetan Tufted Deer . . ; 5 : ~ e264
The Kastura, or Musk-Deer : : : : : i $206
The Meminna Chevrotain . : : i é : = tae
The Napu Chevrotain : : : : ; ; PEA ai
The Kanchil Chevrotain . aici : “A276
The Indian Wild Boar ; : : : : OF ae 27)
Andaman and Nicobar Wild Pigs : 5 A : A 728A)
The Pigmy Hog : : : : ‘ : ; ee 1235
The Lion . : : : : , : P6280
The Tiger ; : 2 : ; ; “ : . 294
The Leopard . ; ; ; , . ; By iets,
The Ounce, or Snow- Dassae : : : : : 326
The Clouded Tiger . , ‘ : : A As,
ihe Golden ‘or Bay. Cat) : : : ; s 2 a BBG
vill
Contents
The Fishing-Cat
The Leopard-Cat
The Manul Cat
The Desert-Cat
The Jungle-Cat
The Caracal
The Lynx : ;
The Hunting-Leopard
The Indian Civet
The Binturong .
The Striped Hyzna
The Wolf
The Indian Wolf
The Dhole, or Wild Dog
The Panda :
The Short-Tailed Panda
The Brown Bear
The Tibetan Blue Bear
The Himalayan Black Bear
The Bruan, or Malay Bear
The Aswal, or Sloth-Bear .
Marmots
Hares
ix
Eiot, OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PLaTEs
I. Elephant, Rhinoceros, Tapir, and Kiang
II. Oxen and Buffalo
. Sheep
IV. Goats
. Serow, Takin, and Antelopes
«. Deer
VII. Deer, Chevrotain, and Swine
VIII. Lion, 'Tiger, Leopard, etc.
_
xo
Et JO
_
N
NO 3007 I Nu Ww hd
. Hyzna, Wolf, Bear, etc.
Text-Ficures
. Skull of Indian Elephant
. The Kiang
Bull Gaur .
. Skull and Horns of Cow Gaur
. Head of Burmese Gaur
. Head of Seladang
. Skull and Horns of Gayal
. Head of Tsaine .
. Domesticated Yak
. Skull and Horns of Yak
. Black Domesticated Yak
. Marco Polo’s Sheep
Xl
Game Animals of India, etc.
. Head of Baluchi Urial.
Sind Wild Goat .
. Skull and Horns of Sind Wild on
y the Balt. hbex
. Horns of the Astor Markhor
. Skull and Horns of Pir Panjal era
. Horns of Gilgit Markhor
. Skull and Horns of Cabul Markhor
. Skull and Horns of Suleman Markhor .
. Head of Suleman Markhor .
Skull and Horns of Himalayan Serow
. A Himalayan Goral
. Frontlet and Horns of Young Takin
. Female Nilgai
. Skull and Horns of Blackbuck
. Persian Goitred Gazelle
. Skulls and Horns of Yarkand and Bardia Ceaie
. Skull and Horns of Yarkand Gazelle
. Head of Chinkara
. Hangul Stag .
. Hangul Stag, with Antlers in velvet
. Skull and Antlers of Yarkand Stag
. Skull and Antlers of Shou Stag
. Sambar Stag ;
. Head of Indian Sambar hs
. Skull of Indian Sambar with abnormal Antlers
. Frontlet and Antlers of Malay Sambar .
. Head of Chital Stag
. Chital Hind
. Head of Hog-Deer
. Hog-Deer Stag
. Head of Swamp-Deer .
. Swamp-Deer Stag : ; ‘
. Head of Swamp-Deer with abnormal type of aici
. Burmese Thamin
xil
PAGE
103
110
III
117
123
125
127
129
131
133
146
he
162
167
179
eS)
197
199
203
211
2g
216
219
228
apse
227
231
2oe
235
242
Hie
246
eal
ae.
25a
48.
ise
50.
Bil:
52.
53:
54:
55.
Buffalo Skulls and Horns 2 : To face
Indian Tiger Skin. ; E : - ; Sate
Manchurian Tiger Skin. : : ; Stats
White Tiger Skin ; : ; . ; ’ sae
List of Illustrations
Frontlet and Antlers of Malay Muntjac
Head of Tufted Deer .
Young Musk-Deer
African Leopard Skin
Indian Leopard Skin
An Indian Leopard
Snow-Leopard Skin
Tibetan Blue Bear
Foup-1n PuaTeEs
CORRIGENDUM
Page 75, line 17 from top, for H. L. Butler read A. L. Butler.
X11
THE GAME ANIMALS OF INDIA,
BURMA, MALAYA, AND TIBET
INTRODUCTION
Tue area of which the game animals (or rather
mammals) are described in the present volume may
be designated in popular language “ the Sportsman’s
India.” Roughly speaking, it comprises the drainage-
basins of the Indus, Bramaputra, and Irawadi Rivers,
or the greater portion thereof, together with the whole
of India, Ceylon, the province of Tenasserim, and the
Malay Peninsula. Including a large part of Baluchistan
and Afghanistan, the area is well defined towards the
north-west by the barrier of the Hindu-Kush and
Karakoram ranges. Eastwards of the latter the
boundary is fixed by the Tangla Mountains, to the
north of Lhasa, whence an arbitrary line may be drawn
to the eastern frontier of Burma, which may be taken
as the boundary in this direction. The whole of Tibet
and the Himalaya consequently fall within the area
treated of ; but, on the other hand, Eastern Turkestan
and China, as well as Siam and Cochin-China, are
excluded.
It has to be acknowledged that, in fixing these
limits, a somewhat arbitrary division has been made.
It has indeed been suggested to the author that
it would have been better to include the whole of
Asia, as it seems rather illogical to describe certain of
I B
Game Animals of India, etc.
the wild sheep and deer of Central Asia to the exclusion
of others, and undoubtedly there is much to be said
for this view. On the other hand, the fauna of
Western Asia passes imperceptibly into that of Eastern
Europe, so that if Asia were taken as the limits of the
area to be included, the boundary would be fully as
arbitrary, from the point of view of the fauna, as is at
present the case, if, indeed, it were not more so.
The area, as thus limited, contains an assemblage
of game animals belonging to two great zoological
provinces ; those of the cis-Indus and cis-Himalayan
portion of the area, together with Burma, Tenasserim,
and the Malay Peninsula, pertaining to what is called
the Oriental region, while those beyond these limits are
included in the Eastern Holarctic or Palearctic region.
The northern frontiers of India and Burma are, in
fact, the meeting-place of two great faunas. In Burma
and India themselves minor zoological subdivisions
are indicated by the distribution of the game and
other animals. In Tenasserim, for example, the
animals are distinctly of a Malay type, as is instanced
by the presence of the tapir, the Malay bear, the
bantin, and the binturong. And these Malay types,
with an intermingling of peculiar species, like the
thamin deer, are traceable into Assam and the Eastern
Himalaya ; the Malay forms being perhaps even
more pronounced in the latter area than they are
in Burma. Other Malay types are the two smaller
species of Asiatic rhinoceros, one of which has pene-
trated into Lower Bengal.
Of the game animals of Burma itself, some, like
the gaur, are specifically identical with those of India ;
others, like the bantin, are Malay ; while others again
may be regarded as Eastern representatives of Indian
species. As an instance of the latter class may be
cited the thamin deer and the Malay sambar, which
are respectively the Burmese representatives of the
Indian swamp-deer and Indian sambar. Assam forms
2
“a
Introduction
the meeting-ground of the Indian and the Burmese
faunas.
Peninsular India, properly restricted to the area
south of the great plain formed by the alluvium of
the Indus and Ganges, although often considered to
extend to the foot of the Himalaya, is the home of
the true Indian fauna, examples of which are the
chital, or spotted deer, the hog-deer, the swamp-deer,
the Indian sambar, che nilgai, and the sloth-bear.
Even apart from minor divisions due to varying
conditions of climate, soil, vegetation, etc., Peninsular
India is by no means dneeoetn as regards its animals.
The Malabar coast, for instance, is very distinct in
this respect from the whole of the remainder of the
area, although showing considerable resemblances to
Ceylon, except the north of the latter, which is more
akin in its animals to Peninsular India generally.
Many characteristic Indian animals, such as the tiger,
the Indian wolf, and the swamp-deer, are, however,
absent from Ceylon.
In the trans-Indus districts of the Punjab, and
still more markedly in Western Sind, Baluchistan, and
Afghanistan, we gradually take lewve Of theleemiee
Pee ceular India (and with it that of the Oriental
region generally), and find it replaced by a Persian
element ; these Persian types belonging to the Holarctic
fauna of Western Asia and Europe. Examples of
such western types are met with in the form of the
European wolf, the Persian leopard, the wild ass, and
the Persian gazelle. The lion, too, belongs to this
Persian fauna, although it has succeeded im penetrating
farther into India than some of the other members.
All traces of the Malay fauna, such as tapirs, the
two smaller species of rhinoceros, and the Malay
bear, are wanting from the area occupied by the
Persian fauna. 2
In the cis-Indus Salt Range of the Punjab we meet
with an outlier of the Persian fauna in the form of the
3
Game Animals of India, etc.
Salt Range urial. This sheep, together with the
straight-horned markhor goat of the trans-Indus
Suleman Range, likewise serves to connect the Punjab-
Persian fauna with that of Central Asia, which also
forms a part of the Holarctic region.
It has been already mentioned that the animals of
the Eastern Himalaya display a marked resemblance
to the Malay type. Passing westwards along the chain,
this Malay element practically disappears west of
Nepal; and from thence the Himalayan fauna as
far north as the forests reach is to a great extent
transitional between that of Peninsular India on the
one hand and that of Central Asia on the other.
Kashmir, which comes within the limits of this
intermediate zone, exhibits the transition between the
Oriental and Central Asian faunas very markedly, with
some indications of a Persian element. The Himalayan
black bear is a very characteristic animal of this zone,
as are also the tahr and the goral.
With the high Himalaya and the arid districts of
Gilgit, Ladak, etc., we enter the area inhabited by the
Tibetan fauna, which is more or less markedly distinct
from that of the rest of Central Asia. Among these
peculiar Tibetan types may be cited the yak, the chiru
antelope, the goa gazelle, and the Tibetan wild ass or
kiang, together with various wild sheep, all of which
are inhabitants of dry and elevated country. Farther
eastwards, 1n the Lhasa district, we enter the limits
of a subdivision of this fauna adapted to live at a
lower elevation in a more humid climate; among
the members of this group being the short-tailed
panda, the takin, Thorold’s deer, and the Tibetan
blue bear.
Passing on to Turkestan and the Altai country, the
home of Marco Polo’s sheep, the true argali, the
Eastern Asiatic wapitis, and the Siberian roebuck, we
reach the tract inhabited by the typical Central Asian
fauna, lying beyond the limits to which this volume is
4
Introduction
restricted. The tiger is probably to be regarded asa
wanderer from the Central Asian fauna into India and
the Malay countries.
With these few preliminary remarks on an interest-
ing subject, the descriptions and histories of the various
species may be commenced.
THE INDIAN OR-ASIATIC ELERPRAND
(Elephas maximus)
Native Names.—Hathi, Hathni (female), Hinpustanl 5.
Hasti and Gaja, Sanscrit ; Fil, Persian ; Haus,
KasuMiri; Gaj, Bencatt; Ane, TeLecu, Tami,
CANaRESE, etc. ; Yani or THE Gonps ; Hattanga,
Khonda, anv Eniga, Tetecu ; Yanei, Kunjaram,
AND Veranum, Mavapari; 4a anp Alia, CincaA-
LESE; Zengmu oF THE Lepcuas; Langcheu and
Lambochi or THE Buotias; Mongma anp Naplo
AMONG THE Garo Hit Tripes; Migung, Kacuarr;
Atche or THE Axas 3 Sotso, Supo, Chu, ano Tsu oF
THE Nacas; Site ar Asor; Tsang 1n Kuamr1 ;
Magui, SincpuHo; Saipi or THE Kuxis; Amieng
- AND Manyong 1x THE Misumr Hits; Samu or
THE Manipuris; Tsheng, Burmese; Tsing, Tavarn;
Tsan iN THE SHAN States ; Kahsa or THE KarEns 3.
Gaja, Matay.
(PiarTe i, fig. 1)
In all works of sport and in the majority of those
on natural history the Indian elephant, if it be not
called Elephas asiaticus, is termed E. indicus ; but at the
present day it is the fashion to follow priority in
nomenclature, and according to this the proper name
is EL. maximus. It may be objected that the Indian
elephant is a smaller animal than its African relation,.
and that the latter name is thus invalid ; but objections
of this class are disregarded by naturalists.
As the largest and most strange in appearance of all
6
4. Sumatran Rhinoceros.
1. Indian Elephant.
2. Great Indian Rhinoceros. 5. Malay Tapir.
3. Javan Rhinoceros. 6. Kiang.
Game Animals of India, etc.
the animals of India, the elephant looms large in the
ancient traditions and religions of the country, figuring
in the Hindu mythology as Ganesa—the elephant-
headed god. From its ancient Sanscrit names Hasti
and Gaja are derived most of its titles among the Aryan
tribes of India ; while even the Malays, who speak a
tongue of totally different origin, have adopted the
latter of these names. Although now the sole repre-
sentative of its tribe in Asia, the Indian elephant is the
survivor of a host of species formerly inhabiting the
country from which it takes its name; some of these
extinct species coming close to their descendant, while
others (mastodons) had teeth of a totally distinct type,
some even carrying tusks in the lower as well as in the
upper jaw. From the number of fossil species, coupled
with the fact that itis here alone that a complete transi-
tion is to be found between the mastodons and the
true elephants, it is probable that South-Eastern Asia
was the original home of the latter.
As everybody knows an elephant by sight, while
many persons are acquainted with the leading external
differences between the Asiatic and the African species,
it will be unnecessary to point out the characteristics of
elephants in general, or to enter in detail into the
consideration of the features by which the two living
representatives of the group are distinguished from one
another. An exception in regard to one particular
feature of elephant anatomy may, however, be made,
seeing that comparatively few persons Pde cena ihe
mode of development and replacement obtaining in the
teeth of these animals.
As regards the tusks (which do not correspond to
the tusks of a wild boar, but to one of the pairs of
incisor or front teeth of that animal), these arise from
the upper jaw, and grow throughout the life of their
owner, after they have once made their appearance. In
very young elephants they are preceded by a pair of
milk-tusks, which are soon shed.
8
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
As regards the molar or cheek-teeth, there are six
pairs developed in each jaw, but only portions of two
of these are in use at one time, and in an aged animal
Fic. 1.—Skull of Indian Elephant, showing the worn masticating surface of the
fitth pair of molars, behind which are the unworn sixth pair, whose summits
during life were still in the gum.
there is but one on each side of both the upper and the
lower jaw. These teeth are composed of a number of
vertical transverse plates closely packed together ; the
number of such plates gradually increasing from the
9
Game Animals of India, etc.
first tooth, in which there are four, to the last, which
may have as many as twenty-four. The teeth are
pushed up in the jaws in an arc of a circle, and as each
tooth in the front of the series becomes worn down, it
is gradually thrust out from behind by its successor,
which at the same time takes its place. The end of
this process is, of course, that the animal is eventually
left with but a single pair of grinding teeth in each jaw ;
and when these are completely worn away, a term is put
to the life of their owner.
Compared with those of its African relative, the
molars of the Indian elephant have their component
plates narrower and more numerous, with the layers of
enamel thrown into a number of fine puckers or pleats.
Consequently, on the worn surface of the crown, the
disks formed by the abraded plates are more numerous
and narrower in the Indian species, while their enamel-
borders are thin and pleated instead of comparatively
thick and plain.
The females of the Indian elephant carry, as a rule,
only very small tusks, which do not project beyond the
lips, and in some cases the males show an equally poor
development of these weapons. Such tuskless males
are known in India as makhna, in contradistinction to
the dauntela, or tuskers.
Usually the Indian elephant has five polished hoof-
like nails on the fore, and four on the hind feet ;
but the most striking external point of distinction
between it and the African species is to be found
in the comparatively small size of the ears. Next to
this comes the presence of a finger-like process on the
front edge only of the tip of the trunk, the African
species having such a process on both the front and
hind margins. The trunk, too, of the Indian species
differs markedly from that of the African elephant,
being comparable to a tapering india-rubber tube,
whereas in the African elephant this appendage consists
of a series of segments of varying calibre, and may be
10
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
likened to the joints of a telescope. The skin is com-
paratively smooth, and the coarse bristles on the tail
are confined to the front and back edges for some
distance above the tip. Other noticeable features in
the present species are the comparative flatness of the
forehead and the regularly convex profile of the back.
Much discussion has taken place with regard to the
height attained by the Indian elephant, but since the
subject has been thoroughly threshed out, it will be
treated very briefly on the present occasion. Roughly
speaking, about 9 feet may be given as the ordinary
height for large males, and 8 feet for females, but in
Ceylon the average is from 7 feet 6 inches to 8 feet
6 inches. An elephant of about 9 feet 9 inches has,
however, been killed in Ceylon,! and one of 9g feet
7 inches in Mysore; while two are known to have
attained the height of ro feet 1 inch, a third of 10 feet
4 inches, and a fourth (killed by the late Viscount
Powerscourt in Gurhwal) of 11 feet. A very large
elephant was also recorded some time ago in one of
the Indian papers. These dimensions appear to be
dwarfed by a skeleton in the Indian Museum, Calcutta,
which seems to indicate an animal of nearly a dozen
feet high.
Of tusks, the three longest specimens on record
respectively measure 8 feet 9 inches, 8 feet 2 inches,
and 8 feet ; their respective weights being 81, 80, and
go lbs ; but these are by no means the heaviest—one,
whose length is 7 feet 32% inches, weighing 102 lbs.,
while a second, of which the length is 7 feet 34 inches,
scaled 974 lbs., both the two latter being from Ceylon.
Of the largest pair in the British Museum, belonging
to an elephant killed in 1866 by the late Colonel
G. M. Payne in Madura, one tusk measures 6 feet
8 inches in length, and weighs 77# lbs., while the other
is somewhat smaller. As regards the circumference
of the base of the foot, the following dimensions,
1 Storey, Hunting and Shooting in Ceylon, p. 110.
1
Game Animals of India, etc.
namely, 674, 624, 61, 603, and 60 inches have been
recorded.
Within the area treated of in this volume, the
elephant inhabits the forest-districts of India, Ceylon,
Assam, and Burma, although now exterminated in
several parts of the country where it formerly flourished.
Indeed, were it not for the protective laws established
both in India and Ceylon this noble beast would have
long since disappeared from most of its haunts, even
if it had not ceased to exist. Eastwards and southwards
of Burma the elephant is to be met with in the Malay
Peninsula, Siam, and Cochin-China, as well as in the
great islands of Sumatra and Borneo, although in the
last of these its presence may be originally due to
human agency.
There has long been a difference of opinion as to
whether the Sumatran and the Ceylon elephants, which
were at one time grouped together, are distinct from
the continental animal. So long ago as the year 1834
Mr. Brian Hodgson, writing in the Proceedings of the
Zoological Society of London, suggested that the elephant
of Ceylon was distinct from that of the mainland, as
typified by the sal-forest animal. Whether, however,
the two were to be regarded as species or races was left
an open question. According to this communication,
the Cingalese elephant has a smaller and lighter head,
and is taller at the withers than the mainland animal ;
while the latter sometimes has five nails on the hind-
foot. Nothing was, however, stated with regard to
the presence or absence of tusks or the relative sizes
of the two races. A dozen years later Temminck,
who apparently based his conclusions on information
afforded by his colleague Schlegel, announced that the
elephants of Sumatra and Ceylon indicated a species
distinct from the continental E. maximus (indicus),
which it was proposed to call EF. sumatranus ; the
typical form being, of course, the Sumatran elephant.
Schlegel subsequently formulated the characters by
12
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
which the Sumatran and Cingalese animal might be
distinguished from the continental elephant. Both, he
writes, have, as compared with the African elephant,
the same general form and small ears, but the Sumatran
species is a more slender and more finely built animal
with a longer and more slender trunk, and the tip of
the tail more expanded and carrying longer and stronger
bristles. He then goes on to say that the Sumatran
elephant is more docile and intelligent than its Indian
brother, fronY which it is further distinguished by
certain differences in the skeleton and teeth, detailed in
the original paper.
mie subject was again taken up by Dr. Hugh
Falconer in a memoir céOriinane ted to the Natural
History Review for January 1863, in which it was
shown that many of the dental and _ osteological
characters (notably an alleged difference in the number
of vertebra) were untrustworthy ; and he came to the
conclusion that there was but a single living Asiatic
species of elephant. In this he is no doubt correct ;
but it is important to note that in a later portion of
the memoir he makes the admission that this species is
“‘ modified, doubtless, according to his more northern
or southern habitat, but not to an extent exceeding that
of a slight geographical variety.”’ This is equivalent to
saying that there may be local “ races,’’ as now under-
stood, of the Asiatic species. It should, moreover, be
mentioned that in De Blainville’s Ostéographie, published
from 1839 to 1864, the Ceylon elephant had been
designated Elephas indicus zeylanicus.
Although nothing is said as to any local varieties
of the elephant in Blanford’s Mammals of India, it
is mentioned that the Ceylon elephant is reported to be
generally tuskless ; and it is evident that if this form be
distinguished from the continental Indian elephant, it
must, on distributional grounds, be also distinct from
the Sumatran representative of the species. It may be
added that Schlegel makes no mention of the rarity or
AS
Game Animals of India, etc.
absence of large tusks as a distinctive characteristic of
Temminck’s Elephas sumatranus.
The distinctness of the Ceylon elephant has been
taken up by Mr. Alfred Clark, of the Ceylon Forest
Department, in a little work called Sport in the Low-
Country of Ceylon, published in 1901 at Colombo.
The more important of these observations are as
follows :—
“ As is well known, the majority of male elephants
in Ceylon have no tusks, but only small tushes set
vertically in the. upper jaw. Females also have tushes,
but they are very small. Tuskers are sometimes met
with, but are extremely scarce. It is probable that
there are not now more than fifty of all ages in the
whole island. That they were numerous in former
days is shown by the fact that, when Kandy was
conquered in 1815, among the loot were 289 tusks,
weighing 59154 lbs. Tuskers are usually not so big
as the tuskless bulls, but are broader across the forehead
and have bigger frontal bumps, while the hollow
between the ear and eye is not so marked.
Very fine tusks, quite as big as the average size of Indian
ones, have been got from tuskers shot in Ceylon.
“One reason which has been given for the rarity of
tuskers in Ceylon is the ‘scarcity of phosphates in the
soil, which sounds learned, but is nonsense. Such a
theory would account for the absence of tusks, or for
their universal imperfect development, but not for the
fact that some elephants have perfectly developed tusks
and others none at all, but tushes instead. There can
be little doubt that tuskers and tuskless elephants are two
distinct varieties, the latter being the one indigenous
to the island. The tuskers found in our forests are
probably the descendants of imported Indian elephants
which ran wild. It is reasonable to suppose that if
there are two breeds of elephants in Ceylon, cross-
breeding would, in the course of time, produce a species
of hybrid animal. Native elephant-catchers and traders
14
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
assert the existence of such creatures and call them
“makanians.’ There was an elephant belonging to the
Rameswaram Temple a few years ago which was said
to be one of this class. It had tusks, but they were set
vertically, almost touching the ground, and the whole
shape of the animal was abnormal.”
The evidence adduced in these extracts as to the
marked distinction of the great majority of Cingalese
elephants from those of the mainland, and the suggestion
made to account for the presence of a certain number
of tuskers in the island, are certainly worthy the
consideration of naturalists. Unfortunately there is no
evidence that Indian elephants were at any time
imported into Ceylon, and as the introduction (assuming
it to have taken place) must have occurred at a date
comparatively remote, it is unlikely that such evidence
will ever be forthcoming. Whether elephants could
have been carried across the Palk Straits in native craft,
or whether they could have crossed by swimming wa
the so-called Adam’s Bridge, it is not easy to say ; but
Mr. Clark’s suggestion certainly offers an explanation of
the facts which does not appear to present insuperable
difficulties. Provisionally accepting this explanation,
there seems evidence in favour of regarding the
Cingalese elephant as a distinct local race, of eaten
the proper name is Elephas maximus zeylanicus. ‘This
presumed race will be characterised by the absence of
large tusks in the males, and the peculiarities in the
form of the head referred to by Mr. Clark.
The statement as to the Cingalese tuskless elephants
being larger than the tuskers seems to require a little
modification ; for, according to Mr. H. Storey, it is only
in the Tawankaduwa district of the island that there
exists a large herd of tuskless elephants, some of which
reach, it is said, a height of nearly ten feet, whereas
elsewhere a height of nine feet is uncommon.
Whether these Tawankaduwa giants indicate a second
Ceylon race, has yet to be determined.
I5
Game Animals of India, etc.
It should be added that the name Elephas maximus
appears to have been originally bestowed on Ceylon
animals ; since, however, these were almost certainly
tuskers, they wane seem, on Mr. Clark’s hypothesis, to
be identical with the racine face:
Whether the ‘ makhnas,’” ‘“kumariahs,”’ and
“dauntelas” of the mainland also indicate as many
distinct races inhabiting continental India, there is not
sufficient material at hand to determine. It is note-
worthy, however, that according to Falconer “ the
experienced pens attached to the Government
Commissariat in Bengal will tell at a glance the district
where a recently caught elephant wee been bred ;
whether the sal-forests of the North-West Provinces,
Assam, Sylhet, Chittagong, Tipperah, or Cuttack.”
Should it be eventually possible to distinguish two or
more continental Indian races, the difficulty would arise
as to which was to be regarded as the typical Elephas
maximus of Linnzus, which, as already indicated, may,
after all, be the Ceylon animal.
With regard to the Sumatran elephant, geographical
asenlieetnk are probably of themselves cancer to
indicate its right to stand as a local race (E. maximus
sumatranus) of the Asiatic species, distinguished by the
external characters recorded by Temminck and Schlegel.
Comparison would, however, probably indicate other
points of distinction between this and the Indian and
Cingalese races. If, as is suggested, the elephants
now found wild in Borneo have been introduced by
human agency, they are perhaps identical with the
Sumatran race. It may be added that if the natives
have been able to introduce these animals into Borneo,
there is no reason why they should not have done the
same in Ceylon.
Whether the elephants of Cochin-China, Siam, the
Malay States, and Burma are or are not identical with
the Sumatran or the Indian race, there are at present no
means of determining. It is noteworthy, however,
a em
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
that so-called white elephants appear to be less un-
common in these eastern states than in either India or
Ceylon ; and there is also the circumstance that Burmese
elephants breed more readily in confinement than is the
case with Indian elephants. So far as they go, these
are points in favour of the racial distinctness of the
elephants of the mainland on the eastern side of the Bay
of Bengal from their Indian and Cingalese relatives.
The Malay elephant differs from the Ceylon race in
that practically all the males are tuskers. These
animals are to be met with all over the Federated
Malay States, but are less numerous in Selangor and
Perak than elsewhere.
As regards their present distribution in India,
elephants are found along the foot of the Himalaya as
far west as the valley of Dehra Dun, where the winter
temperature falls to a comparatively low point. A
favourite haunt used to be the swamp of Azufghur,
lying among the sal-forests to the northward of the
station of Meerut. In the great tract of forest between
the Ganges and Kistna rivers they occur locally as far
west as Bilaspur and Mandla; they are met with in
the Western Ghats as far north as between latitude 17°
and 18°, and are likewise found in the hill-forests of
Mysore (the hunting district of G. P. Sanderson in: his
earlier days) as well as still farther south. In this part
of the peninsula they ascend the hills to a considerable
height, as they do in the Newera Ellia district of
Ceylon, where they have been encountered at an
elevation of over 7000 feet above the sea. There is
evidence to prove that about three centuries ago
elephants wandered in the forests of Malwa and Nimar,
while they survived to a much later date in the Chanda
district of the Central Provinces. At the comparatively
remote epoch when the Deccan was a forest tract, they
were probably also to be met with there, but the swamps
of the Bengal Sandarbans appear to be unsuited to their
habits.
Ly Cc
Game Animals of India, etc.
So many excellent accounts of the mode of life of
the wild Indian elephant are extant (those by Sir J. E.
E:merson., Tennent, Sir’ S.) Baker and -MriGr ae
Sanderson being among the best), that a short notice
will here suffice. The structure of the teeth is
sufficient to indicate that the food consists chiefly of
grass, leaves, succulent shoots, and fruits ; and this has
been found by observation to be actually the case. In
this respect the Asiatic species differs widely from its
African relative, whose nutriment is largely composed
of boughs and roots. Another difference between the
two is to be found in the intolerance of the direct rays
of the sun displayed by the Asiatic species, which never
voluntarily exposes itself to their influence. Conse-
quently, during the hot season in Upper India, and at
all times except during the rains in the more southern
districts, elephants keep much to the denser parts of
the forests. In Southern India they delight in hill-
forest, where the undergrowth is largely formed of
bamboo, the shoots of which form a favourite delicacy ;
but during the rains they venture out to feed on the
open grass-tracts. Water is essential to their well-
being ; and no animals delight more in a bath. Nor
are they afraid to venture out of their depth, being
excellent swimmers, and able, by means of their trunks,
to breathe without difficulty when the body is sub-
merged. The herds, which are led by females, appear
in general to be family parties ; and although commonly
restricted to from thirty to fifty, may include as many
as one hundred head. The old bulls are generally
solitary for a considerable portion of the year, but
return to the herds during the pairing season. Some
“rogue’’ elephants—gunda of the natives—remain,
however, permanently separated from the rest of their
kind. All such solitary bulls, as their colloquial name
indicates, are of a spiteful disposition ; and it appears
that with the majority the inducement to live apart is
due to their partiality for cultivated crops, into which
18
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
the more timid females are afraid to venture. ‘ Mast”’
elephants are males in a condition of—probably sexual
—excitement, when an abundant discharge of dark oily
matter exudes from two pores in the forehead. In
addition to various sounds produced at other times, an
elephant when about to charge gives vent to a shrill
loud “trumpet”; and on such occasions rushes on its
adversary with its trunk rolled up out of danger,
endeavouring either to pin him to the ground with its
tusks (if a male tusker) or to trample him to death
beneath its ponderous knees or feet.
Exact information in regard to the period of gesta-
tion of the female elephant is still a desideratum ; this
being largely due to the fact that in India elephants
rarely breed in captivity, although they do so much
more commonly in Burma and Siam. From observa-
tions on elephants in a menagerie in Philadelphia, Mr.
H. C. Chapman estimated the duration of pregnancy at
as much as twenty-two months ; but other observers
have put it at nineteen, while by some it has been
reduced to eighteen months. Possibly the native
explanation, that the period is twenty-two months in
the case of bull calves, and eighteen in that of females,
may prove to be correct. The newly-born calf almost
immediately stands on its feet, and soon after sucks,
effecting the latter operation by raising its trunk and
applying its mouth to the maternal teats, which are two
in number and situated between the fore-legs. Very
rarely two calves are produced at a birth.
Here it may be mentioned that an elephant drinks
by sucking up water with its trunk and then pouring
it into its mouth ; all food being likewise conveyed to
the mouth by the same organ.
Elephant-shooting, which is practised on foot, is
perhaps the most dangerous of all Indian field-sports ;
and a charging elephant needs all the nerve and cool-
ness of the sportsman. Describing the charge of an
elephant, Mr. Sanderson observes that “the cocked
19
Game Animals of India, etc.
ears and broad forehead present an immense frontage ;
the head is held high, with the trunk curled between
the tusks, to be uncoiled in the moment of attack ;
the massive fore-lezs come down with the force and
regularity of ponderous machinery ; and the whole
figure is rapidly foreshortened, and appears to double
in size with each advancing stride. The trunk being
curled and unable to emit any sound, the attack is made
in silence, after the usual premonitory shriek.”
With Anis weapons of precision and great pene-
trating power, and the accurate knowledge possessed of
the il points of their anatomy by the majority of
sportsmen, elephants are now generally despatched
with comparative speed and certainty. Not so, how-
ever, in the old days, as the following account of an
old “rogue,” whose skull is now in the British
Museum, sufficiently attests. This elephant, writes ~
Dr. Falconer, “was killed in the jungles on the banks
of the Ganges, at no great distance from Meerut, in
May 1833, by a party of five experienced sportsmen,
who went out for the express purpose of killing it.
The savage animal made no fewer than twenty-three
desperate and gallant charges against a battery of at least
sixteen double-barrelled guns, to which it was exposed
on each occasion, and fell, after several hours, with its
skull literally riddled with bullets. Besides the shot-holes
of its last engagement, the frontal plateau alone bears,
above the nasals, the healed canals of at least sixteen
bullet-holes received in previous encounters, exclusive of
those effaced by the confluent fissures of its latest wounds.”
The battered skull shows that not a single bullet had
penetrated the comparatively small brain-chamber ;
all having traversed merely the surrounding mass of
honeycomb-like bone, where they could do little damage.
To reach the vital brain-cavity, the sportsman selects
one of three shots. In the case of the front shot, the
point at which to aim varies according to the position
of the elephant at the moment of pulling the trigger. .
20
re
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
When, for instance, the animal is standing tacing the
sportsman in the ordinary position the point at which
to aim is situated in the middle line of the forehead
about three inches above the plane of the eyes. On the
other hand, if the elephant is in the act of charging, the
front shot must be planted lower down, near the base
of the trunk ; and since the bullet has then to traverse
a much greater thickness before entering the brain-
chamber, high penetrative power on the part of the
projectile is of the utmost importance ; moreover, a
very slight error in the aim will render this shot
ineffectual. When the sportsman is on one side of
the elephant, the temple-shot is the most effective ; the
rifle being aimed so that the bullet should strike the
aperture of the ear, or the immediate neighbourhood of
the same, in such a manner as to pass out on the
opposite side of the skull in the same region. The
rear, or ear-shot, should be planted in the hollow just
above the conspicuous bump or swelling at the junction
of the jaw and the neck, and taken so as to form an
angle of about 45° with the elephant’s course from
behind. In addition to these three head-shots, there is
one behind the shoulder, although this does not find
much favour among sportsmen.
With the aid of the diagrams given in Mr. Sander-
son’s Thirteen Years among the Wild Beasts of India, the
sportsman who essays elephant-shooting for the first
time should make a careful study of the vertical section
of the skull of one of these animals, so as to render
himself acquainted with the locality and relations of the
brain-chamber. With regard to the best methods of
tracking and approaching elephants in the jungle, he
cannot possibly do better than consult the work last
named.
Allusion has already been made to the fits of passion
which occur in elephants when mast; but the following
instance of a wild elephant trying conclusions with a
railway train which occurred at Perak, in the Malay
OT
Game Animals of India, etc.
Peninsula, on August 18, §899, is worthy of special
mention. According to an article in the Asian news-
paper, it seems that “the duel occurred in broad
daylight, and the elephant was the deliberate aggressor.
It appears that the engine-driver, seeing a big tusker
ahead on the permanent way, brought his train to a
standstill ; whereupon the tusker, encouraged by his
enemy’s unwillingness to attack, took the offensive and
charged bravely, so bravely that he knocked his tusks
to pieces and injured his head, doing, as may be
supposed, commensurate damage to the engine. For
over an hour, says the story, the elephant held the
position, charging repeatedly ; when the driver backed
his engine the elephant stood aside, but the moment it
advanced he renewed the attack. A truly resolute
elephant this, for when he had battered his head sore
upon the engine, he turned his hind-quarters to it and
endeavoured thus to overcome it !”’
Later on in the same article it is stated that “on the
ae of September 16, 1892, an elephant, described
as ‘not a very old one,’ forced his way through the
fence near Okturn station on the Rangoon-Mandalay
Railway, and strolling up the embankment got upon
the metals just as the “Mandalay mail came at full speed
round a curve. Probably he was utterly bewildered
by the rush and roar, with its accompaniment of blazing
lamp and spark-showers. At all events he stood his
ground and received the attack on his head, with the
result that his skull was literally shattered and his
carcase thrown over the embankment, the train passing
on its way without injury. The fact that the line ran
on the top of an embankment at the spot where this
encounter took place was probably an important factor
in securing the safety of the train. If the collision had
occurred in a narrow cutting the elephant’s carcase
must have derailed the train, and caused a serious
accident. This recalls the railway accident on the
night of September 28, 1882. The Bengal-Nagpur
22
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
up-mail, while travelling at speed about half-past nine
through the jungles which flank the line between
Gaikara and Monarpur, came suddenly in collision with
an elephant. It was a pitch-dark night, the engine
appears to have struck the beast on the flank, for the
cowcatcher swept him off his legs, and he rested
partially on the foot-plate until the driver reduced
speed and his body slid down in front of the engine,
which now pushed him along the metals, mangling him
in a terrible fashion before his remains fell over the
embankment. The train was travelling at a rate of 30
miles an hour, and the elephant was a big bull with
tusks 6 feet long ; and although his weight before the
engine helped the brake to stop the train, it was
derailed before it could be brought to a standstill. As
this collision took place on an embankment, it was
sheer good luck that the engine took the elephant fair
and square as it did. The remains of the elephant
were found dead at the foot of the embankment next
morning ; the engine lost both its head lights in the
encounter, the brake-gear was injured, and the smoke-
box door partially battered in.”
In a letter to the Malay Mail of May 9g, 1905,
Mr. T. R. Hubback describes certain peculiarities
in the tusks of an elephant shot by himself near the
Triang River, Malay Peninsula, in April. These tusks
diverged from one another at an unusually wide angle,
so that, while on leaving the gum the axes of the two
were only a foot apart, their points were separated by
an interval of 3 feet 3 inches, and this despite the fact
that the longer tusk projected only 1 foot 9 inches
from the head. More remarkable still is the backward
extension of the roots of the tusks into the skull, these,
according to the author’s description, reaching upwards
to a point considerably behind the eye, instead of
ending above the level of the root of the trunk ; that
is to say, just below the nasal chamber. In fact, the
longer tusk had a length of no less than 2 feet 8 inches
3
Game Animals of India, etc.
within the skull, and is stated to have ended (or rather
commenced) in the cavity situated between the eye and
the ear. Such an unusual backward extension of the
tusks would, the writer points out, interfere with the
ordinary ‘“eye-shot,” as the bullet, on its way to the
brain, would have had to pass through the root of the
tusk. It is to be hoped that Mr. Hubback will either
publish a figure of this skull or send the specimen to
a London museum, where it may be examined by
anatomists, as the abnormality is certainly one of
considerable interest. According to the author’s
description, it would appear that the roots of the tusks,
in place of being confined to the sheaths in the maxil-
lary bones (which, as already mentioned, terminate at
the base of the nasal chamber), extend upward, so as
to penetrate the sinuses of the frontal, and perhaps
also of the parietal, bones, this being effected by a
marked outward divergence from the normal course.
Before concluding the subject, it may be mentioned
that elephants are peculiar among existing warm-
blooded quadrupeds for the almost vertical position
occupied by the bones of the limbs. The motions and
positions of the elephant’s limb, as shown by instan-
taneous photography, are so peculiar that it is safe to
say the study of the skeleton alone would have given
a false conception of the animal. The two most
striking features are the great play of the wrist-joint
and the straightness of the limbs; the bones of the
fore-limb, when in a standing posture, forming a nearly
vertical line from the shoulder-blade downwards. The
elbow-joint is, in fact, much straighter in extreme
extension than could have been inferred by fitting the
bones of the arm and fore-arm together.
Still more remarkable is the fact that the Indian
elephant (together probably with its African cousin)
differs from all other mammals in the absence of a
distinct bag (pleuron) enclosing the lungs, which are
thus in direct contact with the walls of the chest.
24,
The Indian or Asiatic Elephant
Young Indian elephants, as shown by a specimen in
the British Museum, have hairy coats.
As already mentioned, the elephant figures largely in
Hindu mythology ; the goddess Lakshmi being repre-
sented surrounded by elephants, while the god Ganesh
who sprang from an elephant-incarnation of Parvathi,
holds a position higher than other gods in religious
ceremonies. The story of his origin is as follows :
Parvathi was accused by her husband Shiva of infidelity,
whereupon her son Ganesh intervened to protect her.
His father, seizing a sword, cut off Ganesh’s head at a
blow. Parvathi was disconsolate and would not speak
to her husband till he had given life to the slain son.
Shiva, solicitous to humour his wife and yielding to
the entreaties of all the gods, sent his army to find a
creature which slept with its head to the north ; and
when found to kill it and bring back its head to replace
that of the murdered Ganesh. The soldiers returned
with the head of an elephant, and placing it on the
trunk of Ganesh, there sprang into existence a creature
with the face of an elephant and the body of a man.
Little wonder that the elephant is credited with
remarkable intelligence. It is believed, for instance,
to be conscious of its dignity and importance the
moment its trappings are put on ; feeling that it is the
centre of attraction, and that without its presence the
procession would be a poor show. Peculiar forms of
worship or “puja,” are performed in honour of the
elephant-god ; and at each of the eight cardinal points of
the compass there are believed to be a pair of elephants
and a divinity, who support the earth in its place.
According, however, to another version, the globe is
supported by a single elephant, which stands on a
tortoise.
25
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS
(Rhinoceros untcornis)
Native Names.—Gainda anv Gargadan, H1npustant ;
Karkadan, Punjast; Gonda, BENGALI
(PxaTE 1, fig. 2)
No one is likely to confound a “rhino” with a
giraffe, and yet these are the only two groups of living
land animals furnished with a horn situated in the
middle line of the skull. The horn of a giraffe is,
however, very unlike the horn (or horns) of a rhino-
ceros, being composed of a boss of bone, covered with
skin, and situated on the forehead of the skull, to which
in adult age it is immovably attached. In all living
rhinoceroses, on the other hand, the horn (or horns)
is composed of agglutinated hairs, and has no firm
attachment to the bones of the skull, which are merely
roughened and somewhat elevated so as to fit into the
concave base of the solid horn. As Sir Samuel Baker
has well remarked, the attachment of the horn of a
rhinoceros to the skull is very like that of the leaves
of an artichoke to the “choke.” In those species of
living rhinoceros in which there is a single horn, this
is placed immediately above the nose, and it is only
in the two-horned species that there is a horn on the
forehead, comparable in position with the giraffe’s
median horn. There is, however, an extinct Siberian
rhinoceros with a single horn having the same situation
as the latter. An equally marked structural difference
obtains between the solid hair-like horn of a rhinoceros
and the hollow horn of an ox, sheep, or antelope on
the one hand, and the entirely bony antler of a deer,
so that these appendages are absolutely distinctive of
the former animals. It happens, however, that the
female of the Javan rhinoceros is frequently more or
eae 4°.
The Great Indian Rhinoceros
less completely hornless, and since the same condition
obtained in both sexes of certain extinct species (some
of which are found in India), it is obvious that other
characters must be sought in order to properly define
these animals.
Rhinoceroses are huge, clumsily-built animals, with
long bodies, large heads surmounted by the aforesaid
horn or horns, short and thick legs, and sparsely-haired
or naked skins of great thickness. In all the living
species there are three toes to each foot, each encased
in a small hoof-like nail at its termination; the
middle one being larger than either of the others, and
symmetrical in itself. The long and low head presents
a markedly concave profile, rising posteriorly into an
abrupt ridge or crest, on which are situated the
medium-sized and more or less tube-like ears, whose
margins are fringed with bristly hairs. Although there
is no trunk, the upper lip is frequently produced into
a pointed and semi-prehensile tip ; and the eyes, which
are situated on the sides of the head, are small and
pig-like. The cylindrical tail does not reach within
some distance of the hocks ; and the cows have a pair
of teats, situated in the groin.
Very characteristic of rhinoceroses are their teeth,
although the number of these varies considerably in
the different speciés, the African members of the group
having none in the front of the jaws. In spite of
showing minor specific modifications, the cheek-teeth
are characterised by a distinct pattern of grinding
surface ; the essential elements in those of the upper
jaw being a continuous vertical outer wall, from which
proceed two transverse crests, separated by a deep
open cleft, towards the inner margin of the crown. In
some cases the plane of the grinding surface is nearly
horizontal, while in others it is ridged; and the
transverse crests and inner surface of the outer wall
may be complicated by projections jutting into the
intervening channel.
27,
Game Animals of India, etc.
Although now confined to Africa and the warmer
parts of Asia, rhinoceroses were formerly distributed
over the whole of the Old World (with the exception
of Australasia), where they ranged as far north as
Siberia, and were likewise represented by hornless
species in North America. The living species may
therefore be regarded as survivors of an ancient type.
The three species found in Asia are broadly dis-
tinguished from their African allies by the possession
of teeth in the front of the jaws, and by their skins
being thrown into a number of loose folds, instead of
forming a tight-fitting jacket. Their extinct relatives
appear to have been of the same general type.
The great Indian rhinoceros is the largest of the three
named Asiatic species, and specially characterised by the
possession of a single horn, coupled with the fact that
the fold of skin in front of the shoulder is not con-
tinued across the back of the neck, and likewise by
the skin of the sides of the body being thickly studded
with large rounded tubercles, which have been aptly
compared to the heads of the rivets in an iron boiler.
Very characteristic, too, are the great folds of skin
which surround the back of the head like a coif ; the
head itself being larger and more elevated at the ears
than in either of the other Asiatic species.
With the exception of a fringe on the margins of the
ears, and some bristly hairs on the tail, the coarse and
massive skin is completely nude; the tubercles attaining
their maximum development on the shoulders, thighs,
and hind-quarters, where they not unfrequently
measure an inch in diameter. On the limbs the place
of these tubercles is taken by a number of small many-
sided scales. The main folds in the skin of the body
are three, namely, one an Mront of (ther shoulder @
second behind the same, and a third in front of the
thighs and hind-quarters; the second and third are
alone continued across the back, the first inclining
backwards towards the second and dying out on the
Be
The Great Indian Rhinoceros
shoulder. In addition to the coif-like folds around
the head, a deep horizontal pleat separates the shoulder-
shield from the fore-leg, while a similar fold divides
the rump-shield from the hind-limb. Folds also occur
on the hind border of the rump-shield, so that the tail
is enclosed in a deep groove, in such a manner that
only its terminal portion is visible in a side view. The
horn, although never attaining dimensions approaching
these /of the’ front horh of the African species, is well
developed in both sexes ; and the colour of the skin
is blackish grey, showing more or less of pink on the
margins of the folds.
A male measured by General A. A. Kinloch stood
5 feet 9 inches at the shoulder, and was to} feet in
length from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail ;
the tail itself being 2 feet 5 inches in length. Larger
dimensions are, rere recorded, by Mr. Rowland
Ward in Records of Big Game, in the case of specimens
shot by the Maharaja of Kuch-Behar ; the height in
three of these being respectively 6 feet 4 inches, 6 feet
1 inch, and 6 feet 5 inch; the length of the head and
body 11 feet 11 inches, 11 feet 2 inches, and 11 feet
8 inches ; and the total length 14 feet 1 inch, 13 feet
2 inches, and 13 feet 10 inches.
As a rule, the length of the horn does not exceed
about a foot. A length of 24 inches is, however,
recorded in a specimen formerly in the possession of
Dr. Jerdon, and assigned to the present species ; and
194 inches is the length of the horn of a mounted
specimen in the Ipswich Museum. Three specimens
of 16 inches, or over, are recorded from Assam and
Kuch-Behar ; and the Maharaja of Kuch-Behar has
obtained the horn of a female measuring 164 inches in
length, which is the record for that sex.
The Indian rhinoceros usually has one pair of upper
and two of lower incisors ; the outermost pair of the
latter being large, tusk-like, and projecting from the
angles of the lower jaw, so as to make formidable
29
Game Animals of India, etc.
weapons of offence. The cheek-teeth are characterised
by their flat plane of wear and complex pattern, the
former feature being indicative of grass-eating habits.
Teeth of this type have been discovered in Madras
and at Bunda, in the North-West Provinces, as well as
in the river-gravels of the Narbada valley, and may be
taken to indicate that the range of the species included
these parts of India. There is historical evidence to
prove that during the early part of the sixteenth
century the great Indian rhinoceros was common in the
Punjab, where it extended across the Indus as far as
Peshawur ; and down to the middle of the last century,
or even later, it was to be met with along the foot of
the Himalaya as far west as Rohilcund and Nepal, and
it survived longer still in the Terai of Sikhim. Not
improbably the rhinoceroses found till about the year
1850 in the grass-jungles of the Rajmahal Hills, in
Bengal, belonged to the present species. Now, how-
ever, this animal has retreated almost, if not entirely,
to the eastward of the Tista valley, on the borders ot
Kuch-Behar ; its main strongholds being the great
grass-jungles of that province and of Assam.
In the jungles of Assam the Indian rhinoceros not
only dwells, but is as completely concealed as is a rabbit
in a cornfield. To those who have never seen Indian
grass-jungles, it may seem incredible that such a huge
animal should be hidden by such covert, but when it is
realised that the grass of which they are formed grows
to a height of between 10 and 20 feet, the difficulty
vanishes. Asa matter of fact, the rhinoceros, like the
Indian buffalo, makes regular tunnels, or “runs,”
among this gigantic grass; and from these retreats it
may be driven out by beating with a line of elephants,
or by tracking on foot. When driven into the open,
the animal will often stand for a few minutes, shaking
its ears, before it makes up its mind in which direction
to flee. A calf and its mother always issue forth
together, but the old bulls and cows keep mostly apart,
30
The Great Indian Rhinoceros
although both may have their home in the same patch
of jungle. Those who have seen an Indian rhinoceros
careering round its enclosure in the Zoological Gardens
after a mud-bath, with its heavy, lumbering gallop,
will not fail to realise that a charge from such a
monster must be a serious matter. Fortunately, in
spite of stories to the contrary, the creature in its wild
state appears to be of a mild and harmless disposition,
seeking rather to escape from its enemies by flight
than to rout them by attack. When badly wounded,
or so hustled about by elephants and beaters as
to become bewildered, a rhinoceros will, however,
occasionally charge home. In such onslaughts it is the
common belief that the animal, like its African cousins,
uses its horn as its weapon of offence; but this is an
error; the real weapons being the triangular, sharp-
pointed lower tusks. With these a sweeping cut can
be made in the leg of an elephant, in much the same
way as a boar rips up a horse. Probably all the
Asiatic members of the group attack in the same
fashion.
Like all its kindred, the great Indian rhinoceros
loves a mud-bath, and when plastered over with the
mud of some swamp or pool, looks a more than ordi-
narily unprepossessing creature. Its favourite haunts
are generally in the neighbourhood of swamps ; and
hilly districts are avoided. Morning and evening are
the chief feeding-times, the heat of the day being
generally passed in slumber. As already stated, the
structure of the teeth indicates that its food is chiefly
grass; and such observations as have been made
confirm the truth of this inference. Individuals have
lived for over twenty years in the London Zoological
Gardens, and it is stated that others have been kept in
confinement for fully fifty years. Consequently, there
is no doubt that the animal is long-lived, and it has been
suggested that its term of life may reach as much as a
century. The cow gives birth to a single young one
31
Game Animals of India, etc.
at a time, but information is required in regard to the
duration of the period of gestation and the frequency
with which births take place.
It was an old idea that the hide of the Indian
rhinoceros was bullet-proof ; but this was erroneous
even in regard to such weapons as the military “ brown
Bess.” As trophies, sportsmen may preserve either
the entire head or the horn alone ; in addition to which
a shield-shaped piece of skin is frequently cut from the
under surface of the body, where it is thinner than
elsewhere, and kept as a memento of a successful
“ shikar.”’ Kuch-Behar is now one of the centres for
rhinoceros-shooting. Fine examples have been obtained
by the Maharaja himself; and it was in this territory
that the Duke of Portland obtained specimens in 1882.
To shoot females is prohibited.
THE SINGPHO’ RHINOCEROS
In this place reference may be made to the occur-
rence of an unknown rhinoceros in the Singpho country,
concerning which the following notice by the present
writer appeared in the Field newspaper of July 23,
1905. According to native reports, there exists in the
Singpho country a rhinoceros of larger size than either
the two-horned Rhinoceros sumatrensis or the single-
horned R. sondaicus. For this animal the natives
have a name distinct from those which they apply
respectively to the two species just named, and they
further describe it as being of huge size, comparing it in
this respect with an elephant. Now the Singpho country,
which is the area marked in the Times Atlas as the dis-
trict inhabited by the Kachins or Singphos (Kakhyens),
is the tract lying on the headwaters of the Chindwin
River, this being separated from the north-eastern
extremity of the Assam Valley only by the Naga Hills
39
The Singpho Rhinoceros
and the Patkai Range. Consequently, the suggestion
naturally arises that the Singpho rhinoceros may be a
representative of the great Indian Rhinoceros unicornis,
whose chief habitat at the present day is the Assam
Valley. That the Singpho animal is not absolutely
identical with the Assam rhinoceros is practically certain
when it is borne in mind that the latter is a plain-
dwelling species, and that the mountain barrier between
the Assam and Chindwin Valleys is of very considerable
height.
I have endeavoured to ascertain whether there are
any traces of the Singpho rhinoceros in public or
private collections, and have succeeded in finding one
specimen which affords decisive evidence of the exist-
ence of such an animal. In the third (1899) edition of
Mr. Rowland Ward's invaluable Records of Big Game,
there occurs under the heading of the great Indian
rhinoceros, the entry of a horn from “ Singpo,”’ Burma,
belonging to Sir C. A. Elliott, K.C.S.I., the specimen
measuring 19 inches in length and 18 inches in girth.
From the fourth edition of Mr. Ward’s book the entry
has been omitted, probably for the reason, that the
editor thought there must be an error in recording the
great Indian rhinoceros from Burma. The Singpho
horn, it may be added, accords much better in dimensions
with that of the great Indian species than with those of
either of the other Asiatic rhinoceroses, and indicates a
large animal.
Upon obtaining this information I wrote to Sir
Charles Elliott, who, in reply, informed me that when
in Sadiya, the extreme north-eastern station of Assam,
in the winter of 1882-83, or thereabouts, he heard that
a fine rhinoceros horn had been brought down to the
bazaar by some Singphos for sale. This specimen,
together with a finaller horn, was purchased by Sir
Charles, the former being mounted as a trophy, and
the Biteas being made into an inkstand. The owner
informs me fie there is every reason for believing the
33 D
Game Animals of India, etc.
two horns to have been derived from one and the same
animal. If this be so, it is practically certain that the
Singpho rhinoceros cannot be identical with the great
Indian species, despite the story current in Goon that
the latter, when very old, will sometimes grow a second
horn.
Nevertheless, it seems within the bounds of proba-
bility, judging fan the native reports as to the great
size of the animal and also from the large dimensions
of the horn in Sir Charles Elliott’s possession, that the
Singpho rhinoceros may turn out to be more or less
closely related to Rhinoceros unicornis, although provided
with two horns. The definite addition of such an
animal to the Asiatic fauna would be a matter of great
interest, and sportsmen and officials connected with
Upper Burma should use every effort to obtain at least
the skull and head-skin of the Singpho rhinoceros, in
order that its real affinities may be determined. It
may be added that, in view of the comparatively recent
date at which we became definitely acquainted with the
tsaine, or Burmese bantin, there is nothing improbable
in a rhinoceros which inhabits a still more remote, and
consequently less known district, proving to be at least
subspecifically distinct from any of the named repre-
sentatives of the group.
THE JAVAN, RHINOCEROS
(Rhinoceros sondaicus)
Native Names.—Gainda, Hinpustanr; Gonda, Ben-
GALI ; Kunda, Kedi, anp Kweda or THE Nacas;
Kyeng and Kyan-tsheng, Burmese; Badak,
Matay.
(REAR Mesto. 2a)
Although possessing only a single horn, the Javan
rhinoceros is a very different beast, both externally and
Bi
The Javan Rhinoceros
in its internal anatomy, from the preceding species. In
the first place, although measurements of adult males
are still required, it 1s a somewhat smaller and lighter-
built animal, with a relatively less bulky and less
elevated head. The folds of skin round the neck are
also much less developed, and the body-fold on the
shoulders is continued right across the back in the same
manner as are the other two great folds. Moreover,
owing to the absence of the deep groove on the rump,
the tail stands out quite distinct from the hind-quarters,
so that its whole extent is exposed in a side view.
Very characteristic also is the structure of the skin,
which lacks the “ boiler-rivets” of the great Indian
species, and is marked all over with a kind of mosaic-
like pattern, caused by the presence of a network of fine
cracks in the superficial layer. A piece of skin cut
from any part of the body is therefore amply sufficient
to determine to which of the two species it pertained.
Yet another peculiarity of the Javan rhinoceros is to
be found in the frequent, if not invariable, absence of
the horn in the female. Male horns of between 10
and 11 inches in length are recorded.
As regards the height of the animal, the most
authentic measurement of a wild specimen is that of a
female, which stood 54 feet at the shoulder ; but males
must almost certainly attain larger dimensions.
The present species is of the same dusky-grey
colour as the last, and its hide is equally devoid of hair.
The cheek-teeth, however, although numerically the
same as in the Indian rhinoceros, show a simpler
pattern, while their crowns wear into ridges instead of
a uniformly flat plane. This may be taken to indicate
that the present species feeds chiefly upon twigs and
leaves.
Typically an inhabitant of Java, this rhinoceros 1s
also found in the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, as
well as in the Malay Peninsula, whence it extends
northwards through Burma into Assam, and so into
op)
Game Animals of India, etc.
Eastern Bengal and the Sandarbans ; while a specimen
has been killed as far west as the Sikhim Terai. So
far as present information goes, the mainland form
cannot be distinguished from those inhabiting the
Malay islands, so that separate local races cannot yet be
differentiated. It is, however, quite likely that this 1s
due to the want of a good series of specimens, the
British Museum having, in addition to skulls and
skeletons, only the skin of a young calf in a condition
fit for public exhibition.
Although found in the swampy Sandarbans of
Lower Bengal, within a day’s journey of Calcutta, the
Javan rhinoceros prefers forest tracts to grass-jungles,
and is generally met with in hilly districts, where it
apparently ascends in some parts of its habia several
thousand feet above sea-level. In most other respects
the mode of life of this species is probably very similar
to that of its larger relative ; its disposition is, however,
stated to be more gentle, and in Java tame individuals
are frequently to be seen wandering about the villages
of the natives. Mr. T. R. Hubback,! on the evitlcnee
of native testimony, affirms that Eihes this or the next
species uses its lower tusks for fighting in the same
way as the great Indian rhinoceros.
THE SUMATRAN “RHINOCEROS
(Rhinoceros sumatrensis)
Native Names.—Kyan anv Kyan-shaw, BurMegse ;
Badak, Matay
(PrATE 1, fig...)
Although possessed of two horns, the Sumatran
rhinoceros resembles its Asiatic brethren in having
1 Elephant and Seladang Hunting in the Federated Malay States,
1905, p. 24.
36
The Sumatran Rhinoceros
teeth in the front of the jaw, as well as by its folded
skin, and has therefore nothing to do with the African
representatives of the family. As compared with
the other Asiatic species (exclusive of the still
unknown Singpho rhinoceros), the presence of an
additional horn, coupled with the fact that it has only a
single pair of ae front teeth (the small central pair
occurring between the tusks in the other two species
being absent), afford ample grounds for regarding this
rhinoceros as the representative of a group by itself ;
and it 1s noteworthy that an extinct rhinoceros (RX.
hundsheimensis) from the continent of Europe appears
to be another member of the same group of the
genus.
To distinguish the present species from all its
relatives, it is sufficient to state that it is the only
named living rhinoceros with two horns and a folded
skin ; but since it is an animal by no means familiar to
most sportsmen, it is advisable to enter somewhat into
details. In the first place, this species is the smallest of
living rhinoceroses, as it is also the most hairy, its usual
height at the shoulder not being more than 4 to
44 feet, and the length from the tip of the muzzle to
the root of the tail only about 8 feet. Some female
specimens even fall short of the foregoing dimensions,
an old individual from the Malay Peninsula being only
3 feet 8 inches at the withers. The weight has been
estimated at a couple of thousand pounds.
As though suggestive of a transition towards the
smooth-skinned rhinoceroses of Africa, the folds in the
skin of the presént species are much less pronounced
than in the other Asiatic kinds ; and of the three main
folds, only one, namely, that situated behind the
shoulder, is continued across the back. In structure,
the outer surface of the skin is finely granular ; and its
colour, which varies from earthy-brown to almost black,
is likewise different from that of either of the one-
horned species. Hair grows sparsely all over the head
37
Game Animals of India, etc.
and body, but attains its maximum development on the
ears and the tail; its colour varying from brown to
black. At their bases the two horns are separated from
one another by a considerable interval ; and although
in captive individuals they are generally much worn
down, when fully developed they are slender for the
greater part of their length, the front one curving
backwards in an elegant sweep, and attaining very
considerable size. The longest known specimen of the
front horn is in the British Museum, and has a length
of 324 inches, with a basal girth of 172% inches; a
second specimen in the same collection measuring 274
inches in length, and 17% in circumference.
As regards the cheek-teeth, those of the upper jaw
are practically indistinguishable from the corresponding
molars of the Javan rhinoceros, and may accordingly be
taken as indicative of the leaf- and twig-eating pro-
pensities of this species.
The Sumatran rhinoceros inhabits the islands of
Sumatra and Borneo, and is also met with in the
Malay Peninsula, whence it extends northwards through
Burma and Tenasserim to Chittagong and Assam, and
it also occurs in Siam. Compared with the typical
Sumatran animal (R. sumatrensis typicus), a specimen
from Chittagong formerly living in the London Zoo-
logical Gardens was distinguishable by its superior
dimensions, paler and browner hair, shorter and more
fully tufted tail, and the strongly developed fringe on
the margins of the ears, the interior of which was bare.
The skull was proportionately broader ; but this seems
a feature of minor import. Although originally regarded
as a separate species, the Chittagong rhinoceros 1s best
classed as a local race of the Sumatran animal, with the
name Rhinoceros sumatrensis lasiotis. Other specimens
of the hairy-eared race have been subsequently obtained
in Assam, where the species is rare ; and one example
has been killed in Tippera, and a second in the Bhutan
Duars. In Tenasserim and the Malay Peninsula it is
38
|
—————e es rere Oo eer errh eee Se
The Sumatran Rhinoceros
replaced by a smaller, blacker, and less hairy form,
which if distinct from the typical Sumatran animal (as
is probably the case) should be known as R. sumatrensis
niger.
In habits the Sumatran rhinoceros appears to be very
similar to the Javan species; both affecting forested
hill-country, which may be at a considerable altitude
above the sea. In the Mergui Archipelago a rhinoceros,
which may be this species, is stated to have been seen
swimming from island to island ; and it is probable that
all the Asiatic representatives of the family will take
readily to the water, although in Somaliland the African
rhinoceros is found in absolutely arid districts, where it
cannot even drink for long periods.
The type specimen of the hairy race of the Sumatran
rhinoceros was a female, captured at Chittagong in the
year 1868. When discovered by native hunters she
was embedded in a quicksand, and well-nigh exhausted
by her struggles to reach terra firma. By attaching
ropes to her neck she was safely extricated from her
perilous position, and fastened to a tree, where next
morning she was found so refreshed and so violent
that her captors were afraid to approach. Accordingly,
a report of the capture was sent to Chittagong, and
soon after a couple of English officials arrived with
elephants, to one of which the rhinoceros was made
fast, and, after some trouble, marched into the station,
where she soon became tame. Eventually she was
secured for the London Zoological Society, in whose
Proceedings for 1872 her coloured portrait appeared.
By a lucky coincidence a specimen of the typical
representative of the species was procured by the
Society at the close of 1872, so that the two forms
were exhibited side by side. While in the docks the
Chittagong animal gave birth to a young one; and
from certain facts that came to his knowledge; the late
Mr. A. D. Bartlett was led to conclude that the period
of gestation in the species was only a little over seven
39
Game Animals of India, etc.
months. According to an article by Mr. L. Wray in
the Fournal of the Federated Malay States Museums,
the Sumatran rhinoceros is becoming extremely scarce
in the Dindings district of the Malay Peninsula, owing
to persistent trapping on the part of the natives. The
rhinoceroses are caught in deep concealed pitfalls made
in their runs ; and the Malays state that fifty individuals
have been taken in this way in and near the Dindings
alone. Catching and exporting these animals has,
indeed, become a regular trade in the district for some
years past, with the result that, whereas they were
formerly quite common, they are now very scarce and
difficult to trap.
-
THE MALAY TAPIR
(Tapirus indicus)
Native Names.—Tara-shu, BurMESE ; Kuda-ayer AND
Tennu, Maray
(Praret; foe's)
Tapirs (so called by an abbreviation of the native
name of one of the South American species) offer little
attraction to the sportsman, since they yield nothing in
the way of trophies except their skulls and skins, and
the latter are valuable only as leather. Nevertheless,
they are animals by no means lacking in interest, if
only from the point of view of their remarkable
geographical distribution. Although the typical South
American tapir was known by repute to the Swiss
naturalist Linnzus, who at first described it asa terrestrial
species of hippopotamus, but afterwards had doubts as
to its very existence, it was not till 1816 that naturalists
were made aware that another species inhabits the
jungles of the Malay Peninsula. For this information
they were indebted to a Major Farquar, who described
40
The Malay Tapir
an individual then living in the menagerie of the
Governor-General of Lidia at Barrackpur, although he
omitted to assign to the Oriental species a distincane
name.
This discovery revealed the fact that while tapirs are
common to the Malay countries and South and Central
America, they are found at the present day i in no other
part of the world. Were it not for the investigations
into the past history of our globe, we should have been
at a loss to explain such a remarkable instance of dis-
continuous distribution ; but we now know that in
past epochs these animals were distributed over a
considerable portion of the northern hemisphere, whence
they wandered southwards to their present widely
sundered dwelling-places.
Although fh Asia, at any rate, animals that seldom
come under the ken of the sportsman in their wild
condition, tapirs have been made familiar to the public
from specimens exhibited in menageries and museums.
In size they may be compared to heavily-built and
short-limbed donkeys, but from their comparatively
bare skins, general shape, and long flexible snouts, they
present a superficial resemblance to large swine, with
which group many persons are thelined to associate
them. An examination of their feet, in which one
toe is much larger than either of the others, and
symmetrical in itself, is, however, sufficient to show the
incorrectness of this idea, and to indicate that their
relationship is with rhinoceroses.
Unlike the latter animals, tapirs have, however, four
toes on the front feet, although on thewhindee ceetne
number is three in both groups. From rhinoceroses
they are likewise distinguished by the production of the
nose and upper lip ino a short, mobile proboscis, or
¢runk- The teeth, too, are very different, both in
number and form, Feat those of chinatienoces the
total number being forty- two. Both jaws are foished
with a full set Pe incisors, or “ nippers,’’ and tusks ;
4I
Game Animals of India, etc.
while the cheek-teeth present a pattern totally distinct
from that found in rhinoceroses. Tapirs have the tail
short, the ears of medium size and oval shape, small,
pig-like eyes, and short, sparse hair.
The Malay species, ahi is the largest of the group,
1S readily distinguished from all its South American
cousins by the parti- -coloured hide of the adult ; the
head, limbs, and front part of the body being ‘darks
brown or black, while all that portion of the body
situated behind the shoulders, including the rump and
the upper part of the thighs, together with the tips of
the ears, is greyish ee or white in the adult. In
very young animals, on the other hand, that is to say,
those not exceeding cea four to six forthe in age, the
eround-colour is blackish brown or black, marked (as in
the young of the American species) with longitudinal
streaks of yellow on the head and sides and of white on
the under-parts. The hair, too, is markedly denser
than in the full-grown animal. In height an adult
Malay tapir stands from 3 to 34 feet at the withers and
about 4 inches more at the rump ; the length from the
tip of the snout to the root of the tail, measured along
the curves of the body, being about 8 eee
The geographical distribution of this animal includes
the island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, and
thence northwards into the Tenasserim province Abou
as far as the fifteenth parallel of north latitude.
In its wild state, little or nothing authentic has been
ascertained with regard to the mode of life of the
Malay tapir ; and the writer is unacquainted with any
account of the chase of this animal by European
sportsmen. Its habits, are, however, in all probability
very similar to those of the American representatives
of the genus. These latter are shy and retiring
animals, dwelling amid thick jungle in the neighbour-
hood of water, to which they take readily. Between
the years 1840 and 1896 seven examples of the
Malay tapir were exhibited in the Menagerie of the
42
The Malay Tapir
London Zoological Society. The majority, however,
survived but a short period, at least two of them dying
within a year of their acquisition.
TE KIANG,. OR TIBETAN WILD" ASS
(Equus hemionus kiang)
Native Name.—Kiang, Tiperan
; sae,
CELATE1, fg. 6)
Although the designation wild ass is commonly
applied to the Asiatic members of the horse family,
locally known by the names of chigetai, kiang, onager,
and ghor-khar, these animals are really more nearly
allied to the horse, especially the wild Mongolian
Equus caballus przewalskii, and differ very markedly
from the true wild asses of North Africa. In common
with the latter they have short, upright manes, and no
warts, or callosities, on the hind-legs; but the dark
marking on the upper-parts is restricted to a stripe
down the back.
The chigetai (Equus hemionus) of Mongolia and
Turkestan is the typical representative of a species
which includes the kiang as a local race, and whose
range extends northwards to Transbaikalia and west-
wards to Transcaspia. The species, inclusive of both
the chigetai and the kiang, may be characterised as
follows :—
Size large, the height at the shoulder reaching to
4 feet 3 inches. Ears (in comparison with those of
the African wild ass, E. asinus) relatively small and
horse-like. Hoofs large and broad, the width of the
front pair markedly exceeding that of the hind ones.
Tail-tuft large, and a slight rudiment of a forelock
2 . .
present. Dark dorsal stripe relatively narrow, reaching
+3
Game Animals of India, etc.
the tail-tuft, and (in most cases at any rate) not
bordered with white. No shoulder-stripe, or dark
barrings on the limbs ; a dark ring immediately above
the hoofs. General colour of upper-parts in summer
coat varying from bright rufous chestnut (with a more
or less marked tinge of greyish fawn on the neck) to
reddish sandy ; muzzle, inside of ear, throat, under-
parts, inner side of legs, and a streak on the buttocks,
pure white or buffsh white. In the long winter coat
the general colour apparently not distinctly grey,
although greyish in the typical form. Cry, a “ shriek-
ing bray.”
The skull of the kiang differs markedly from that
of the onager, but from lack of specimens of that of the
chigetai, 1 am unable to give the cranial characters of
the species as a whole.
The kiang is characterised by the great width of the
hoofs, more especially the front pair. In this respect
it approaches the horse, Equus caballus (as it does in
its relatively small ears and its colour), and differs
widely from E. asinus. The ghor-khar and onagers,
on the other hand, have small and narrow hoofs, like
those of the last-named species.
As regards colour, the kiang is by far the reddest of
all the Asiatic wild asses, and apparently becomes but
little greyer in winter. On the other hand, some of
the ghor-khar and onager group are quite grey in
winter.
In addition to its small ears, broad hoofs, narrow
dorsal stripe, and general colour, the kiang appears to
be affiliated to the horse (inclusive of the wild horse
of Mongolia, Equus caballus przewalskii) by the nature
of its cry, which there is little doubt is to a great
extent intermediate between that of the horse and the
ass. It 4s true that? there is “a= certain-amountson
discrepancy between the accounts of the kiang’s cry
given by different observers. General Cunningham,
for instance, in his work on Ladak, calls it a neigh,
44
The Kiang, or Tibetan Wild Ass
and other observers have described it as being as much
like neighing as braying. On the other hand, Moor-
croft, and subsequently General Strachey, described it
as more like braying than neighing ; the latter traveller
Fic. 2.—The Kiang, from a specimen at Woburn Abbey, photographed by the
Duchess of Bedford.
observing that “my impression of the voice of the
kiang is that it is a shrieking bray, not like that of the
common ass, but still a real bray, and not a neigh.”
Evidently it is perfectly distinct from the bray of
E. asinus, while it also differs from the cry of one of
the races of E. onager.
45
Game Animals of India, etc.
The characteristics of the kiang, as distinct from the
chigetai, are as follows :—
Profilesinuous, being concave belowtheeyes, andabove
the nose distinctly convex. Dorsal stripe always narrow,
chocolate in colour, without trace of white borders.
Tips of ears, mane (which i is rather long), a narrow ring
just above ck hoof, and tail-tuft dark brown or Glacial
General colour of upper-parts full rufous chestnut,
sometimes with a tinge of greyish fawn on the neck, ane
tending to sandy on the rump and legs ; muzzle, inside of
ear, side of neck, throat, chest, under-parts, inner surface
of legs, and a etrenk: on the Hane border of the thigh,
pure caee sharply defined from the rufous and ban
areas. ‘The light area of the under-parts may run
behind the choice so as to partially insulate the
rufous of the latter. The winter coat does not differ
markedly in colour from the summer one.
In a mounted specimen in the British Museum the
height at the withers is 4 feet 34+ inches, the length
of the ear 74 inches, ae width of the front hoof
34 inches, and that of the hind hoof 3% inches.
The kiang inhabits the higher dieses tracts of Ladak
and Tibet, from about 13,000 to 18,000 feet above the
sea, or even more; and is found commonly in the
Chang-chenmo valley, as well as on the Indus itself,
some few days’ march above the town of Leh. Here
it is generally met with in small troops, but sometimes
singly ; and in districts where it has not been much
disturbed displays but little fear, galloping in circles
round the mounted traveller as he approaches its
haunts. Young individuals sometimes display a
curiosity which overcomes all sense of fear ; one (ot
which the skull is now in the Museum of the Royal
College of Surgeons) having on a certain occasion
rashly ventured into the citer camp in Chang-
chenmo. Across their rough native country these
animals are wonderful goers, their hoofs being as hard
as iron ; and could they only be properly domesticated,
46
The Kiang, or Tibetan Wild Ass
they would be invaluable as beasts of transport across
these dreary elevated regions, where ponies often
succumb to the climate and want of proper food.
Being able to subsist on the scrubby herbage, they
eal be far more useful than yak, hein cannot
do without grass. But, although the individual at
Woburn Abbey whose portrait is here given is fairly
amenable to discipline, kiang, as a rule, refuse to
submit themselves to the hardships of servitude ; the
writer having a vivid recollection of the malignant
dispasition of one kept in captivity by the Governor
of Ladak about 1876.
As an animal of sport, little can be said in favour
of the kiang, as it yields no trophies, and can be
easily approached within 150 yards, or even less, when
a well-placed bullet should drop it dead in its tracks,
or at all events after a short run. Many sportsmen
shoot a specimen or two, and bring back the hide or
skull, or both; but this generally suffices for most
men. in Pidicen to yielding nothing worth having
to the sportsmen, kiang are frequently positively
detrimental to those in quest of nobler game, such as
argali, as by careering wildly about in the neighbour-
hood of the stalker, ‘they Fender alltthe aummole wire
sight suspicious of danger, even although their human
foe may be concealed from their view. In such cases
an apparently favourable stalk may frequently be
brought to an abrupt conclusion by the sudden
disappearance of all the game, which have taken alarm
from the movements of the kiang.
Whether, in the rarefied atmosphere of the elevated
regions in which it dwells, the kiang is as fleet an
animal as the wild ass of Baluchistan and Kutch, has
not yet been determined. Neither have we, apparently,
any definite information as to the season when the
foals are dropped, and the length of the period of
gestation. The latter is, however, probably much the
same as in the mare and the domestic ass, and the
47
Game Animals of India, etc.
young are almost certainly born during the summer.
Both the wiry grass of Ladak and various dwarf
scrubby plants serve as the chief food of the kiang.
THE GHOR-KHAR, OR BALUCHI
WILD ASS
(Equus onager indicus)
Native Names.—G/hor-khar, Persian aNnD Hinpustani;
Ghur AND Ghurdu, BaLucHi
The ghor-khar, or wild ass of Baluchistan and the
deserts of Western India, is a local race of the Persian
onager (Equus onager).
The range of the species (inclusive of all its local
races) embraces the desert districts of Western and (?)
W. Central Asia and North-Western India; while its
distinctive features are as follows :—
Size considerably less than in E. hemionus, the
minimum recorded height being 3 feet 8 inches and
the maximum 3 feet 10 inches. Ears apparently
much the same as in the latter. Hoofs narrow and
ass-like; the front pair little wider than the hind
pair. Profile of face nearly straight or markedly
sinuous. Tail-tuft moderate. Dark dorsal stripe
very broad, in some cases stopping short of the tail-
tuft, and bordered, at least posteriorly, by a band of
white. or whitish, which joins the white on the
buttocks and the back of the thighs. Colour of upper-
parts, in the summer coat, usually some shade of pale
reddish fawn or sandy (isabelline); the light areas,
which vary from pure white to whitey-brown, much the
same as in E. hemionus, but extending more on to the
buttocks, and thence along the sides of the dorsal
stripe, and in some cases occupying more of the body
and head. In winter, the long and rough coat more
48
The Ghor-khar, or Baluchi Wild Ass
or less decidedly grey ; in one instance distinctly
mouse-grey with sharply defined white areas.
The cry of the Indian ghor-khar is described as
being a “shrieking bray,” and therefore perhaps not
unlike that of the kiang ; but in the case of the Syrian
onager, and probably also in that of the true onager,
it is stated by the late Mr. E. Blyth to be more like
that of the common ass, to the wild forms of which
animal the present species approximates not only in
its narrow hoofs, broad dorsal stripe, and small tail-
tuft, but likewise in the distinctly grey colour of the
“winter coat in at least one of the local races.
The ghor-khar, or Indian race of the species,
inhabits the Indian desert (Bickanir, Jeysulmere, and
the Rann of Kutch), thence apparently ranging east-
wards into Baluchistan, Afghanistan, and Southern
Persia to the north of the Khorasan Desert.
Height at shoulder (from a wild specimen) 3 feet
10 inches. Profile of face straight. General colour of
upper-parts sandy in summer, with the light band on
each side of the dorsal stripe narrow, ill-defined, and
whitey-brown in colour ; and the white on the rump
not pure. The coloration—presumably in the summer
coat—is described by Dr. P. Matschie as follows :
Upper-parts bright sandy ; throat, under-parts, etc.,
white, the white extending to the flanks; the broad
dark dorsal stripe bordered with white posteriorly,
and stopping short of the tail-tuft; but in the
specimens I have seen the under-parts are dirty white.
The Baluchi wild ass appears to be a much more
gregarious animal than its Tibetan relative, thirty or
forty head being frequently seen in a troop; and
Dr. J. Aitchison, when on the Afghan Delimitation
Commission, states that in North-Western Afghanistan,
during the month of April, he encountered a troop
estimated to include about a thousand individuals.
In the trans-Indus districts the mares give birth to
=)
their foals during the summer, from June to August.
49 E
Game Animals of India, etc.
The horsemen of the Rann of Kutch take advantage of
the mares when in foal by riding them down and
spearing them ; this feat (which is certainly practised)
being probably impracticable under any other circum-
stances, on account of the extreme fleetness of these
animals. Baluchis, mounted on their swift mares,
capture young ghor-khar by riding after them in
relays, sometimes with the aid of greyhounds, until
they succumb from sheer exhaustion. Probably in
certain parts of their habitat, such as the Rann of
Kutch, where, at certain seasons, there is no water but
such as is salt, ghor-khar must go for considerable
periods without drinking. Like the kiang, these
wild asses, in spite of their fleetness of foot, are by
no means well-bred-looking animals, the head being
disproportionately large and heavy, as well as ungrace-
fully carried.
THE GAUR, OR INDIAN BISON
(Bos | Bibos| gaurus)
Native Names.—Gaur anv Gauri-gai, Hinpustant ;
Gayal 1x Orissa ; Gagr (male) anp Gaib (female)
IN CHuTia Nacpur; Sainal, Ho-KoL.; Gaviya,
MaurRaTHI ; Pera-mao oF THE SOUTHERN GonpDs 3.
Katuerimai, Tamit ; Karkona, Karti, Kard-yemme,
Kard-korna and Doddu, Canarese; Karthu ano
Paothu, Matapart; Mithan, Assamese; Selori
in Curirtraconc ; »Pyoung, Burmese; Seladang,
Matay. ;
(PEATEs nos. 1512)
In addition to the foregoing list of designations, the
great wild ox of India is frequently called in various
parts of the peninsula by several names meaning wild
buffalo. By English sportsmen, on the other hand,
50
Prate II
1, ta. Gaur. 3. Burmese Bantin, or Tsain.
2, 2a. Gayal. 4, 4a. Yak,
5, 52. Indian Buffalo.
51
Game Animals of India, etc.
this magnificent animal is almost invariably called bison
—a title properly belonging to Bos bonasus of Lithuania
and the Caucasus. Questions are sometimes asked in
sporting newspapers whether the application of the
term bison to the gaur is legitimate. The answer is
very simple, namely, that itis not. Domesticated oxen
(together with their extinct wild progenitors), gaur and
gayal, bison, yak, and buffaloes collectively constitute
the ox tribe ; and since the domesticated ox is the type
of the whole group, they may all, in a general sense, be
classed as oxen. Had the bison of Europe been made
the typical representative of the group, then that term
might likewise have been employed in the same general
sense, and the gaur termed a bison as it now is an ox ;
but as matters stand, such a usage is indefensible.
The true domesticated oxen form one division of the
group. Next to this comes a second and nearly allied
section of the group comprising the gaur, the gayal,
and the bantin; all the members of which are
characterised by their elevated withers, short hair, and
“‘ white-stockinged”’ limbs. The third section includes
the European and American bisons, with which the
yak may perhaps be included; all these having long hair
on some part of the body, uniformly dark limbs, and
lacking the ridge-like hump of the second section.
Lastly, there are the buffaloes, differing from all the
others by the peculiar form of their horns. Each
sectional group is perfectly well defined, and it would
be just as logical to call the gaur a buffalo as to dub it
a bison ; but since there are few things more difficult
to amend than popular misapplications of names, a
bison it will probably remain among sportsmen.
Of the general characteristics of the ox tribe, little
need be stated. With the exception of a few stunted
island forms, the members of the group are large and
heavily-built animals, with a short and deep neck, a
massive head, carried somewhat low, and frequently a
large dewlap on the throat and chest. The broad
52
‘eyag-ypuy jo vfeavyryy ayy Aq parry aney [Ing y—'f ‘org
Game Animals of India, etc.
muzzle is devoid of hair, with a moist skin ; there are
no glands on the face, on the legs, or between the
hoofs; and the cows have tour teats. The horns
(which, in common with those of all the members of
the Bovide, form a transversely situated pair, and
consist of hollow sheaths of horn surmounting conical
bony cores arising from the skull) are present in both
sexes, and not very much smaller in the cows than in
the ie. They are placed on or near the vertex of
the skull, and are usually widely separated at the base.
Their direction is at first more or less outwards, after
which they curve upwards, and generally more or less
inwards towards the tips. Although cylindrical in the
more typical members of the group, in the buffaloes
they are distinctly triangular in cross-section; and
while in the former they are almost completely smooth
externally, in the latter they are marked with irregular
transverse groovings and ridges. In colour the horns
may be of any shade between olive-green and black.
The ears are of medium size and bluntly pointed ; and
the long cylindrical tail is generally tufted Yat the: tip,
although in some cases long-haired throughout. In
regard to the length and abundance of the coat, there is
every gradation tom the sparsely-haired incie of the
buffaloes to the long-haired skin of the yak ; there is
little or no seasonal difference in the colour of the coat,
which, with the occasional exception of the lower
portion of the legs, and very rarely of the buttocks, is
uniform. Lastly, it is important to mention that oxen
are specially characterised by the square prismatic form
of their tall-crowned cheek-teeth.
The group of wild oxen of which the gaur is the
typical representative is confined to. the Indo-Malay
countries, and includes two wild species, with local
races, and a third form which apparently only exists in
a semi-domesticated condition.. Compared with the
ancient wild ox of Europe, these Oriental oxen are
distinguished by the shorter forehead, the nearer
54
The Gaur, or Indian Bison
approximation of the eyes to the base of the horns, a
more or less marked compression of the horns, especially
near the base, and the relatively shorter tail, the tufted
tip of which hangs but little below the level of the
hocks. More important is an elevated ridge extending
from the neck and shoulders to the middle of the back,
where, in its most developed condition, it forms a
sudden step-like descent towards the loins. In old
bulls the colour is generally blackish brown, but in
cows and young bulls either a paler shade of the same
or red or fawn; the legs, from above the knees and
hocks downwards, being, in both sexes and at all ages,
white or yellowish. All the species have short sleek
coats, without a mane or long hair on the withers ; the
hoofs in all are narrow and game-like ; and the number
of pairs of ribs in the skeleton is thirteen.
The bull gaur is one of the boldest and handsomest
members of the ox tribe, and in the opinion of the late
Mr. G. P. Sanderson “ undoubtedly the finest species
of the genus Bos in the world.” Standing occasionally
as much as 6 feet or even 6 feet 4 inches (19 hands)!
at the withers, although frequently not exceeding 54
feet, the bull gaur is distinguished by the great arched
and forwardly curving crest, communicating a marked
concavity to the profile of the forehead, of which there
is no trace in other species. “The massive horns, much
flattened from back to front at the base, where they are
marked by exfoliating rings, spread outwards from
each side of this broad crest 1n a bold sweep, the curve
continuing throughout their length, with the tips,
when perfect, inclining inwards and slightly backwards.
Frequently, however, one or both tips are broken off
during the combats for supremacy in which the bulls
engage. In colour the horns are pale greenish or
yellowish for the greater portion of their length,
1 Mr. Stuart Baker (Asian, February 27, 1900) says that gaur may
stand 21 hands (7 feet) in Kachar. A similar statement is made by
Colonel Pollok with regard to the Burmese representative of the species.
op)
Game Animals of India, etc.
gradually passing into black at the tips. Horns of
35 inches and over along the curve may be regarded
as fine; the “record”? specimen having a length of
46 inches along the outer curve, with a basal circum-
ference of 204 and a tip-to-tip interval of 33 inches.
This specimen came from the Malay States, and is
therefore referable to the race locally known as Seladang.
The next best, with a length of 444 inches, belongs to
the Burmese race ; while the third, with a length of
434 inches, is a typical Indian gaur from Travancore.
Regarding other features of the bull gaur, it may
be mentioned that while ears are relatively large and
spreading, the tail is comparatively short, only just
reaching the hocks; and the dewlap in most Indian
specimens is but slightly developed, although larger
in some from Travancore, and always more distinct in
the Burmese race. A marked character is the strong
development of the dorsal ridge, and its sudden termi-
nation in a step about midway between the shoulders
and the root of the tail. The general colour of the short
and sleek hair, which becomes very sparse on the back
of aged bulls, is olive-brown, tending almost to black ;
on the under-parts it becomes paler, but is golden brown
at the points of origin of the legs; the forehead, from
between the eyes across the horn-crest, and so on to
the nape of the neck, is ashy grey, in some instances
passing into whitey brown or dirty white ; the muzzle
is pale slate-coloured ; and the lower portions of the
limbs, from above the knees and hocks downwards, are
typically pure white. The iris of the eye is, in both
sexes, light blue. In cows and young bulls the general
hue is rather paler, in some cases, especially during
winter and in dry and open districts, tending to rufous.
Calves are stated to show a dark dorsal streak. The
horns of cows (fig. 4) are smaller, thinner, and less
expanded than those of bulls. The longest pair of
gaur horns definitely recorded as those of a cow are
from Travancore, and are represented in the annexed
56
The Gaur, or Indian Bison
text-figure. They measured 24 inches in length along
the outer curve, 13} in basal circumference, and 13
between the tips.
Being essentially forest-dwelling animals, gaur are
Fic. 4.—Skull and Horns of a Cow Gaur, from a specimen in the possession of
4 P P
Mr. A.O Hume.
not, for the most part, found in the tall grass-jungles
of the Ganges plain, which form the home of the
Indian buffalo and rhinoceros, although to a certain
extent they enter this tract along the foot of the
Himalaya. Their ordinary resorts are the tracts of
hill-forests occurring in many parts of India, Burma,
a/
Game Animals of India, etc.
the Malay Peninsula, and probably also of Cochin-China
and Siam. These cattle are unknown in any of the
Indo-Malay islands ; but there is a tradition that they
formerly existed in Ceylon, although if this were
really the case, it is probable they were introduced.
The north-western range of the species in India is
probably limited by the Rajpipla Hills, in the neighbour-
hood of Broach; while to the west of the eightieth
parallel of latitude the northern limit is nearly coincident
with the line of the Narbada valley. Along the foot of
the Himalaya gaur are found in the forest-tracts as far
westward as Nepal; while to the southward of the
Ganges valley they survive in many of the forests of
Chuta Nagpur, Orissa, the Northern Circars, the
Central Provinces, Hyderabad, Mysore, and the Western
Ghats, although fous some districts they have already
disappeared, and are becoming scarcer in others.
The fact that cows and young bulls inhabiting dry
and open districts are less darkly coloured than those
from dense and damp forests is an example of a
common feature among animals.
In spite of its bulk and heavy build, the gaur is
very active in getting over rocky country (which is the
ordinary resort of the species); and the manner in
which a herd will make their way up an impossible-
looking hill-side is little short of marvellous. Although,
as already said, generally found on forest-clad hills,
gaur are sometimes to be met with on the plains ; and
in Mysore and the Wynad district they frequent rocky
hills whose flattened, open summits afford excellent
grazing-grounds, the herds ascending to elevations of
from 2500 to 6000 feet above sea-level.
In the Narbada district the habits and shikar of
gaur have been admirably described by Captain Forsyth
in his Highlands of Central India, while Mr. G. P.
Sanderson, in Thirteen Years among the Wild Beasts of
India, ee done the same for the Mysore country.
CaS are seldom seen in herds exceeding twenty head,
58
The Gaur, or Indian Bison
and more frequently in small parties of from five to
ten. In the Western Ghats, and doubtless in other
districts, they are generally to be found on the open
grass-tracts for some hours after the early morning
feed, but as the sun increases in power they one by
one rise to their feet and seek shelter in the surround-
ing forest. When driving is resorted to, the beaters
should not be allowed to commence their work till the
herd has in this manner betaken itself to covert, as if
it is attempted while the animals are in the open,
failure will most certainly ensue ; and it is important
to ascertain that no stragglers have been left lying
down in the open. The alternative to beating is by
following up the animals with the aid of native trackers,
such as the Bhils and Gonds.
Although the finest bulls are solitary, a certain
number of this sex keep with the herds. In writing
of the herds, Mr. Sanderson says that their members
“are shy and retiring in their habits, and retreat at once
if intruded upon by man. They avoid the vicinity of
his dwellings, and never visit the patches of cultivation
in the jungle, as do wild elephants, deer, and wild
Howes. [he food of the gaur,’ as of the wild
elephant, consists chiefly of grasses, and only in a
secondary degree of bamboo leaves and twigs, the
thick and succulent tuberous shoots of the bamboo
which appear during the rains, and of the bark of some
trees. . . . Gaur feed till about nine in the morning,
or later in cloudy and rainy weather ; they then rest,
lying down in bamboo-covert or light forest till the
afternoon, when they rise to graze and drink ; they
also invariably lie down for some hours during the
night. Although certainly quick in detecting an
intruder, gaur can scarcely be considered naturally
wary animals, as they seldom encounter alarms. Un-
sophisticated herds will frequently allow several shots
to be fired at them before making off, and even then
1 In these extracts ‘‘Gaur”’ is substituted for “ Bison.”
59
Game Animals of India, etc.
probably will not go far. But if subjected to frequent
disturbance, they quickly become as shy as deer. . . .
I have never known a case of herd-gaur attacking man,
except such individuals as were wounded, and, being
pursued, found themselves unable to escape.’
The narrator then proceeds to state that in many of
their habits gaur resemble elephants, and that herds of
both may not infrequently be seen feeding together.
Solitary bulls, which often show their age by the
number of scars they bear on their nearly hairless
hides, have a bad reputation for ferocity, being reported
to charge without provocation. ‘While admitting that
this is to a certain degree the case, Mr. Sanderson
accounts for it by their greater liability to being
suddenly surprised while reposing than are the members
of a herd, some of whom are always on the watch.
And en thus surprised, like other animals, they not
uncommonly attack the disturber of their dumbers!
It has long been a question whether the gaur
inhabiting bist countries to the eastward of the Bay of
Bengal paula be subspecifically distinguished from the
typical Indian animal. The head of a bull obtained
from Myitekyina, in Upper Burma, by Mr. Joseph
Reade seems, however, to leave little doubt that the
question Shc be cued in the affirmative, so far
as regards the pyoung, or Burmese representative of
the species. The result of numerous comparisons
tends to show that the skulls of gaur from the countries
on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal differ from
those of the Indian animal by the greater breadth
across the forehead. The Burmese gaur is also stated
to be taller than the Indian animal, with the ridge on
the shoulder extending farther along the back, the
concavity of the fetch more pronounced, mal the
horns larger, heavier, and shorter, with the tips seldom
worn. It eed to Be stated that fife gaur is character-
ised by the absence of a dewlap, and of many specimens
this appears to be true. On the other hand, it appears,
60
we oo |
ah
The Gaur, or Indian Bison
as stated above, that in Travancore some of the old
bulls display a strongly developed dewlap, although
this character 1s not constant in the district. More
important still is a statement by Mr. C. W. A. Bruce,
to the effect that Burmese gaur are always dis-
tinguished by the presence of a large dewlap in the old
bulls, as well as by their very dark colour.
Fic. 5.—Head of Burmese Gaur, or Pyoung, from Mr. Reade’s specimen.
Unfortunately, Mr. Reade’s specimen does not
exhibit the whole of the throat, but sufficient remains
to show not only that there was a well-marked dewlap,
but that the upper portion of this, at any rate, carries
a tuft of long black hair. Suen a throat- fringe 18
unknown in facian gaur, and its occurrence in the
Burmese form seems sufficient to indicate the racial
distinctness of the latter. In the type specimen (fig. 5)
the hair of the face is marked by a number of small
light-coloured spots, very similar in hue to the light
61
Game Animals of India, ete.
area on the forehead; whether, however, this is
anything more than an individual peculiarity, I am
unable to say. Very noticeable is a band of tawny
hair immediately above the naked portion of the
muzzle, which is always light-coloured in gaur. A
trace of this tawny band is observable in the plate
accompanying a notice by Dr. W. T. Blanford of
a young bull from the Malay Peninsula ;* but it is
wanting in the two mounted Indian gaur in the British
Museum, in which the whole of the hairy part of the
muzzle is dark-coloured, with the exception of a small
streak on each lip.
It may also be mentioned that the general colour
of the hair of the Burmese head (both in the dark
and light areas) apparently differs somewhat from that
of Indian examples, although I have not had an
opportunity of making an exact comparison in this:
respect. The horns, too, are distinctly different in
appearance from those of Indian gaur, being decidedly
peculiar. In old Indian bull gaur it is generally, if not
invariably, the right horn that has its tip worn away
by the animal constantly using this horn more than its
fellow. In the Burmese specimen, on the other hand,
it is the left horn that is thus worn; what value to
attach to this difference it is difficult to determine.
The name Bos gaurus readei was suggested by
myself for the Burmese gaur in the Zoo/ogist for 1903,
on the evidence of the head shown in fig. 5. This
race is characterised by its tall stature, dark colour
(nearly black), the more thickly haired and fringed ears,
the presence of a well-developed dewlap carrying a tuft
or fringe of long hair in the adult, the greater downward
extension of the tawny colour on the forehead, and
sometimes by a tawny band round the lower part of
the jaw immediately above the muzzle.
If the pyoung, or Burmese gaur, is separated from
the Indian animal, there can be no reasonable doubt
l Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1890.
62
The Gaur, or Indian Bison
that the seladang, or Malay representative of the species,
is likewise entitled to similar rank. This probability is
converted to a certainty by the distinctive features
presented by three adult bull seladang heads recently
sent to London by Mr. T. R. Hubback, author of
Elephant and Seladang Hunting in Malaya, London,
1904. In that work Mr. Hubback himself states that
in adult seladang there is no dewlap, and the colour of
Fic. 6.—Head of Seladang, sent home by Mr. T. R. Hubback,
the “stockings” is dirty yellow. The heads just
referred to show that the seladang has a much smaller
development of the ridge between the horns than the
Indian gaur, a greater extent of tawny on the forehead,
and also a distinct whitish band above the muzzle. In
one of the heads there is a fair development of the
intercornual ridge, but in the other two the line between
the horns is quite straight ; in fact, if it were not for
the horns, which are of the characteristic gaur type,
their two heads might almost be referred to gayal.
63
Game Animals of India, etc.
They render it practically certain that the latter is not
‘ specifically distinct from the gaur ; and it is significant
in this connection that the one supposed ee of a
wild gaur was killed in Tenasserim.
ii. the young seladang referred to above, figured
in plate xlix. of the Zoological Society’s Proceedings
for 1890, the development of the intercornual ridge
appears to be slight in the front view, but is more
marked in the profile sketch ; possibly the latter may
have been drawn from an Indian gaur.
The seladang may be named bos gaurus hubbacki ;
a specimen presented by Mr. Hubback to the British
Museum being taken as the type. *
THE GAYAL, OR MITHAN
(Bos { Bibos| frontalis)
Native Names.—Gaya/, or perhaps preferably Gazal,
Hinpustani ; Mithan, Bunerea-goru, AND Gavi oR
Gabi, AssAMESE AND IN Cuitrraconc ; Sandung,
Manipuri; She/or Shio oF THE Kukis 3 fhongnua
or THE Mucuis; Bui-sang anD Hui or THE NaGa
Trises ; Phu or THE Akas ; Sida oF THE DaPHLa
Hix Trises ; Nani ano Tsaine, BuRMEsE.
(PLaTE 11, figs. 2, 24)
There has been much discussion as to whether the
gayal, or mithan, is a truly wild animal, or only a
domesticated breed. If it be the former, there can be
no question as to its right to be regarded as a distinct
species, or race. If, as seems more likely, it is nothing
more than a domesticated breed, then it is probably an
artificial derivative from the gaur.
Although a magnificently built animal, the bull
gayal never attains the same dimensions as the gaur,
64
The Gayal, or Mithan
from which it differs by the shorter limbs, the somewhat
less elevation of the dorsal ridge, the great development’
of the dewlap, and the form of the skull and horns.
In place of the arched ridge between the horns and
the concave profile of the typical gaur, we have in the
gayal a straight line on the vertex of the skull between
the widely separated horns, while the entire forehead is
Fic. 7.—Skull and Horns of a Bull Gayal from Tenasserim, in the collection of
Mr. A. O. Hume.
flat and of great relative width and shortness. The
horns, too, which are blackish, more or less mingled
with yellowish, show only a slight curvature, inclining
outwards and somewhat upwards, without trace of a
terminal inward sweep. In the skull (fig. 7), the
marked shortness of the nasal bones forms a notable
point of distinction from the gaur. As regards colour,
the gayal is distinctly darker than its relative, the whole
65 F
Game Animals of India, etc.
of the upper-parts, with the exception of the forehead,
which is frequently tawny, being in both sexes blackish
brown ; the legs, from above the knees and hocks
downwards, showing the usual white or yellowish
“stockings.” Parti-coloured, or even wholly white,
gayal are stated to be by no means uncommon.
Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker of Kachar, who studied the
two animals for upwards of thirteen years, has written
as follows concerning the relationship between the gaur
and the gayal in the Asian newspaper of February 20
and 27, 1900. ‘During the first two or three years
of this period,” he observes, “I held the opinion that
they were identical. After this I veered round a good
deal, and began to think that the reasons for considering
them distinct might be right; this because I quite
failed to obtain certain necessary links between the two
forms. The last two or three years, however, have
produced specimens which have shown every one of
these same links, and I am now forced to the conclusion
that there is no difference of specific value between the
two animals, such differences as do exist being princi-
pally, if not entirely, the result of domestication.”
Although several of the gaur skulls figured in Mr.
Baker’s article are those of immature animals, yet they
show evidence of a transition between the typical forms
of the two animals ; this evidence being strongly supple-
mented by the Malay form of the gaur described above.
Such a transition does not, however, by any means
invalidate the points given above as characteristic of the
two animals—such features being those of their typical
representatives. It may be added that, so far as the
present writer's knowledge goes, it is only in the
Kachar and Assam districts and Malaya that skulls
intermediate between the typical gaur and the typical
gayal are met with; the Madras gaur preserving,
when fully adult, the distinctive peculiarities of that
animal in all cases.
There is no evidence that the gayal exists in a truly
66
4
/
:
;
)
The Gayal, or Mithan
wild condition in Northern India, and until further
information is forthcoming with regard to its alleged
occurrence in this state in Tenasserim, it seems advisable
to accept Mr. Baker’s view.
Horns of pure-bred gayal measuring 15, 144, 14,
and 122 inches in length are on record ; the respective
basal circumference of these being 114, 134, 14, and
134 inches, and the tip-to-tip interval of the first,
second, and fourth of these specimens being 263, 28,
and 272 inches.
Gayal, in a domesticated or semi-domesticated
condition, are met with among certain tribes both to
the north and south of the Assam valley, in the
neighbourhood of Manipur and Kachar, as well as in
hill Tippera, Chittagong, and the Lushai hills as far
south as Chittagong itself. Many, or all, of these
domesticated gayal are allowed to run by themselves
through the forest, returning to the villages of their
owners at nightfall.
Horns of cow gayal (plate ii, fig. 22) are much
more slender than those of the bulls.
THE BANTIN, OR TSAINE
(Bos [ Bibos] sondaicus)
Native Names.—VTsaine or Hsaine, BuRMESE ;
Bantin anv Sapt-utan, Maray
(PLaTE ii, fig. 3)
The tsaine, or bantin (for the name sapi-utan,
meaning forest-ox, is applied by the Malays alike to
this species and the little anoa of Celebes), is the
characteristic wild ox of the Malay countries; and
although belonging to the same group as the gaur and
the gayal, displays some of the distinctive characters of
a:
Game Animals of India, etc.
the group in a less marked degree, and thus departs
less widely from the common ox. It has, for example,
the ridge on the withers much less developed, and
not terminating posteriorly in a distinct step; while
the cows, and in the Burmese race the bulls also, are
reddish-fawn coloured. Perhaps the two most dis-
tinctive features of the species are the horny callous
shield on the vertex of the head between the bases of
the horns, and the large white patch on the buttocks,
which surrounds, although it does not include, the
root of the tail. Standing from about 5 feet to at
least 5 feet 9 inches in height at the withers, the bantin
is a rather lighter-built animal than the gaur, with a
less massive and more elongated form of head. The
dewlap is imperfectly developed, the well-tufted tail
descends somewhat below the level of the hocks, and
the ears are proportionately smaller than in either the
gaur or the gayal. Compared with those of the former
animal, the horns of the bull bantin are comparatively
slender and more nearly cylindrical ; the only com-
pression being found at the base of those of fully
adult individuals. They are more or less rugged near
their origin from the head, but are smooth for the
remainder of their length. At first the direction of
their sweep is outwards and somewhat upwards, but
towards the tips they take an inward and slightly
backward curvature. In the dried skull their bases
are seen to flange out in a characteristic manner. In
cows and young bulls the general colour of the short
and sleek hair of the upper-parts is reddish brown,
approaching chestnut: the under-parts being much
lighter-coloured, sometimes even whitish or white, as
are the inner surfaces of the ears, the lips, the inner
side of the legs, and the rump-patch. The legs in
adult cows are white from above the knees and hocks
downwards to the hoofs; although in calves their
outer sides are chestnut, like the body, a dark streak
also running down the middle of the back. Except in
: 68
The Burmese Bantin, or Tsaine
the case when the rump-patch is wanting, the general
distribution of colour is the same in adult bulls as in
full-grown cows, but the tint of the upper-parts may
be of almost any shade between dark reddish brown
and blackish brown. \
The typical bantin (Bos sondaicus typicus) is an
inhabitant of Java, but an identical or nearly allied
Fic. 8.—Freshly killed Head of Burmese Bantin, or Tsaine, froma specimen
shot by Mr. R. McD. Hawker.
form is met with in Borneo, and probably Sumatra ;
the adult bulls of this typical race having the dark area
of the upper-parts blackish brown or even black, and
the forehead and face coloured like the back. Tame
bantin are bred in the island of Bali and exported to
Singapore for food. The Burmese and Malay bantins
form distinct races.
_ In the tsaine, or Burmese bantin (Bos sondaicus bir-
manicus), the general colour of the upper-parts in adult
69
Game Animals of India, etc.
bulls is dark chestnut, appearing darker in some lights
than in others, and shading off into light brown below.
The face, as exemplified by one mounted head in the
British Museum, is tawny grey, with a light chestnut
patch some distance above the muzzle; the margin
of the lips and the inner surface of the ears being
whitish, and the muzzle blackish. The head of a bull
shot by the late Mr. C. W. A. Bruce in Upper Burma
is very similar, but more uniformly tawny. Very old
bulls may apparently become darker. With the ex-
ception that the upper part of the fore-legs is darkish
grey, the rest of the coloration is similar to that of
the typical race. Young bulls, in which the white
markings are less distinct, are lighter and brighter in
colour. At all ages the cows are bright reddish
chestnut, with the face somewhat paler than the back,
especially on the forehead, round the eyes, and near
the muzzle, where, like the under-parts and the lower
portion of the legs, it becomes dirty white. The
specimens of which the height has been recorded do
not run so large as the typical Javan race, a bull
standing 5 feet 44 inches, and a cow 5 feet i inch at
the withers. In the-notes quoted below it will be seen
that there are considerable variations from the above
type of coloration.
The Burmese race of the bantin is found in Burma,
Pegu, and Arakan, whence it may perhaps extend
northwards to the hill ranges east of Chittagong.
Bantin also occur in Manipur, but these, as mentioned
below, may belong to another race. For accounts of
the Burmese bantin I am indebted to Major Evans,
and Mr. C. W. A. Bruce, the latter of whom wrote
in the Asian newspaper of October 10, 1899, under
the initials C. W. A. B. as follows :—
The Burmese distinguish three varieties of tsaine,
viz.—(a) The common light-red bulls and chestnut
cows called by them Tsaine Bya. (4) Dark chocolate
bulls and cows darker chestnut than in variety (qa) ;
. 70
The Burmese Bantin, or Tsaine
Tsaine Nyo of the Burmans ; sometimes this variety
is spoken of as Tsaine Mwe. (c) Dark-faced bulls
with red bodies, Tsaine Ni of the Burmans. I have
shot bulls of all three varieties, and the differences are
well marked, especially so in the case of the tsaine nyo,
which, except in shape and in the position of the white
markings, might be another species altogether.
All three varieties inhabit the same kind of jungle
and may be found in the same forest, but I have never
seen herds containing two of the above varieties in the
same herd. All herds I have seen have consisted of
individuals of one variety only.
Since all these varieties occur in the same area they
cannot be regarded as local races, although the alleged
differences in the colour of the different herds is
remarkable.
In all parts of their habitat bantin frequent less hilly
ground than gaur, and are more often found in grass-
jungles, or grass-jungles with scattered trees, than in
thick forest.
The following notes on the habits of the Burmese
bantin are abbreviated from Mr. Bruce’s account.
During the hot weather these animals wander about
the plains of engdain forest, consisting mainly of the
in-tree (Dipterocarpus tuberculatus). This tree 1s
gregarious and usually has an undergrowth of coarse
grass, thekai (Jmperata cylindrica), or “kain” (Saccharum
sp.). All engdain forests are broken up by open
expanses devoid of tree-growth, but covered with
thekai grass. Such places are known to the Burmese
as kwins ; depressions between plateaux in the engdain
devoid of tree-growth also occur. These are usually
covered with kain grass. In April the grass, as a rule,
gets burnt off by forest-fires, and it is to eat the tender
young shoots of the new growth of the two varieties of
grasses that the tsaine frequent the plains, though they
are also found in these places at other times of the year,
particularly in the cold weather. They also eat leaves,
71
Game Animals of India, etc.
shoots of bamboos, and fruits of trees, but prefer grass.
In the hot weather the engdain forest is a sure find for
tsaine. They occasionally go into the foot-hills, if
there are any adjoining, to sleep during the day,
descending again about 4.30 p.M., and returning at
about 9 a.m. ; but I have found tsaine feeding in the
middle of the day in the height of the hot weather, and
have also seen them sleeping in the engdain, under the
sparse shade of a big in-tree. I have never found tsaine
high up in the hills, and doubt if they go much over
2000 feet above sea-level. In the rains, when the new
bamboo-shoots are sprouting, they leave the engdain
entirely, and frequent bamboo-forest to feed, like many
other animals in Burma, on these shoots. They feed
mostly at night, but also at intervals throughout the
day, and do not seem to mind heat at all. They are
fond of frequenting salt-licks ; as well as licks of a
peculiar light-grey earth (myehnan), the “smelling-earth”
of the Burmese, usually found in the banks of dry nalas
in the engdain, into which the tsaine scrape holes with
their tongues. Bulls, especially solitary ones, are very
fond of butting down young trees along the path they
may be travelling, and the strength exerted to break
some of these must be considerable. I have never
heard a tsaine calling like a gaur, and the Burmese say
they make no sound, except the snort of alarm or
warning. This is very similar to that of the gaur, but
more prolonged and only a single instead of a double
snort. On alarming a herd more than one snort may
be noticed, but these are probably made by different
individuals. I once came across a young tsaine asleep
in a patch of unburnt grass in engdain-jungle ; which
bolted in the direction numerous footsteps indicated a
herd had travelled. This was in May, and the animal
was probably very young, and had been hidden by its
mother while the herd was grazing. As all, or nearly
all, the herds seen in April and May had young calves
with them, the young are probably born at the begin-
79
a ls eat lated
The Burmese Bantin, or Taine
ning of the hot season. The sense of smell in tsaine
is very keen; but hearing and sight seem badly
developed, as I have often watched tsaine, which, if I
remained perfectly still, have either gone on grazing or
moved slowly away if the wind was favourable. Solitary
bulls are more wary than herds, and on being disturbed
usually dash straight off and travel considerable dis-
tances. The members of a herd snort, however, on
being alarmed, dash off for 100 yards or so, and then
stop for a few seconds to look round. They are not
particularly dangerous ; I have never been charged by
one, and the Burmese show less fear of tsaine, wounded
or unwounded, than they do of gaur. Only twice have
I seen a tsaine bull prepare to charge, and each time, as
the ground was open, I was able to stop his intention.
The Burmese say that if you lie down flat, you are
safe from a charging gaur, as he cannot pierce you with
his horns and will not tread on you, but that you are
not safe in the same position from a tsaine. The horns
of a tsaine bull diverge at right angles to the face,
whereas those of a gaur are nearly in the same line as
the face.
As regards the number of tsaine in a herd there is
considerable variation. I have met two females and
one calf alone, as well as solitary bulls ; but it is usual
to find a herd of, say, seven to twelve cows and a few
calves with one bull. The smallest herd I have seen con-
sisted of a bull, two cows, and a calf ; while the biggest
comprised about twenty cows, numerous calves, and
one magnificent bull, although there may have been
more. I never got a shot, as the animals saw me
before I saw them, and dashed off, and as it was
evening, there was no hope of coming up with them
before dark. The track is more heart-shaped and
pointed than that of the gaur, and also differs in size.
As already mentioned, bantin occur in the Manipur
district, especially in the Kubbu valley between Manipur
and Northern Burma ; and there is considerable prob-
13
Game Animals of India, etc.
ability that these are subspecifically distinct from the
Burmese animal.
For information with regard to the Manipur bantin
I am indebted to Captain H. S. Wood, who states
that the bulls stand about 5 feet at the shoulder, and
are red at all ages, while they show no white patch on
the buttocks, although this. is fully developed in the
cows. The bulls have comparatively small ears ; and
their general colour is dark red, passing into greyish
white on the face, the under surface of the body, and
the inside of the legs. They have no dark streak
running down the back; the front of the fore-legs
above the knee is» reddish black; the tip and front
margin of the éars are deep velvety black ; the eye jis
encircled with a greyish white ring; while the front
and sides of the upper part of the head are tawny white,
the naked muzzle being greyish black. In the cows
the ears are larger, and the general colour of the upper-
parts light red, with a dark streak running down the
middle of the back, but no black on the ears or the
front of the fore-legs. The under surface of the body,
the legs from the knees and hocks to the hoofs, and
the rump-patch are pure white. A cow measured by
Captain Wood stood 4 feet 10 inches at the withers.
If the absence of the white rump-patch be a constant
feature in the bulls, and the presence of a dark dorsal
streak an equally distinctive feature of the cows, there
would seem little doubt as to the racial distinctness
of the Manipur bantin. Skins of both sexes of the
Burmese and the Manipuri bantin are much needed ;
and until these are available the distinctive features and
the range of colour-variation in either cannot be properly
determined.
Although the bantin is represented in parts of the
Malay Peninsula, it appears to be very scarce and
local ; and there are no skins available for comparison.
According to the late Mr. W. Davison (Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1889, p. 448), a bull from the Malay Peninsula,
74
phe
The Burmese Bantin, or Tsaine
apparently referable to B. sondaicus, had the lower part
of the legs reddish instead of white.
hw r9o05 -) “received fron Mir. Ht.. ©. Robinson;
curator of the Selangor State Museum, the skull of a
reputed wild ox from the Malay Peninsula, characterised
by very small horns (some 6 inches in length). It
belonged to an animal shot by Capt. J. C. Lamprey,
of the Malay States Guides, in Perak ; and is figured
in the Fournal of the Bombay Natural History Society,
vol. xiii. p. 192 (1900). The animal was lost when
fired at (in the evening), but the carcase was found
two days later partially devoured by a tiger. Capt.
Lamprey described its colour as rich reddish chest-
nut, with no white rump-patch, but with blackish
“stockings ’’ and muzzle.
When describing this specimen in the journal cited
Mrs" > Butler, then curator of the )Selangor
Museum, expressed the opinion that it could not
belong to any known race of bantin, and also quoted
an extract from a work published in 1858 to the effect
that the Malay bantin has no rump-patch and very small
horns, although not unlike in other respects to the
domesticated bantin of Bali. A young cow, stated to
be 6 feet 2 inches at the shoulder (!), is described as
brown in colour with dirty white feet.
If, as seems probable, Captain Lamprey’s specimen
is a female both the above descriptions refer to cows.
In Davison’s description of the bull the general colour
is said to be blackish, with reddish stockings; the
horns are stated to be large, and no mention is made
of a white rump-patch.
The available evidence thus points to the conclusion
that the Malay bantin has no white rump-patch, and
“stockings” varying in colour from dirty white to
blackish or reddish, while the females have very small
horns. In that the old bulls are stated to be dark-
coloured, and the young and cows rufous, the descrip-
tion accords with the Javan and Bornean rather than
75
Game Animals of India, etc.
with the tsaine or Burmese race of the bantin, in which
both sexes are fawn-coloured.
If the foregoing data are trustworthy there seems to
be decisive evidence that the Malay sapi-utan 1s a distinct
form, although apparently a race of the bantin rather
than a distinct species. The skull from Perak referred
to above was presented by Mr. Robinson to the British
Museum, and has been made by myself! the type of
the Malay race, with the name of Bos sondaicus butleri.
Assuming the specimens mentioned above to be
rightly identified, the most interesting feature about
the Malay bantin is the extremely small size of the
horns of the cows, for in this respect it appears to
connect the typical bantin with the extinct Bos etruscus
of the Upper Tertiary deposits of the Val d’-Arno, in
which the cows are hornless. Bos etruscus was long
ago regarded by the late Professor Ritimeyer as nearly
related to B. sondaicus, and the relationship now seems to
be made still closer. In fact, if the data are trustworthy,
the Malay sapi-utan seem to be the primitive type of
bantin, connecting those races in which the cows have
long horns with B. efruscus. This is in harmony with
the fact that the Malay fauna includes several survivors of
ancient types.
THE YAK
(Bos [Poéphagus| grunniens)
Native Names.—Dong, Brong-dong (wild race), Pegu
(domesticated breed), Trpetan ; Yak, Lapaki anp
in NortH Kumaon; San-choar, Hinpvustanti;
Kuch-gau, Punjast; Boku (old bull) and Kosass,
KIRGHIZz.
(PLaTeE i, figs. 4, 4@)
By the older naturalists the yak, or wild ox of
Tibet, was almost invariably spoken of as the grunting
1 The Field, vol. ev. p. 151, 1995.
eee ee
ve
;
ee oe eee eS ee he
The Yak
ox ; and so far as the domesticated breeds (from which
the original description was taken) are concerned, the
attribute in question is distinctive of the species. It
appears, however, that the “grunting” is confined to
these domesticated breeds ; and it has, therefore, been
proposed to regard the latter as a distinct species,
Fic. 9.—Parti-coloured and White Domesticated Yak at Woburn Abbey, from a
photograph by the Duchess of Bedford.
under the name of mutus. This seems an unnecessary
refinement, and the most that would be justifiable in
this direction would be to designate the wild race as
Bos grunniens mutus ; it is true that such a combina-
tion of names would involve a contradiction, but
such inconsistencies are not regarded as important by
naturalists. .
Structurally the yak appears to be closely allied to
the bisons, of which group it may be regarded as an
Dh
Game Animals of India, etc.
aberrant member specially modified by long isolation
and the high elevation at which it lives.
How great is the elevation above the sea-level at
/Y which this animal ordinarily dwells in the wild state
is probably not realised by most persons ; and it may
perhaps assist the imagination to state that if the
Tibetan plateau were at the summit of a cliff rising
sheer up from the sea-shore, a yak looking over the
edge would be about four miles above the level of
the sea !
7 In addition to certain features in the skull and the
setting-on of the horns, as well as in the form of the
latter, the yak approximates to the bisons in the long
hair with which portions of its body are clothed, and
also in possessing fourteen pairs of ribs, instead of the
thirteen found in the gaur and its allies; the bisons
having fifteen pairs. The long hair is, however, more
elongated than in the bisons, and differently disposed
on the body; while the mass of bushy hair clothing
the lower half of the tail serves to differentiate the yak
from all its kindred.
In general build the wild bull yak is a massive, not
to say clumsy-looking, animal ; attaining a height of at
least 55 feet at the withers, and, according to some
reports of sportsmen, falling little, if at all, below
6 feet in exceptionally fine examples. The head is
generally carried low, thus tending to accentuate the
elevation of the withers, which form a more or less
conspicuous hump, behind which the back is fairly
level, without any decided falling away at the rump.
The muzzle and ears are comparatively small, there
is no dewlap, and the short and stout limbs terminate
in large and massive hoofs. Very characteristic of the
bull yak are the long, massive, and gracefully curved
black horns (fig. 10) which form some of the finest
trophies of which the Indian sportsman can_ boast.
Although slightly compressed at the base in aged bulls,
yak-horns are nearly cylindrical in section and smooth
= 78
7
The Yak
throughout their length ; their curvature being at first
upwards and outwards, then forwards, and finally
inwards and upwards, with a slightly backward inclina-
tion in some examples. The horns of the cows (plate
ii, fig. 4a) are much more slender than those of the
pam,
\
Sa
Fic. 10.—Skull and Horns of Yak, from a specimen in the British Museum.
bulls. The longest horns on record are a pair
in the Museum at Lucknow, stated to measure
39 inches along the curve. Next to these is a pair
measuring 38% inches in length, 17 in girth, and 19
between the tips.
As regards general characters, the hair on the head,
back, and upper portion of the sides is comparatively
vise)
Da
Game Animals of India, etc.
short and smooth, but on the lower part of the flanks
becomes elongated to form a pendent fringe extending
across the shoulders and thighs; there is likewise a
tuft of elongated hair on the front of the chest, and the
lower half of the tail is enveloped in a huge bunch of
still longer hair, reaching somewhat below the hocks.
‘In wild yak the coat is uniformly blackish brown
throughout, although showing a little white in the
region of the muzzle, with a sprinkling of grey on the
head and face in old animals, and tending to rusty on.
the back in aged bulls. The semi-domesticated yak of
the elevated plateau of Rupshu are very large, and
generally, if not always, as dark-coloured as their wild
kindred ; but in most parts of Ladak and the Tibetan
districts of the Himalaya the domesticated breed is
much smaller, and may be of any colour from black to
white. In such breeds, which may have a strain of the
Indian humped cattle in their blood, the cows (as shown
in fig. 9) may be hornless. It is from the tails of such
parti-coloured or white yak that the fly-whisks, or
chaories, so much in vogue in the plains of India, are
made. Pure-bred domesticated yak have two great °
disabilities—they will neither eat corn nor cross a
bridge.
Wild yak are restricted to the plateau of Tibet,
ranging from the eastern part of Ladak as far as Kansu,
in North-West China, and extending northwards to
the chain of the Kuen-Lun. In summer they are
found at elevations between about 14,000 and 15,000
feet, and even in winter it is probable that, in Ladak at
least, they seldom, if ever, descend much below 13,000
feet. So far as the writer is aware, wild yak have
never been brought into Leh (11,500 feet), and it is
probable that they could not exist at levels much below
this. The parti-coloured domesticated breeds, as well
as the small black yak frequently seen at Darjiling,
will, however, thrive, under suitable conditions, at the
sea-level.
80
The Yak
In Ladak the great district for yak is the Chang-
chenmo valley, Agel the dreary regions between this ad
the Upper Indus ; but these animals are yearly becoming
scarcer within fie territories under the rule of the
Maharaja of Kashmir, although reported to be numerous
in Tibet proper. One of the earliest British sportsmen
in the Chang-chenmo district was General A. A. Kinloch,
who has given an excellent account of the habits of ele
yak. A remarkably fine head belonged to an animal
shot in the Kuen-Lun range by the late Mr. A.
Dalgleish, who about the year 187 is was in the employ
Fic. 11.—Black Domesticated Yak at Woburn Abbey, from a photograph by the
Duchess of Bedford.
of the Central Asian Trading Company. More recently
yak have been shot by Mr. St. George Littledale, by
Mieht@Z. Dattah and Major P. H. G. Powell-Cotton,
and others. An interesting account of yak- shooting
by Mr. Edgar Phelps will Be found in vol. xi. of the
Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (1900).
Yak feed chiefly upon the tufts of wiry grass dotted
over the arid soil of the Tibetan plateau, and grow fat
upon such apparently insufficient fodder. In search of
food, or merely from a roving disposition, they are in
the Rabie of traversing long dicemees and feed mostly
81 G
Game Animals of India, etc.
during the early morning and evening, reposing in the
daytime on some bleak hillside, where they can receive
timely warning of the approach of danger. As in the
case of other cattle, the old bulls are either solitary or
associate in small parties of three or four ; while the
herds, which in undisturbed districts may include from
about half-a-score to a hundred head, are formed by
the cows, young bulls, and calves. Yak will eat snow
during the winter, or at very high altitudes at all
seasons, when no ether means of obtaining drink is avail-
able. Smell seems to be their most acute sense, hearing
and sight being apparently less keenly developed.
Mr. Darrah has given the following account of a
stalk after yak :—“ Lying flat down, and pushing the
Lee-Metford in front of me, 1 got behind a stone on
the summit, and saw a large number of yaks in front of
me, most of them some 250 to 350 yards off. It was
easy enough to make out the principal bull of the herd,
he was so much larger than the rest, but I could not
distinguish any others of a decent — though I saw
two or three small ones. I lay where I was for some
ten minutes, trying to make out which to fire at after
the first shot at the big bull, but could not come to any
satisfactory conclusion. The animals were entirely
unconscious of danger ; some were lying down chewing
the cud, and some feeding quietly. The big bull was
sometimes grazing, sometimes looking about him, but
all the time moving more or less to the west, that is, to
my right and up the nalla. I did not like risking a
shot at the distance he was off, and examined the
ground to my right to see if there was any chance of
getting nearer.”
An opportunity for gaining a more favourable
situation presenting itself, the big bull was crippled at
the first shot, and soon afterwards dispatched. From
the fact of his being with the herd it would seem that
this stalk, which took place in August, was during the
pairing-season.
82
The Arna, or Indian Buffalo
tHe ARNA, OR INDIAN BUFFALO
(Bos [ Bubalus] bubalis)
Native Names.—Arna (bull), Arni (cow), oR, MORE
COMMONLY, 4rna bhainsa anv Fangh bhains (bhains
being the name of the domesticated buffalo),
Hinpustani ; Mang 1x Buacarpur; Mains,
Bencali; Birbiar or THE Ho-xots ; Gera erumi
OF THE Gonps; Mi Harak, Cincarrse; Mod,
AssAMESE ; Si/oi oF THE Kuxis3 Gudu1, Rili, Ziz,
AND Le or THE Nacas; Maisip, Kacuari ; /roz,
Manrpuri ; Kywai, Burmese; Pana OF THE
Karens ; Karbo or Karabu, Maray
(PLATE ui, fics. 53.52)
Those who have seen the domesticated buffalo of
Italy, Egypt, and India are acquainted with a degenerate
descendant of the magnificent Indian wild buffalo,
whose spread of horn exceeds that of any existing
member of the Bovide. The wild animal itself is,
however, known to few besides sportsmen, since only
two examples have been exhibited in the London
Zoological Gardens, one of which was lent in 1870,
while the second (a cow) was presented by the Maharaja
of Bhaonagar in 1893; but whether the former was a
truly wild animal, the writer has no means of knowing.
All buffaloes differ from the other members of the
genus Bos by the distinctly triangular section of their
-horns, as well as by the rounded form of the hinder
part of the skull, and likewise by the sparsely haired
skin, which may indeed be well-nigh naked in aged
individuals. Such points of distinction are here
regarded as only of subgeneric value, so that the full
name of the Indian species is Bos (Bubalus) bubalis,
but many naturalists regard Budalus (as also Bison) in
the light of a genus by itself.
83
Game Animals of India, etc.
From its distant cousin the African buffalo, the
Indian, or, as it might perhaps be better termed, the
Asiatic buffalo is distinguished by the form of the
horns and the wide space by which these are separated
at their bases from one another on the forehead in both
sexes, as well as by the much greater length of the
head, and the narrower and less densely haired ears.
The profile of the head is nearly straight, and the
convexity of the forehead moderate. The horns, of
which male and female specimens are shown in the
plate, are entirely black in colour, and curve almost in
the same plane ; those of bulls are much more massive
than those of cows. As regards curvature, two distinct
and well-marked types are recognisable. In the one,
the horns curve regularly upwards from each side of
the head ina semicircular manner, so as to be separated
by a comparatively small interval at the tips (plate u,
fig. 5). In the other type (of which the pair represented
in fig. 52 of the plate is a medium example) they
spread almost directly outwards for the greater portion
of their length, after which they curve somewhat
upwards and inwards, the interval between their tips
being consequently much greater than in the first type.
Specimens belonging to the two sexes of each type
are now exhibited in the British (Natural History)
Museum.
The circular form of horn may be regarded as the
typical race of the species (Bos bubalis typicus) ; while
the straight type was distinguished by Brian Hodgson in
the first half of last century as a distinct race or variety,
under the name of Bos bubalis macroceros. Whether
these two types constitute subspecies, or local races, in
the modern acceptation of that term, or whether they
are rather to be looked upon in the light of phases, is
not at present evident ; but in any case it is convenient
to retain distinct names for them. The largest horns
known are a detached pair in the British Museum,
given to Sir Hans Sloane (whose collection formed the
84
The Arna, or Indian Buffalo
nucleus of that institution) as a fee. One of these
horns measures no less than 772 inches in length. The
British Museum possesses the complete skull and horns
of another very large bull of this type shot in Assam,
and presented by Colonel Mathie ; the horn-length
being 65# inches. No such bulls appear now to be
met with ; and it is possible that the straight-horned
type is nearly, if not completely, exterminated as a wild
animal in Assam.
Apart from the above-mentioned specimens, the
longest horns entered in Mr. Rowland Ward’s
Records of Big Game (sth ed.) are those of a cow
measuring 704 inches, next to which come those of a
bull with a length of 70 inches.
As already mentioned, the ears of the Indian buffalo
are relatively small and of somewhat tubular form, with
only a few long hairs on their margins, although with
a larger quantity in the interior. The tail, which
terminates in a small tuft, reaches down about to the
level of the hocks. Although aged animals are well-
nigh nude, younger individuals have a certain amount
of coarse, bristly hair all over the head and body ; and
it is noteworthy that, unlike the African buffalo, this
hair is directed forwards from the haunches to the back
of the head ; a whorl on the hind-quarters marking the
point at which the hair of this region commences to be
directed backwards. In the typical race, and apparently
also in the long-horned type, the colour of the skin
and hair is ashy or blackish grey, although there may
be a more or less pronounced tendency to the develop-
ment of dirty white on the lower part of the legs; this
being especially noticeable in domesticated breeds. In
height it is probable that the largest adult bulls do not
fall much, if at all, short of 65 feet at the withers ;
although the maximum recorded measurement appears
to be 6 feet 24 inches (184 hands).
The dense grass-jungles covering the alluvial flats of
the Ganges and Bramaputra, from Eastern Assam to
85
Game Animals of India, etc.
Tirhut, form some of the favourite haunts of the wild
Indian buffalo; but the animal is also to be met with
in many other parts of the peninsula, as, for instance,
on the maritime plains of Orissa and Midnapur, as well
as on the grass-lands of the eastern portions of the
Central Provinces, especially in Mandla, Raipur,
Sambulpur, and Bastar, whence it extends at least as
far south as the Godaveri and Pranhita valleys. Wild
buffaloes are also found in the northern districts of
Ceylon, and in Burma and the Malay countries ; but
whether the latter are aboriginally wild is not easy to
determine. Both are referred to in the sequel.
The arna (to use a term properly restricted to the
male as applicable to both sexes) is very similar in its
mode of life to the Indian rhinoceros, being a grazing
animal, inhabiting by preference tall grass-jungles, or
reed-brakes, in which it is completely concealed,
avoiding bills and rocks, and always seeking ire
neighbourhood of marshy swamps, in the warm Hae) of
which it delights to wallow. Buffaloes are indeed the
most water-loving of all cattle, frequently immersing
their whole bodies and leaving only their heads exposed,
instead of standing midleg-deep after the fashion of
European cattle. Never (save for its magnificent
horns) a handsome creature, the Indian buffalo looks
positively hideous when a thick coat of brown mud has
dried on its hide after a bath in a jhi/, or swamp.
Associating in large herds, buffaloes feed during the early
morning and again at evening, while they pass the
greater portion of the day in repose, either quietly
chewing the cud or sleeping. When disturbed during
the midday siesta, an old bull is much more likely to
prove an awkward customer than is one stalked during
its feeding hours. In place of their usual haunts,
buffaloes may occasionally be encountered amid low
scrub-jungle, but are seldom if ever seen in tree-forest.
The pairing-season is in the autumn, and the calves
(of which there are not unfrequently two at a birth) are
- 86
mal
iffalo, malg and f
ob
H.H, the Maharaja of Kuch Beha
t by
The Arna, or Indian Buffalo
born in the summer ; the period of gestation being
ten months.
Buffalo may be hunted either by beating with a line
of elephants, by tracking ona single elephant, or by
walking them up on foot ; the hot season, in April and
June, being the best for the latter description of sport,
as the long grass is then dried and broken, or burnt
down, while, as water is scarce, the animals are obliged
to resort to such pools as remain. Buffaloes have been
known to charge even before being wounded; and
when they do charge, wounded or unwounded, they
generally press the attack home. The way in which
a buffalo charges an elephant is described in V. Ball’s
Fungle Life in India. ‘Having fired or dropped all
my ‘express’ cartridges,” writes the narrator, “I fell
back upon my old muzzle-loading 12-bore rifle, and
then advanced ; whereupon the calf ran out, being
soon followed by the cow, in full charge at the elephant.
Anarkalli [the elephant], not liking the aspect of things,
trumpeted and turned tail, and put on a pace which
fairly astonished me. All this time I had no little
difficulty in keeping myself and four guns on the pad.
However, as the buffalo came on I fired the heavy
rifle at her with one hand, while I held on with the
other. The bullet hit on the horn just as she was
making a vigorous butt at Anarkalli’s stern quarters.
She then returned to her lair, and quite disappeared
from sight by lying down. With some difficulty the
mahout got the elephant back again ; but as she was
very nervous, I got off the pad into the branches of
a tree. Presently the cow stood up, and I then gave
her a shot behind the ear which immediately dropped
her dead. In all she had received seven bullets, one
of the ‘express’ balls having, strange to say, broken
one of her hind-legs high up near its insertion with the
pelvis. In spite of this she had run a long distance,
and made the gallant charge I have described.”
The head of a wild buffalo from Upper Assam in
87
Game Animals of India, etc.
the Indian Museum in Calcutta differs from the
ordinary form by the uniformly dun-coloured hair ;
the skull being also distinguished by the relative
shortness of the face. On account of these differences
this buffalo has been made the type of a distinct race
of the species, with the name of Bos bubalis fulvus.
The observations of Mr. H. Storey’ seem to
indicate that the wild buffalo of the northern districts
of Ceylon is entitled to rank as a separate race,
although it has not received a distinctive name. After
stating that the horns are smaller and less regular in
form than those of the buffalo of the Indian mainland,
Mr. Storey observes that, “In India they seem almost
all to curve boldly outward and upwards, finally
curving in towards each other at the points. In
Ceylon they are very irregular, and usually much
shorter, though occasionally they may be more massive
than Indian horns. The commonest form are those
curving outwards and upwards [in] crescent form, but
not with the bold, almost half-circular, sweep of the
Indian heads.”
Information is still required concerning the buffaloes
of the Malay Peninsula. The late Dr. Blanford in the
Fauna of British India stated that “some buffaloes are
also found in the wild state in Burma and the Malay
Peninsula, but it is uncertain whether they are not
descended from herds escaped from captivity.” In
1907 the author had the opportunity of seeing a
photograph of two skulls, with the horns, brought by
a missionary from Singapore, which strongly suggest
that the Malay buffalo is a truly wild animal.
Although measurements are not available, in both
skulls, which appear to be those of cows, the size and
spread of the horns are as great as in good Assam
specimens. More remarkable still is the fact that
while the horns of one specimen are of the strongly
curved form regarded as the typical Bos dbubalis, those
1 Hunting and Shooting in Ceylon, 1907.
— 88
The Arna, or Indian Buffalo
of the other are of the straight type, to which Hodgson
applied the name macroceros. The occurrence of these
two types of horns both in Assamand the Malay Peninsula
seems to indicate the advisability of regarding them as
dimorphic phases rather than geographical races. As
it is, nevertheless, a matter of convenience to have
distinctive names for two such diverse types, there
appears, as already mentioned, no good reason for
ceasing to use the term Bos bubalis macroceros as the
designation of the straight-horned type. Any authentic
information that sportsmen can furnish with regard to
wild buffaloes in Burma and the Malay States will
be of value and interest.
MARCO’ POLO’S SHEEP
(Ovis polt)
Native Names.—Kuchkar (male), Mesh (female),
Wakuan ; Kuda or Gulja (male), Arkar (female),
Turki oF Eastern TuRKESTAN
(PLATE iii, figs. 1; (12)
Although exceeded in massiveness by those of the
argali, the horns of Marco Polo’s sheep are longer than
those of any other species of the genus Ovis, and thus
form perhaps the most magnificent trophies yielded by
the wild sheep. Since every sportsman knows the
distinctive features of sheep, it will be unnecessary to
consider them in detail. Apart from their horns,
sheep differ markedly from the oxen in the form and
structure of the muzzle, which is narrow and pointed,
with the skin covered with fine velvety hairs, except
for a small naked area immediately above the nostrils,
and a narrow groove or cleft extending downwards
from the same to divide the upper lip. In place of
the two pairs found in the ox-tribe, the ewes possess
89
Game Animals of India, etc.
a single pair of teats ; and glands are developed on the
face below the eyes in most, as well as others between
the hoofs in all species ; all such glands being want-
ing in the oxen. In all the Asiatic members of the
group the tail is short ; and in none of the species
is there a dewlap or a beard on the chin; while in
none do the males exhale a strong, unpleasant odour.
All the species inhabiting India and Central Asia have
horns in both sexes ; but while those of the rams are
large and spreading, i in the ewes these appendages are
Bah slender, and more upright. The horns of the
rams, at first starting, are directed obliquely outwards
from the sides of the head, and then usually form a
circular or spiral curve, with the upper border at first
convex, and the tips pointing outwards. In section,
the horns are generally more or less triangular, while
the surface is usually marked by fine parallel transverse
wrinkles, separated by grooves ; and at intervals there
occur Ae. of division marking the annual growths.
Except in the bharal, the colour of the horns in the
Eastern Asiatic species is some shade of yellowish olive
or brown. In all wild species the hair is short, dense,
stiff, and upright, unlike the wool of the European
domesticated breeds, and is frequently elongated into
a ruff on the throat. An important point of distinction
from oxen is to be found in the characters of the upper
cheek-teeth, which have tall and narrow (instead of
broad) crowns.
Marco Polo’s sheep is probably slightly inferior in
height to the argali and of somewhat slighter build,
while the horns of the rams are thinner and frequently
longer. In fully adult rams the latter are long,
slender, and form more than one complete circle ;
typically with the front angle prominently developed,
and the wrinkles on the front surface placed relatively
far apart, but those on the lateral surfaces often
indistinct. In the summer coat, which appears to be
rather longer than in the argali, ‘the general colour of
90
Prate II]
1, 1a. Marco Polo’s Sheep.
2, 2a. Tibetan Argali.
5, 5a. Bharal.
gi
3. Shapo.
4, 4a. Urial.
Game Animals of India, etc.
the upper-parts of old rams is light speckled brown ;
the greater portion or the whole of the face, as well as
the ‘throat, the chest, the under-parts, the buttocks,
and the legs are aes ; the white also extending on to
the outer surface of the thighs. A black streak runs
from the nape of the neck to the withers. No distinct
ruff of long hairs is developed on the throat in the
summer coat; but in winter, when the whole coat is
considerably longer, such a ruff—pure white in colour
—makes its appearance on the throat and chest. At
this season, too, the fur on the back shows a more
decided rufescent tinge, especially towards the boundary
dividing the dark from the light areas. In the ewes
during winter the neck is brown in front, and there
may be a dark line extending from the head to the
root of the tail, this streak being absent in summer.
The horns of ewes (plate iii, fig. 1@) appear to be more
upright, deeper, and more sharply keeled in front than
in the argali; although there may be an individual
variation in this respect.
A mounted male specimen of Ovis poi in the
British Museum stands 3 feet 5 inches at the shoulder ;
and the weight of an adult ram is estimated at 22
stone. The four finest pairs of horns on record
respectively measure 75, 73, 71, and 70 inches along
the front angle ; their respective basal girths being 16,
iG 1535 and 7 "inches, and the tip-to-tip intervals 543,
48, 534, and 52 inches.
This magnificent wild sheep has an extensive range
in Central Asia, the details of which are given in W1/d
Oxen, Sheep, and Goats of All Lands. It only enters
the area treated of in the present volume in the plateau
north of Hunza, a district on the southern flanks of
the Karakorum or Mastag range, north-west of Gilgit.
It is commonly found at elevations between 10,000
and 18,000 feet above the sea-level.
If not inconvenienced by living at such a height, the
sportsman will find Ovis poli stalking less fatiguing
92
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aAIND ay} Buoje sayour 6$ Surimsvaw susoy YIM
Y I youl I I
See:
‘daays s,o]oq ooivyA] JO prafy—71 “OIA
93
Game Animals of India, etc.
than is the pursuit of markhor and ibex in the middle
Himalaya; the reason being that the great sheep
dwells on the top of the Central Asian plateau, where
the country has not been cut up by the action of rivers
and glaciers into the deep gorges and precipitous cliffs
characteristic of the enideile ranges of the Himalaya.
The ground may, in fact, be described as partaking
more of the nature of a rolling plain than of pre-
cipitous mountains, and difficult places are seldom
encountered. Nevertheless, although the sheep them-
selves are not excessively wary, stalking is by no means
easy, owing to the open nature of the country, so that
it is seldom that the sportsman can get to closer
quarters with his quarry than a distance of between
two and three hundred yards. Moreover, it must not
be supposed that Ovis poli invariably restricts itself to
open country, any more than does the argali, both
species crossing rugged hills in wandering ready one
feeding- ground to another, or in retiring to places of
safety. ran example of the precipitous country to
which O. po/i will sometimes betake itself is afforded
by the photograph of a living specimen in Mr. R. P.
Cobbold’s Junermost Asia, where the animal is shown
standing on the face of a cliff which would try the
powers of an ibex.
The general habits of this species appear similar to
those of other wild sheep; the large flocks being
composed of ewes of all ages and young males, while
the old rams go by themselves in small parties of from
two or three to eight or ten, and occasionally more. In
summer the parties of old males keep to the highest
accessible ground ; but in winter, when many perish
from starvation, they seek lower levels. It is not,
however, from shortness of food alone that their
numbers are diminished, for in the winter of 1897-98
rinderpest raged among the flocks on the Pamirs to
such an extent that in certain districts an almost clean
sweep was made of them.
94
Marco Polo’s Sheep
The enormous weight of their horns causes the old
rams when galloping to keep their heads nearly erect,
instead of stretched out ; and from their length the old
rams cannot touch the ground with any part of the head
except the muzzle.
When running at top speed at high elevations, these
sheep frequently show signs of shortness of wind by
opening their mouths ; up-hill they never go at a great
pace, being compelled to halt from time to time to take
breath. Asa rule, they avoid snow-fields, and display
great care in steering clear of drifts and snow-filled
gullies. After grazing during the early morning, they
spend most of the day in repose, feeding again about
three or four in the afternoon. This, however, is in
summer, and in the short winter day their midday
hours of repose are probably shortened. On the way
to and from their grazing-grounds the old rams
frequently butt at one another after the manner of
domesticated sheep, when the sound of their clashing
horns is audible at a great distance ; a low kind of
erunt being uttered during these combats. When
danger threatens, these sheep stare at the intruder and
stamp with their fore-feet before taking to flight in
precisely the same manner as the domesticated breeds.
THE, TIBETAN ARGALI, OR HODGSON'S
SEP
(Ovis ammon hodgsont)
Native Names.—Nyan (male), Nyanmo (female),
Lapaxi ; Nyang, Nyand, anp Hyan, TipetTan
(PiarTe iii, figs. 2, 2a)
Although often regarded as a species by itself, the
nyan of Ladak comes so close to the typical Ov1s ammon
of the Altai, that it is best classed as a local race of the
25
Game Animals of India, etc.
latter. The males of the argali appear to be the largest
of all wild sheep, and are characterised by their massive
horns, in which the basal girth is very large, and both
the front and lateral surfaces are very broad. In most
cases both the inner and outer front angles of the
horns are rounded off in the basal portion of their
length, and the transverse wrinkles are numerous and
closely approximated, with the intervening grooves
deep, and strongly developed on both the front and
lateral surfaces. As regards curvature, the horns form
a spiral varying from somewhat less to considerably
more than a complete circle. In the ewes (plate iu,
fig. 2a) the horns are much smaller and more erect,
with a backwards and outwards curvature, becoming
thin and strap-like towards the extremities. In winter
the hair is comparatively short, close, and coarse ; but
in summer, and more especially in aged rams, it is
short and thin, recalling that of a closely-clipped horse.
There may be an abundant ruff of long white hair on
the throat. On the upper-parts the general colour in
the rams varies from wood-brown in Canes to a kind
of speckled whitey brown in summer, at least in aged
individuals. There is a more or less distinct white
disk on the buttocks (most developed in winter) ; the
face and front of the legs vary from whitey brown to
brown, according to season and race ; the inner side of
the limbs and most of the under-parts are whitish ; but
the thighs are always dark like the back. Ewes
apparently show less white on the face, legs, and
rump, and may have a tuft of longish hair on the
nape of the neck.
The general characters of the horns of adult rams
of the typical O. ammon are so different from those of
O. poli that there is no difficulty in distinguishing
between the two animals, which are further differentiated
by colour, the former having the outer surface of the
thighs coloured like the back, while in the latter it is
white. In the Tibetan race, where they are often more
96
Tibetan Argali, or Hodgson’s Sheep
angulated, the horns are much more massive than those
of poli, as well as considerably shorter.
In the Tibetan, or Hodgson’s, argali the height at
the shoulder ranges from about 34 feet to 3 feet 10
inches. The horns of the rams are less massive than
in the typical race, and form a less open spiral, which
does not exceed, and often falls short of, a complete
circle. In nearly all instances their tips are broken, the
wrinkles are but moderately prominent, and the outer
front angle is, even in adult examples, frequently
distinct. Adult rams have a ruff of long whitish hair
on the sides of the neck and the throat, believed to be
present at all seasons ; and there is a crest of dark hair
running from the nape of the neck to the withers. In
the ewes there is a shorter ruff of dark hair on the
throat.
Apart from the throat-ruff, the colour is very similar
to that of the typical race, but old rams seem to be
darker. Greyish brown is the general colour of the
upper-parts, the throat, chest, under-parts, and inner
side of the limbs being white or whitish. The whole
of the upper portion of the face is brown, at least in the
winter dress, but the lower part is generally somewhat
lighter. There is also a dark streak down the front of
the legs below the knees and hocks in the winter dress ;
but whether in summer these parts become lighter is
not ascertained, specimens in the short summer coat
being lacking.
In a ram killed by Major Greenway the length from
the nose to the tip of the tail was 76 inches, and the
weight about 212 lbs. In one shot by Major Powell-
Cotton, of which the age was estimated at ten years, the
shoulder-height was 3 feet 9 inches, the girth 4 feet 2
inches, and the weight 205 Ibs. The largest pair of
horns on record, obtained by Mr. Arnold Pike in
Ladak, measures 57 inches along the front curve, and
has a girth of 183 inches, and a tip-to-tip interval of
5 ‘
29 inches. The four next largest specimens recorded
SM) S
Game Animals of India, etc.
by Mr. Rowland Ward respectively measure 504, 50,
49%, and 48% inches in length ; their basal girths being
184, 17, 18, and 19 inches.
The range of this sheep includes the plateau of
Tibet, extending from Northern Ladak at least as far
east as the districts north of Sikhim, and northwards to
the Kuen-lun and perhaps beyond the Mustag range,
while farther east it may embrace the southern confines
of the Gobi Desert. Unknown to the southward of
the main Himalayan axis, and not even entering
Zanskar, the argali is seldom found in Ladak, where
Chang-chenmo is one of its favourite resorts, below
15,000 feet, although descending to 12,000 feet during
winter.
Although the large flocks of ewes and young rams
met with in Chang-chenmo may be approached within
a short distance, the case is different with the old rams,
which in summer keep apart from the flocks and resort
to the highest grounds on which subsistence is pro-
curable. Even when in broken country, stalking is
difficult enough, but when in the open, it requires all
the skill of the sportsman to get within range. Younger
rams may be seen with two or three ewes even in the
summer. As the general habits of the nyan are
practically the same as those of Marco Polo’s sheep, it
will suffice to say that the pairing-season occurs in the
middle of the winter, and that the lambs are born five
months later—in May or June.
98
The Shapo, or Urial
ELE SHAPOssOR RU REAT.
(Ov1s vignet)
Native Names.—Sha, Shapo (male), Shamo (female),
Lapaki ; Urin, 1n Astor; Guch (male), Mish
(female), Persian ; Koh-i-dumba (mountain sheep),
Pusutu ; Koch, Gad (male), Garand (female),
BaLucur anp Sinpr1; Kar (male), Gad (female),
Brauui ; Urial, Punyasi
(PLATE iil, figs. 3, 4, 42)
The sha or shapo of Astor and Ladak and the
urial (oorial) of the Punjab Salt Range are local races
of a species distinguishable at a glance from both of the
preceding kinds of wild sheep by its greatly inferior
size and lighter horns. And since there is no possibility
of mistaking the present animal for either of the latter,
its description may be brief.
The species is closely allied to Ovis orientalis,
the wild sheep of Armenia and North-Eastern Persia,
of which the so-called O. ophion of the Troodos
Mountains of Cyprus is nothing more than a local race.
In both species the colour of the coat tends more or less
markedly to rufous chestnut, the rams have a large ruff
of long hair on the throat, and the ewes develop small
horns. The urial, or shapo, is distinguished by the
colour tending very generally to fawn, but more
especially by the forward curvature of the horns, which
sweep along the sides of the face, and show more or
less pronounced angles bordering the flattened front
surface. The old rams do not show the light saddle-
mark so conspicuous in the Armenian wild sheep. So
far as can at present be determined, four local forms, or
races, of urial may be recognised, their distinctness from
one another being based partly on actual physical
differences and partly on geographical distribution.
iy
Game Animals of India, etc.
From this it will be inferred that it will not be possible
in all cases to refer a given specimen, to its respective
race without knowing its place of origin.
Firstly, we have the typical urin (Ovis vignei typica)
of Astor, from which the shapo of Ladak appears to be
inseparable. This Ladak urial, as it may be con-
veniently called, is a comparatively large sheep in which
the coat is fawn-coloured rather than foxy rufous. As
a rule, the horns of the old rams turn markedly
nea at their tips, and have their front angles
moderately prominent.
Secondly, there is the Baluchi urial (O. vignez blan-
fordt), inwhich the horns tend to turn outwardsat the tips,
forming a more open spiral, and have the front angles
prominent and occasionally showing a beaded structure.
This race (at first regarded as a distinct species) was
described by Mr. A. O. Hume in the Yournal of the
Asiatic Society of Bengal for 1877, on the evidence of
the skull of a ram from the Kelat district of Baluchistan,
in which the tips of the horns curve outwards, so as to
form a very open spiral. So open, indeed, is the spiral
that a portion of the inner surface (which in other urial
is completely concealed) is visible in a front view. In
a skull from Kelat in the British Museum the spiral is,
however, much less open, and there is no marked
outward “divergence of the tips. Still it must evidently
belong to the same race. Moreover, the presumption
is that the urial from the rest Ee Baluchistan and
Afghanistan, and, in fact, from the Trans-Indus districts
in general, likewise belong to O. v. b/anfordi, as the
Indus must almost certainly form an impassable barrier
to these sheep. In confirmation of this view, it may be
mentioned that the horns of a very fine male urial
obtained by Dr. Aitchison, when on the Delimitation
Commission in Afghanistan, show a tendency to form
an open spiral, and have very prominent front angles.
In another head in the British Museum, from the hills
north of Peshawar, the front angles are more prominent
100
The Shapo, or Urial
than in any Salt Range urial in the collection, and are
also raised into a number of knobs, but there is no
decided tendency to an out-turning of the tips, although
the spiral is rather open. It is practically certain that
the specimen is racially distinct from the true urial
of the Cis-Indus districts. On the other hand, the
urial head shown in fig. 13 has a decided outward
turn of the tips of the horns, and, in fact, appears
to be very similar in this and other respects to the
type of O. blanfordi. The specimen, which belonged
fonthe date Major F. H. Taylor, is stated to-be
from “the Punjab,” and there is accordingly nothing
to prevent its having come from the Trans - Indus
districts. This race probably enters Southern Persia.
As regards the third race of the species, namely, the
true urial (O. v. cycloceros) of the Salt Range and other
hills of the Cis-Indus districts of the Punjab, this
appears to be a smaller and redder animal than either of
the preceding, with the horns forming a very close
spiral, and showing no tendency to turn out at the tips,
while their front angles are not prominent, and the
anterior one is often more or less rounded off.
Finally, we have the Kopet-Dagh urial (O. v. arka/),
from the range dividing Persia and Turkestan and
fhemil/st-Uxrt “plateau to the west of Lake Aral,” in
which, as exemplified by a skull presented by Mr.
St. George Littledale to the British Museum, the front
surface of the horns is very broad and nearly flat, with
few transverse wrinkles, but very prominent front
angles. Sheep apparently referable to this race have
been obtained by Major R. L. Kennion on the north
side of the Elburz Range.
In the shapo or urin of Ladak and Astor the
height reaches to as much as 36 inches at the withers ;
while the horns of old rams are massive at the base and
1 Dr. Satunin, Mitteil. Kaukas. Mus., vol. ii. p. 375, 1906, restricts O. v.
arkal to the Ust-Urt sheep, and proposes the name O. v. varentsowi for
the Kopet-Dagh sheep.
IOI
Game Animals of India, etc.
form a wide circle, with more or less markedly divergent
tips. Their front angles are rounded to a greater or
less degree, so that they do not ever appear to form
distinct beads or keels, and the transverse ridges on their
front edge are never very coarse. The general tone of
the summer coat tends rather to brown than to red ;
and the ruff on the throat seems to be always smaller
and mainly blackish brown.
In the thirteen largest horns of this race recorded
by Mr. Rowland Ward in his book on horn-measure-
ments the length along the front curve varies between
32+ and 39 inches, while the basal girth ranges between
to and 121 inches, although three examples fall below
II inches.
The head shown in plate iii, fig. 3 is taken from a
specimen in the British Museum shot in Ladak by
Major Powell-Cotton. Although the horns are not
large, the animal is fully adult, so that the characters of
the ruff may apparently be taken as distinctive of the
race. It will be seen that this ruff is restricted to the
upper part of the throat, and is mainly formed of black
or blackish brown hairs, although in front these are
partially over-lain by white hairs ; and it is these latter
which become more developed to form the long white
ruff distinctive of the Punjab and Kelat races.
The geographical range of this race of wild sheep
extends from Astor, where it is known as urin, to
Zanskar, Ladak, and other districts in Tibet, where it
is known as sha. Eastwards the habitat extends
through Gilgit to the confines of Afghanistan. In
Ladak and Zanskar these sheep are found at high
elevations, in comparatively open country, where the
herbage is scanty and forests do not exist. In Astor
and Gilgit, on the other hand, they inhabit lower levels,
where there are extensive grassy tracts below the forest-
belt. Their habits, allowing for the difference in the
nature of the country, are probably very similar to
those of the Punjab and Kelat urial.
"e010
The Shapo, or Urial
. The true Salt Range urial which, as already stated,
is a rather small and brightly coloured local race of
Ovis vignei, is the only wild sheep inhabiting India
proper ; and since it is to be met with in localities
comparatively close to civilisation, where stalking is by
no means difficult, its pursuit does not entail the time
and hardships inseparable from sheep-stalking in Tibet
Fic 13.—Head of Baluchi (?) Urial, from the “record” specimen formerly
owned by the late Major F. H. Taylor.
and other parts of Central Asia. To the north it passes
into the above-mentioned Baluchi urial.
In height the rams seldom appear to exceed about
32 inches. The summer coat is a bright rufous brown,
or foxy red; and the ruff on the throat and chest
attains a great development, the long hairs on the front
of its upper portion being pure white in old rams.
Compared with those of the shapo the horns form a
less open and more compact spiral, with their tips
convergent and approximating to the eyes.
103
Game Animals of India, etc.
In the thirteen largest specimens of Salt Range and
Baluchi urial horns catalogued by Mr. Rowland Ward,
the length along the front curves ranges between 324
and 394 inches, while the basal girth varies between 8+
and 11 inches, six of the specimens measuring less than
10 inches. It is true that there is one specimen with
a basal circumference of 113 inches (the length being
30% inches); but, speaking generally, it may be
affirmed that urial horns are of inferior girth to those
of shapo.
The typical urial occurs in the Salt Range of the
Punjab, whence it extends into the Cis-Indus ranges of
the Western Punjab and Sind.
Urial in the Punjab are met with in low hills or on
undulating ground deeply intersected with narrow
gullies and ravines, usually preferring the scarped hill-
sides to bush or jungle. In the Jhelam district much
of the ground they frequent consists of reddish coloured
rocks, against which their foxy red coats are almost
invisible except at very close quarters. Both sexes are
commonly seen together, although during summer the
old rams separate themselves to a certain extent from
the flocks, which may vary in number from as few as
three or four to as many as twenty or thirty. In the
Punjab the pairing-season takes place in September, and
the young, of which there may be either one or two at a
birth, are produced about six.months later. In many
of their habits urial are very like ordinary domesticated
sheep, their usual cry being a bleat, while when
frightened they utter a shrill whistle and stamp vigorously
on the ground with their fore-feet. When the sun
shines with its full power on the hill-sides and ravines
where they dwell, the heat in summer becomes excessive,
and the urial then seek shelter under shady rocks or
among the jungle, feeding only in the comparative cool-
ness of the mornings and evenings. In the cold season,
especially when the sky is cloudy, and probably also
during the rains, they may be seen on the move at all
104
The Shapo, or Urial
hours. They are better than argali at getting over
rough and rocky ground, although decidedly inferior
in this respect to bharal. In undisturbed districts they
seldom wander far from their feeding - grounds, and
often descend into the open fields to graze on young
wheat and other crops. On the other hand, when much
shot at, they retire to a distance from the grazing-
grounds before reposing for the midday hours. The
steep ridges and ravines among which they dwell afford
excellent stalking-ground, if the sportsman can walk
over the loose stones and shingle without alarming his
game; but even if thus disturbed, the flock will
frequently be found in an adjoining ravine.
ee OBEARAL, OR BLUE SHEEP
(Ovis [ Pseudois| nahura)
Native Names.—Bharal, Bharar, anp Bharut, Hinpv-
stant; Na or Sua, Lapak1; Waor War in THE
SuTLey Vatiey ; Nervati, Nepar1; Nao or Guao
OF THE BHorTIAs
(Pirate iii, figs. 5, 54)
The bharal or blue sheep of Tibet 1s markedly
distinct from all other wild sheep, and makes a step in
the direction of the goats. One of its most striking
features is to be found in the horns, which in rams
show a peculiar S-like curvature, and are rounded or
sub-quadrangular at the base, with the whole surface
(except for the annual rings of growth) nearly smooth,
without the transverse wrinkles and grooves so char-
acteristic of those of other Asiatic wild sheep. The
horns of the ewes (plate iii, fig. 52) are also unlike those
of other sheep, being short, approximated at their bases,
much compressed, and curving upwards and outwards
in a somewhat scimitar-like fashion. Then, too, there
are no traces of the glands below the eyes found in all
105
Game Animals of India, etc.
the species of the genus hitherto noticed. Neither is
the coloration less distinctive ; there being a distinct
black stripe running along the flanks to divide the fawn
of the back from the white of the belly, as well as
similar stripes down the front of all four legs, and a
dark streak down the face.
In this latter respect, as well as in the absence of
face-glands, the bharal is indeed more like a goat than
an ordinary wild sheep, and it may consequently be
asked why the species is classed among the latter rather
than among the former animals, especially as the tail is
longer than. in other Asiatic wild sheep. The bharal
lacks, however, the beard found in the males of all
species of goats, as well as the unpleasant odour of the
latter. Moreover, there are glands between the hoofs
in all the feet, whereas in goats such glands are absent
in the hind-limbs. Still the distinction between sheep
and goats is slight, and the bharal forms one of the
connecting links between the two groups.
In size the bharal stands about 36 inches at the
withers ; the build is rather heavy, the head long and
narrow, the ears short, and the coat, which is thick and
close, without a mane on the neck or a ruff on the
throat. The general colour of the hair on the rest of
the upper-parts is brownish grey with a tinge of slaty
blue, tending more to brown in summer and more to
slaty grey in winter ; but the under-parts, the inner
and hind surfaces of the legs, and the buttocks as far as
the root of the tail are white. In full-grown rams the
face and chest, a stripe running down the front of the
legs (interrupted by a white patch at the knees), a band
along the lower part of the flanks bordering the white
below, as well as the terminal two-thirds of the tail, are
black ; these black markings being wanting in ewes at
all ages. The horns are blackish olive. A full-grown
bharal weighs about one hundred and thirty pounds.
The longest pair of bharal horns on record belongs to
Captain W. de L. Williams, and measures 324 inches
106
The Bharal, or Blue Sheep
along the curve. The two next largest are respectively
32 and 314 inches in length, the latter having a basal
circumference of 134 inches, and a tip-to-tip interval of
224 inches. Several other specimens have a length of
30 inches or over.
Bharal inhabit Tibet and the adjacent districts at
high elevations, being seldom found in winter below
10,000 feet, and in summer ascending to between
14,000 and 16,000 feet, or even higher. Their range
extends from the main axis of the Himalaya in the
south to the Kuen-lun and Altyn-tag in the north.
Eastwards they are known to extend as far as Moupin,
in Eastern Tibet, while westwards they range to Shigar,
in Baltistan, and to the neighbourhood of Gujhal, in the
upper Hunza valley near Passu.
As bharal approximate to goats in structure and
coloration, so they show certain resemblances to the
latter in the matter of habits ; for, although displaying
an ovine habit in dwelling on open undulating country
and resting at midday on or near their feeding-grounds,
they are more active mountaineers than other Asiatic
wild sheep, ascending steep cliffs with comparative ease,
and taking to difficult places when disturbed. In the
more remote valleys in the neighbourhood of Leh the
traveller may occasionally stumble on a flock of bharal
feeding or reposing on his line of route, as once
happened to the present writer, when, with luck, two or
more rams may be obtained without difficulty, since,
after being fired at, the members of the flock run but a
short distance before turning round to gaze at the
intruder after the manner of sheep in general. Many
of the valleys they frequent are strewn with boulders or
masses of rock projecting through the turf, so that at a
distance it is difficult to distinguish between boulders
and bharal. The number of individuals in a flock
commonly varies from ten or less to forty or fifty, but
occasionally there may be as many as a hundred. In
some districts on the upper Indus the old rams are
107
Game Animals of India, etc.
stated to betake themselves to feeding-grounds apart
from the rest of the flock ; but in certain places, at any
rate, both sexes may be seen together during at least a
portion of the summer. It does not appear that bharal
and shapo are found together, but bharal and ibex have
been observed on the same ground, and bharal and tahr
grazing in company.
THE SIND WIERD GOAL
(Capra hircus blytht)
Native Names.—Pasang (male), Boz (female), anp,
COMMONLY, Bozpasang, Persian ; Borz, Pusutv ;
Sair, Phashin, Pachin, anv Borzkuhi (female),
Batucui ; Chank (male), Hit, anv Haraf (female),
Branur; Ter anno Sarah, Stinv1
(PLaTE iv, figs. I, 12)
As already mentioned, goats (which include ibex)
are so closely connected by means of the bharal and other
aberrant species with sheep that it is difficult to draw
up a definition for either group. No goat has,
however, glands either on the face or between the
hoofs of the hind-feet, while the bucks are furnished
with a more or less conspicuous beard on the chin,
and likewise exhale the well-known “ goaty”’ odour.
In the typical genus Capra the horns of the full-grown
males, which are of great relative length, arise close
together on the forehead, and are more or less compressed
or angulated, springing above the plane of the forehead
either in a scimitar-like curve or ina spiral. In the
does the horns are much shorter and placed further
apart at their bases.
The Sind wild goat—the Sind ibex of sportsmen—
is a near relative of the Persian wild goat (Capra hircus
agagrus), which is itself the wild representative of the
108
1, ta. Sind Wild Goat. 4. Pir Panjal Markhor.
?
2, 2a. Asiatic Ibex. 5, 54. Suleman Markhor.
3. Astor Markhor. 6. Tahr.
7. Nilgiri Tahr.
109
Game Animals of India, etc.
domesticated goat. The Persian wild goat is of
comparatively slender build, standing about 37 inches
at the withers. In old males the long scimitar-shaped
backwardly-curving horns are compressed, with the
front edge sharp and keeled for some distance above
its base, after which it carries several bold and widely
Fic. 14.—A Sind Wild Goat, killed in the Lora Haman Hills, north-west of
Kelat, by Sir Robert Harvey.
separated knobs. On their inner side the horns are
nearly flat, externally they are convex, and posteriorly
rounded off. Although occasionally directed outwards,
their tips are usually inclined inwards; throughout
their length they are marked by faint transverse
striations, and in colour they are nearly black. In the
does (plate iv, fig 12) the horns are less compressed,
IIo
ee ee eel .l ee ee
The Sind Wild Goat
not longer than the head, and devoid of knobs. The
beard of old bucks is long, especially in winter, and
occupies the whole width of the chin, but in younger
ones is restricted to the middle portion. During the
winter the hair on the neck and shoulders becomes
markedly longer than in summer ; and in the colder
Fic. 15.—Skull and Horns of Sind Wild Goat, from a specimen in the collection
of Mr. A. O. Hume.
portions of its habitat the animal develops a coat of
woolly under-fur, or pashm, at the base of the hairs.
In winter the general colour of the under-parts may be
described as some shade of brownish grey, and in
summer as reddish brown ; but at all seasons very old
bucks tend to become paler. On the under surface, as
well as on the inner sides of the buttocks and thighs,
III
Game Animals of India, etc.
the hair is white or whitish. Although some degree
of individual variation is observable in the extent and
form of the black and white markings, it may be stated,
speaking generally, that in the full-grown and sub-
adult bucks the face, a broad streak from the nape of
the neck to the root of the tail, the whole of the latter,
a collar on the neck expanding below into a breastplate,
the throat, the chin, the beard, the front surface of the
legs, with the exception of the knees, and a stripe
along the flanks defining the brown of the back from
the white of the under-parts and joining the dark
streak on the front of the thighs, are dark blackish
brown, passing in some examples almost into black on
the beard, face, and certain other parts. The knees,
the hind and inner surfaces of the fore-legs immediately
below, together with the hocks and the corresponding
surfaces of the lower portion of the hind-legs, are
white. |
Compared with the Persian animal, the Sind wild
goat appears to be slightly inferior in size, with the
horns of the bucks either without knobs or carrying
only a few small ones. The ground-colour of the
- coat is likewise decidedly paler. Sometimes the neck
and the fore part of the body behind the dark collar
are much lighter than the rest of the animal, the bucks
often showing a large patch of dirty white on each side
of the neck, and having the greater part of the body
behind the shoulder-collar (which is dark mahogany
brown) nearly pure white. Sir Robert Harvey
describes them as very different-looking animals to the
specimen figured in Wild Oxen, etc., of All Lands.
. Another: feature is that, in proportion to their length,
the horns may be more approximated at their tips than
in the Persian wild goat. The three finest pairs of
horns on record respectively measure 522, 48, and’
462 inches in length, with basal girths of 7%, 8, and
72 inches, and tip-to-tip intervals of 82, 204, and
14 inches. The second specimen is an exception to
112
j
4
4
The Sind Wild Goat
the general rule in respect to the interval between
the horn-tips being comparatively small.
The Sind race of the wild goat is an inhabitant of
the mountains of the country from which it takes its
name, as well as those of Baluchistan. In the eastern
districts of the last-named country it probably passes
imperceptibly into the Persian race. Whether the
wild goat of Afghanistan is identical with the Persian
or the Sind representative of the species is not
determined.
In connection with the names of the Sind wild goat
in its own country, it is interesting to note that one of
its titles is Jer, which suggests affinity with the term
Tur, applied to the wild goats of the Caucasus, and
likewise with Tahr, the appellation of the Himalayan
representative of the short-horned goats.
In Sind the wild goat inhabits more barren and less
wooded country than does its Persian representative,
and it appears to be found at no very great elevation
above the sea-level. Allowing for this difference, ‘its
habits are probably very similar.
>
BEE oakiINe OR ASIATIC IBEX
(Capra stbirica)
Native Names.—Skin or Sakin (male), Dabmo or
Danmo (female), Lapaxi1; Kel, Kasumiri; Tangrol
In Kuta; Buz in Kunawar; Skin, Batti. ,
(PLaTE iv, figs. PRR TANI
The Asiatic or Siberian ibex is one of the handsomest -
of all wild goats, its long, sweeping, and boldly knotted
horns being much thicker and more massive than those
of the Arabian ibex, while they greatly exceed in
length the horns of the Alpine ibex. Apart from the
special characters of its several local races, the Asiatic
ibex presents the following distinctive features. The
I 13 I
Game Animals of India, etc.
height at the withers is between 40 and 42 inches, the
general build is heavy, with the legs coarse and clumsy,
and the long pointed beard occupies the middle of the
chin. In the scimitar-shaped horns of the males the
front surface is broad, with no bevelling-away of the
outer edge, and bears a number of prominent and
thick knots or knobs, of which the outer is almost as
much developed as the inner side. In section these
horns form a complete triangle, with the hinder angle
compressed. Female horns are much smaller, more
widely separated at their bases, and coarsely rugose or
ringed, without knots ; their transverse section being
oval at the base but compressed above: they curve
slightly backwards. The fur is coarse, dense, and
somewhat brittle ; along the back of the old bucks it is
elongated to form a kind of crest, and in winter, at
any rate, it is underlain by a thick coat of under-fur,
or pashm, which may be visible at the surface during
the season when the coat is shed.
The colour varies so much according to sex, age,
and locality, that it is difficult to give a description
applicable to all the varieties. In summer the pre-
vailing colour of the upper-parts is, however, some
shade of brown, varying from whitey brown to chocolate
(in old males), and in some instances with a large
buffish-white saddle on the hind part of the back, and
a smaller patch of the same- on the withers. The
under-parts may be nearly the same colour as the back,
or markedly lighter. In winter the coat is generally
paler, being often yellowish or dirty white; but
especially in old males in the early part of the season,
it may be chocolate, with the light saddle. At all
times a chocolate streak generally runs down the
middle of the back ; and the beard, tail, and legs are
usually dark chocolate-brown, although the latter
may be white on the hind surface. The females,
which are smaller than their mates, are generally more
uniformly coloured, being greyish brown with dark
II4
The Sakin, or Asiatic Ibex
legs ; but in one race they are lighter-coloured, with
the under-parts pure white. The winter coat appears
to become lighter as the season advances, owing to
bleaching by exposure to the weather.
Although only three or four of them occur within
the area covered by the present volume, it will be
convenient to give a brief account of the various local
races or phases of the Asiatic ibex which have received
distinct scientific names.
In 1900 the present writer proposed the name
Capra sibirica wardi for the dark-coloured ibex from.
Baltistan, while in the same year the Hon. Walter
Rothschild bestowed the title of C. sibirica lydekkeri
on the ibex of the Katutay range of the Irtish Altai.
Subsequently the author defined and figured the
Himalayan ibex as C. sibirica sacin, while other writers
have named additional races. Still later Dr. Lorenz
von Liburnau, who visited the principal museums of
Europe with the object of studying Central Asian ibex,
published a review of all that is known on the subject,
with the description of yet other races.
As is usual when we have to deal witha large
number of local races, a difficulty crops up with regard
to English names. For the species in general the
proper title is the Asiatic or Siberian ibex ; and the
various sub-species ought to be known as Suen and-
such races of that species. Capra sibirica wardi
should, for instance, be called the Balti race of the
Asiatic ibex. This is, however, somewhat cumbersome,
and it is generally known as the Balti ibex. On the
other hand, this makes it appear as a distinct species.
A way out of the difficulty would be to call the Asiatic
ibex the skin (=skeen), or sakin, and we should then
have the Balti sakin, the Katutay sakin, etc., which
would make matters simpler.
The typical Capra sibirica, according to Dr. von
Lorenz, is from the northern slope of the Sayansk
range, in the neighbourhood of Munku Sardyk to the
D5
Game Animals of India, etc.
eastward of Lake Baikal. This Sayansk ibex, or sakin,
is therefore Capra sibirica typica. In colour the whole
of the upper-parts is dirty yellowish white tending
to a purer white on the middle of the back; on the
belly the hairs are brown, with bluish tips; but the
forehead, a ring round each eye, the occiput, the ears,
and the sides of the neck are darker. There is a small
white line on the upper and a larger one on the lower
lip : a narrow dark dorsal stripe and also an indistinct
shoulder-stripe are present. The hind-legs are brown
in front and whitish on the outer side inferiorly, and
there is some white on the hind side of the fore-foot
near the lateral hoofs. Old bucks sometimes become
almost wholly white. The absence of a distinct white
saddle is characteristic of this race.
The ibex from the district known to Germans as
the Bia Altai, in the neighbourhood of Lake Telezko
(neither marked in the Yimes Atlas) has been named
C. sibirica fasciata. It 1s yellowish brown above, witha
dark spot on the lower lip at the angle of the mouth,
and a broad horizontal black band on the lower part of
the fore-leg ; there is a light patch on the back surface
of the lower portion of the hind-leg, and a distinct
whorl of hair on the outer side of the same; the ears
are large and rounded—lighter inside than out—and the
eyes brownish red, instead of yellowish grey, as in the
next race.
The Irtish ibex, or sakin, C. stbirica altaica, is wholly
greyish brown in the summer coat, without a white
saddle or neck-patch. In the latter respect it seems to
agree with the typical race, from which it differs
somewhat in bodily form, the shape of the horns, and
colour. Café-au-lait brown is said to be its general
colour, with a dark dorsal stripe. The horns are light-
coloured, and strongly curved at the tips. This ibex
occurs at Tarbagatai. In the Katutay ibex, or sakin,
C. sibirica lydekkeri of the Katutay range of the Irtish
Altai, the general colour is umber-brown, slightly
116
The Sakin, or Asiatic Ibex
lighter than that of the Thian Shan race in winter, with
the face, forehead, neck-patch, a dorsal saddle, and the
Fic. 16.—The Balti Race of the Asiatic Ibex, from a specimen in the
British Museum.
hind side of the lower part of the legs dirty or creamy
white. The light saddle is intermediate in size between
that of the Thian Shan and that of the Balti race, and
much expanded in the middle over the flanks. The
117
Game Animals of India, etc.
horns are extraordinarily massive, with very large
knots.
The Kobdo ibex, C. stbirica hagenbecki, appears to be
widely distributed in Northern Mongolia, and is of a
pale breadcrust-brown colour, without a light saddle,
and specially characterised by the presence of a callosity
on the knee-joint. The horns have a curvature similar
to those of the typical race, but the knots in the middle
are larger and more approximated; while there are
also differences in their contour.
The Thian Shan ibex, which ranges southward to
Lake Issik Kul and Kuldja, is named C. sibirica almasyi ;
it 1s represented in the British Museum by specimens
killed at Kuldja by Messrs. Vander-Byl and Littledale.
It is lighter-coloured than C. sibirica lydekkeri, with a
broader white saddle and much larger horns, which
display several peculiarities.
The itbex, “of, ‘the’ “Gentral \ Phin: «Shan aan tee
neighbourhood of Naryn, which has been separated as
C. sibirica merzbackeri, is stated to differ from the last
by the lighter colour of the dark areas, the more
distinctly defined dorsal saddle, and the much shorter,
more divergent, and more heavily knotted horns.
More information is required with regard to the
ibex of Tashkent and the Kara-kul, for the former of
which the name of C. sibirica alaiana and for the latter
that of C. sibirica transaliana have been proposed. The
former is said to be rufous in winter, and in summer to
lack the white saddle; but both these features are
probably based on error, as rufous is the summer and
grey the winter tint of all these ibex. Probably the
two are identical ; but if they indicate a distinct race,
the former name stands.
The Balti ibex, C. sibiriia wardi (fig. 16), is a
well-defined race, characterised by its dark colour, and
the large white saddle, separated only by a narrow dark
band from the white neck-patch. In point of size the
saddle is intermediate between the relatively small one
i118
The Sakin, or Asiatic Ibex
of C. sibirica lydekkeri and the large one of C. sibirica
sacin. The horns are not unlike those of the Thian
Shan race, but stouter, shorter, and narrower in
transverse section.
As to C. sibirica dauvergnei from an unknown
locality near or in Kashmir, it is impossible to say
anything definite at present. The horns are dark-
coloured.
The Himalayan ibex, C. sibirica sacin, as represented
by a male in winter coat from the Zoji-la (between
Kashmir and Dras), is characterised by the whole back
and the hind part of the back of the neck being light
brownish white, with only a narrow light brown
dorsal stripe, becoming darker and broader near the
tail. There is a narrow light greyish brown band
along each flank ; the shoulders and thighs are a darker
brown, the under-parts deep golden brown with a brown
spot on the hinder side of the hind-foot above the
hoof, “and the head brownish. The horns are
relatively slender.
The Ladak ibex cannot, for want of sufficient
material, at present be determined.
For the Gilgit ibex, which has very slender horns,
Dr. von Lorenz proposes the provisional name of
C. sibirica pedri, after Prince Pedro of Orleans, but it
cannot yet be defined.
The Afghan and Chitral ibex, which (as represented
by a male from Chitral in the summer coat) has no
distinct light saddle, and small and slender light-
coloured horns, Dr. von Lorenz considers will
probably be found to represent yet another race. It
may be suggested, however, that (at all events so far as
the Chitral animal is concerned) it is not really distinct
from the Gilgit race.
Of the ibex found in Northern Sikhim and to the
north of Lhasa nothing definite is known.
The longest horns of the Asiatic ibex (including all
its races) recorded in Mr. Rowland Ward’s book
11g
?t
Game Animals of India, etc.
measure 572 inches along the curve, and were obtained
from the Thian Shan, while a pair of 56 inches came
from the Tagdumbash. district. Horns from the
neighbourhood of Gilgit and Baltistan are known
of which the respective lengths are 54%, 53+, and
52 inches, while the basal girth ranges from 10 to
115 inches. In the Himalayan race the maximum
recorded length is 514 inches.
So much has been written with regard to the habits
of the Asiatic ibex, that a short notice will suffice on
this occasion. Mr. Darrah, whose specimens were
obtained in the Gilgit district, has given, in Sport in the
Highlands of Kashmir, the following excellent account.
“Ibex and markhor seem only to move morning and
evening. During the day they lie in covert, or under
rocks, or on snow, usually in some inaccessible spot,
far up on the ranges amongst which they are found.
They go downwards in the evening for the sake of
such grazing as the barren mountains they frequent
produce, which is naturally best at the lowest elevations.
In the mornings they graze their way upwards again
to the places they occupy during the day. Here,
while the others sleep, one or two of the herd carefully
watch the hill-sides below them, ready to give the
alarm at the first appearance of danger. Consequently
they cannot be approached from below at all. And
from above they are almost equally hard to reach,
though for different reasons. Ibex delight in snow,
and usually get up as far as possible—so far, indeed,
that it is generally a practical impossibility to get above
them. . . . Such being the habits of these two species
of goat, the midday halt became a necessity, and the
morning and evening were alone devoted to searching
the hillsides.”
The same writer, like all those who have described
ibex-stalking, was much struck with the marvellous
vitality of these animals, which when hard hit will
frequently go a considerable distance as if nothing were
120
Gthe Sakin, or Asiatic’ Lbex
amiss. One which Mr. Darrah eventually secured
travelled a long way without showing much signs of
suffering, when it had received five bullets.
Exclusive of the Pir Panjal, and apparently the
Kaj-nag range, the Asiatic ibex inhabits the higher
elevations of the Himalaya from the neighbourhood
of Kashmir at least as far eastwards as the source of
the Ganges ; while, as already mentioned, it extends to
Mongolia, Lhasa, and Shigatze.
THE MARKHOR
(Capra falconert)
Native Names.—Markhor, Pusutu, Punjapi, AND
SoutH Kasumiri 3 Rache, Raphoche (male), anp
Rawache (female), Lapaxi ; Rezkuh, Matt (male),
AnD Hit or Haraf (female), Branur ; Pachin ano
Sara (male), Buzkuhi (female), Batucut.
CE BAmE Ay, HES. 35 45 hohe)
Although ibex are represented by several species
and have a comparatively wide geographical distribution,
the magnificent goat generally known by its Pushtu
name of markhor (snake-eater) is restricted to the
mountains of Afghanistan, Kashmir, Baltistan, and the
neighbouring districts, where it is represented by a
single species. This species varies, however, locally
to such a degree in the shape of its horns that were
only the extreme modifications known they would be
entitled to rank as separate species; but the inter-
mediate forms serve to connect these types so closely
as to indicate that they are really phases or races of
a single variable species. In other words, the extreme
types may be regarded as incipient species, requiring
only the extinction of the intermediate ones to permit
121
Game Animals of India, etc.
their being regarded in the light of full-blown species.
Natives for the most part fail to distinguish by name
between such local modifications ; so that the native
titles quoted above refer to the markhor generally.
From all other wild goats the markhor differs so
decidedly that by no possibility can it be mistaken for
any of its relatives; the spiral twist formed by the
magnificent horns of the old bucks being unlike those
of all other species of the genus Capra, the nearest
approach being made by those of the Spanish ibex
(Capra pyrenaica).
Inclusive of its local varieties, the markhor may
be described as a heavily-built goat, standing from
about 35 to 41 inches in height at the withers, with
the hair of the body long and silky in the winter coat,
and under-fur, or pashm, wanting. At all times of the
year the old bucks are furnished with a flowing beard
of long hair, extending downwards from the middle
of the chin to the throat and chest, whence it spreads
upwards to the base of the ears and the nape of the
neck. In young bucks, on the other hand, there is
none of this excessive hirsute development, the beard
being confined to the chin, as in other goats. It is
a peculiarity of the species that the does are provided
with a beard like that of young bucks. In males the
horns, which attain an enormous length and weight,
and arise close together, are much compressed laterally,
and twisted into a spiral, of which the front keel or
ridge’ has at first an outward direction ; the form of
the spiral presenting a gradation from that of an open
corkscrew to that of an ordinary screw, of which the
keels in front and behind form the threads. In young
animals the front and back keels of the horns are
sharp and distinct throughout their length, but with
advancing age the keel on the front of the base
1 In all these wild goats this ridge begins at the back of the horn and
sweeps forwards, whereas in all tame goats, except the Circassian breed,
the ridge begins in front and sweeps backwards.
I22
The Markhor
disappears, so that the horn is here rounded. Females
have much smaller horns, of the same general spiral
form.
The general colour of the winter coat is some shade
of grey, and that of the summer coat reddish brown,
but old males tend to become more or less whitish.
The under-parts, which may be whitish, are ordinarily
lighter than the back ; a dark stripe runs from the
Fic. 17.—Horns of the Astor Race of the Markhor, from a specimen in the
collection of Mr. A. O. Hume.
knees and hocks down the front of the legs to the
fetlocks ; and the tail is dark brown. In old males
the front portion of the beard is black, and that behind
light grey ; but in young males and females, in which
only the front portion is represented, it 1s wholly black.
Young animals are greyish brown in colour, with a
dark dorsal streak. The horns are black.
The race with the most widely spread and most
openly twisted horns is the Astor markhor, in which
oe.
Game Animals of India, etc.
the spiral apparently never forms more than one and
a half turns: it is the typical representative of the
species, so that its full title is Capra falconeri typica.
It is found on the ranges of Astor and Baltistan ; and
on the confines of Hazara and Gilgit apparently passes
into the Pir Panjal race. Horns from Astor are
known respectively measuring 60 and 56 inches along
the outside curve.
Although inhabiting a country where there are
considerable patches of forest at a medium elevation,
this race of the markhor is stated to resort to these
only for the sake of protection from insects in summer,
keeping at other times to the open. In winter it
descends to comparatively low levels. Markhor are
sometimes seen grazing in company with ibex. Mr.
Darrah, who shot these animals to the north of the
great bend of the Indus above Gilgit, in the Haramosh
district, writes as follows of their general habits :—
“ Markhor do not like snow, and seldom go higher
than the snow-line, looking for crags and rocks at that
elevation. It is therefore possible sometimes to get
above them, but the ground they select is usually so
precipitous that nothing can be done, and they are
practically as safe as ibex when lying up for the day.”
Although horns of the Pir Panjal race of the markhor
(Capra falconeri cashmiriensis), plate iv, fig. 4, are readily
distinguishable from those of typical representatives of
the Astor race, there are specimens so nearly inter-
mediate between them that it is frequently difficult to
decide to which they should be assigned. It is probable
that such intermediate examples occur on the confines
of the respective habitats of the two races. In typical
Pir Panjal heads, such as the one shown in the annexed
figure, the horns are less divergent and have a somewhat
less open spiral, which forms from one to two complete
turns. In size the animal is fully the equal of its
Astor relative, standing from 40 to 41 inches at the
shoulder. From the Pir Panjal range which forms the
124
ON CES tr ee ae ee eee
The Markhor
southern barrier of the vale of Kashmir, this markhor
Fic. 18.—Skull and Horns of the Pir Panjal Markhor, from a specimen in the
possession of Mr. A. O. Hume.
crosses the Jhelam into the Kaj-nag, which is really the
north-western continuation of the Pir Panjal. Thence
125
Game Animals of India, etc.
it appears to extend northwards into Hazara and Chilas
and then towards Gilgit; but the markhor of Gilgit
may be a distinct race. The longest markhor horns on
record are a pair picked up on the Pir Panjal or Kaj-
nag range, the length being 63 inches ; other specimens
fot the same ranges respectively eure 59 and
564 inches, while a pair from Gilgit reaches 585 inches.
By the Pir Panjal shikaris it is only to the old
bucks that the name markhor is assigned, the younger
bucks being termed rind, and the does bakri (she-goat).
In both the Pir Panjal and the Kaj-nag ranges this goat
is an inhabitant of the dense forests of pine and birch
clothing the scarped hillsides ; its feeding-grounds being
formed by the intervening grassy glades. Although
generally difficult to find, the old bucks are almost sure
to show themselves at the first gleam of sunshine after
one of the storms which at certain seasons rage on these
mountains. The late summer is the season when the
old bucks keep most to dense covert. In former days
markhor-shooting was one of the finest of Kashmir
sports, but the numbers of old bucks with fine horns
have been much reduced in recent years. A favourite
starting-point to the ground is the nala joining the
Jhelam valley at rts bend below Naushahra.
The horns represented in fig. 19 differ to a certain
extent from those of the typical Pir Panjal markhor,
and perhaps indicate a distinct race. In regard to
these horns Mr. Hume communicated the following
note :— The horns of this form, hitherto never seen
on the entire skull, but usually on the frontal bone
only, are brought down occasionally to Peshawar from
Cabul, and again find their way sometimes into the
Srinagar bazaar. They come from the west, and from
a long way off, and that is all that can usually be
learned about them. They belong to the cork-screw
group, but differ from those of the two preceding races
in being much slenderer, and also in the greater
number of turns put in by their main ridge in Bo
S520
The Markhor
given length of horn measured straight from base to
tip. In this respect they are to the Pir Panjal and
Astor races what the Suleman Range ones are to those
Fic. 19.—Horns of Gilgit (?) Markhor, from a specimen in the collection of
Mr. A. O. Hume.
of the Cabul mountains. The horns make a regular
V, broader or narrower, but the tip-to-tip measurement
never, I believe, exceeds the length straight, and usually,
I think, falls at least one-sixth short of this. The
127
Game Animals of India, etc.
Cabuli from whom the specimen figured was purchased
said he believed that they came from Hazara—at the
time I thought that he meant British Hazara, but I now
believe he meant Afghan Hazara. I have often thought
that perhaps they come from Kafiristan, and that they
form a connecting link between the Pir Panjal and
Cabul races.”
On the other hand the intermediate character of the
horns is suggestive of the Gilgit district.
The markhor (Capra falconeri megaceros) inhabiting
the mountain ranges of Northern Afghanistan forms
another stage in the gradation from the Astor to the
Suleman race, its horns (fig. 20) being intermediate
between those of the latter and those of the Pir Panjal
race.. In full-grown bucks, although nearly straight,
they form a slightly open spiral, or, in other words,
show a tendency towards the cork-screw type so
conspicuous in the preceding races. It is probable,
indeed, that a complete gradation may be found from
the Pir Panjal to the Suleman type by means of the
present form.
Indications of such a gradation are afforded by two
heads the writer had an opportunity of seeing in 1906.
They were from animals shot by a British officer in
Chitral ; both being fully adult males, and members of
the same flock. Indeed, as regards colour and markings
they were so exactly alice that they might be Brome
but there is a most remarkable difference in their horns,
which in both cases are fine. In one specimen vive
horns diverge in the form of a V and have a com-
paratively close twist, being, in fact, precisely similar to
those of the male fon the same aeice figured by the
present writer in plate xxvi of the Zoological Society’s
Proceedings for 1902, which undoubtedly belongs to the
Cabul race of the species. In the second specimen, on
the other hand, the horns are more divergent, with a
more open twist, and a tendency to be U-shaped.
They are, in fact, inseparable from the Pir Panjal race,
128
The Markhor
as represented by the head shown in fig. 18. Lif ie
is the Pir Panjal race which occurs in the Chilas
district, Chitral is just the locality where we should
Fic. 20.—Skull and Horns of the Cabul Markhor, from a specimen in the
possession of Mr. A. O. Hume.
expect that and the Cabul race to intergrade. The
two specimens now under consideration are alone
sufficient to demonstrate the propriety of regarding all
the local forms of the markhor as races rather than
129 K
Game Animals of India, etc.
species ; the essential idea of races being that they should
intergrade with one another, although in many instances
the connecting links have died out. It may be added
that information is still required with regard to the
Chilas markhor. The habitat of the Cabul markhor
includes the Trans-Indus mountains in the neighbour-
hood of Cabul, and perhaps some of those farther to
the southward : thus forming the north-westerly limits
of the geographical range of the species. The longest
horns assigned to the present race are a pair from
Chitral which measure 56 inches along the spiral.
Mr. Hume has written as follows in reference to
this race :—-“ The Cabul horns are rare, but every
specimen eine I have been able to jocatice accurately
belonged to this type. Hutton’s figure of his Cabul
specimen shows that it belonged to this type. Vigne’s
vignette, in his personal narrative, of the specimen killed
for him in the Lughman Hills by Akhbar Khan shows
that this too belonged to this type. Two specimens
sent to me from Cabul (fig. 20) are of the same type,
and so too was the one huge horn which Hutton had
in his possession in 1852, and of which I noted the
length at 50 inches. In reference to this he said,
‘They say in Cabul that if you stand a good pair on
the tips a big-man can pass through them on hands and
knees,’ which most. vefer) ton erne ent A HEEt
straight measurement. This race extends throughout
the northern portions of Afghanistan which lie adjacent
to Cabul—how much farther it extends in any direction
is uncertain.”
The markhor (Capra falconeri jerdoni) of the Sule-
man range, on the eastern frontier of Afghanistan, has
been aptly designated the straight-horned race; the
horns of the bucks, which never attain the dimensions
of those of the Astor race, forming a perfectly straight
cone (plate iv, figs. 5, 5a), upon which the front
and back keels are wound in a sharp spiral, like the
threads of a double-threaded screw. In fine examples,
130
The Markhor
such as the one shown in fig. 21, two or three
Fic. 21.—Skull and Horns of the Suleman Markhor, from a specimen in the
possession of Mr. A. O. Hume.
complete turns are formed. As regards size, this
markhor is a smaller animal than the typical race, its
131
Game Animals of India, etc.
shoulder-height apparently not exceeding about 35
inches ; but specimens are needed in order to test this
statement. The habitat of the straight-horned markhor
includes the Trans-Indus hill-ranges of the Punjab
frontier, together with those of south and eastern
Afghanistan and Baluchistan. In the Suleman range
this markhor is found as far south as the neighbour-
hood of Mithankot, and it also occurs in the Quetta
district, where, however, the horns are stated to show
a tendency towards the assumption -of a less compact
spiral. The longest horn on record is a single one
picked up on the Suleman range, of which the length
is 4845 inches. Next to this is a pair in’ the British
Museum from Afghanistan, measuring 392 inches,
while the third in point of size is the head shown in
fig. 22, in which the horns are 394 inches in length.
The hill-ranges frequented by this race of the
markhor are comparatively barren and bare, and in
summer subject to a heat equalled in few parts of
India. Consequently the habits of the animal must be
different from those of its forest-dwelling relative on the
snow-clad scarps of the Pir Panjal ; but the life-history
of this goat still remains to be told, and all that can
be said at present is that, compared with the Astor
race, the Suleman markhor is the counterpart, so far as
habitat is concerned, of the urial of the Salt Range, as
contrasted with the urin or shapo of Astor and Ladak.
Mr. Hume observes that “the horns of females,
though smaller and slenderer, are of the same general
character as those of males, but differ in two note-
worthy points. First, the back or main ridge seems
more rounded and never so sharply pinched-up as in
the male. Second, the secondary ridge, which never,
I believe, shows itself in the male lower than the end
of the first half-turn of the horn, in the female runs
right down on to the frontal point, and is there as
prominent as the main ridge behind. In this respect
female horns are half-way between those of the males
132
|
.
:
The Markhor
of the wild and tame goats respectively of this general
type.
“This race occurs right down the Suleman range
Fic. 22.—Head of the Suleman Markhor, from a specimen shot by Mr. A. J.
oh . BP “.
Grant in Waziristan.
from Kohat to opposite Mithankot. It also occurs on
certain high hills not far from Quetta, but not farther
south in Baluchistan proper, nor, according to the
i353
Game Animals of India, etc.
Afghans, north of Kandahar in Afghanistan, though
Sir O. B. St. John considered that it extended through
the higher eastern hills inland from the Suleman.”
THE TPAnE
( Hemitragus jemlaicus)
NATIVE NE ee se oR ‘Fehr IN THE WESTERN
Himataya ; Kras ano YFagla, Kasumiri ; Fhula
(male) Ree Tahrni (female) 1n Kunawar; Esha
IN THE UPPER SUTLEJ VALLEY ; Kart 1n KuLu anD
Cuampa ; ‘fharal, NEPALI.
(Pate iv, fig. 6)
In spite of the circumstance that its distinctness was
pointed out and a generic name proposed for it by
Brian Hodgson so far back as 1841, the Himalayan
tahr was for many years included in the genus Capra,
although it is now regarded as representing a genus apart.
The see horned goats, as the various species of tahr
may be termed, are distinguished from other goats by the
absence of fhe: beard in the bucks, and the comparative
shortness of the horns, which are placed close together at
the base, and do not greatly exceed the length Bethe head.
A further distinctive feature is that the bane of females
are but little smaller than those of males, thus indicating
a transition from other goats towards serows and gorals.
The bucks exhale the same strong odour as those of
other goats. The muzzle bears a small naked area ;
but glands are wanting on the face and in the feet. A
remarkable difference between the females of the two
Indian representatives of the genus is that while one
has four teats, the other bears but two. The black
horns, which spring from the skull in the plane of the
forehead and curve sharply backwards, are much
compressed, with the front edge angulated.
134
ie tlt gl Bd i ee ee
i i i i i
<=, = oe ae ee ae
— ©
oo -
The Tahr>
The Himalayan tahr is a long-haired and shag pey
animal ; so shaggy, indeed, that Paine’ specimens, in
which the hair has been comned during preparation,
scarcely ever exhibit this pene feature in
perfection. In height the tahr stands from 36 to 40
inches at the ine ; and it is of somewhat heavy and
clumsy build, with a long, narrow, and straight face.
The horns of the bucks, which are almost, if not com-
pletely, in contact at their bases, are much compressed,
and for some distance flattened on both sides; the
lateral surfaces being distinctly marked with eure
striz, and the front angle forming a sharp keel, bearing
at iatenale small Saee like cleeare After diverging
from their bases and curving sharply backwards, the
horns become slightly convergent towards the tips.
Although the hair on the head Helv oe mostly short,
elsewhere it is long and soft, attaining its maximum
length and shagginess on the neck, shoulders, and
chest of the old bucks, where it forms a huge mane,
extending at least to the knees. Darker in old males
than in younger bucks and females, the general colour
of the hair is reddish or dark brown; but some
individuals are paler than others, and in old bucks the
fore part of the mane tends to assume a whitish or
hoary tinge. The hairs are pale-coloured at the root
and dark brown at the tip. The face, as well as the
front surfaces of the legs, are of such a dark shade of
brown as to appear almost black in some examples ;
and a dark streak runs down the back, although in old
males this becomes indistinct. In bucks the hind
surface of the legs is pale or rusty red. Immature
tahr of both sexes are greyish brown, while kids are
very pale-coloured. The short, flattened tail is devoid
of hair on its under surface ; as are the hard pads, or
callosities, on the knees. The female has two pairs of
teats. About 200 lbs. is the approximate weight of a
full-grown male. The lengths of the four largest
recorded pairs of tahr- hrs: are 155, 15, 1422, med
Le)
Game Animals of India, etc.
14% inches ; the basal girths of the two first examples
being respectively 84 and 9? inches. Two of these
specimens were obtained in Chamba; while a third
came from Gahrwal, but the locality of the first is
unknown.
The tahr retains its long coat at all seasons, the same
being to a great extent the case with the Astor and Pir
Panjal markhor. In this respect it offers a striking
contrast to the Rocky Mountain goat, in which the
summer coat is short; and as its habitat in summer is
probably warmer than that of the latter at the same
season, the difference in this respect seems inexplicable.
The tahr is a typical Himalayan animal, inhabiting
the forest districts of the middle ranges of the chain
from the Pir Panjal to Sikhim, and being especially
abundant in the lower Wardwan valley, the Kistwar
district, and Chamba. Although it 1s difficult to obtain
accurate information as to the ranges of animals in
Kashmir, the tahr does not apparently occur in the
mountains to the north of that valley, or in the Kaj-nag
range.
Tahr inhabit, perhaps, the worst ground on which it
is possible for a large mammal to exist ; and it is to
this that many sportsmen owe the loss or destruction of
some of their finest trophies. They are essentially
forest animals, and generally prefer steep slopes, more
or less clothed with trees, to bare mountain-tops, to
which, however, they occasionally wander. Till autumn
old bucks keep apart from the herds during summer,
generally ascending to higher elevations. The pairing-
season occurs in winter; the kids, of which there is
usually but one at a birth, being dropped in June or
July.
a7 eee
ee ee
The Nilgiri Tahr, or Ibex
MAE NILGIRI TAHR OR IBEX
(Hemitragus hylocrius)
Native Names.—Warri-adu, or Warri-atu, Tami ;
Kard-ardu, CanareseE 3 Mul/a-atu, MALABari
(PLATE iva ea
Although it has several local names of its own, while
it is commonly known to sportsmen as the Nilgiri ibex,
this species may be more appropriately termed the
Nilgiri tahr, since it is a relative of the Himalayan
species, with which and a third species from Southern
Arabia it constitutes the genus Hemitragus. “The
isolated distribution of the present species indicates that
at some former epoch conditions permitted the existence
of tahr in the country between the Himalaya and the
Nilgiris.
In size the Nilgiri tahr is somewhat superior to its
Himalayan relative, the bucks standing from 39 to 42
inches at the withers, although the does do not appear
to exceed about 35 inches. From the Himalayan
species it is distinguished by the generally short and
stiff coat, the prominent convexity of the outer surface
of the horns, and the presence of only a single pair of
teats in the female. The face exhibits a slight concavity
on the forehead and a corresponding convexity at the
lower part of the nose. With the exception of being
lengthened to form a low and stiff mane on the back of
the neck and shoulders in bucks, the hair is short,
thick, and coarse, probably exhibiting little or no
difference between the summer and winter coats.
Almost in contact at their bases, the horns of adult
bucks are nearly parallel for some distance, after which
they become gradually divergent, the curvature forming
a bold and regular sweep.. Throughout their length
they are marked by conspicuous transverse wrinkles,
pe
Game Animals of India, etc.
and while the inner surface is nearly in one plane, the
outer surface is highly convex: along the front inner
angle runs a sharp keel, but the hind surface is rounded
off. The general colour is dark yellowish brown
(greyer in does and kids), with a dark streak down the
back, and becoming paler on the under surface. Old
bucks are darker, being sepia-brown, passing into
blackish on the face. They have a fawn-coloured ring
round the eye, a grizzled grey streak down the side of
the face, and a patch of the same behind the eye ; but
their most conspicuous mark is a large grizzled he
saddle-shaped patch on the loins, which in very old
bucks turns almost white. From this the patriarchs ot
the flock take their name of “‘ saddle-backs.”” The legs,
which are blackish brown in front and paler behind, are
more or less grizzled in old males.
The largest horns on record have a length of 174
inches along the front curve, with a basal circumference
of gi inches; the corresponding dimensions of the
second best specimen being 17 and 9% inches ; while a
third specimen measures 163 inches in length. The
largest female horns on record have a length of 122
inches, and a basal girth of 54 inches.
The Nilgiri tahr inhabits the chief mountain ranges
of Southern India, including the Nilgiris, the Anamalais,
and the Western Ghats ; its range extending from the
latter chain nearly as far as Cape Comorin. Although
occasionally found at lower levels, these goats are usually
met with at elevations of between 4000 and 5000 feet.
Before its numbers had been reduced by shooting,
the Nilgiri tahr was met with in flocks which included
from half-a-dozen to half-a-hundred head ; while in
instances where two or more flocks had joined, the
numbers might be considerably greater. Although
occasionally seen on the upland grassy plateaux
characteristic of the hills of South India, these goats
prefer the scarps and crags above the forest, where
they graze on patches of grass occurring in suitable
390
The Nilgiri Tahr, or Ibex
spots. Their feeding-times are morning and evening,
the hottest hours of the day being passed in repose and
cud-chewing beneath the shelter of tall rocks. Some
of the noes a act as sentinels, and keep watch so vigilantly
that to approach within range requires all the skill.of
the sportsman. There des not appear to be any
definite breeding-season ; and it is stated that there
are commonly two kids at a birth. If this be true, and
also that the Himalayan species has usually but one,
the smaller number of teats in the Nilgiri tahr is very
remarkable. Leopards, and more rarely tigers, thin
the flocks to a great extent; while the packs of
dholes, or wild dogs, which hunt on the Nilgiris must
likewise take their quota. Of recent years the tahr
herds have been protected by law ; and their numbers
are now steadily increasing.
TEE, SEROW
(Nemorhedus sumatrensts)
Native Names.—7Tau-ishiek, Burmese ; Kambing-utan,
Matay ; Sarao 1n THE Nortu-Westr HIMaraya ;
Ramu, Hal), Salabhir, KasuMiri; Goa in CHAMBA ;
Aimu 1x Kunawar; Yamu in Kutvu; Tehr in
Nepat; Gya amMonG THE Buorias oF SIKHIM ;
Stcht oF THE LeEpcuHas.
PLATE v, figs. 2, 224
>] Oo >]
In the case of popular names of animals which,
although originally applied to one species, have been
expanded so as to include a group of more or less
nearly allied forms, there is often a difficulty in deciding
the limits to be employed in this more extended usage.
No better example of this difficulty exists than in the
use of the term “antelope.” Originally applied to
the blackbuck of India, the name has been in later
139
Game Animals of India, ete.
times used to denote a vast assemblage of horned
animals which come under the denomination neither
of cattle, sheep, nor goats ; and the question is whether
it should be still further extended so as to include the
European chamois, the Rocky Mountain goat, and the
subject of the present notice. In the cylindrical form
of their horns serows are, indeed, much more similar
to some antelopes than they are to any of the goats ;
but, on the other hand, in their clumsy build, heavy
limbs, and stout hoofs, as well as in their habits, they
undoubtedly come nearer to the goats. In order to
express this dual relationship, they have been called
goat-antelopes ; but as that term is cumbrous and
inconvenient, it appears preferable to call them by the
name by which they are known in the North-West
Himalaya, viz. serow, or, correctly, sarao.
This name properly belongs to the Western
Himalayan representative of the group, but the
Sumatran or Burmese race (whose native name Kam-
bing-utan signifies wild goat) is discussed first for the
reason that while the latter was scientifically described
so early as the year 1801, the Himalayan animal was
not made known till 1832, when it was described by
Brian Hodgson, the diseaoarer of so many previously
unknown animals and birds of the Himalaya.
Serows are heavily - built, ungainly mountain
ruminants, of about the size BF an average English
donkey, eh long, shaggy, coarse hair. Both sexes
are furnished with Seas which show little inferiority of
size in females as compared with males. The horns are
comparatively short, conical, and marked in the lower
portion by a umber of ean closely approximated
rings, and_ partially interrupted longitudinal grooves.
In ee nuE they are jetty black; and while their
direction is at first nearly ancient with the plane of
the face, towards the tips they curve slightly backwards,
and at fe same time diverge to a small degree fect
each other. Nine and a half inches is the maximum
" 140
1, 12. Takin.
2, 2a. Serow.
3. Goral.
4. Chiru.
5. Blackbuck.
—~
IAI
. Four-horned Antelope.
Chinkara Gazelle.
. Persian Goitred Gazelle.
. Goa Gazelle.
. Nilgai.
Game Animals of India, etc.
recorded length of the horns of the typical Sumatran
serow.
Serow are further characterised by the propor-
tionately large size of the head, the long mule-like
ears, and the short, thickly-haired tail. Face-glands,
opening by a small circular orifice below each eye, are
present ; and the muzzle is bare and moist, like that
of cattle. Glands are developed between the hoofs
of all four feet, but there are none in the groin. The
female is furnished with four teats. The upper cheek-
teeth are generally similar to those of sheep and goats.
The coarse and rather thin hair on the head and body
is of moderate length, but developed so as to form
a rather long mane running from the nape of the neck
to the withers, which, in some instances at any rate, is
white.’ Since the colour of the Himalayan race of
the species is described at some length, it will suffice
to say that the typical Sumatran, or eastern, repre-
sentative of the species (Nemorhedus bubalinus typicus)
is specially characterised by the lower part of the legs
being rufous, instead of white or grey, as well as by
the more ene tinge of the hair generally. Apparently
also the size is not equal to that of the largest specimens
of the Himalayan race, although small examples of the
latter do not exceed the present race in this respect.
Probably there is a complete transition from one
race to the other, since a specimen was killed by
General A. A. Kinloch near Darjiling, which in point of
colour was intermediate between the two. Apparently
the geographical range of the typical race extends from
Sumatra through the elevated tracts of Siam, Burma, and
Assam, to the Eastern Himalaya. It is commonly called
the Burmese serow, but as it is typically from Sumatra
it is better indicated by the name of that island, if indeed
the Sumatran and Burmese animals are inseparable.
In habits the Sumatran serow is doubtless identical
1 See plate ii. of vol. xxii. of Fardine’s Naturalists Library, “ Ruminants,”
pt. 2.
142
The Serow
with the Himalayan race, although it inhabits somewhat
lower elevations. The red colouring of the limbs
indicates that it is a semi-melano as compared with the
Himalayan race ; red or tan on the limbs and under-
arts in association with black above being, as Mr. R.
I. Pocock has shown in the case of black-and-tan dogs,
the first stage on the road to complete melanism.
The Tibetan representative of the species (Nemo-
rhedus sumatrensis milne-edwardsi), originally described
by the Abbé David from Moupin in Eastern Tibet,
but subsequently recorded by the late Dr. J. Anderson
from Yunnan, resembles the Sumatran race in the
rufous lower portion of the legs, but differs by the
uniformly brownish-black colour of the upper-parts.
There is also a woolly under-fur to the coat, which
appears to be generally wanting in the other races. Dr.
Anderson states that a horn of this serow is generally
an indispensable adjunct to the shoulder-bag or haver-
sack of every Kakhyen, Shan, and Chinese peasant of
Western Yunnan, from which it is suspended, and
serves the purpose of a drill in repairing harness, etc.
Although often considered identical with the typical
form of the species, the Arakan serow (Nemorhedus
sumatrensis rubidus) appears entitled to be regarded as
a third local race, distinguished by the extremely red
tinge of the coat. It seems also to be unusually small,
but further information is needed. It was originally
described, as a distinct species, by Edward Blyth in
1863, under the name of Capricornis rubida, in his
Catalogue of the Bengal Asiatic Society’s Museum.
Himalayan sportsmen may often be deceived as to
the nature of the game which they are pursuing owing
to the circumstance that the name used in one district
to denote a certain species is applied in another to a
totally different animal. An example of this confusion
occurs in the present case, where the serow of the
North-West Himalaya is termed tehr in Nepal, where
the animal to which that name is generally restricted in
143
Game Animals of India, etc.
natural history is known as jharal. On the other hand,
in Chamba the serow figures as the goa, a name properly
pertaining to the Tibetan gazelle ; while in the Suleman
range the name sarao is applied to the markhor, and in
Sind to the wild goat.
As mentioned above, the Himalayan serow (Nemo-
rhedus sumatrensis bubalinus) is a local race of the
Sumatran species, from the typical race of which it 1s
distinguished by the greyer tone of the coat, and more
especially by the circumstance that the lower parts of
the legs are white or grey, instead of being of the same
rufous tinge as the hair of the body. The maximum
recorded horn-measurements are as follows: length,
121; basal circumference, 655; and tip-interval, 23
inches ; these being taken from a Garhwal specimen in
the possession of Mr. A. O. Hume. Next to this are
examples respectively measuring 12 and 11 inches in
length, while there are several specimens varying
between 10 and 104 inches. The height at the shoulder
apparently ranges between 33 and 37 or 38 inches,
while the weight varies between 120 and 190 pounds.
As regards colour, the Himalayan serow may be
described as blackish or dark grey on the upper-parts,
with a generally grizzled appearance, owing to the
whitish bases of the hairs, the head, neck, and mane
being black. On the flanks, buttocks, upper portion of
the limbs, chest, and throat, the black of the back passes
into rusty red, which in turn gives place on the under
part of the body, the inner side of the thighs, and the
lower portion of the legs to dirty white or greyish ; the
inside of the ears and the front and sides of the chin
being likewise white, but of a purer tint. Frequently
a black line down the back may be more or less clearly
distinguished.
The range of the Himalayan serow extends along
the outer and middle Himalaya from Kashmir to the
Mishmi Hills, at elevations between about 6000 and
12,000 feet. In Kashmir the animal appears to be
144
PS ee See ee ee
" & a
The Serow
found only on the south side of the valley, in the Pir
Panjal range, and it does not cross the Jhelam into the
Kaj-nag range. It occurs in Chamba, probably on the
south ime of the Chinab in Pangi, and certainly in
Kulu and Nepal, as well as in the interior of Sikhim.
As noticed above, it probably passes into the Sumatran
race somewhere in the neighbourhood of Darjiling.
Serow share with tahr the notoriety of frequenting
the very worst ground the Himalaya can show ; and
only those who have had practical experience can realise
how bad this can be. Not only will a serow go across
an almost perpendicular face of rock as easily as if it
were horizontal, but it has a habit of choosing ground
covered with slate-débris, on which progress is most
difficult to the sportsman. AQ solitary animal, nowhere
abundant, it is never found far away from wood, and
often takes up its abode in thick forest, or scrub-jungle ;
the description known as ringal- jungle, which is mainly
formed by a long thin feeds like bamboo, being an
especial favourite ‘in the Eastern Himalaya. ocd
accounts of its habits are given by General A. A.
Kinloch in his Large Game Shooting in Thibet and the
North-West, as well as by General D. Macintyre in the
volume entitled The Hindu-Koh.
From these accounts it appears that serow are in the
habit of spending most of the day concealed among the
gloomy recesses of the wooded precipitous gorges which
form their favourite haunts, from which they usually
issue to feed in the evening and early morning, and
even then wander but short distances from their head-
quarters. Shyness seems to be one of the most
characteristic traits of this animal, although when
attacked or brought to bay, none displays greater
boldness. As an illustration of this, General Macintyre
states that when the follower of an English sportsman
was proceeding to secure the body of a female serow
that had been shot by his master, the male suddenly
rushed out from some dense covert in which it had
145 L
Game Animals of India, etc.
been concealed, and with one butt sent the unfortunate
man rolling down the hillside, without giving the chance
Fic. 23.—Skull and Horns of the
Himalayan Serow, from a
specimen in the possession of
Mr. A. O. Hume.
of a fair shot to the sportsman
looking on. This instance
shows that although serow are
frequently seen alone, they may
also be found in pairs. Very
little difference in general ap-
pearance distinguishes the does
from the bucks; and as the
former have nearly as large
horns as the latter, they are
legitimate game to the sports-
man. When serow cannot be
stalked on their feeding-grounds,
they may sometimes be induced
to break covert by driving, al-
though not unfrequently the
difficult nature of the country
renders this method impractic-
able. When alarmed, serow
give utterance to sharp, shrill
screams, or shrieks, repeated at
short and regular intervals, and
much resembling the cries of
goral. When first heard, they
are decidedly alarming. Many
ruminants when suddenly
surprised seem to “lose their
heads” for a few seconds, and
in the serow this. momentary
bewilderment is especially
noticeable, the animal standing
stock-still, as if dazed, and this,
too, in some instances after it
has been fired at. When, however, the animal has got
over its bewilderment it starts off with a rush head-
long down the precipitous mountain-side in a manner
146
The Serow
which generally renders pursuit out of the question.
Occasionally the alarm-seream is uttered without any
apparent cause. When wounded and charging, the
eyes display a peculiar red gleam, which gives an
almost fiendish appearance to the animal.
Some difference of opinion exists in regard to the
time when the does give birth to their progeny,
Brian Hodgson stating that this takes place in Sep-
tember or October, after a gestation of eight months,
whereas Leith-Adams gives the time as May or June.
Apparently a single kid is produced at a birth.
The Malay serow, although described by Mr.
A. L. Butler in the Zoological Society’s Proceedings for
1900 as a distinct species, is best regarded as the
melanistic phase of the ordinary species under the name
of N. sumatrensis swettenhami. Its general colour is
black ; the back being strongly and the sides slightly
grizzled with grey, while the bases of the hairs are
whitish. The lips are greyish white ; the hind part of
the upper ones, a patch on each side of the lower jaw,
and another on the throat being rusty red. The ears
are black, tinged with rusty at their bases, and lined and
edged with greyish-white hairs. The mane is black
with some whitish hairs on the fore portion of the neck
and reddish ones near the withers. The head, except
the parts mentioned, is black, as are the neck, under-
parts, tail, and legs, except the inside of the thighs,
which is rufous.
The white-maned serow (Nemorhedus argyrochetes)
inhabiting the mountains of North-Western China, of
which a figure will be found in the Zoological Society’s
Proceedings for 1906, may perhaps be considered merely
as another local phase or race of N. sumatrensis.
147
Native Names.—Gora/1n THE NortTH-west HIMALaya 3
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE HIMALAYAN GORALS
(Urotragus goral and U. bedford)
ea
Py, Pijur, Rai and Rom, Kasumiri; Sah or Sar
IN THE SuTLEJ VALLEY 3; Suh-ging oF THE LEPCHAS ;
Ra-giyu of THE Buors oF Sikuim 3 Deo Chagal
IN ASSAM.
Owing to the practice of applying the names of
European animals to their relatives in other countries,
goral are often known among sportsmen as Himalayan
group of ruminants in some degree servin
antelopes with goats, they have really little in common
with chamois, troal which they differ by the shaggy
coat, as well as in the more sombre coloration, and the
form of the horns. They are, in fact, near poles of
the serows, from which they are mainly distinguished
by the aheenee of glands on the face, and in certain
details of the skull.
In most characters, such as the naked muzzle, the
presence of glands in the feet, and of four teats in the
female, as well as in the development of horns in both
sexes, gorals resemble serows; the absence of face-
glands being the chief reason for referring them to a
separate group. Very generally the tail is comparatively
short (about 4 inches in the Himalayan species),
but it attains a considerable length in the long-tailed
goral (U. caudatus). Asa rule, gorals are smaller than
serows, but there is a species of the latter from Japan
(Nemorhedus crispus) not much larger than a goral.
In all gorals the short black horns, which are nearly
as large in does as in bucks, are very similar to those
of serows, being conical and slightly divergent, curving
(Pate v, fig. 3)
(=)
; but beyond the fact that they belong to a
g to connect
5
5
148
The Himalayan Gorals
evenly backwards, and marked for the greater part of
their length by somewhat irregular, closely approximated
rings, or ridges, partially interrupted by longitudinal
groovings. The general form is also goat- -like, with
the limbs strong ad stout. The hair is rather coarse
Fic. 24.—A Himalayan Goral, from a photograph by the
Duchess of Bedford.
and shaggy, with a certain amount of woolly under-
fur at the roots, and generally shows a tendency to
develop into a slight crest along the back of the neck
and at the bases of the horns.
The animal here regarded as the typical Himalayan
goral is rufous brown in colour, only slightly paler
below than on the back, with the face somewhat lighter
and more rufous, but darkening towards the horns ;
149
Game Animals of India, etc.
and a white or whitish patch on the chin and throat.
Along the back, from nape to tail, runs a conspicuous
black streak ; the tail is wholly black above ; and there
is a blackish stripe down the front of the legs, which
are elsewhere brown.
In the Fauna of British India the late Dr. Blanford
made no mention of any colour-variation according to
season, age, or sex; but Mr. Sterndale, in his work
on the Mammals of India, stated that the does and
young are lighter coloured than old bucks. On the
other hand, General Macintyre, in his Hindu-Koh,
observed that the doe is like the buck in appearance,
except for her thinner horns; and he described the
colour as uniform greyish brown, with a white throat-
patch.
At least three skins in the British Museum conform
to the above-mentioned brown type ; but a fourth skin,
with part of the skull, in the same collection, which
appears to represent a fully adult animal, differs by its
decidedly greyish-fawn colour, the absence of a distinct
dark dorsal stripe, and certain other details. On the
evidence of this one specimen there might be consider-
able hesitation in admitting the existence of two forms
of Himalayan goral. The British Museum possesses,
however, a mounted goral-skin, presented in 1897 by
the Duke of Bedford, belonging to an animal formerly
living in the park at Woburn, and believed to be of
Himalayan origin. This specimen agrees precisely
with the one last mentioned. Its general colour is
light yellowish grey-fawn, suffused with blackish ; the
white throat-patch extends largely on to the cheeks ;
there is no dorsal stripe; the muzzle has a dark median
streak extending to the level of the eyes ; the tail is
blackish only at the base ; and the fore-legs have only
a blackish “knee-cap,’’ and the hind ones are wholly
rufous fawn. In addition to these striking differences
of colour, the ears of this goral are larger than in the
typical brown goral, and the horns are more curved
150
The Himalayan Gorals
and rougher. Both the grey skins seem to be adult,
and are apparently those of males. It is difficult
to believe that the differences between this form
and the typical goral can be explained by season, sex,
or age.
If this be so, it must be assumed either that the
Himalayan goral exhibits dimorphism, or that there
are two local races or species, which must be presumed
to inhabit separate areas or different zones of altitude.
In the Zoologist for 1905 the present writer adopted
the latter view ; and named the grey Himalayan goral
Urotragus bedfordi, taking the mounted specimen in
the British Museum as the type.
These two forms of goral may be briefly diagnosed
as follows :—
1. Urotragus goral—Colour rufous brown, with a
white patch on the throat and chin, a black dorsal
stripe and tail, and a black stripe down the front of
each leg. Horns comparatively straight, and not
heavily ringed. Eastern Himalaya.
2. Urotragus bedfordi.—Colour yellowish grey-fawn
suffused with blackish, the light throat-patch pure
white and extending on to the cheeks, no distinct
dorsal stripe, a dark streak on muzzle; base of tail
and knees blackish, the rest of the legs being fawn.
Horns more curved and more heavily ringed than in
the last. Western (and in part ? Eastern) Himalaya.
To determine the respective habitats of the two
Himalayan gorals must in part be left to others.
Judging from its dark colour, it may be suggested
that the brown species (U. goral) is a native of the
damp forests of the Terai, and the grey U. bedfordi
an inhabitant of drier and colder forests.
Himalayan goral stand from 26 to 28 inches in
height at the shoulder, and weigh from about 58 to
63 lbs.
The maximum recorded length of goral horns is
85 inches, one pair of these dimensions, from Bissahir,
151
Game Animals of India, etc.
being in the possession of Major A. E. Ward, and a
second (a female from Dalhousie) in that of Mr.
J. Johnston-Stewart. Three specimens measuring 8
inches in length are known, one of them having a
basal girth of 3% inches, and an interval of 34 inches
between the tips; two of these specimens are from
Chamba, and the third from Kumaon.
The Himalayan gorals inhabit the outer and middle
ranges of the mountains from Kashmir to Bhutan, and
are also said to occur in the Naga Hills. In Kashmir
they are probably restricted to the ranges to the south
of the valley. Although stated to be far from abundant
in the Siwalik Hills, in most districts they are common,
and not unfrequently found in the neighbourhood
of hill-stations. The lowest elevation at yen they
occur is about 3000 feet, and the highest range about
8000 feet.
Never found away from forest, goral usually associate
in small parties of from four to eight head, and where
one is seen, others are almost sure to occur ; old bucks
are, however, solitary for the greater part 6f the year.
Grass-clad hills, or ledges among steep cliffs, and rocky
ground in the midst of forest form their favourite
haunts ; and sometimes the country they frequent is
so precipitous that a wounded animal will fall several
hundred feet before its body finds a resting-place,
General Macintyre mentioning an instance where
a goral he had shot fell headlong for a depth of
about 1000 feet. Like most Himalayan ruminants,
goral usually feed in the morning and _ evening,
taking a long szesta during the mid-day heat; but
on dull eae cloudy days they may be seen cera
at all hours. The period of gestation is about six
months, and the kids, of which flere is usually one at
a birth, are born during May and June. Being such
common animals, it is surprising to find that up to the
year 1896 only a single example of these gorals had
been exhibited in the London Zoological Gardens ; at
152
The Himalayan Gorals
Woburn Abbey there have, however, been numerous
living examples.
In spite of the insignificant character of the horns as
trophies, goral-shooting has a considerable attraction
for sportsmen, especially those who dislike the weary
mid-day halts inseparable from most kinds of big-game-
stalking, or who object to sleeping out on the hill-sides.
As General Macintyre remarks, on the precipitous and
broken ground of the middle Himalayan ranges this
kind of stalking is perhaps one of the pleasantest
descriptions of sport. When the goral are taking
their mid-day nap, the sportsman can nearly always
return to his tent for lunch ; and, in any case, he can
make sure of a night in bed. In good localities blank
days are, moreover, few and far between ; the writer
last mentioned having bagged no less than sixty head
of these game prants. during a single season’s
shooting.
THE BURMESE GORAL
(Urotragus evanst)
This species resembles the grey Himalayan goral
in the absence of a black dorsal stripe, but differs by
the general colour being a more brownish grey, heavily
suffused with chocolate-brown ; while there is no white
on the cheeks, no dark mark on the upper surface of
the muzzle, and the throat-patch is yellowish. The
tails is pinelish brown throughout; and the legs are
coloured exactly the reverse of Thess of the typical
goral, being dark brown behind and rufous fawn in
front. The horns are very small, nearly straight, and
almost smooth.
It may be briefly diagnosed as follows: Colour
brownish grey-fawn suffused with brown ; throat-patch
small and yellow ; no stripe on muzzle or back ; tail
153
Game Animals of India, etc.
and back of legs dark brown, rest of legs rufous fawn.
Horns very small. Mountains of Upper Burma and
(?) Siam.
In the Zoological Society’s Proceedings for 1905,
Major G. H. Evans communicated the following notes :
“These goral, I believe, extend into Siam and are to
be found in suitable places on the Siamese side of the
Thaungyin River, and also occur, but are more scarce,
about the hills at the headwaters of the Me-Ping. As
has been recorded in the case of the Indian form, these
goral live in parties of four, six, or even a dozen.
They inhabit very steep ground and the more
precipitous it is the better they seem to like it. They
are never to be found at any distance from rugged,
rocky ground, even though there may be forest near
by. The only time they may be found away from
dangerous ground is during the early hours of the
morning and late in the evening, when they graze on
the grassy patches close by. No doubt when the sky
is Overcast, as is the case during the rains, or in the
cold weather when there is a heavy mist, they feed
much later. Apparently they are inclined to remain
always about any favourite locality. Their sight seems
to be extraordinarily good, and they appear to rely
more on this sense than on smell or hearing. The
day is usually passed lying on inaccessible ledges of
rock about precipices.
“If a goral is startled it jumps up and makes a
short sharp hissing or sneezing noise, very often
repeated at short intervals. It may be a note of alarm
or a call to its mates, for as sure as one calls, if there
are any others about (and this is generally the case), it
is immediately answered. In Burma, at least, goral are
not easily followed, unless by expert cragsmen.
“Goral, when standing about these crags, afford
fairly easy shots with high-velocity rifles, but the
recovery of a carcase is, as a rule, by no means an
easy matter. The shikaris and followers are generally
154
The Burmese Goral
anything but keen on a trip down one of these
precipices, and I for one do not blame them. Though
they may be adepts in woodcraft, they cannot be
anything like the cragsmen (hill-shikaris) met with in
the Himalaya. Goral-flesh is not at all bad. From
December till May is the best season to hunt these
animals, and morning and evening is the best time to
find ia as they are then grazing or lying down in
places more easily accessible.”
TEE ASHY TIBETAN GORE
(Urotragus cinereus)
This species, like the next, is one of the numerous
animals discovered by the missionary Abbe David in
the Moupin district of Eastern Tibet, and described by
Professor Milne-Edwards of the Paris Museum. In
the type specimen the horns measured 74 inches in
length.
Compared with the next the present species is stated
to be larger, and its fur of a more nearly uniform
colour, being more distinctly ashy, and less mingled
with brown. Moreover, the whitish patches on the
throat and on the feet are smaller and less suffused
with yellow. More important than all is the greater
length and bushiness of the tail, which is not terion in
ese respects to that of the Mongolian long-tailed goral
(U. caudatus). ‘The describer adds that he should have
hesitated to distinguish this species from the next
were it not for important differences in their skulls,
that of the present animal, in addition to other points,
being more elongated.
The two animals are stated to be recognised as
different from one another by the natives of Eastern
Tibet, who affirm that the present one lives at a higher
altitude than the next. Both appear distinguishable
155
Game Animals of India, etc.
from Himalayan gorals by the character and colour of
the hair, as well as by their longer tails, but further
information is required as to whether the two are really
distinct. ‘
THE GREY TIBETAN GORAL
(Urotragus griseus)
Although it may seem curious to find two nearly
allied species in the same district, yet in the opinion of
Professor Milne-Edwards this goral is entitled to
specific distinction from the preceding. The present
species, which inhabits the Moupin district of Eastern
Tibet, is nearly allied to the Mongolian U. caudatus,
from which it is distinguished by its lighter build,
shorter tail, and the deeper tint of its fur. The upper
surface of the head, together with the nasal region and
the chin, is brown with a tinge of maroon ; while the
whitish patch on the throat is more prolonged under
the jaw than in the Mongolian species. The colour of
the upper-parts and flanks is yellowish grey, suffused
with brown, the latter tint predominating along the
middle line of the back, on the front of the shoulders,
and on the fore-legs and thighs. The feet are less
light-coloured, while the buttocks and the inner
surfaces of the legs are whiter than in the species with
which the comparison is made. The height at the
shoulder is about 24 inches. °
While there are slight differences in the form of the
horns, the characters of the skull are said to afford
ample means of distinguishing this species from
U. caudatus.
The Takin
THE TAKIN
(Budorcas taxicolor)
Native Names.—VTakin, Misumi Hits ; Ye-more,
Eastern TIBET
(PLate v, figs. 1, 12)
At the present day there are comparatively few
animals coming under the designation of big game
that have not fallen to the rifle of the Baten sports-
man ; but the strange-looking ruminant known to the
neues of the Mish Hills, on the northern frontier
of Assam, as the takin was till recently an exception
to this rule. This seems the more strange seeing that
the Mishmi Hills le within sight of British territory ;
they are, however, at ordinary times closed to British
sportsmen. It is true that the first known specimens
of the takin were obtained by Brian Hodgson (who
described the animal) while British Resident at
Katmandu ; but these were procured by the aid of
native explorers.
The takin is a clumsily-built ruminant, standing
about as high as a small mule, the height at the withers
being approximately 34, feet. "The most striking feature
of the adult is formed by the sharply angulated blackish
horns which are present in both sexes, although de-
cidedly smaller in ewes than in rams. In the young
they form simple spikes, which in the full-grown animals
constitute that portion above the bend. Very charac-
teristic of the animal is the highly arched region of the
nose, or chafron, which is specially conspicuous in the
skull. The muzzle resembles that of goats and sheep
in being vertically grooved, and covered with hair
except on one small spot ; the ears are very small and
almost quadrangular ; the tail is littlke more than a
stump ; and the limbs are very short and thick, with
57
Game Animals of India, etc.
the lateral pair of hoofs remarkably large. As regards
the teeth, it must suffice to mention that these are
of the general type of those of sheep and goats, and
therefore quite unlike those of oxen. The female has
four teats, like the serow and one species of thar. The
coat is formed of comparatively short and stiff hair,
varying locally in colour from reddish brown with a
light saddle to golden yellow on the back, and darker
on the face and limbs. In the skeleton the most re-
markable feature is the shortness and width of the
front and hind cannon-bones ; the breadth of which
approximates to half the length.
The skull of the takin, of which no complete
specimen is known in this country, is remarkable for
its great depth in front of the eyes, the highly arched .
profile, the comparatively short and convex nasal bones,
the enormous size of the nose-cavity (probably con-
nected with living at a high elevation), and the
smallness and weakness of the premaxille, or front
upper jaw-bones. It recalls, in fact, to a certain extent
the skull of the Theban domesticated goat, in which
the vertical depth and the convexity of the profile are
still more exaggerated. A still nearer approximation
to the form characteristic of the Theban goat is
presented by the skull of a large extinct ruminant
from the Siwalik Hills of Northern India known as
Bucapra daviesi, which may have been a near relative:
of the takin, but more specialised in skull-characters.
The least imperfect skull of the takin in the collection
of the British Museum was presented by Mr. Claude
White, British Resident in Sikhim.
Turning to what naturalists have written regarding
the affinities of this strange ruminant, we find the fol-.
lowing statement, with the initials J. C. (J. Cockburn),
in Sterndale’s Mammalia of India: “The takin,” it is
there written, “is essentially a serow with affinities to
the bovines through the musk-ox, and other relation-
ships to the sheep, goat, and antelope.”
Se rS8
.
|
4
2
The Takin
In suggesting affinity with the oxen (bovines) the
author was clearly on the wrong tack, seeing that the
teeth of the musk-ox (like those of the takin) are of a
somewhat different type, and much nearer those of the
sheep and goats. ‘This was recognised by Dr. Blanford,
who in the Fauna of India observed that the takin
is “allied to both goats and antelopes ; I cannot see
the bovine affinities attributed to it.”
Some years later (1898) Dr. P. Matschie, of Berlin,
supported the view of the relationship of the takin to
the musk-ox, basing his conclusions on the shortness and
width of the cannon-bones, the shape of the skull and
horns, the small and peculiarly formed ears, the nature
of the muzzle, the shortness of the tail, the stout, short
legs, and the relatively large lateral hoofs. He might
have added that, as in serow, the females of both have
four teats.
The next to enter the arena was Dr. E. Loénnberg,
of Upsala, who, in a paper published in the Zoological
Society’s Proceedings for 1901, disputed the supposed
relationship. Dr. Lénnberg, it should be mentioned,
does not regard the cpugle = as a near relative of the
sheep and goats, but as the sole living representative
of a comparatively primitive group, set has become
specialised after its own particular style. He points
out that the muzzle of the two animals is different,
that of the takin having a downward prolongation af
the naked area to divide the upper lip after the fashion
of sheep and goats, and still more serows. To the
form of the ears, ea and lateral hoofs he attaches
little importance ; wile as he truly remarks, the
horns of the two animals are strikingly econ
although he forgot to mention that, as in serows, those
of the females in both species are relatively large. He
also challenges the statement with regard to the pro-
portions of the cannon-bones ; but the measurements
given (although no doubt “exact) are misleading.
When compared with the other bones of the legs, ce
159
Game Animals of India, etc.
fore and hind cannon-bones of the musk-ox are indeed
remarkably short and wide, although not quite to the
same extent as in the wikia. And since it is only in
these two ruminants and the Rocky Mountain goat
(Oreamnus) that this very marked shortness of both
cannon-bones occurs, it must be regarded as a feature
of importance. The wild goat, it is true, has a short
front cannon-bone, as Dr. Lénnberg remarks; but
then the hind cannon-bone is very long, actually longer
indeed than in a wild sheep (Ovss orientalis) in which
the front cannon-bone greatly exceeds the correspond-
ing element of the goat in length.
“In connection with the relationships of the takin it
is important to refer to two extinct ruminants, Eucera-
therium and Preptoceras, of which the remains have been
discovered in certain Californian caverns. That the
ancestors of these animals came from Asia is practically
certain; and theirdescribers, Messrs. Furlongand Sinclair,
are of opinion that they present Pesoab lance: both to te
takin and the musk-ox, although not nearly related to
either. Probably, writes the former, “‘ Preptoceras bears
somewhat the same degree of relationship to Ovidos that
Budorcas does” ; which is perhaps not a very lucid way
of putting matters when the nature of the latter rela-
tionship is just what we do not know. Still, there
seems a probability that the two extinct ‘Amenate
ruminants, together with the Rocky Mountain goat
and the musk-ox, are all descendants of an Asiatic
assemblage of ruminants of which the takin and
the serow are Old World survivors. The aforesaid
Siwalik Bucapra seems, however, to indicate that the
takin type was in existence at a relatively early date.
Possibly an extinct ruminant from the Pliocene Ter-
tiary deposits of Samos known as Criothertum which
has curiously bent horns, may be a member of the same
assemblage.
On the whole, despite the criticisms of Dr. Lonnberg,
it seems probable that Messrs. Cockburn and Matschie
' 160
The Takin
were right in their belief as to the existence of some kind
of kinship between the takin and the musk-ox, although
it is impossible to formulate the nature of the affinity.
Possibly the fact that both animals dwell on or near the
snow may be additional evidence of their relationship.
By means of the Rocky Mountain goat, the takin is
probably connected in some way with serows, which are
themselves relations of the goats and sheep. This
whole assemblage of ruminants once inhabited north-
eastern Asia, whence the Rocky Mountain goat, the
musk-ox, and the two extinct genera referred to above
wandered into the New World, while the takin and
serows remained in the old family home.
In 1906, Mr. J. Claude White, Commissioner of
Sikhim, had a young takin in his camp which it was
hoped might be transported alive to. England, although
the fates willed it otherwise. Of this specimen a
photograph appeared in the Field for 11th October
1906. Apart from this and one or two other immature
examples, the takin in a living state apparently still
remains unknown to Europeans, at all events in the
territories bordering British India. Since, however,
the range of the takin extends from the country north
of Bhutan and the Mishmi Hills through Eastern Tibet
into Szechuen and not improbably still farther eastward
in China, it is possible that Europeans may have seen
the animal in some part of its Chinese habitat.
The little known concerning the habits of the
creature is derived from native reports. The small
size of the ears is sufficient to indicate that takin, unlike
serow, do not live in jungle. Mr. John Cockburn, in
Sterndale’s Mammalia of India, has stated that when
at Sadya he was shown by a Mishmi the open spurs
inhabited by these animals, and also that their range
extends from about 8000 feet to the Alpine region
which forms their true habitat. This is confirmed by
Mr. White, who has recently stated in the Pie/d that
takin inhabit the zone immediately below the snow-line ;
161 M
Game Animals of India, etc.
and likewise that they are exceedingly fierce in disposi-
tion, so much so indeed that the natives (who have to
get within short range) find them awkward customers.
They generally go about in pairs, each of which may be
accompanied by a kid.
The longest known horns measure 243 inches along
the front curve; one pair with these dimensions
being in the possession of Colonel John Biddulph,
and a second in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. Several
examples ranging between 204 and 224 inches in length
are known. ioorne difference of opinion has arisen with
Fic. 25.—Frontlet and Horns of Young Male Takin, from a specimen owned by
Mr. A. O. Hume.
regard to the horns of the female. Brian Hodgson
described them as similar in form to those of the male,
although smaller, but in a paper communicated to the
Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1887, Mr. A.
O. Hume urged that this was incorrect, and that the
female horns are of the type shown in fig. 25. On
this subject Captain A. Wilson, of the 14th Gurkhas,
wrote as follows from Kohima, Assam, in March 1900 :
“In Great Game Records | saw the head of what was
supposed to be a female takin, and as I had seen a
good many heads of this animal at one time and
another, I thought it strange that a female’s head had
never come under my notice. My regiment has just
162
The Takin
been on an expedition into the Mishmi country, and I
gave the men instructions to get a female takin head.
A good many heads were brought in, but none like the
one in the figure, with the exception of very small
specimens, which belonged to very young animals.”
The writer then goes on to say that he consulted Mr.
Needham, the political officer at Sadiya, who had seen
a considerable number of heads, and who was of opinion
that the female horns are similar in shape to those of
the male, and that the small singly-curved horns shown
in fig. 24 are those of immature animals.
In the typical Mishmi takin the colour of the hair on
the head is black, but elsewhere it varies from yellowish
to reddish brown mingled with black, being lightest on
the back and darkest on the under-parts and limbs.
The precise limits of the geographical distribution of
the Mishmi takin are not yet known. Two eastern races
of the species have been described, namely the Moupin
takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetanus) of Eastern Tibet, ——
and the Kansu takin of North-West China; but whether
they are really distinct may be doubtful.
Writing of the younger examples obtained by the
Abbé David, Professor Milne-Edwards observed that
at this stage of its existence the Moupin takin presents
a considerable resemblance to a small, long-haired,
and somewhat woolly calf. In colour it is brown-
red, more or less dark, passing into black along
the middle line of the back, on the cheeks, the upper
part of the body, and the feet. The build is less heavy
than in the adult, and the horns commence to bud at an
early period. With advancing age the coat lightens
and becomes in great part yellowish, as in the adult,
although the original brown-red colour persists for a
long time in front of the withers and in the region of
the pelvis. In the adult female the colour is paler and
greyer than in the bull ; but none of the specimens in
the Paris Museum show the coloration of the Mishmi
takin.
163
Game Animals of India, etc.
The same writer also states that if the figures of the
skull published by Hodgson be exact, there are also
certain differences between the horns of the Moupin
and the Mishmi takin. A specimen of (presumably)
the Kansu takin in the British Museum has the
general colour of the coat (which is longer than in the
Mishmi race) of a bright golden yellow, very different
from the brownish red of the Mishmi takin.
According to information obtained by the Abbe
David from the natives, the Moupin takin frequents
the steepest and most thickly wooded declivities of its
native mountains, only leaving its retreats to feed
during the night. In winter, when the mountains are
enveloped in snow, it ascends to the elevated tracts
above the forests where no snow falls at that season,
finding there an abundance of dry herbage on the
slopes exposed to the sun, on which the snows that fall
in the summer and autumn have been melted by the
solar rays. In these districts takin seem to be fairly
common ; and they range eastward into the Chinese
provinces of Kansu and of Szechuen. Although
generally living solitary or in small parties, it is stated
to collect during the month of June in herds of
considerable size.
THE’ NICGATL, OR SEUE BULL
(Boselaphus tragocamelus)
Native Names.—Wi/, Nilgao (male), Nilgai (female),
Rah, Roz, or Rgra, a see Ru-1,
Deccanl, Maurarut, GuzratI, etc. . Guraya OF
THE Gonps ; Murim (male), Susam ’ (female) OF
THE Ho Kot; Manu-potu, Tamit; Mairn,
Maravi ; Kard-Kadrat, CANARESE.
(Pate v, fig. 10)
It is unfortunate that the largest of Indian antelopes
is so poorly off in the matter of horns that, from the
“weg.
The Nilgai, or Blue Bull
point of view of trophies, it is scarcely worth powder
and bullet. This poor horn-development is the more
remarkable from the circumstance that the animal is a
near relative of the elands, kudus, bongo, and bush-
bucks of Africa, the males, or in some cases both
sexes, of which carry large an graceful horns, while
the anitals themselves are among the most heaueital of
their tribe. No less noteworthy | is the fact that in past
times eland and kudu, as testified by their fossil
remains, were the companions of nilgai on the plains of
eeneen India ; and the reason for the disappearance
of the two former from that country and the survival
of the latter forms one of the many unsolved problems
presented by zoology. As the nilgai is unknown in
Ceylon, it might fave been coneiderel a comparatively
recent immigrant into India, but since its fossil remains
are found at the foot of ile Himalaya, and (at a more
recent epoch i in the valley of the Narbada), while the
genus is unknown in any other country, it is evidently
an ancient inhabitant of the north of India, which has
probably only made its way into the south of the
peninsula at a comparatively recent date.
Despite the fact that this sex is fawn-coloured, the
name nilgai properly refers to the female, and means
“blue cow”; the word nil (pronounced nee/) being
again met with in “ Nilgiris,” and also as the general
term for indigo. Sportsmen generally call the animal
“blue bull,’ which is the translation of the Hindustani
nilgao.
The nilgai is such a peculiar and ungainly-looking
animal that it cannot be mistaken for any other
antelope. Like most of its African relatives, it is only
the male that bears horns. The horns are smooth,
short, nearly straight, and directed upwards and back-
wards ; the section being triangular at tie bases but
becoming circular near the tip. The front edge year
a distinct keel, which in old bulls extends forwards and
inwards till the bases of the horns are almost in contact.
165
Game Animals of India, etc.
With a peculiarly long and pointed head, the nilgai has
the fore-legs considerably longer than the hind pair ;
and it is largely owing to this feature that it has such
an ungainly and clumsy appearance. Although the
neck is ornamented with a mane in both sexes, it is
only the bulls that develop a tuft of hair on the throat.
The ears are of moderate size, and pointed ; there are
glands of small size below the full ox-like eyes ; the
narrow and delicate muzzle is naked and moist ; and
the tail, which reaches about to the hocks, is tufted
with long hairs in its terminal half. The hair of the
body is short and somewhat wiry; and it does not
appear that the winter coat is appreciably longer than
that of summer. Neither does there seem to be that
change in colour between the winter and summer coats
so conspicuous in most deer.
The general colour of a full-grown blue bull is dark
speckled grey, more or less distinctly tinged with either
blue or brown ; the mane and other tufts of long hair
are, however, deep glossy black; and streaks and
patches on the ears and face, a gorget on the throat, a
narrow streak on each buttock, as well as a ring above
and below each fetlock, together with the under surface
of the body and tail, are white. The terminal half of
the outer surface of each ear, as well as two spots in
the interior of the same, are black, as are the horns.
In young bulls and cows at all ages the grey of the
adult bulls is replaced by rufous brown. A large bull
nilgai stands from 13 to 14 hands (4 feet 4 inches to
4 feet 8 inches) at the withers, which are relatively
high. Average horns measure about 8 inches along
the curve in front, but Mr. Rowland Ward records six
specimens exceeding g inches in length, the largest (in
the possession of Sr EG; Loder) measuring 9% inches
in length and 72 inches in circumference. These
dimensions are, however, exceeded by the horns of a
bull killed by Mr. A. O. Hume in the Aligarh district
in the year 1855, which measured 113 inches along
166
The Nilgai, or Blue Bull
the front curve, and 9% inches in basal girth. They
were lost during the Mutiny.
The range of the nilgai includes a large portion of
peninsular India, from the foot of the Himalaya to the
south of Mysore, in Madras, but excluding Assam,
Eastern Bengal, and apparently the Malabar coast.
The animal is particularly common in many parts of
Fic. 26.—A Female Nilgai, from a photograph by the Duchess of Bedford.
the Punjab, such as the neighbourhood of Jhelam,
Guzerat, and the North-West and Central Provinces.
In Ceylon, as already said, it is unknown, as it is in
the countries to the eastward of the Bay of Bengal ;
so that it may be regarded as a characteristic Indian
animal.
Like so many of the larger Bovide, old bull nilgai
generally prefer a solitary existence for the greater part
of the year, although they occasionally collect in parties,
167
Game Animals of India, etc.
sometimes numbering half-a-score individuals, or even
more. The cows and calves, as well as the younger
bulls, on the other hand, associate in family parties, or,
less commonly, in small herds. The cows give birth
either to a single calf or twins, and apparently breed
every year. Although seldom resorting to thick forest,
nilgai specially affect ground covered with thin bush
among which larger trees occur at intervals ; and are
equally partial to open grassy plains with patches of
covert into which they can retire. Frequently they
may be seen feeding among corn-fields ; and this under
a burning noonday sun, since the nilgai is an animal of
diurnal habits, although sometimes resorting to the
shade for a short siesta. In districts where they are in
the habit of resorting to corn-fields for their daily meal, ©
they display remarkable unconcern at the presence of
man; this being largely due to the fact that, as its
name implies, the nilgai is regarded by the Hindus as
a near relation of the sacred cow, and consequently
enjoys immunity from molestation. In deference to
these prejudices, shooting these animals by Europeans
is prohibited in certain districts. In spite of its semi-
sacred character, the flesh of the nilgai is eaten,
however, by most of the Hindus of the Deccan, not
even excepting those jungle-tribes who regard the gaur
in the light of a deity.
On account of the insignificant nature of the trophies
it yields, the bull nilgai is not regarded as worthy game
for the rifle in most parts of India. Its beef may,
however, be useful on occasions to supply a large camp
with food ; the marrow-bones being a delicacy, and the
tongue of good quality. The skin makes excellent
leather, the thinner portions of the hide becoming as
soft and pliable as sambar-leather, while the thicker skin
of the back is suitable for sole-leather.
A writer in the Asian newspaper of 21st February
1899 related the following experiences of nilgai-stalking :
—‘“T have frequently found blue bull wild and difficult
168
~4
The Nilgai, or Blue Bull
to approach, requiring a careful stalk to enable one to
obtain even a long shot. The first one I saw and
‘killed looked so like the village oxen in whose proximity
it was grazing that I had some compunction in shooting
it, whilst my companion entirely mistook it for a
domiceee cow, and thus permitted it to retreat and
meet its fate in my direction. My first shot broke the
-animal’s fore-leg, and it was brought to bay after a
short chase through the bushes byt my fox-terrier, and
finished off with another bullet. The next that fell to
my rifle was a large, almost black bull, that got up out
of a nala close to me in thick jungle, and was
immediately shot, for we were in want of meat. I
then discovered that the unfortunate creature had a
number of dreadful wounds on its back, evidently
inflicted by a tiger some time previously ; and it was
in such an emaciated condition that the flesh did not
appear to be fit for food, although it was eagerly
devoured by the jungle- -men who were with me.”’
The same writer then goes on to refer to the
extraordinary tenacity of life displayed by nilgai when
wounded. “Ihave frequently,” he writes, “experienced
considerable difficulty in killing them, and have known
one travel far with a heavy and well” -placed bullet in
the shoulder, which would have been sufficient to kill
most animals. On another occasion a sportsman with
me shot one of these beasts and proceeded to cut its
throat. When the operation had been partially per-
formed, the animal suddenly jumped up and ran some
distance, but did not attempt to attack its rash assailant.
The blue bull was shot through the lungs, and the
release of the blood at the throat had relieved the
pressure on the chest, and so enabled the animal to
recover for a space.” It is added that in the district
referred to almost every nilgai killed had one or more
bullets, presumably fired by natives, embedded in its
body. When the amount of damage these animals,
in districts where they are numerous, inflict on crops
169
Game Animals of India, etc.
is borne in mind, it is little wonder that, when religious
prejudices do not interfere, war to the death 1s waged
against them.
Man is, however, by no means the only enemy
against whom the nilgai has to be on its guard. Tigers,
as in the instance quoted above, wound or kill a large
number, even of full-grown bulls, while the younger
members of the herd fall victims to the stealthy advance
of the leopard. Wild dogs, too, probably capture a
certain number, especially as they are more easy to run
down than are sambar and other large deer.
It must not, however, be inferred from the last
statement that nilgai are by any means slow movers.
On the contrary, when they are found in country of a
sufficiently open nature to admit of their being ridden
down and speared, the heavy gallop of even an old bull
will call forth the best efforts of a good horse, while on
hard ground it is more than probable that a cow in
prime condition would get away from her pursuer.
However lightly esteemed at the present day, nilgai-
hunting (probably on horseback) was a_ favourite
sport of the Mogul emperors of India; and, as
we learn from Beers account, it was practised by
Aurungzeb on his bi-annual progress between Delhi
and Kashmir. At that date the animals are stated to
have been extraordinarily abundant in certain parts of
the countr
Although old bulls can never be depended upon,
and are always apt to make themselves disagreeable,
nilgai, if captured at a sufficiently early age, can be
readily tamed and broken to harness ; and if it were
worth while, and the animals were sufficiently abundant,
there is little doubt that they would make as Pell
beasts of burden and draught as reindeer.
Like most ruminants which inhabit open and sandy
districts, nilgai can exist with but a small supply of
water ; and it is probable that, in the cold season at
least, they drink only every second or third day, and
170
The Nilgai, or Blue Bull
that they could go for a considerably longer period
without liquid.
Nilgai were first exhibited alive in England in 1767,
when a pair were sent from Bombay as a present to
Lord Clive; a second pair being shortly afterwards
presented to the then queen. In 1862 Senior Comba
introduced a dozen nilgai into his park at Mandria,
Italy ; and ten years later the herd had increased to 172
head, which roamed at complete liberty over the domain.
A small herd is kept by the Duke of Bedford in the
park at Woburn Abbey.
THE CHOUSINGHA, OR FOUR-HORNED
ANTELOPE
(Tetraceros quadricornis)
Native Names.—Chousingha, Chouka, Doda, Hinpvv-
sTaNI ; Bhokra, Phokra, Guzrati; Bhirki at
Sancor; Bhir or THE Gonps; Bhirul oF THE
Burts; Koferi ar Cuutra Nacpur; Kurus or
THE Gonps oF Bastar; Konda-gori, ‘TELEGU ;
Kondguri, Kaulla- Kuri, Canarese 3 ‘fangli-bakri
IN THE Deccan.
(PLATE v, fig. 6)
It is not a little remarkable that while among the
host of antelopes inhabiting Africa not a single species
has developed more than the ordinary pair of horns,
yet that among the few representatives of the group
found in India there should be one with two pairs of
these appendages. It is still more remarkable that the
only other wild four-horned ruminant in the world 1s,
or rather was (for it is extinct, and only known by its
fossilised remains) also an inhabitant of India. The
latter animal is the Sivatherium, of the Siwalik Hills of
Northern India, which is by far the largest of all known
17
Game Animals of India, etc.
ruminants, as the four-horned antelope is one of the
smaller. Although it was at one time thought that
these two singular ruminants were near relatives, later
researches have shown this view to be untenable.
As might be expected, the existence of the extra
pair of horns in the present species is indicated by
some at least of its native names ; chousingha (cha, or
chou, four, and singh, a horn) being the Hindi equivalent
of four-horned antelope. In the Deccan, and apparently
in some parts of the Madras Presidency, where the
front pair of horns is frequently, if not invariably
absent, the animal is known simply as jangli bakri, or
wild goat. By sportsmen it is frequently termed ‘the
chinkara, a name properly belonging to the Indian
gazelle.
Even when the front horns, which are situated
between the eyes of the bucks (the does being horn-
less), are fully developed, they are but poor affairs ;
being frequently little more than knobs, while at their
best they are not known, with one exception, to exceed
24 inches in length. Neither are the back horns, which
are simple pointed spikes, much to boast of in the way
of size, the maximum recorded length being § inches.
As a rule, the length of the front horns seldom exceeds
a little more than half that of the hind pair, but in the
exception alluded to the front pair (3# inches) slightly
exceeds the hind ones (34 inches) in length. This
specimen, which was obtained at Mandla, in the Central
Provinces, is in the possession of Captain B. H. Boucher.
Despite their small size, the presence of two pairs of
horns renders heads much sought after as trophies. In
Madras the front horns are, as mentioned above, seldom
developed ; and if it should turn out that in certain
districts they are invariably absent, and regularly
present in individuals from most other parts, then the
two-horned form would be entitled to rank as a distinct
local race, or sub-species. If that prove to be the case,
the race will have to be known as Tetraceros quadri-
172
Chousingha, or Four-horned Antelope
cornis sub-quadricornutus. Kathiawar specimens have
frequently but one pair of horns.
The chousingha is the Indian representative of the
duiker-boks of Africa ; its affinities to the latter being
indicated, among other features, by the circumstance
that the face-gland takes the form of a narrow deep
slit on the side of the face below the eye, that of the
duiker-boks forming a narrow bare line perforated at
intervals by pores. The muzzle of this antelope is
bare and moist, the tail is short, and the female has
four teats. In size and build the animal may be com-
pared to a small gazelle, the height at the shoulder being
about 25 inches, and the weight some 40 pounds. The
general colour of the short and stiff hair is dull rufous
brown, becoming whitish beneath, with the muzzle,
the outer surface of the ears, and a line down the front
of each leg blackish brown, and some white on the
outer side of the pasterns. The doe may be dis-
tinguished from a female Indian gazelle by the absence
of the face-markings of the latter. More difficulty
may be experienced in distinguishing between a doe
chousingha and a female hog-deer, but the two can
always be separated by the absence in the former of
gland-tufts on the hind-legs.
The four-horned antelope is exclusively Indian,
occurring locally over a great portion of the peninsula,
from the foot of the Himalaya southwards. It is
unknown both in Ceylon and to the eastward of the
Bay of Bengal ; as is true of all the four species of
Indian antelopes, namely the nilgai, the chousingha,
the blackbuck, and the chinkara. Probably the
Burmese countries, from their moist climate, are
unsuited to antelopes of this type, which prefer dry,
open districts ; but whether the same explanation will
account for their absence from Ceylon is not easy to say.
In India the chousingha is to some extent local,
being unknown on the plains of the Ganges, and
likewise on the Malabar coast of Madras. It has been
E73
Game Animals of India, etc.
reported from Sind, and there are skulls in the British
Museum from Kathiawar.. In the wooded districts
of Rajputana it occurs abundantly, and it is equally
common in the Bombay Presidency, as well as in the
Central Provinces and the northern districts of Madras.
Towards the east, in Chattisgarh, Chutia Nagpur, and
Orissa, it becomes more rare, as it does in Mysore,
where it is only occasionally met with ; but it has been
observed on the Nilgiri and the Palni Hills of South-
Western Madras. Along the foot of the Himalaya
it occurs, in suitable districts, from the Punjab in the
north-west to Nepal in the south-east.
The favourite haunts of this little antelope are
districts where the ground is hilly and wooded, but
not encumbered with thick jungle: a country, in fact,
similar to that met with between Rawal Pindi and
Muree, after the plains are left. Unlike blackbuck,
it is not fond of company, and it is seldom that more
than two or three are seen together, while it is
frequently solitary. In these unsocial habits it agrees
with the African duiker-boks, as it does in its partiality
for covert. In constantly keeping in the neighbour-
hood of water, and in drinking regularly once a day,
it differs, however, from the typical duiker-bok, which,
is frequently met with far from water; but in this
respect the Natal duiker-bok comes nearer to the
chousingha, since that species drinks once daily in
cold and twice in hot weather. The pairing-season
of the chousingha takes place during the summer rains,
the young making their appearance during the following
January or February, so that the period of gestation
is about six months. From their shyness these
antelopes are difficult to approach ; when put up, they
start with a peculiar jerky run, which can never be
mistaken ; this jerkiness also characterising their walk.
The fawns are either one or two in number ; and if
taken sufficiently early are easily tamed and make
pleasing pets.
174
Chousingha, or Four-horned Antelope
Most sportsmen say that the flesh of the chousingha
is dry and tasteless, although it may be improved by
being well larded with mutton fat ; but Dr. Blanford,
wrote of it more favourably, although admitting that
it is much inferior to that of the chinkara or the
blackbuck.
THE BLACKBUCK, OR INDIAN ANTELOPE
(Antilope cervicapra)
Native Names.—Eva (male), Harina ann Mirga,
Sanscrit ; Haran or Harna (male), Harni
(female), Kalwit (female) anp Mrig, Hinpv-
sTANI 3 Kala (male), Goria (female), 1n Tiruoort ;
Kalsar (male), Baoti (female), 1n Benar; Bureta
IN BuacaLtpur; Barant and Sasin, NEPALESE ;
Alah (male), Gandoli (female), Baorr; Badu,
Ho Kot; Bamani-haran, Urta anp MaurarTut ;
Phandayat, Mauratur; Kutsar, Korxu; Feli-
man, Lami; Irri (male), Ledi, ann ‘Finkar,
Teecu ; Chigri anp Hule-kara, CANARESE.
(EEATE Vv, figs 5)
Although now in such familiar use as to be an
English word, the name antelope appears originally
to have been employed to denote a fabulous or semi-
fabulous animal; Eustathius, in the fourth century
of our era, alluding by this name to an imaginary
creature dwelling on the banks of the Euphrates,
which was reported to entangle itself in bushes with
its horns, and to saw down trees with the same weapons.
As to the origin of the name there is some degree
of doubt, but it has been suggested that it is a deriva-
tion from Pantholops, the old Coptic title for the
mysterious unicorn. Whatever be its derivation and
origin, it 1s certain that by early English writers and
AUS:
Game Animals of India, etc.
subsequently by the French naturalist Buffon the name
antelope was applied to the present species; and
although, both in its original form and as the Latinised
Antilope, the term has been extended so as to include all
the ruminants commonly known as antelopes, yet it is
to the Indian blackbuck that it properly belongs, and it
is to that species alone that the scientific title Aztzlope
is now restricted. Properly, therefore, the blackbuck
ought to be known as she antelope, although, according
to present usage, if employed at all, the latter name
must be qualified by the prefix Indian.
Although so common, the blackbuck is one of the
most graceful of all antelopes ; and its elegant, spirally
twisted black horns have long been in use in the courts
of Indian rajas as handles to the chowris, or yak-tail
fly-whisks. It is one of the few antelopes in which the
male differs markedly from the female in colour ; the
others being the nilgai and certain kinds of African
bushbucks and kobs. The black livery assumed by
old bucks of this species is indeed a specialised feature ;
fawn being the original colour of all antelopes of this
group. In addition to being the sole representative of
the genus Antilope (in its restricted sense), the black-
buck is likewise the type of a large group, or sub-
family, of antelopes which includes, among others, the
saiga of the Russian steppes, the Tibetan chiru, the
gazelles, and the African springbuck and impala. All
the members of this group are small or medium-sized
antelopes, generally of graceful and slender build,
always with narrow, hairy, sheep-like muzzles, usually
with more or less short tails, and invariably with
narrow, high-crowned cheek-teeth resembling those of
sheep. With the exception of the majority of the
gazelles and the springbuck, horns are normally
developed in the bucks alone. From the gazelles (as
indeed from all other representatives of the group), the
blackbuck is sharply differentiated by the beautiful
spiral horns of the bucks and the sable coat donned by
A570
The Blackbuck, or Indian Antelope
adult members of that sex. Very characteristic is the
large size of the face-glands, which open by a linear
slit, and during the rutting-season are constantly everted
by the bucks. Glands are likewise present in all the
feet, as also in the groin; and the does, as in other
members of the group, have a single pair of teats.
The hoofs are delicate and sharply pointed, and the
knees furnished with tufts of stiff hairs.
In height the blackbuck stands about 32 inches, and
its average weight is about 85 pounds. The long and
slender corkscrew-like horns of the bucks, which arise
near together on the forehead, are cylindrical and
divergent, but display great individual variation in the
degree of divergence. Their spiral is, however, always
comparatively close ; and the ridges, or rings, which
encircle the horn, extend from the base (where they are
more approximated than elsewhere) nearly to the tip.
Usually the number of turns in the spiral is from three
to four, but five is by no means uncommon, and in the
unique example shown in fig. 27 the number reaches
six. In this specimen, which belongs to Mr. A.
O. Hume and was obtained in the Delhi district, the
length, measured in a straight line, is 284 inches, and
the interval between the tips 17% inches. The former
dimension is only known to be exceeded in the case of
a specimen once in the possession of General Sir
Bindon Blood, in which the length is stated to be half-
an-inch more. In horns of over 20 inches in length
the interval between the tips varies from a minimum of
134 to a maximum of 244 inches. Throughout the
greater part of the Indian peninsula blackbuck horns
rarely exceed 22 inches in length, from 16 to 20 inches
being a fair measurement for good specimens. Rajputana
and Hurriana are the districts where the longest horns
are generally met with. In exceptional instances does
develop horns, which are somewhat irregular in shape,
and generally curve more or less backwards.
In does of all ages and in younger bucks the colour
177 N
Game Animals of India, etc.
of the head, upper-parts of the body, and outer sides of
the limbs is yellowish fawn, while the under-parts are
white ; a pale band runs in the fawn a short distance
above the sharp line of division from the white. In
old bucks the colour of the upper-parts is blackish
brown, passing almost into black in aged individuals ;
the nape of the neck is, however, always brownish
rufous, and the front and sides, as well as the face,
with the exception of an irregular white patch round
each eye, are blackish brown. With the acquisition of
the black coat, the light lateral streak disappears from
the flanks of old bucks. Information is required as to
the age at which bucks begin to acquire their sable
dress, and also as to whether this is done by all. A
mounted specimen from Madras in the British Museum,
which appears to be adult, exhibits scarcely any trace of
blackness, and the writer has been informed that such
a condition is common in Southern India. Colonel
Heber Percy states, indeed, in the “ Badminton Library,”
that many full-grown bucks with good heads in all
parts of India never seem to turn black at all, although
the master-buck of a herd is always so at the proper
season. He adds, on the authority of Major Fitz-
Herbert, that the master-buck, with the change of coat
that takes place after the rutting-season in the spring,
turns brown, regaining his full sable hue at the close of
the rains. While he is in the brown dress he resigns
the charge of the herd to a younger buck, who remains
black. Other observers believe that all the bucks
become more or less brown during the hot weather.
The blackbuck is exclusively Indian, occurring
locally from the foot of the Himalaya to the neighbour-
hood of Cape Comorin, but not crossing the Palk
Strait into Ceylon. Ina transverse direction its range
extends from the Punjab to Lower Assam, while its
southern limit appears to be Point Calimere ; it is
unknown on the Malabar coast to the south of the
neighbourhood of Surat, as it is in the swamps of the
+ 978
The Blackbuck, or Indian Antelope
Ganges delta, which are unsuited to its habits. It is,
however, not absolutely unknown in Lower Bengal,
Fic. 27.—Skull and Horns of the Blackbuck, from a specimen in the possession
of Mr. A. O. Hume.
shbourhood of the
since it frequents plains in the neig
coast in Midnapore, as it does those of Orissa. The
‘79
Game Animals of India, etc.
Jhelam and the rivers joining it to flow into the Indus
appear to form the northern boundary of the Indian
antelope in the Punjab. The species is most abundant
in the North-West Provinces, and on the confines of
the Indian desert between Rajputana and the Punjab,
where, as already mentioned, it grows longer and finer
horns than in the south ; but even in these districts it
is only locally and apparently capriciously distributed,
being unknown in many places apparently in every way
etited to its habits. Ihe Mattra district and the
neighbourhood of Meerut are well-known centres for
buck-shooting.
Although often found in the churs, or islands
covered with long grass in the river-valleys, as well as
on the banks of the latter, blackbuck are essentially
inhabitants of open plains, avoiding hilly and forest-clad
districts. No other Indian ruminant occurs in such
extensive herds, and although it is difficult to credit the
statement that in the Hissar district the numbers in a
herd were estimated at between 8000 and 10,000, yet
there is no doubt that in old days these were very large
indeed. More commonly the herds consist of from
about ten to thirty, or even fifty does, attended by a
single master-buck, who does not, however, remain
constantly in charge. The pairing- season takes place
in February or March, the time varying somewhat
according to locality. he young may be either one or
two in number, and as they may be seen of all ages at
all seasons, it would almost seem as if the period of
gestation were not constant, although this is unlikely.
Not unfrequently during the pairing-season the master-
buck separates a particular doe as his special companion,
whom he will not allow to rejoin the herd till the
period is over. Young fawns are frequently concealed
by their dams among grass or bushes ; and occasionally
adults, especially if wounded, will Peart to such covert.
The short grass which partially covers so much of
the plains of India, as well as various kinds of cereal
" 580
The Blackbuck, or Indian Antelope
crops, afford the chief food-supply of the Indian
antelope, grazing taking place at all hours of the day,
although the herd frequently enjoys a period of repose
during the hottest time. Whether blackbuck ever
drink is a matter on which there is a difference of opinion,
but that they can exist without taking liquid seems de-
monstrated by the occurrence of a herd on a narrow
spit of land between the Chilka Salt-Lake in Orissa and
the sea, where for thirty miles the only fresh water
obtainable is derived from wells. Exception has been
taken to this statement, and the suggestion made that
there may be irrigation canals or troughs of water used
for cattle. The spot is, however, I believe, perfectly
barren. That there is nothing improbable in the
statement is evident from the fact that several kinds of
antelopes in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa never
drink for at least many months in succession.
When a herd of blackbuck is frightened and starts
off to escape from intruders, its members invariably
take a number of leaps high in the air, after the manner
of springbuck. After continuing these gambols for a
few hundred yards, the entire herd settles into a
gallop, the speed of which, except under special con-
ditions, easily ensures escape even from the swiftest
greyhounds. Occasionally, indeed, blackbuck have
been pulled down by greyhounds on ordinary ground ;
and on heavy sand, as in parts of Orissa and the Punjab,
as well as on the soft rich pastures of Point Calimere,
to the south of Trichinopoli, they can be taken by dogs
with no great difficulty, as they also can in other
districts when the ground is soft and holding after
heavy rains. Blackbuck have, too, occasionally been
speared by riding down, but it requires a horse with
speed and power of endurance to effect this; an
ordinary horse frequently having considerable difficulty
in overtaking a wounded buck. The flesh of this
antelope is of good quality, although inferior to that of
the chinkara.
181
Game Animals of India, etc.
If captured young, blackbuck can easily be tamed,
but old males are apt to be spiteful, especially during
the pairing-season. During this season they walk
about with a peculiar mincing gait, the head being
thrown back so that the horns lie on the back, and the
face-glands widely opened. At such seasons bucks
frequently utter a peculiar short grunt, the only other
sound the species produces being a hissing by the
does. When in this state of excitement, old bucks are
dangerous both to human beings and to other animals
in their neighbourhood.
The wariness of the species varies in different
districts according to the amount of disturbance to
which the herds are subjected. In districts where there
is little shooting the herds may be approached within
a hundred and fifty yards or less; while they will
frequently allow natives with carts or oxen on their
way to and from ploughing to come comparatively
close. Natives are, indeed, always allowed to approach
nearer than Europeans, and sportsmen sometimes don
the native dress in order to get within range. Solitary
master-bucks are always more difficult to approach than
those with the herds, and to stalk these successfully
demands all the skill and ingenuity of the sportsman.
When engaged in combat for possession of the does,
old bucks are less wary than usual. In stalking a
herd, the plan usually recommended is to walk round
in a semicircle, gradually closing in, and taking only
side glances at the quarry, till within range, when the
shot should be immediately delivered standing. If two
sportsmen are working together, from opposite sides of
the herd, the stalk is rendered much easier. On the
approach of an intruder, some of the does will often
begin to leap into the air, but this by no means implies
that the herd is about to seek safety in flight. A horse,
led by a native groom, or sais, which can be ridden to
within stalking distance, will be found an invaluable
auxiliary in buck-shooting.
182
——— ee ee ee
eS Oe
The Blackbuck, or Indian Antelope
The natives of India have many—for the most part
unsportsmanlike—ways of capturing blackbuck. The
most celebrated is the capture by trained hunting-leopards,
or chitas, which are taken out blindfold in a cart, and
slipped at their quarry when the vehicle has approached
as close as practicable. The hunting-leopard either
secures his prey by a single rush (the speed of which is
almost incredible), or, if he fail in this, gives up the
pursuit in disgust. Another method is to place snares
at intervals over a considerable area of ground, and
then to drive the herd across it, when animals of all
ages and both sexes are taken. A less common plan is
to send a number of tame bucks, upon whose horns
snares are tied, into the herd, when the master-buck
challenges the intruders, and during the fight that
ensues is frequently caught himself.
Colonel Heber Percy describes a method of stalking
by means of a grass-screen and a tame buck and doe
held in check by a long string. When the sportsman
and his attendant come within a convenient distance of
the herd, they set up the movable screen, which is
furnished with a hole through which the muzzle of the
rifle can be thrust, and take up their position behind,
crouching down on their knees. Meanwhile the decoy
buck and doe are incited to walk out in front of the
screen, and soon attract the attention of the master-
buck, who advances to challenge the intruding rival
and carry off the doe. He is, however, somewhat
curious and anxious with regard to the screen, and
endeavours by a flanking movement to ascertain what
is concealed behind. To obviate this the screen must
be constantly shifted round in accordance with the
movements of the buck, till he comes sufficiently near
to afford @ushot.-. It} is said that the decoy , buck
should not be too old, or the herd-buck may be afraid
to challenge him.
A white blackbuck is preserved in the Hon. Walter
Rothschild’s museum at Tring.
183
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE CHIRU,- OR TIBETAN ANTELOPE
(Pantholops hodgsoni)
Native Names.—Tsus (male), Chus (female), Chiru
AND Chuhu, T1pETAN
(PLarTeE v, fig. 4)
Most fabulous animals appear to have a living
prototype, and there seems considerable probability
that the present species may be the one to which the
legend of the unicorn owes its origin. At any rate this
was the opinion of Brian Hodgson, to whom we are
indebted for first making known the chiru, and who
gave it the name of Pantholops, as being an ancient title
of the unicorn. There has long been a tradition to
the effect that the unicorn came from Tibet, and the
long slender horns of the chiru, if seen in profile,
might give rise to the idea of a unicorned animal.
It is further remarkable that in Tibet itself there still
exists a belief in the existence of a unicorn, even in
districts where the chiru itself is a familiar animal.
Possibly, as General Macintyre suggests in The Hindu-
Koh, the legend may be based on a chiru that had lost
one horn.
Whatever may be its relation to the fabled unicorn,
the chiru is an interesting and peculiar member of the
antelope tribe. As shown by the structure of its skull
and teeth, it belongs to the same group as the blackbuck
and the gazelles, although its nearest relative appears to
be the saiga of the Russian steppes. A male chiru
stands from about 31 to 33 inches at the shoulder, and
is distinguishable from all other antelopes by the long,
erect, slightly curved, and sub-lyrate black horns, puffy
nose, hairy muzzle, thick coat of soft and almost woolly
hair, and short bushy tail. The puffiness of the nose is
due to a protuberance situated by the side of each
nostril, which marks the position of a large lateral
184
The Chiru, or Tibetan Antelope
chamber, or sac, in the latter; this being perhaps de-
signed to assist respiration at high altitudes. Another
peculiarity of the chiru is the great development of the
inguinal glands, which form tubes, running up a
considerable distance into the body. Glands are
present between the hoofs of both fore and hind feet ;
but there are none on the face below the eyes. The
horns of the bucks, which rise close together a short
distance above the eyes, and are remarkable for their
fine grain, are compressed from side to side, and carry
a number of bold transverse ridges on the front surface
for the greater part of their length, but are smooth
behind ; their general shape has been already mentioned,
but it may be added that they curve slightly forwards
at the tips. Chiru-horns are remarkable for their
constancy in size and shape ; the largest pair on record
are the property of Mr. A. O. Hume, and measure
272 inches in length along the curve, with a basal
circumference of 64 inches.
The coat is so thick and upright as to feel almost
like the wool of a South Down sheep, and thus forms
an efficient protection against the winter cold of the
elevated regions to which the animal is _ restricted.
There is considerable variation in the colour of bucks.
In a specimen, probably from Ladak, figured by Dr.
Blanford in the Zoology of the Second Yarkand Expedition,
the whole of the upper-parts and outer sides of the
limbs are pale fawn-colour (light rufous brown), while
the under side of the head and neck is greyish white,
and the inner surface of the ears, a streak down each
buttock, the belly, and the hinder half of the inner
surface of the upper portion of the limbs are white.
The whole of the face below the horns, and the front
surfaces of both limbs are dark brown or black. On
the other hand, in a mounted buck from the north of
Sikhim exhibited in the British Museum the fawn-
colour only occupies the middle of the back, the parts
in front and behind this being dirty white ; while on
185
Game Animals of India, etc.
the fore-limb the black band commences on the side
of the chest and extends on to part of the outer side
of the leg, although in the hind-leg the whole outer
surface, as well as the front, as’ black. In both
specimens the black is continuous over the whole of
the face ; but in a head from Changchenmo figured in
Kinloch’s Large Game Shooting in Tibet, etc., the black
is patchy, and does not extend continuously over the
face, the same condition obtaining in a head from the
same district presented by Mr. Walter Rothschild to
the British Museum. About the same amount of
black is noticeable on the face of a buck shot in Ladak
by Major Powell Cotton, but the dark stripe on the
fore-leg is narrower than usual, partially interrupted,
and stops short at the upper pastern, instead of
descending to the hoof, while in the hind-leg the dark
markings are wanting. Since there is no evidence that
these variations are local peculiarities, they must for the
present be regarded as individual. They are nevertheless
decidedly noteworthy.
Although General A. A. Kinloch, who was one of
the first sportsmen to describe the chiru in its native
haunts, states that the females have short horns, other
observers have shown that this sex is hornless. The
does, which have two teats, lack the black markings of
the bucks.
The skull of a chiru is remarkable and unmistakable
on account of the great relative size of the aperture and
cavity of the nose.
Although the chiru was first made known to science
in 1826 and more fully described by Brian Hodgson
eight years later, it was comparatively little known to
sportsmen before the appearance of General Kinloch’s
book on big game shooting in 1869. It is there stated
that although horns had been previously brought by
traders to Naini Tal and Darjiling, it was not till some
few years before 1869 that the animal had been killed
by an English sportsman. The fortunate individual
* 186
:
:
The Chiru, or Tibetan Antelope
appears to have been the late Mr. Wilson, of Mussorie,
a well-known “Shikari,” who shot chiru on _ the
Changchenmo river, in North-Eastern Ladak. Since
that time Changchenmo has become a favourite hunt-
ing-ground for this antelope, which has also been
killed farther eastwards, in the neighbourhood of the
Manasarowar Lake, and elsewhere.
Chiru are confined to the arid districts of Tibet
lying beyond the snowy range of the Himalaya, but
their exact limits are not yet ascertained. Westwards
they extend into North-Eastern Ladak, and they have
been obtained in Hundes, across the Niti Pass, as well
as in Northern Tibet. Probably they inhabit the
whole Tibetan plateau. From 13,000 to 18,000 feet
are the elevations at which they are commonly found in
Ladak, but at times they doubtless ascend to higher
elevations. Although they are not unfrequently called
snow-antelope, this is by no means a satisfactory name,
as the greater part of the country in which chiru are
found is free from snow in summer, and does not
receive a great amount even in winter. In Ladak
favourite haunts of chiru in summer are the grassy
flats bordering the plains of the Changchenmo river,
where the present writer made his acquaintance with
the species. They are also to be found in other parts
of the Changchenmo valley, where deep ravines lead
from the higher grounds to the river valley.
At the time of his visit the present writer used to
see only some half-dozen chiru on the plain at once,
but cannot recollect whether there were females among
them. General Kinloch states, however, that at the
date of his trips to Changchenmo does were hardly ever
seen there, and that although he met with herds of from
sixty to seventy bucks, on only one occasion did he
recognise a doe among them, and this in three visits.
On the other hand, Mr. Darrah, in his Sport in the
Highlands of Kashmir, mentions on one occasion having
seen a party comprising three does and two bucks in
187
Game Animals of India, etc.
Changchenmo ; and General Macintyre likewise tells of
having seen mixed herds. Owing to the reluctance of
sportsmen to shoot them, specimens of female chiru are
rare in collections.
The writer’s own experience of the difficulty of
getting within range of chiru on the Changchenmo flats
is confirmed by General Kinloch, who states that he
frequently found it a good plan to drive them. The
banks above these flats are very steep, and as it is only
in certain places that the chiru can ascend them, if the
sportsman places himself in the most favourable of
these paths, and sends a native to drive the game
towards him, he will stand a chance of getting a shot,
when it would be impossible by stalking.
July and August are the best months for shooting
in Changchenmo, as the river-flats are then free from
snow and carry an abundant crop of grass, to which the
chiru descend for grazing in the morning and evening.
In the early part of the summer, according to the
observations of the last-named sportsman, the chiru
apparently frequent the higher and more exposed plains
and slopes, on which the snow cannot lie. As the snow
which has accumulated during the winter on the river-
flats melts, the antelopes gradually descend. At no
time of the year do they frequent precipitous ground.
After their morning feed on the flats in summer, they
seek higher and more exposed situations in which to
pass the day until it is time to descend again for the
evening meal. When reposing for the day, they are
reported to excavate deep hollows in the stony ground,
in which they lie with only their heads and horns
exposed to view.
Like all Tibetan animals, chiru appear to depend as
much on sight as on smell to warn them of the approach
of enemies. According to Brian Hodgson, who seems
to have derived his information from native reports,
chiru pair in winter, and the does give birth to their
fawns (of which there is but one at a time) in the
188
The Chiru, or Tibetan Antelope
summer. In summer they are much troubled with
bots, and their skins are then difficult to preserve
in good condition. The Ladakis, who, like most
uneducated people, endeavour to find a reason for
every peculiarity of structure they do not understand,
have a theory that, when pursued, the chiru inflate
their inguinal glands with air, and are thus enabled to
increase their speed! General Macintyre describes the
flesh of these antelopes as tender and juicy.
The chiru has never been exhibited alive in England ;
and it is doubtful if it would survive the journey to
the plains of India.
EE. GOA OR TIBETAN GAZEEER
(Gazella picticaudata)
Native Names.—Goa or Ragao, T1BETAN
(Pate Vv, fig. 9)
Of the three species of gazelle found within the
limits of the area treated of in this book, one has horns
in both sexes, while in the other two the females are
hornless. The goa is one of the two latter, and is
specially distinguished by a white disk on the buttocks,
surrounding the tail, and the peculiar and sharp back-
ward curvature of the horns of the bucks, which are
not distinctly hooked at the tip, and have somewhat
the shape of a native Indian scimitar, or salwar.
Another peculiarity of the goa, which is, however,
shared by its larger relative the Mongolian gazelle, is
the absence of the dark and light face-streaks occurring
in most members of the genus. The tail and ears, as
compared with those of more typical gazelles, are short.
Another peculiarity is the absence of the usual face-
glands below the eyes, the position of which is indicated
189
Game Animals of India, etc.
by naked spaces. The tufts of long hairs at the knees,
present in so many gazelles, are likewise wanting in the
goa. In winter the hair becomes long and soft, but
the summer coat is much shorter. The black horns of
the bucks have the transverse ridges less strongly
marked but more crowded together than in other
Asiatic gazelles, their number reaching to between
twenty-five and thirty in old individuals. Fourteen
and a half inches is the longest length recorded for
goa-horns: this measurement being that of a pair
from Hanle, in Spiti, belonging to the Hon. Walter
Rothschild. There are numerous examples ranging
between 13 and 134 inches in length.
A full-grown goa stands from 24 to 25 inches at the
shoulder. In winter the colour of the hair on the head
and back is light sandy fawn, with a grizzly tinge due
to the pale tips of the hairs ; but the summer coat is
more distinctly grey. The under-parts are white, with
the line of division from the fawn of the back not very
strongly marked ; on the buttocks the white area forms
a large patch, including the tail, and round this disk
the fawn of the back assumes a more rufous tint than
elsewhere. The tip of the tail is dark rufous brown or
black ; and it was from this feature that Brian Hodgson
gave to the goa the name picticaudata.
The goa, sometimes miscalled the Tibetan ravine-
deer, has much the same geographical distribution as
the chiru, being restricted to the Tibetan plateau,
where it is met with at elevations between 13,000 and
18,000 feet. It likewise frequents the same kind of
ground as the latter, avoiding rocky and steep localities,
and selecting undulating plains and gently sloping
valleys. In early summer goa are found in small herds,
which apparently include animals of both sexes and of
all ages ; but by September, or somewhat earlier, the
old bucks separate themselves from the herds, and go
about in small parties of from two to four or five head.
Although difficult to approach, goa are unlike many
190
The Goa, or Tibetan Gazelle
Himalayan ruminants in that, when fired at, they do
not go straight away, but, after running for a certain
distance, stop and begin to feed again, thus affording
the sportsman a second chance. When running off,
the white hairs of the rump-patch are partially erected
and expanded, in the same manner as in Japanese deer ;
the white patch in both cases serving as a guide for the
members of a herd to follow their leaders in flight.
The grey summer-coat renders goa difficult to detect,
and affords them the best protection at the season when
the ground is free from snow. In their winter dress
they may accord better with a snow-clad landscape.
In regard to goa-shooting, Mr. H. Z. Darrah, in
Sport in the Highlands of Kashmir, recommends the
sportsman who is on the ground in late summer to
avoid the herds, and confine his attentions to the small
parties of old bucks. If these are seen moving towards
ground where there seems to be a chance of getting
within range, the sportsman should make a circuit, and
endeavour to intercept them. Under other conditions,
it is preferable to advance straight towards them in the
hope of driving them out into the open. Lastly,
whether at short or long range, a shot should be taken
whenever an opportunity presents itself, as, owing to
the habit already mentioned, in the event of a miss,
there is no fear of the game taking themselves beyond
hope of pursuit. Large herds, when on open ground,
will let nothing approach within 400 yards ; and it is
impossible to drive them on to broken ground, for the
reason that they refuse to go.
The goa’s chief enemies, other than man, are
probably the snow-leopard, the Tibetan lynx, the wild
dog, and the Tibetan wolf, the same animals likewise
preying on the chiru. The fawns of both species are
doubtless also carried off more or less frequently by
eagles.
IgI
\
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE: GOTEREDEGAZELLE
(Gazella subgutturosa)
Native Names.— hu, Persian ; Kik or Saikik AND
Fairan, Turki
(PLaTE Vv, fig. 8)
Although resembling the goa in the absence of horns
in the female, the goitred gazelle is a very different
animal, easily distinguished by a peculiar dilateable
swelling in the throat of the bucks, the absence of a
large white patch on the buttocks, the longer tail, the
form of the horns, which are lyrate, with the tips
somewhat turned inwards, and the presence of glands on
the face below the eyes, and of more or less distinct
dark face-markings. In the dilateable larynx, which
produces the swelling in the throat, the species is in fact
nearly allied to the rather larger Mongolian gazelle,
from which it differs in possessing face-markings, as
well as by the greater length of the tail, which is
crested with black or blackish-brown hair, and the
longer horns.
The goitred gazelle is one of those ruminants in
which the summer and winter coats are very different,
owing to the much greater length and shagginess of the
latter, so that there is considerable difference in the
appearance of the animal at the two seasons. In the
bucks the lyrate horns diverge near the base, and have
the tips turned inwards and converging, so that in a
side view they present a not very strongly marked
S-like curvature ; and the ridges on the horns are
pronounced, and vary in number from sixteen to
twenty-five. In the long winter coat the colour is paler
than in summer, but the general coloration is as
follows :—The upper-parts are rufescent sandy, while
the under-portions, parts of the inner and front surfaces
192
~~ : > <= ee Po ree
Sm ee eS es SS
The Goitred Gazelle
of the legs, and the buttocks up to but not including
the tail, are white; the white and the fawn being
distinctly defined, and separated by a darker band both
on the flanks and the buttocks. In the winter coat the
face is also often more or less white, and always shows
a longitudinal stripe of fawn below each eye, while
there may be a more or less distinct dark nose-streak.
In old animals these dark face-markings differ from
those of other members of the genus except the Marica
gazelle of Arabia (in which the females are horned) in
that the central dark band, when present, is interrupted
on the forehead, which is thus pure white. In the
summer coat of the typical race there is a pale line
above the dark band on the flanks: The tail, which
is of the length obtaining in ordinary gazelles, and
thus unlike the stump to which it is reduced in
the Mongolian species, is blackish brown or black on
fhe upper, suriace.’” From 24 to 27 inches isi the
approximate shoulder-height.
Such is the general description of the species,
but there are at least three local races of Gazella
subgutturosa ; and it is owing to the existence of these
local forms that the animal is called the goitred gazelle
instead of Persian gazelle. ‘The reason for this is that
if we call the species the Persian gazelle, and then
speak of one variety as the Yarkand, and a second as the
Altai gazelle, it looks as though we were dealing with
three distinct species. By the other plan the species is
designated as the goitred gazelle, while its races are
respectively distinguished as the Persian, Yarkand,
and Altai goitred gazelles.
It is to the typical or Persian race (G. gutturosa
typica), as the only one found within the area treated of
in this volume, that attention is directed. Fig. 28
represents a buck from Tehran, in the winter coat,
which was living in the park at Woburn Abbey if
1899, and is now mounted in the British Museum.
The condition of the horns, in which the ridges are
193 fe)
Game Animals of India, etc.
unworn and continued right down to the base, shows
that the animal is adult, although not aged. The
height at the withers is about 24 inches; and the
horns are relatively long and carry fully twenty ridges.
When photographed, there was a short but distinct
dark streak on each side of the face from the eye
towards the angle of the mouth, but none along the
middle of the face, which is white. At the time of its
death these lateral marks had almost disappeared,
leaving the whole face white. This slight development
of the face-markings seems characteristic of adult
bucks of the Persian race in Persia itself. In younger
bucks and in does of all ages these markings are more
developed, the cheek-lines being longer and broader,
and the frontal line likewise conspicuous. The whole
face is greyish, and the hair of the upper-parts darker
and greyer.
The head of a male shown in plate v, fig. 8, which
was obtained by Mr. T. W. Greenfield in Baluchistan
and presented by him to the British Museum, differs
from the Woburn Abbey buck by the stronger
development of the face-markings. The horns, which
indicate an animal of approximately the same age as
the latter, are of nearly the same relative length, and
carry about the same number of ridges. The strongly
defined face-markings comprise one frontal and two
cheek streaks, as in does; the former terminating
some distance above the muzzle in the shape of an
inverted V. For the greater part of their length these
streaks are bright fawn-colour, passing into a blackish
brown patch near the middle of their length. In spite
of this fuller development of the face-markings, this
specimen should perhaps be assigned to the typical
race, although showing an approximation in the feature
mentioned to the Yarkand form.
Two pairs of horns presented in 1889 by Dr.
Aitchison to the British Museum apparently indicate
that it is the Persian race which is found in
194
The Goitred Gazelle
Afghanistan. Dr. Aitchison brought home living
specimens of this gazelle, which he presented to the
London Zoological Gardens ; and a descendant of one
of these is stated to form the subject of the plate of
the Persian gazelle in the Book of Antelopes, although
it would seem that the artist has largely used the
Fic. 28.—Persian Goitred Gazelle at Woburn Abbey, from a photograph by the
Duchess of Bedford.
British Museum spegamen of the Altai race in making
the figure.
If the eaene determinations are correct, the
typical Persian race of the goitred gazelle isan
inhabitant of the Caucasus, Ge Minor, Persia,
Baluchistan, and Afghanistan, although its northern
limits are not defined. Gazella subguiturosa typica is
found everywhere in the Persian highlands, from an
elevation of about 3000 to some 4000 feet above the
sea-level, but is unknown in the plains berdering the
i eTS
Game Animals of India, etc.
Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, while in the central
deserts of the country it may be more or less replaced
by G. dennetti. With the exception that it is more of a
desert animal, its habits are apparently very similar to
those of the ordinary Indian gazelle. The late Sir O.
B. St. John states that, like the ghor-khur, it especially
affects the salt-deserts, and is thus probably able to
exist for long periods without drinking. It appears to
breed in the sheltered valleys at the foot of the hills,
and is commonly seen in small parties of from three to
half-a-dozen head. When it has a fair start, the
Persian gazelle will get clear away from the fleetest
greyhounds ; but if suddenly roused when reposing in
a hollow, or when the ground is heavy from rain, bucks
may be pulled down by good dogs. In Baluchistan
its habits are doubtless similar.
The Yarkand race of the species (G. subgutturosa
yarcandensis) was described in 1879 by Dr. W. T.
Blanford in the Scientific Results of the Second Yarkand
Expedition, where a coloured plate is given of a group
in the summer dress. These specimens came from the
neighbourhood of Yarkand and Kashgar. In the
original description the Yarkand gazelle was stated to
differ principally from the typical Persian gazelle in the
much darker face-markings, and the smaller divergence
of the horns of the bucks. It was also said to be
probably larger, although not much importance was
attached to this point, on account of a presumed
variation in size of the typical race. The largest
pumber of ridges on any of the Yarkand horns is
fourteen. The colour of the upper-parts is described
as light rufous brown (fawn). In the coloured plate
the face-markings are represented as strongly developed,
the middle one running right up the forehead, where
it splits \to terminate at the base of each horn ; between
the dark \bands, with the exception of a narrow streak,
the greater part of the face is fawn-coloured like the
back, so that there is an absence of white on the
\ 196
Se a oe
eee es ee ee eee ae ee eee a
‘QUINT ‘O “VW “AJA, JO worqoaT]O9 ay} ul suauoads wWo1g
‘g]]azZeH) paszoy ayy jo savy (PF ‘E) uvisiog puv ($ ‘z ‘1) pueyie A jo susofFy pur s[[nyg—"be ‘org
niaM
Game Animals of India, etc.
forehead. The white on the buttocks is represented
as extending more on to the sides than is the case
with the typical Persian gazelle in winter dress.
The horns in a number of skulls of this gazelle
collected by the late Mr. Dalgleish in Yarkand and
presented by Mr. Hume to the British Museum are
longer and stouter than those of the typical Persian
gazelle, and specially characterised by the less numerous
ridges, which seldom exceed sixteen. The degree of
divergence of the horns varies, and does not seem to
be of much importance. A pair from Yarkand in the
possession of Mr. Hume measures 16 inches in length
along the curve and 5 inches in basal circumference.
It thus seems that the Yarkand gazelle is a well-
characterised race, distinguished from the typical
Persian gazelle by superior size, the longer and less
numerously ridged horns, the more pronounced face-
markings, the fawn-coloured forehead, and the greater
amount of white on the buttocks. An approach to the
Yarkand race is, however, so far as face-markings are
concerned, made by the representative of this gazelle
from Baluchistan; while a Persian skull presented
by Dr. Blanford to the British Museum has horns
more like those of the Yarkand race than is usually
the case.
The skulls shown in fig. 29 came from Eastern
(Chinese) Turkestan, two of them being from Lob
Nor, on the western border of that territory near the
Gobi desert. They are thus within the distributional
area of the present species; that of the Mongolian
gazelle being Northern and Eastern Mongolia. They
are, moreover, much longer than typical horns of that
species, and apparently present no characters by which
they can be distinguished from those of the present
animal. Moreover, the nasal bones of these skulls
have the notched terminal extremities by which the
goitred gazelle may be distinguished from both the goa
and the Mongolian gazelle, in which the terminal
198
The Goitred Gazelle
extremities of these bones are entire. The same
notching of the nasals is observable in the unusually
long-horned skull from Kuldja shown in fig. 30. The
range of the Yarkand goitred gazelle apparently extends
from Eastern Turkestan to Lob Nor and the confines
of the Gobi desert.
Fic. 30.—Sku!1 and Horns of the Yarkand Gazelle from Kuldja, in the
possession of Sir E. G. Loder.
Gazella subgutturosa also ranges into the Altai,
where it is represented by a third local race. An adult
buck presented to the British Museum in 1891 by Mr.
St. George Littledale, and shot in the Sair, or Saiar
Mountains, in the Great Altai on the north-western
border of Mongolia, nearly due east of a point midway
£90
Game Animals of India, etc.
between the Semipalatinsk and the Semirechinsk Altai,
in latitude 86° E., longitude 47° N., is considerably
larger than the typical Persian race, standing about
27 inches at the shoulder. The advanced age of this
specimen is indicated by the nearly smooth, slightly
wrinkled band at the base of the ridged portion of the
horns ; the ridges themselves being somewhat worn
and about twelve in number. Compared with the
above-mentioned Baluchi head of the Persian race, it
seems evident that the horns are of a perfectly distinct
type. In the few ridges on the horns the Altai goitred
gazelle comes nearer to the Yarkand race, although the
horns are shorter. Moreover, with the exception of a
pale fawn-coloured streak running from below each eye,
the face is devoid of markings and nearly white ; this
distinguishing the Altai animal markedly from the
Yarkand race. Although larger than a mounted
specimen of the Persian race, the Altai buck has shorter
horns. It has also shorter hoofs, but this difference
may be due to the nature of the ground on which the
animals lived.
The following notes on the habits of this race were
furnished by Mr. A. O. Hume. “In Yarkand and
Kashgar they are found throughout the forest belt, and
in the deserts bordering these for some thirty miles or
so on either side of these belts. Wherever there is
cultivation they may be found in its neighbourhood.
They cannot remain anywhere very far from water, for
they drink regularly, and their paths to the water
through the desert and through the jungle can always
be distinctly traced ; but they cross the desert north of
the Tarim to the high-road and the cultivation about
it, and so are found northwards to the base of the
Thian-Shan. Though often seen in the desert, where
they sleep out in the open in the daytime, and where
they spend the night, they resort to the forest or jungle
or the edges of cultivation morning afd evening, to
graze and drink. They never ascend the mountains,
200
eS aS ress
The Goitred Gazelle
though they may be found in the outer ravines of
these, and their range may be said to be from 3500 to
5000 feet, or perhaps at Kilian to 6000 feet.”
THE, CHIKARA, OR -INDIANSGAZE LIER
(Gazella bennett)
Native Names.—Chinkara, Chikara, anpd Kalpunch,
Hinpustani; Phaskela rn THE Nortu-West
Provinces; sk, Ast, and Ahu, Barucui ;
Khazm, Branut; Kalsipi or THE MaAnurattas ;
Tiska, Budari, anv Mudari, Canarese ; Sankhali
IN Mysore; Porsya (male), Chari (female),
Baori ; Burudu-jinka, TELEGU
CREATE V, figs. 7, 74)
Although the chinkara must have been known to
Anglo-Indian sportsmen at least since the commence-
ment of the last century, it was not recognised as a
distinct species till the year 1831, having previously
been confounded with the Arabian gazelle. In the
year mentioned it was named Antilope bennetti by Colonel
Sykes in honour of Mr. E. T. Bennett, at that time
secretary of the Zoological Society of London ; and
when the gazelles were separated from the genus
Antilope to form a group by themselves the species
changed its name to Gazella bennetti. By many
sportsmen this gazelle is commonly spoken of by its
Hindustani title of chinkara, and no better name could
be desired ; but, unfortunately, it has also acquired the
name of “ravine deer,’ which is one of the worst
misnomers in existence, as if there are two groups of
animals which ought not to be confounded, they are
antelopes and deer.
The chinkara is a more typical gazelle than either of
the species hitherto described ; that is to say, it agrees
201
Game Animals of India, etc.
with the majority of the members of that group in
leading characters, so that it has to be distinguished by
comparatively minute details, but as the chinkara is the
only one of the more typical gazelles inhabiting India,
there is no difficulty in its identification.
From both the goa and the goitred gazelle the
chinkara differs in that the doe is furnished with horns.
The fact that the horns of the bucks do not turn in at
the tips serves at once to distinguish the species from
the goitred gazelle (from which it also differs by the
absence of the swelling in the throat of the bucks),
while the want of a large white tail-patch (to say
nothing of the difference in the curvature of the horns)
separates it from the goa.
In size this species is approximately equal to the
Persian race of the goitred gazelle, the height being
about 23 or 24 inches at the withers and 264 inches at
the rump; while a buck weighs about 50 Ibs., and a
doe from 10 to 1§ lbs. less. Although from to to 12
inches is the average length of the horns of bucks, and
their basal girth about 4 “inches, specimens respectively
measuring 144 and 1§ inches in length are recorded,
the longer of these having a basal iccantecence an
5 ye Female horns are smaller, 8 inches being
apparently the longest on record.
In bucks the horns are nearly straight, showing a
small lateral divergence when viewed from the front,
but with a slight S-like curvature when seen from
the side, with the tips bending somewhat forwards.
Generally the number of ridges on each horn is fifteen
or sixteen, but there are seventeen or eighteen in the
specimen shown in fig. 313 and it is stated that
there may be as many as twenty-five. In the female
of the Indian race the horns are devoid of ridges.
The face has distinct glands, opening by small
apertures below each eye ; and the knees are furnished
with the usual tufts of stiff hairs.
The chinkara has the usual gazelle face-markings
202
The Chinkara Gazelle
well developed ; the general colour of the upper-parts
is light chestnut, becoming somewhat darker at the
junction with the white of the flanks and buttocks,
although not showing either a distinct dark lateral band
or a pale band ; while the chin, chest, under-parts, and
a streak on the sides of the buttocks are white, the
white stopping short of the root of the tail. The tail
is dark brown or black; but
the knee-tufts are somewhat
variable in colour, although
frequently dark brown. The
face has a whitish streak run-
ning down each side, ‘externally
to which is a_ rufous stripe,
while the middle, from the
roots of the horns to the nostrils,
is dark rufous, sometimes with
a dusky patch above the nose.
In Sind and the Indian desert
the chinkara assumes a_ paler
tone, as is commonly the case
with desert animals ; and if this
difference be considered worthy
of subspecific distinction, the
desert form should be known :
as Gazella bennetti christyt. Pigs 41.—Flead of che Cee
The range of the chinkara from a specimen shot by Mr.
extends from the plains and Neue
low hills of North-Western and Central India
through Baluchistan to the eastern shore of the Persian
Gulf. The Baluchi and Persian form differs, however,
in certain characters of the female, and is referred toa
distinct race. The Indian, or typical race (G. bennett
typica), unless the pale Sind variety be separated, is
found in suitable localities over a considerable area of
the peninsula, being met with all over the Punjab,
Sind, Rajputana, the North-West Provinces, and the
Bombay Presidency, with the exception of the Western
203
Game Animals of India, etc.
Ghats and the Konkan. In Central India it occurs as
far east as Palamow and the western portion of Sarguja ;
in the Central Provinces it has been met with as far to
the eastward as Seoni and Chanda; while it also occurs
in Hyderabad territory, and in the Madras Presidency
to some distance south of the Kistna valley, having
been recorded from Anantapur, to the south of Kurnul,
as well as in the north of Mysore.
The chinkara is allied to the Arabian and Muscat
gazelles (G. arabica and muscatensis), as well as to the
Dorcas gazelle (G. dorcas) of North Africa.
In general habits the chinkara is similar to the
majority of the members of its genus, being generally
found in small parties of from two to half-a-dozen
individuals, although on rare occasions as many as
from ten to twenty may be seen in company. Seldom
frequenting alluvial plains, and avoiding cultivated land
to a greater extent than the blackbuck, the chinkara 1s
partial to more or less sandy, open tracts of uncultivated
lands, especially those cut up by ravines ; the sand-hills
of the Indian desert being favourite resorts of the
species. It is, however, by no means confined to open
country, being often met with in thin bush or tree-
jungle ; while, where the country is suitable, it may
be found on the tops of hills. Grass and the leaves
of bushés and shrubs form its chief nutriment ; and
although partial to the luscious grass growing in the
neighbourhood of water, it is believed by some observers
never to drink, being often found during the hot season
where there is no water except in deep wells. Even
in places where water is found, Dr. Blanford states
that he never saw the footprints of gazelles among
those of animals that came to drink at the pools. The
writer of a review of the original edition of this work
in the Asian newspaper disputes this opinion in the
following words :—“I have seen a chinkara,” he writes,
“in the act of drinking, when I was waiting one
evening for a panther, near a pool of water. In one
204
The Chinkara Gazelle
locality during a drought, the gazelles used to troo
down in numbers to the wooden troughs by the wells,
as evidenced by their tracks. There were regular
beaten paths made by their footmarks, and they drank
under cover of darkness.”’
This gazelle is much troubled, during the rainy
season, in Harriana, at any rate, by bots under the skin
at the root of the tail ; and the following incident, for
the truth of which the anonymous author must be
responsible, appeared in the Asian newspaper of
7th November 1899 :—“ While out shooting in the
Harriana district during the month of February a
couple of years ago, I was greatly interested and amused
by the antics of a fox and a herd of chinkara I was
stalking. I had got behind a hay-rick about 50 yards
from the herd, when I observed a fox cautiously creep
out from his burrow and stalk the buck nearest me.
On getting to within about a yard of the buck, the
fox crouched and commenced shaking himself from side
to side just as a cat does preparatory to springing.
The buck prepared to meet the attack by coming to
the charge, but hardly had he done so, when the fox
sprang at him and caused him to give a big bound to
one side. These tactics over, the fox promptly started
snifing about and greedily devouring something he
found. The operation I have described above was
repeated about a dozen times with different members
of the herd, when I cut the proceedings short with a
shot. I rolled over the buck I fired at, and getting to
the place where he lay hunted about to ascertain what
the fox had been devouring. I found several whitish
grubs, about the size and appearance of a newly formed
chrysalis of the wild silkworm, lying about, and was at
a loss to know how they came there till the buck I
had shot was skinned. I then discovered about fifty
or sixty of these grubs [bots] all along the spinal column
under the skin, the larger ones partly protruding.
Indeed, the skin, when it was removed and stretched,
205
Game Animals of India, etc.
looked as if a charge of No. 1 shot had been put
into it.
“Here then was the mystery of the performance I
had witnessed. The whole thing seemed quite clear
to my mind and prearranged. The fox gave the
chinkara a start to make him bound, and the act of
bounding, by tightening the skin, expelled the mature
bots, and so provided him with a dainty morning meal,
while it rid the chinkara of a painful and troublesome
pest. I shot some five or six more chinkara after
this, and they were one and all similarly infested with
those bots, while curious to say four blackbuck I shot
were quite free from them.”
According to the observations of Sir Walter Elliot,
chinkara bucks fight after the manner of rams, running
at one another from a short distance, and striking their
heads together with great violence. When alarmed,
the chinkara stamps smartly with the fore - feet,
like a sheep, at the same time uttering a loud hiss,
whence it derives its Canarese name of Tirka. Does
may often be seen followed by a pair of fawns; but
neither the pairing-time nor the duration of gestation
is definitely known, although the reviewer just quoted
states that the ea are in some cases at any rate born
in winter.
The flesh of the chinkara is of excellent quality
for the table, being much superior to that of the
blackbuck ; and as the species 1s so frequently found
in broken oround, where stalking is comparatively easy,
it affords very pretty shooting with a small-bore rifle,
although the smallness of the mark renders accurate
shooting essential. In spite of their general wildness
chinkara do not go far when disturbed, so that with
patience a shot is in most cases obtainable. On the
fringe of the Indian Desert, where covert is scarce, a
steady shooting horse, or, still better, a riding camel,
is often essential to enable the sportsman to get within
range. Fidgety and restless at times, and even when
7 "206
The Chinkara Gazelle
o their tails from side to
feeding constantly switching
side, these gazelles when frightened invariably start off
at once at a racing oallop, without the preliminary
bounds so characteristic of their cousin the Indian
antelope. Their speed is so great, and their endurance
so marked, that it is seldom that they can be overtaken
by dogs, although such a feat has been occasionally
accomplished. The natives of certain parts of India
were formerly, at any rate, in the habit of hunting the
chinkara with the aid of the saker falcon, the bird being
first flown at the animal, so as to strike it on the head
and render it confused, when the greyhounds were
slipped to rush in and pull it down.
Whether the Baluchi chinkara is entitled to rank as
a distinct race may be open to doubt, but as it has
received a name, it may be alluded to as Gazella bennetti
fuscifrons. It was originally named by Dr. Blanford in
1873 on the evidence of a female head obtained by Sir
O. B. St. John at Jalk, in Northern Baluchistan. Its
claim to distinction is that the horns of this sex are
distinctly, although not very prominently, ridged or
ringed, and that the darker portions of the face are
dark brown instead of rufous. When the male was
discovered, it was found not to differ perceptibly from
the ordinary Indian chinkara, except that the horns are
a little more curved backwards, and slightly more lyrate
when viewed from the front. From Baluchistan the
chinkara extends to the head of the Persian Gulf in the
neighbourhood of Bushire. There it inhabits the low
country, as it does in Baluchistan, not ranging above
the 3000 feet level, where it is replaced by the goitred
gazelle, easily recognised, even at a comparatively long
distance, by its lighter colour.
207
THE HANGUL, OR KASHMIR STAG
Native Names.—Hangul, Honglu (male), Minyamar
(female), KasHmiri ; Barasingha, Hinpustant
From other representatives of the typical ruminants
the majority of the deer tribe are distinguished by the
cranial appendages of the males taking the form of
antlers, which are periodically shed and again renewed,
and in most Asiatic species are more or less branched.
In no deer dealt with in the present volume are the
hinds normally provided with antlers; while in the
few species in which these appendages are lacking in
both sexes, the bucks are provided with long sabre-like
upper tusks projecting below the margin of the lip.
In the latter respect these uncrowned species resemble
chevrotains, or mouse-deer, from which, however, they
are distinguished by important anatomical features.
The mode of replacement and growth of antlers, as
well as their structural difference from horns properly
so called, have so often been described, that a repetition
on this occasion is unnecessary. It may be observed,
however, that in the species in which they eventually
attain a more or less complex development, the antlers
are more simple 1 in the young than in the adult ; their
complexity increasing year by year till a certain period
of life, after which they commence to degenerate, or
“50 panes
Most deer are characterised by the marked difference
between the colour of the winter and summer coats ;
the general tone of the former being some shade
of grey or brown, while that of the latter is
chestnut or rufous. Among species exhibiting this
colour-change in great perfection are the American
Game Animals of India, etc.
(Cervus cashmirianus)
(PLATE vi, fig. 1)
ee Te a ee eee eee es
208
s oe
eee oe
1. Hangul.
2. Shou.
3. Thorold’s Deer.
4. Indian Sambar.
Prare VI
5. Malay Sambar.
6. Chital.
7. Swamp-Deer.
8. Thamin.
209
Game Animals of India, etc.
white-tailed deer, and the roes, the latter being
remarkable for the circumstance that the white rump-
patch, which forms so conspicuous a feature in so many
of the tribe, is generally developed only in the grey
winter coat. This white rump-patch is apparently for
the purpose of facilitating recognition of the direction
taken by the members of the herd when in flight.
Other aids to recognition are afforded by the glands
with which deer are so abundantly provided. Most
deer have a pair of glands on the face below the eyes,
while in the muntjac there is also a pair of frontal glands
on the forehead. In addition to those on the face, the
majority also have glands situated between the main
hoofs, while there may likewise be either one or two
glands on each hind-leg, the position of which is
indicated by a tuft of hair differing in length and
frequently also in colour from that clothing the rest of
the limb. The most common of these glands is
situated on the outer surface of the hind-leg some
distance above the foot, and is known as the metatarsal
gland. Less common is the tarsal gland, situated
on the inner surface of the hock, or tarsus.
Stags are subject to outbursts of sexual excitement
during the pairing-season, when they lose their timid
and retiring habits, and become some of the most
vicious and dangerous of all animals, especially in
captivity. During this period of excitement the males
of the larger kinds utter a peculiar call or roar, intended
as a challenge to their rivals for the mastery of the herd.
In the typical genus Cervus, of which the hangul is
a member, the antlers of the stags are large and complex,
rising at an acute angle to the middle line of the fore-
head, projecting at first from the plane of the latter,
and then continued upwards nearly in that plane.
They are supported on comparatively short, permanent,
and skin-covered pedicles (longer in young than in
adult animals), and are furnished with a brow-tine,
while they are never regularly forked at their first
210
The Hangul, or Kashmir Stag
division. Three is the minimum number of. tines
met with in the antlers of this genus. There are other
distinctive features of the group, of which mention
may be omitted on the present occasion.
-The deer of the genus Cervus may be divided into
five subgeneric groups, of which three are met with in
Fic. 32.—Hangul Stag at Woburn Abbey, photographed by the Duchess of Bedford.
the area treated’ of in the present volume. Im the
typical group (to which belong the larger species, in-
clusive of the hangul) the antlers are. rounded, and
usually bear five or more tines, among which there is
generally a bez (second) and always a trez (third). In
adult stags the coat is more or less completely devoid
of spots, and has a large light-coloured rump-patch
generally surrounding the tail; but in the young it is
marked with rows of light spots.
The hangul, as it is called in its native country,’
may be regarded as the Kashmir representative of the
1 Kashmiri shikaris only apply the term Barasingha to this deer when
addressing Europeans.
Zell
Game Animals of India, etc.
European red deer. The antlers are usually five-tined,
with the brow-tine (which is often shorter than the bez)
generally starting at some distance above the burr.
The fourth and fifth tines, which are often approxi-
mately equal, form a terminal fork, which is placed
somewhat obliquely to the long axis of the head. The
antlers are rounded throughout, and also bowed out-
wards at first and then inwards, so that the fifth tines
of opposite sides are inclined towards one another.
The legs are thicker than in the red deer, with the tuft
of the metatarsal gland larger, coarser, and placed
somewhat lower down. In height a full-grown stag
stands from 4 feet to 4 feet 4 inches at the withers.
The tail is relatively short, and the light rump-patch,
which is nearly white, is small, and does not extend
on to the upper surface of the buttocks, thus excluding
the tail. In winter the general colour varies from
brown to liver-colour, the individual hairs being
speckled ; the light area on the inner sides of the
buttocks is dirty white, with a dark line on its outer
border, which runs down the inner side of the thigh,
and stands out in contrast to the general body-colour.
The flanks and limbs are somewhat paler than the
back ; the upper surface of the Wail is black ; and the
lips and chin are white, and the inner surfaces of the
ears whitish. In the summer coat the general colour
is lighter and more rufous, with most of the under-
parts whitish, although posteriorly brown in stags. At
this season hinds, and sometimes also stags, show traces
of spotting on the flanks and back. The fringe of
elongated hair on the throat 1s comparatively short, and
not markedly darker than the rest of the coat. The
light spots of the fawns are stated to be retained till the
third or fourth year. The cry of the stags in the pairing-
season is a prolonged squeal, unlike that of the red
deer, but approximating to that of the wapiti. In the
whiteness of the light rump-patch and its dark-coloured
edging the hangul departs from the red-deer type to
212
The Hangul, or Kashmir Stag
approach the group of Asiatic deer known as sikas, as
it also does to a certain degree in its comparatively
simple antlers.
The maximum recorded lengths of antlers are 484
and 47 inches, one of three examples with the latter
dimension showng a tip-to-tip interval of 21, and a
second of 30 inches.
Fic. 33.—Hangul Stag, with the antlers in velvet, from a photograph by the
Duchess of Bedford.
Hangul inhabit the forests of the vale of Kashmir
and some of the neighbouring valleys, such as Maru-
Wardwan, Kishtwar, Badrawar, and Tilel, but further
information is required with regard to the exact
limits of their distribution in the vale of Kashmir
itself. It is well known that hangul are to be met
with throughout the range forming the north-eastern
barrier of the valley, as well as that at its south-eastern
213
Game Animals of India, etc.
extremity. In the Deer of All Lands it is stated that
they are unknown on the Pir Panjal range, forming
(with the Kaj-nag to the west of the Jhelam) the south-
western barrier of the valley ; and a practically similar
statement is made by Mr. Dauvergne in a paper on
the big game of Asia published in the Bu//etin of the
Paris Museum of Natural History for 1898. His
words (p. 200) are that the distribution of these deer
is limited to soutes les montagnes autour de la valle au
nord, together with Kishtwar and some adjacent
districts. Consequently the Pir Panjal and Kaj-nag
ranges are excluded from the habitat. The present
writer has seen hangul on the Marbal Pass, situated on
a northern spur of the eastern extremity of the Pir
Panjal ; and as this is the route to Kishtwar it comes
within their ordinary range, and in no wise invalidates
the above statements. He has, however, been shown
a note by an English sportsman, in which it is stated
that about forty years ago (at which time Mr.
Dauvergne was resident in Kashmir) hangul were
seen near the Pir Panjal Pass, which is almost in the
centre of the range. Possibly these were only
stragglers, but in any case this point would appear
to be their extreme western limit on this side of the
valley, as the writer has never heard of their occurrence
west of the pass last-named or in the Kaj-nag.
In summer hangul may be met with as high as
from 9000 to 12,000 feet above sea-level, but in winter
they descend to the valley of Kashmir, which 1s in
some places not more than 5000 feet above the sea.
The herds resorting to the western end of the vale
of Kashmir pass northwards in summer into the
adjacent Tilel Valley, through which runs the Kishan-
ganga, some ‘of them crossing that river to wander
into the mountains of southern Astor. On the other
hand, those from the northern and eastern flanks of
the Kashmir Valley retire to the slopes of Haramuk,
the great peak in the northern mountain-barrier. At
214
The Hangul, or Kashmir Stag
the eastern end of the vale the deer appear to migrate
much less than do those at its western extremity,
finding a suitable summer climate at the sources of
the tributary valleys, or nalas ; their favourite summer
resorts being the birch-forests, which grow immediately
above the pine-zone.
Towards the end of September, when the antlers of
the stags are clean, hangul descend from the birch-
forests, and the old stags commence to call. Formerly
they are stated to have called throughout the day,
but now do so only in the mornings and evenings,
commencing late in the afternoon. During the pairing-
season the old stags frequently show themselves in the
open glades with their harems of hinds, and are then
easy to approach. They wander frequently from one
patch of forest to another, so that a spot abounding in
deer one week may be deserted the next. By the
latter part of October the calling generally ceases, and
the stags become less bold, and are consequently more
difficult to discover. When, however, they are driven
down by the winter snows into the open ground
of the vale of Kashmir, they are once more easily
approached, and in former times numbers were
ruthlessly slaughtered by the villagers when driven
down by the storms of winter to seek shelter at low
levels. The fawns are generally dropped during the
month of April.
An account of hangul-stalking will be found in
General M‘Intyre’s work, The Hindu Koh.
The Yarkand stag (Cervus yarcandensis) was at
one time believed to be only a race of the hangul, but
it is entitled to rank as a perfectly distinct species.
Not only do its antlers, as shown by a series of
specimens in the British Museum, differ markedly
from those of the Kashmir stag, but the coat of the
Yarkand stag is distinctly reddish in place of grey,
and has much less black on the under-parts and
hindquarters ; while the tail is entirely rufous instead
255
Game Animals of India, etc.
of mainly black on the upper surface, and the rump-
patch is larger and orange-coloured. The terminal
fork of the antlers (fig. 34) looks directly forwards,
the fifth tine is usually larger than the fourth, and in
Fic. 34.—Skull and Antlers of Yarkand Stag, from a specimen in the
British Museum.
some specimens, as in the one here figured, the upper
part of the antler is more curved forwards, somewhat
after the manner obtaining in the shou. In all these
respects the antlers are more shou-like than are those
of the hangul.
216
The Shou, or Sikhim Stag
THES SHOU, OR SsikHiM: STAG
(Cervus affinis)
Native Name.—S/ou, Buotias oF NEPAL AND
DarjILInG
CRLATE vi, fige2}
Although its magnificent antlers are not uncommon
in collections, few British sportsmen have) seen. the
shou alive; and in Europe it is chiefly known by
skulls Se antlers, although the British Museum
possesses one fainted head Of the general appear-
ance of this stag our chief knowledge is derived from
two coloured sketches formerly “belonging to its
describer, Brian Hodgson, and now preserved in the
library of the Zoological Society of London.
Shou-antlers (fig 35) present the same marked bend
at the third tine and the inward inclination of the
long fifth tine so conspicuous in the Kashmir hangul,
in aidicen to which they are also abruptly bent forward
above the third tine, so that when suspended in the
ordinary position Hie upper portion overhangs the
skull. As in the hangul, there are usually five points ;
but the brow-tine seems to be less constantly longer
than the second, and is closer to the burr than is often
the case in the Kashmir species. More important 1s
the circumstance that the terminal fork is placed at
right angles to the axis of the head, so as to look
directly forwards ; and the fifth tine is nearly always
markedly larger than the fourth. Judging from the
size of its skull and antlers, the shou must apparently
fall little if at all short of the stature of the wapiti. As
regards coloration, accurate information is a desideratum.
The mounted head in the British Museum, which has
suffered by fading since it was presented more than
half a century ago by Brian Hodgson, is pale rufous
2G
Game Animals of India, etc.
brown. A somewhat similar colour, which extends
over the whole of the rump, is displayed in one of the
sketches noticed above; but in the second of these,
which not improbably shows the animal in its winter
garb, the general hue is considerably darker, and there
is a large light rump-patch, which includes the tail.
The largest shou-antlers on record are the pair
shown in fig. 35, which measure 55# inches in length,
64 in basal circumference, 174+ between the tips, and
a pair of similar length in the British Museum. In
nearly all cases at least one antler has five well-developed
points, but occasionally its fellow may have four, six,
or seven points. Considerable uncertainty has pre-
vailed with regard to the precise habitat of the shou.
Dr. Jerdon (who erroneously thought it might be
identical with the great stag of Siberia) stated that it
inhabited Eastern Tibet and the Chumbi Valley on the
Sikhim side of Tibet. Dr. Blanford, on the other
hand, wrote that “it is not found in Sikhim nor in the
Chumbi Valley immediately east of Sikhim, but ap-
parently in the next valley to the eastward, Mr. Hume
was assured, he tells me, that the area inhabited by
C. affinis is drained by streams running northward to
the Sangpo.” From information furnished by Mr.
Claude White, Commissioner of Sikhim, it appears
that Jerdon was practically right; the range of the
species, including some portion of the upper Chumbi
Valley and some of the adjacent valleys in Bhutan.
In a letter to the Field of October 27, 1906,
Lieut.-Col. H. A. Iggulden stated that the range of
this deer “is certainly not restricted to the Chumbi
‘Valley and the adjacent valleys of Bhutan, though,
perhaps, it may be more numerous in those districts
than elsewhere.
‘“‘ My own observations and inquiries on this matter
may be of interest to naturalists, for whilst in Tibet
with the military expedition of 1903-1904 I made
inguiries regarding this stag, and saw a considerable
218
The Shou, or Sikhim Stag
number of skulls and horns at various places between
our boundary on the Talep Pass and Lhasa. I came
to the conclusion that these deer are not found to the
Fic. 35.—Skull and Antlers of Shou Stag, from a specimen in the possession of
Mr. A. O. Hume.
west of a line drawn north and south between Shigatse
and the northern point of Sikhim. They are never
found in Sikhim itself, as the climate there is too damp,
though one or two may possibly at times have crossed
the boundary. There are a fair number in the Chumbi
: 219
Game Animals of India, etc.
and branch valleys, which are well wooded, though
they are probably more plentiful in some of the
northern Bhutanese valleys.
“ After leaving the Chumbi Valley these deer are
not again encountered until the Tsangpo or Bramaputra
Valley is reached, where there are some herds of them
in a valley to the north of the Kamba Pass, which were
said to be protected by the Dalai Lama, and were
consequently unmolested. They also inhabit the
high mountains on both sides of the Bramaputra for
many miles to the east, probably as far as the unex-
plored Bramaputra Falls. I next definitely heard of
them existing in the bare hills to the north-east of
Lhasa, and was told that they were occasionally seen
and killed some few miles from that city.
“During the seven weeks we spent at Lhasa I was
fortunate enough to procure two very fine shou or
‘“shaow’ heads, which I purchased from some natives,
who said they were shot about forty miles east of Lhasa
up the Khichu Valley, and as they had the flesh and
skin on them intact, they could not have been brought
from very far. Unfortunately these heads had been
decapitated close to the skull, but I was able to bring
them to England. They both measure close on §0 in.
one having thirteen points, the other the normal ten.
I may also mention that I saw three or four heads with
more than ten points, so that the accepted idea that
this deer never carries more than ten points is not
borne out by fact, though ten is undoubtedly the
normal number. This deer was also said to exist in
the Kham country, which is some way to the east
of Thasa:
If these Lhasa shou are completely isolated from
the typical Chumbi-Bhutan animals, they probably
indicate a distinct race of the species.
P2276
4
,
Fr
2 he
Thorold’s Deer, or the Lhasa Stag
DHORGED SS DEEK, OR; EEE PELASA:STAG
(Cervus albirosiris)
(PLateE vi, fig. 3)
Although a member of the typical group of the
genus Cervus, Thorold’s deer is distinguished from
its relatives by its white muzzle, lips, and chin, the
reversal of the hair on the withers, which forms a kind
of hump, and is directed forwards, and the compara-
tively simple antlers, which lack the bez-tine, and have
but four or five points each.
In size this deer is very nearly the same as the
hangul. The antlers, which, as already mentioned,
lack the bez-tine and carry either four or five points,
are much flattened and have the beam suddenly bent
back at the trez-tine (which, owing to the absence of
the bez, is the second of the series). The brow-tine
springs from the beam some distance above the burr ;
the trez-tine is situated nearly in the plane of tliose
above it, the tine immediately above the trez being
larger chat any of the rest. The antlers differ widely
from those of the hangul and shou in that the terminal
fork is parallel to fhe long axis of the head, as in
wapiti. The tail is short, and included in che large
light rump-patch. The Salen is dark brown, with fe
hairs minutely speckled, scarcely lighter on the under-
parts than on the back. The rump-patch, which
extends down the inner sides of the thighs, is pale
ochrey buff, without any white below the cal but
bordered with blackish in front. The face is someutae
darker than the back, the inner surface of the ears
whitish, while the muzzle, lips, and chin are white.
The hair is coarse and brittle; and the metatarsal
gland, which is covered with still coarser hair, 1s situated
about halfway up the cannon-bone.
In the formation of the antlers this deer appears to
221
Game Animals of India, etc.
display indications of affinity with the sika deer, from
which it may indicate a connecting link towards wapiti.
The antlers of the stags are smooth and nearly white.
Those of the mounted “specimen in the British Museum
have a length of 38 inches along the outer curve ; but
these dimensions are much exceeded by a pair brought
home after the Tibet expedition, which measure 47
inches.
This deer was first described by Col. Przewalski ;
the two specimens subsequently obtained by Dr. W.
G. Thorold in the neighbourhood of Lhasa being named
C. thoroldi, under the impression that they belonged to
a new species. The two examples in question were
killed at a spot about 200 miles to the north-east of
Lhasa, at an approximate elevation of about 13,500
feet above sea-level. They were found in snow among
brushwood growing just above the upper limit of
forest.
Local races of wapiti (Cervus canadensis) occurs in
Turkestan, the Altai, the Thian Shan, and Manchuria
and Amurland; the Manchurian wapiti (Cervus
canadensis xanthopygus), serving in some degree to
connect red-deer and wapiti. With a short wapiti-like
tail, and antlers of the wapiti-like type, although
sedicnt in proportion to the head, and with an fifenicl
development of the fourth tine, this deer turns bright
foxy red in summer. When the antlers are five-tined
they may be distinguished from those of the hangul
and shou by the terminal fork being parallel to the
axis of the head. Neither of these deer, nor any of
the sika deer, are, however, met with in the area treated
of in this volume.
~2297
The Sambar
THE SAMBAR
(Cervus unicolor)
Native Names.—Sambar or Samar, NWHunpvustTanti;
Farao (male), furai (female), Neparese ; Maha
IN THE Teral; Meru amonc THE MauwratTTAs OF
THE Guats; Ma-ao anp Mauk or THE Gonps ;
Saram or THE Ho-Koi; Kadave anno Kadaba,
Canarese ; Kennadi, TeLtecu ; Kadumai, Tamit ;
Gona, Rusa, CINGALESE ; Gous, Gaoj, anD Bhalongi
(female) In Eastern Benoa; Khat-khowa-pohu,
ASSAMESE ; Sacha 1N THE Dapuia Hits; Tshazt,
‘Burmese; Takhau, Hseukhau, anp Kheu oF THE
Karens ; Rusa anpd Rusa-etam, MALay
(Piate vi, figs. 4 and 5)
Despite the comparatively simple form of itsantlers,and
its somewhat shaggy
appearance, the sambar
must be reckoned as
the finest deer found in
India proper. In size
and bulk it consider-
ably exceeds all the
rest; and for solid mas-
siveness its rugged
antlers, of which the
outer surface presents
a curious resemblance
to the bark of a wych-
elm sapling, are perhaps
unsurpassed by those
of any other member of
the Cervide. Magni-
ficent specimens of
Fic. 36.—Sambar Stag at Woburn Abbey,
these antlers are pre- photographed by the Duchess of Bedford.
served in the British
Museum and in many private collections, the equals of
223
Game Animals of India, etc.
which it would be difficult, if not impossible to find at
the present day, when comparatively few stags are
allowed to attain the age necessary for the full develop-
ment of these splendid appendages.
The sambar, in common with a number of more or
less closely allied species inhabiting the Oriental, or
Indian, region, differs so markedly, not only in the
form of its antlers, but in many details of structure and
colouring, from the members of the red-deer group,
that it may be taken as the type of a second group, for
which the name rusine deer (from the Malay name for
deer) is a convenient designation. With the exception
of a small species supposed to be from the Philippines,
and described as C. tavistocki, the rusine deer are
characterised by the relatively simple antlers, which are
cylindrical, and have usually only three tines, owing to
the absence of both the bez and the trez ; each antler,
after giving off a brow-tine immediately Sone the Sue
or coronet, consisting of a beam terminating ina simple
fork. Although the coat of the adult may be either
uniformly coloured or spotted at all times of the year,
it never has the large light-coloured rump-patch of
the red-deer group, nor does it exhibit that marked
difference in colour according to season which is so
striking in most members of that group. Several
species (like the sambar) have the throat and neck
more or less heavily maned ; and in most cases the
ears are large and the tail comparatively long.
The Indian sambar (the typical representative of a
widely spread species with many local races, whose full
title is Cervus unicolor typicus) is a large and somewhat
heavily built deer, attaining a height of at least 5 feet
4 inches at the whee! and characterised by its long
and almost uniformly dark-coloured coat, heavily maned
throat and neck, large spreading ears, evertible face-
glands, and thick bushy tail. The long and massive
intles have a peculiarly rugged exterior, and the two
tines of the terminal Bee are usually approximately
224
Fic. 37.—Head of the Indian Sambar.
2215
> Pe
Game Animals of India, etc.
equal in length, and when unequal, it is generally the
front one which is the shorter of the two, while the
hind one springs from the posterior aspect of the beam,
and does not form the direct continuation of the axis of
the latter. The space enclosed between the antlers is
generally U or V shaped, and the bony pedicles on
which they are supported are relatively short. In
colour the sambar is usually almost uniform dark
umber-brown, but there is a considerable amount of
individual variation ; some specimens, especially hinds
(which are paler than stags), tending more or less
decidedly to greyish or yellowish. Old stags may
become almost black ; and in lighter-coloured males
the face, mane, and the upper surface of the tail are
black or blackish. On the under surface of the body
the hair is but little paler than on the back ; but in the
stags the chin, the inner portion of the buttocks, the
under side of the tail, and the inner surface of the upper
part of the limbs are more or less distinctly chestnut ;
this colour sometimes extending on to the sides of the
buttocks, and occupying the whole of the lower portion
of the legs. On the head and neck the hairs are
uniformly coloured, but those on the hind half of the
body may have yellow tips. Young fawns are uniformly
red, without light spots, but apparently with a black
tail and a stripe of the same colour down the middle of
the back. The broad ears of the adult are equal to
about half the length of the head, which has a nearly
straight profile and is of considerable relative length.
Sambar-antlers vary much in length and stoutness,
the longer specimens being frequently inferior in girth
to shorter examples. Very rarely are there more than the
normal three tines to each, although occasionally, as in
two examples in the British Museum, a fourth point may
be added (see fig. 38). The longest recorded specimen
is from Bhopal, and measures 50} inches, with a basal
girth of 92 inches. Next to this comes a single antler
from Khandesh, of which the length is 48 inches, and
=. 220
Fic. 38.—Skull of Indian Sambar with abnormal antlers, froma specimen in the
possession of Mr. R. McD. Hawker.
227
Game Animals of India, etc.
the girth above the brow-tine 7 inches. Specimens
measuring 464, 464, and 455 inches in length are
also reconded, one me which has a basal girth of
g inches. A stag will weigh about 600 lbs. “live
weight,” and about 410 lbs. “ butcher’s weight.”
The forests of India and Ceylon, especially those in
hilly districts, form the habitat of the typical sambar.
Eastwards the limits of its range are perhaps formed
in Assam by the Bramaputra, on the farther side of
which the Malay race probably occurs. From its
smaller size, the Ceylon representative of the sambar
should probably be regarded as a race apart. Through-
out the open plains of the Punjab, Sind, and Western
Rajputana a forest-dwelling animal like the sambar
is, of course, unknown. ir the outer ridges of the
Himalaya, where its western range does not seem to be
ascertained, sambar may be found as high as gooo or
10,000 feet above sea-level, and they are commonly
met with on the summits of the Nilgiris and other
ranges in Southern India, as well as at Meee Ella in
Ceylon. Although, as already mentioned, hills form
their favourite resorts, these deer may be met with on
river-flats.
Sambar generally associate in small herds or family
parties, and, like all forest-dwelling animals, are
impatient of the rays of a tropical sun between
early morning and evening, seeking shelter in the
deepest and most sequestered parts of the forest during
the hottest hours. In the Siwaliks the resting-place
may, however, be under an isolated tree. Whenever
such are to be found in the vicinity of their haunts,
sambar select forests on the higher grounds for the
mid-day siesta. Whether they require. water every day
is still a question ; but it 1s well known that they are
frequently in the habit of travelling long distances in
search of that element. Unlike ane ieniber of the
red-deer group, wild sambar do not shed their antlers
regularly every season; and in many parts of India
228
~-*
The Sambar
and Ceylon these appendages are dropped by the stags
only every second or third year. Such, at any rate, is
the testimony of those who have had opportunities of
studying these deer in their native wilds. March is
stated to be the month in which the shedding generally
takes place in the plains, while in the Himalaya April is
the more usual season. In the plains the master-stags
call during October and November, and during that
season these deer collect in larger herds than at other
times of year. The call of the stags is a loud metallic
bellow, to which the hinds reply by a kind of grunting
low. The fawns in the plains of India are born during
June and July, and it is rarely that twins occur. In
the herd of sambar at Woburn Abbey the fawns are,
however, produced at all times of the year, the same
being the case with the shedding of the antlers, which
appear to be dropped annually ; and it may be sug-
gested, that with these sambar the time of shedding the
antlers depends on the season of the year at which each
individual came into the world. Whether this irregu-
larity in the season of birth and the consequent
difference in the time of year at which the antlers are
shed is due to the abnormal environment of the Woburn
herd, or whether it can in any degree be matched in a
state of nature, remains to be proved. During the
pairing-season old stags stalk about with erected tail,
outstretched muzzle, and everted face-glands, and are
by no means pleasant-looking animals; while in
captivity, at any rate, they are highly dangerous.
With regard to sambar-stalking, it is stated in the
Badminton Library that “the sportsman should be on
his ground just before daylight, and work slowly
through the forest at the edge of the feeding-grounds,
taking the bottom of the hill if there are crops on the
plain below. Presently, if there are any sambar about,
he will hear their trumpet-like call, and, creeping on,
see two or three dark forms moving among the trees.
. . . If the sportsman fails to intercept any stags on
229
Game Animals of India, etc.
their return from their feeding-grounds by working
along the base of the hill, he should next ascend the
hill and try the cup-like basins which are so often
found near the summits. . . . The above applies
chiefly to the isolated hills which rise out of the plains
in Central India; 1n ranges like the Siwaliks the best
plan is to walk along the top of a ridge, examining the
ravines below, and in the grass on the crest of these
ridges will often be found places where sambar have
been lying down under the trees, the ‘form’ being
carefully chosen so that the shade of the tree will be
over it during the hottest part of the day.”
In some parts of India stalking sambar, or other
species of deer, is difficult, and in such spots driving
is considered by some sportsmen admissible. In regard
to this practice an article may be quoted from The
Asian newspaper of January 16, 1900. In reply to the
question whether, when stalking is impossible, driving
is permissible, the writer asks, Where is it impossible
to stalk deer? ‘ During a considerable experience,”’
he observes, “extending from the Himalayas to
Southern India, we have seen no such impossible
ground, with the exception of parts of the Terai and
Assam, where elephants are a necessity. The Hima-
layas, the Siwaliks, the Satpura Hills of the Central
Provinces, and the mountains of Southern India, all
afford ideal stalking ground, and driving for deer in
their forests is inexcusable and unsportsmanlike. The
ground may be difficult, steep, dangerous, and rocky ;
but where a deer can climb, a man can climb also.
The jungle may be dense, and the foliage luxuriant,
but the sportsman content to wander all day in the
forest, rifle in hand, on the chance of obtaining a shot,
accompanied only by one or two men, is sure to meet
with ultimate success, although he will probably not
bring to bag so many animals as the man who lurks
behind a tree or rock, and has the game driven up to’
him.
230
The Sambar
“And it is in this that the gist of the matter lies.
The real sportsman is ready to undertake any amount
of labour in order to bring his game to bag, and the
more trouble and toil he expends in its pursuit the
more does he value his quarry and the trophy it yields,
whilst he does not gauge success by numbers. But
Fic. 39.—Frontlet and Antlers of the Malay Sambar, from a Burmese specimen
in the British Museum.
the other kind of hunter thinks only of killing his
animal, and cares not in what manner it is slain, so
long as it falls to his rifle, preferring that method
of procedure which entails the least possible trouble
and exertion. A few miles’ drive or ride from cam
‘or station; a comfortable place in the shade of a
tree whilst the beat is being arranged; and a shot
231
Game Animals of India, etc.
from ambush, perhaps at a few yards’ distance, at an
unfortunate sambar, the whole process occupying a few
hours—this is the acme of sport to the lazy man whose
sole object is to shoot the game. . . . But the true
sportsman scorns such methods ; his pleasure is found
in wandering over the hills and through the forest from
daybreak to sunset, keeping every sense on the alert,
and pitting his knowledge of wild animals and jungle-
lore against the cunning of the denizens of the woods.”
The representative of the sambar met with in
Burma, Eastern Assam, and Kachar, differs sufficiently
from the typical form to be regarded as a local race,
although not as a distinct species. Consequently, for
the name of “ equine deer,” often applied to this race,
the title of Malay sambar is preferable, as serving to
emphasise its specific identity with the Indian animal.
Nearly rivalling the latter in respect of size, the
Malay sambar (Cervus unicolor equinus, plate vi, fig. 5)
usually has shorter and thicker antlers, in which the
hind or inner tine of the terminal fork is considerably
inferior in length to the front or outer tine, while it
springs as a kind of spur from the inner margin of the
beam, of which the outer tine forms the direct con-
tinuation. The brow-tine, too, is in most instances of
proportionately greater length. On the average, the
general colour appears to be darker than in Indian
sambar, approaching to black or slaty grey in the old
stags; there is frequently a light flesh-coloured ring
round each eye, and the ears are relatively smaller, and
often show a whitish margin. In some cases the lower
portion of the legs shows a tendency towards dirty
white, and the tail seems to be more bushy than in the
typical race. The fawns are foxy red in colour, with
the upper surface of the tail and a line down the back
black or blackish, and in many instances, although by
no means invariably, they are spotted on the hind-
quarters.
Although typical antlers of this race (fig. 39) are
222
The Sambar
very distinct from those of the Indian sambar, there are
examples in which the distinction is less clearly marked.
Antlers measuring 304 and 293% inches in length, with
respective basal girths of 42 and 6 inches, have been
recorded. .
The range of the Malay sambar apparently extends
from Assam (probably eastward of the Bramaputra)
into Burma, and then on to the Malay and other
countries lying beyond the area of which this volume
treats.
EEE SCE RAIL OR INDIAN SPOLEEED
DEER
(Cervus axts)
Native Names.—Chital, Chitra, and Fhank, Hinpvu-
sTANI; Chatidah 1x BuacaLtpur; Boro Khottya,
Bencatt; Burtyah 1x Gorakupur; Lupi anpd
Kars or THE Gonps; Darkar or THE Korku ;
Pusta or tHE Ho-xor; Sarung, Saraya, ‘fat,
anD Mikka, Canaree 3; Dupi, TeLtecu ; Pali-man,
Tamit AND Matapari 3 Tic Muha, CINGALESE.
(PLate vi, fig. 6)
The sambar and the chital in India and the greater
and lesser kudu in Somaliland offer an analogy in their
respective habits, the sambar and the greater kudu
inhabiting hill-forests, while the chital and the lesser
kudu frequent for most part the lowlands, although
the chital sometimes betakes itself to hilly ground.
Both species of kudu frequent dense and often almost
impenetrable thorn-jungle, and are accordingly furnished
with enormous ears, capable of catching the largest
possible amount of sound. They are probably also
to a considerable extent nocturnal animals. The same
230
Game Animals of India, etc.
is the case with the Indian sambar, which is likewise a
forest animal, and the ears are accordingly large. On
the other hand, in the chital, which is to a great
extent diurnal and frequents more open country than
sambar, the ears are relatively small and narrow. The
Fic. 40.—Head of Chital Stag.
remarkable difference in coloration between the sambar
and the chital may likewise be attributed to difference
in environment, the sombre hues of the former
affording protection in the obscurity of the forest,
while the bright tints of the latter are more in harmony
with the brilliancy of its inanimate surroundings.
234
=" it ee
The Chital, or Indian Spotted Deer
By sportsmen this deer is commonly called axis, a
name applied by Pliny (and adopted from him by
Belon) to an Indian animal which there is every reason
to believe is the present species, of which indeed it
forms the scientific title. For ordinary purposes it
is, however, preferable to adopt the Hindustani name
she of ich spotted deer is a translation.
With the exception of a darker species from the
Philippines, the chital is the only rusine deer spotted
with white at all seasons of the year. Indeed it is,
with the above-named
exception, the only deer
that is as fully spotted in
winter as in summer, fal-
low-deer losing all spots
in the former season,
while these generally tend
to disappear at the same
season more or less com-
pletely in the Japanese
deer and its larger rela-
tives.
In size the chital may
be described as medium, es Rae
the height at the withers “Sictographed by the Duchess of Bedford.
usually ranging between
36 and 38 inches. It has a rather long and pointed
head, elongated limbs, and a generally light and grace-
fully bide frame. ait nere seems no deaded seasonal
difference in the colour of the coat, of which the general
hue is light. rufous fawn, fated all over the body
with large rounded spots, eich tend to arrange them-
selves in longitudinal lines along the back eral im-
mediately anaes the white of the ander surface of the
body. A dark stripe runs from the nape of the neck
to the tip of the tail, on each side of which the spots
form at least one ae iN marked line. The chin, the
upper part of the throat, the inner surface of the
235
Game Animals of India, ete.
ears, the under parts of the body, the inner surface of the
limbs, and the lower side of the tail, are white like the
spots. The head, which is darker on the face than else-
where, is fawn, usually marked in stags with a brown
chevron on the forehead (fig. 40) and also has a blackish
band above the naked area of the muzzle. The antlers,
(fig. 40) which are supported on short pedicles, are
long, slender, and moderately rugose. The rather
long brow-tine is given off from the beam nearly at a
right angle ; the front or outer tine of the terminal
fork considerably exceeds the hind, or inner one, in
length, and forms the continuation of the line of the
beam, from the inner side of which springs the hind
tine. The space enclosed between the two antlers is
more or less distinctly lyrate ; and sports, or snags, are
frequently given off near the point of origin of the
brow-tine. The ears, as already mentioned, are
moderate-sized and narrow; and the face-glands, of
which the position is marked by tufts of reddish hairs,
are likewise of medium development. The rather
long and pointed tail is evenly haired throughout ;
and there is no long hair on the neck and throat, this
feature largely contributing to the neat appearance of
the chital as contrasted with the sambar.
The longest chital antlers on record measure 38}
inches in length along the outer curve, with a basal
girth of 4# inches, and a tip-to-tip interval of 194
inches. Many examples ranging in length between 35
and 374 inches in length are known, among which the
maximum tip-to-tip interval is 254 inches. Chital
antlers, unlike those of the red deer group, attain their
maximum complexity in the third year, after which.
they continue merely to increase in size year by year
until the period of decline is attained.
Where chital and fallow deer are herded together in
parks, the observer may be puzzled to distinguish
between the hinds of the two species when in the
summer coat. The following points of distinction are
2.36
The Chital, or Indian Spotted Deer
accordingly quoted, with some verbal alteration, from
the Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society, by
Bennett. ‘In both, the colour of the back and sides
is fawn spotted with white ; a deep brown or blackish
band occupies the middle line of the back ; and an
almost continuous white line passes along either side
of the belly between the limbs. But the head, which
in the fallow deer is of a uniform greyish brown, is
marked in the chital by a broad dusky spot on the
forehead, and a line of the same colour extending along
the middle of the nose. The chin and throat of the
chital are pure white, while in the fallow deer they are
of nearly the same colour with the chest and under
surface of the body, which are both of a greyish hue.
The buttocks of the fallow deer are occupied by a
broad white patch, separated from the fawn of the back
and sides by a black band ; and the tail is black above
and white beneath. In the chital the buttocks are of
the same colour with the adjacent parts, and the tail is
tawny above and white beneath, with a narrow blackish
border towards the tip.”
The chital is one of the most characteristic animals
of India and Ceylon, to which it is confined, and where
it is widely distributed. It is absent from Assam, and
the plains of Sind, the Punjab, and Western Rajputana,
which are unsuited to its mode of life. Although toa
great extent a plain-loving animal, it is found along the
foot-ranges of the Himalaya from the neighbourhood
of the Sutlej as far west as Nepal, but does not extend
into Sikhim ; on these outer hills it may be found as
high as about 3500 or 4000 feet above sea-level in a
few localities. It is common in the Bengal Sandarbans,
as indeed it is in nearly all parts of India and Ceylon
suitable to its habits; and in such localjties it may
almost be regarded as an integral component of Indian
jungle-scenery.
Compared with the typical Indian race Ceylon
chital, although similar in general characters, differ not
235i
Game Animals of India, etc.
only by the more slender and lighter antlers, but like-
wise in several details of coloration. THe ground-
colour of the coat is, for instance, a yellower ad purer
fawn, while the white spots on the body are smaller,
and may be described as flecks rather than spots. On
the head the brown markings present a less decided
contrast with the fawn area, while the forehead is almost
wholly brown instead of showing a more or less well
defined dark chevron between the eyes, as is usually the
case in the large chital of the mainland. The chevron,
it is true, is present in the Ceylon animal, but its dis-
tinctness is largely obscured by the dark patch in the
middle of the forehead. Ceylon chital, I am told,
rarely have antlers exceeding 27 inches in length.
Hodgson recognised two forms of chital in India,
Axis major and Axis minor or medius (for he uses both
these names), the latter distinguished by its inferior
size, and being a native of the southern provinces of
the peninsula. The smaller form, which has never
been properly defined, has been assumed to be common
to Ceylon ; but there is no evidence that such 1s really
the case, and consequently (especially in view of the
fact that the smaller mainland form is still undefined)
I have regarded the Ceylon animal as a distinct race,
with the name of Cervus axis zeylanicus.}
In Ceylon sportsmen attribute the small size of the
antlers of the chital to the lack of lime in the soil.
This, however, can scarcely be regarded as a vera causa
since there are many sandstone districts in India where
these deer grow good antlers. Rather must we attribute
the diminution in the size of the antlers in the Ceylon
chital to that general dwarfing which is very common
in island forms.
The near neighbourhood of water is essential to this
beautiful Species ; another requisite being the proximity
of covert into Cail it can retire for repose. Chital
are, perhaps, the most gregarious of all Indian deer,
1 This name was published in the Fre/d for 1905, vol. iv, p. 947.
238
é
$
z
The Chital, or Indian Spotted Deer
the herds frequently including hundreds of individuals,
among which there is at least one master-stag. As is
the case with most animals associating in large herds,
chital are to a considerable degree Cieual feeding ir
several hours after sunrise, a being on the move
some time before stindeae W Here thiere is a
sufficiency of covert, the neighbourhood of human
habitations is no detriment to their presence, provided
they are not too much disturbed ; and in such localities
they frequently do much damage to standing crops.
Bamboo-jungle, where there are open olades dotted
with isolated clumps, in the imiediaee vicinity of
water, forms some of their favourite haunts. They
both graze and browse, and are good swimmers, taking
readily toy “water. Their ordinary cry eunicuhart
resembles a kind of bark, but they also utter a shrill
alarm-scream. Although in India most of the fawns
are dropped during the cold weather, many are born at
other times of the year ; and this implies a correspond-
ing irregularity in the shedding of the antlers, which
apparently occufs.in each peck at a time of year
depending upon the season in which it was born. It
is stated in the Badminton Library that the irregularity
in the time of shedding the antlers is more marked
along the foot of the Himalaya than in Central India,
wiere the majority of the stags have these appendages
free from velvet in January,and shed them about January.
Chital are chiefly hunted by stalking ; and the
sportsman’s best chance of escaping detection when he
comes unexpectedly on a herd, is to stand motionless,
when, if suitably clothed, he may be mistaken for a
tree-stump, whereas if he attempts to crouch he will
be detected. This remark applies, of course, to other
kinds of game.
Chink have been acclimatised for more than fifty
years in some French and German parks; and the
Duke of Bedford possesses a herd at Woburn Abbey,
which is, however, kept in an enclosure.
2:39
Game Animals of India, etc.
Hinds of all deer are marvellously clever at conceal-
ing their young ; but no better instance of this trait is
on record than one that occurred among a small herd
of chital kept by Mr. W. H. Ravenscroft at Colombo,
Ceylon, in 1883. One of the does had given birth to
a fawn in a small enclosure near the house of its owner ;
and on the second day after the birth she was seen
quietly feeding between four and five in the afternoon,
but unaccompanied by the fawn. Mr. Ravenscroft,
with half-a-dozen servants entered the enclosure to
search for the fawn. The ground within the enclosure,
which was about a quarter of an acre in extent, and
devoid of covert, except at one end, where there were a
few cinnamon-bushes and a single good-sized tree, was
carefully examined, without any trace of the missing
fawn. So too, was an area of some extent outside the
fence (through which it was thought the fawn might
have crept), but with a similar result. Next morning
the doe and fawn were seen together. A man was set
to watch, who informed the owner that one afternoon
he saw the pair go into the bushes, and the doe come
out alone after a few minutes. It thus appeared that
for eight or ten days the mother regularly put her
offspring to bed about half-past four in the afternoon,
and concealed it so successfully that although the owner
knew within a few feet the place where it lay, he never
succeeded in finding it. |
It is well known that during the pairing season red-
deer stags occasionally get their antlers so locked
together that they are unable to extricate them and
thus perish miserably. It might have been thought
that the simple form of the antlers of the chital would
not lend themselves to such interlocking ; but that this
is not the case is proved by a pair of skulls picked up
many years ago in the Central Provinces, in which the
‘=)
antlers were immovably locked.
" 240
The Para, or Hog-Deer
THE PARA, OR HOG-DEER
(Cervus porcinus )
Native Names.—Para, Huinpustani, SINDI, AND
Punjasi 3; Dodar 1n Routtcunp ; Khar laguna 1n
THE Nepat Terar; -Nutrini haran, Brncatt ;
Will-muha, C1nGA.EsE ; Darai or Dayai, BuRMESE.
(PiarTe vii, fig. 1)
The para is the smallest of the Indian rusa-like
deer, its height at the shoulder commonly ranging
between 25 and 29 inches. Certain characters in the
skull distinguish this species from the sambar and chital
(which belong to the sub-genus Rusa), and it 1s
accordingly referred to a distinct sub-genus, Hyelaphus.
The general build is low and heavy, with the legs and
face comparatively short ; and it is perhaps from this
characteristic massiveness of make that the title of
hog-deer is derived. The antlers, which in adult stags
are considerably longer than the head, are supported on
relatively tall pedicles from the skull, and are fairly
stout, although less rugose than in the sambar. The
brow-tine is short, the beam of great length, and the
hinder, or inner tine of the terminal fork somewhat
shorter than the outer one.
The hairs on the back have pale tips, but are not
banded with rings of different shades. Full-grown
hog-deer in winter dress are generally bright, shining
rufous or yellowish brown in colour, somewhat speckled
over with a lighter shade owing to the pale tips of the
hairs ; a peculiarity being that the hair on the lower
surface of the body is considerably darker than that of
the back. In the summer coat, on the other hand, the
general tint is distinctly lighter, and, during at least the
early portion of the season, a variable number of very
pale brown or white spots make their appearance. In
241 R
Game Animals of India, etc.
some individuals, as in the buck shown in fig. 43, the
entire body is fie dappled ; but in other instances the
spotting may be restricted to a couple of rows on each °
5
side of the dark streak on the back. The ears, which
are well covered with hair on the outer surface, and are
white internally, are rather large ; and the tail, of which
Fic. 42.—Head of Hog-Deer Stag, from a specimen in the possession of
Mr. H. C. V. Hunter.
the lower surface is white, is proportionately long ; the
throat is devoid of mane; the face-glands are less
developed than in the sambar ; and the colour of the
tufts of hair on the metatarsal glands is Peon than
that of the rest of the leg. Antlers measuring 234 and
214 inches in length have been recorded, the longer
pair having a basal girth of 3% inches.
Uiliee sambar, which dwell in hill-forest, para
inhabit river-flats, where they prefer tracts with grass of
242
—— ee
it
76
a
4.
Hog-Deer.
Muntjac.
Tenasserim Muntjac.
Tibetan Tufted Deer.
243
Musk-Deer.
Meminna, or Indian Chevrotain.
Indian Wild Boar.
Pigmy Hog.
Game Animals of India, etc.
moderate height ; but they are occasionally found in
forest. In India the species seems restricted to the
plains of the Indus and Ganges valley, its reported
occurrence in the peninsula proper being unconfirmed.
On this vast plain its range extends from Sind and the
Punjab, through Assam and Sylhet, into Burma ; the
southern limit on that side of the Bay of Bengal being
Fic. 43.—Hog-Deer Stag in summer dress, from a photograph by the Duchess
of Bedford.
apparently Tenasserim. Its occurrence in Ceylon is
due to importation.
Hog-deer live mainly by grazing, and are therefore
suited for turning out in parks, on account of not
damaging trees and foliage. Numbers have been
turned out by the Marquis d’Hervey at St. Denys,
and by Monsieur Pays Mellier at Pataudié¢re; and
the species also thrives in the Duke of Bedford’s park
at Woburn.
The para is to a considerable extent nocturnal, and
since it generally dwells among grass of sufficient height
244
(
f
:
The Para, or Hog-Deer
to conceal its body, it is easy to see why it retains the
large ears of its relative the sambar. Unlike the latter,
it is unsociable, never collecting in herds, and generally
found solitary, except in the pairing-season, when two
or three individuals go together. The antlers are
generally shed in April, the pairing-season takes place
in September or October, and the fawns make their
appearance in the following May or June.
Hog-deer are eit ugly movers, running with
the head carried low. They are frequently put up when
pig-sticking on grass plains, and afford a goodrun. In
Dera Dun and the sub-Himalayan Terai these deer are
generally shot from elephants while beating large tracts
of grass when larger game is not on ce move. ‘The
does lie so close as Miricet to be kicked up by the feet
of the elephants ; but the bucks are more alert, and rise
sooner, so that the best chance of shooting then is to
ride on one flank somewhat in advance oh the line of
elephants, or to take up a position on foot in a place to
which they are likely to bolt. To the novice shooting
such comparatively small and quickly moving animals
from elephant-back will be found by no means an easy
matter.
THE SWAMP-DEER, OR BARASINGHA
(Cervus duvaucelt)
Native Names.—Barasingha anv Maha, Hinpustant ;
Baraya, Gonr, and Ghos 1n THE Nepat TERAI ;
thinkar iN THE Kyarpa Dun ; Goin, Sinpi 3 Goin-
jak (male), Gaonr (female) iv Cenrrat Inpra ;
Bara- Nerwari, anv Sal-Samar 1x Manpta ;
Bhelingi-pohu, ASSAMESE.
GBrATE Vi, fic. 7)
Were it not that the name is so frequently mis-
applied to the hangul, the Hindustani title barasingha
24.5
Game Animals of India, etc.
(anglice, twelve-tined) would be the best designation
Fic, 44.—Head of Swamp-Deer Stag, from a specimen in the possession of
Mr. eC V~ unter:
for this species; but in view of this possible con-
246
The Swamp-Deer, or Barasingha
fusion it seems better to employ an English name,
using barasingha merely as an alternative titlk—and as
the name swamp-deer, although not free from objection,
is in general use, it seems the most convenient.
With the exception that it retains in most instances
a line of whitish spots on each side of the dark dorsal
Fic. 45.—Swamp-Deer Stag, with the antlers in velvet, photographed by the
Duchess of Bedford.
streak, the swamp-deer is as uniformly coloured as the
sambar, and, like that species, exhibits no marked
seasonal change in the colour. Indeed this feature
appears to be common to all deer of the rusine and
rucervine groups; the latter (rucervine) being the
one to which the present species and two other eiieed
Oriental deer belong.
247
Game Animals of India, etc.
The rucervine deer are best distinguished by the
form of the antlers, which are more complex than
those of sambar, and at the same time different from
those of the red-deer group. Another feature is the
absence or rudimentary condition of the metatarsal
gland and tuft. As regards the antlers, which may
be either rounded or flattened, they lack both bez
(second) and trez (third) tines, and have the beam
forked (often symmetrically) at a variable distance
above the origin of the brow-tine, and one or both
branches of this fork again dividing at least once, so
that the minimum number of points on each antler
is four, while there are frequently six, and in some
cases eight or more. Another feature is that the
brow-tine is either given off at a right angle to the
main beam, or forms an uninterrupted continuation
of the curvature of the latter. Although the fawns
are more or less spotted, the coat of the adults is in
most cases nearly uniformly coloured, and shows no
light rump-patch. The neck is slightly maned, the
face long, and the tail rather short; while the -face-
glands attain only moderate development. The group
is represented by three allied species of relatively large-
sized deer, one of which is restricted to India, while
the second (Cervus schomburgki) inhabits northern
Siam, and the third is found in Burma and countries
lying still farther east.
The swamp-deer is a somewhat stoutly-built species,
standing from about 3 feet 8 inches to 3 feet 10 inches
at the withers. The muzzle is rather long and narrow ;
and the hair of a moderate degree of fineness, with
a tendency towards a woolly nature. In the summer
coat the general colour of the upper-parts is bright
rufous brown, frequently, at least, with a broad. brown
streak, bordered on each side by a line of whitish
spots, down the middle of the back, and with a less
distinct trace of spotting on other parts. The throat,
the inner surfaces of the thighs, and the under-parts
248
The Swamp-Deer, or Barasingha
generally are white or whitish, while the lower surface
of the tail is white. In winter the general colour 1s
yellowish brown, with the under-parts paler. Hinds
Fic. 46.—Head of Swamp-Deer Stag with antlers of an abnormal type, from the
Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1899.
at all seasons are somewhat lighter in colour than the
stags ; and the fawns are spotted all over with white.
The metatarsal gland is wanting.
In their typical form the antlers of the swamp-deer
cannot be mistaken for those of any other species.
249
Game Animals of ineia, <cte.
They are smooth and flattened, with the relatively long
brow-tine springing from the beam almost at right
angles. Above the point where this tine is given off
the beam remains undivided for about half the length
of the antler, when it divides into a regular fork, both
branches of which are of equal calibre, and each usually
simply forked, although the outer branch may exceed
the inner one in length, and carry three or more tines.
Small supplemental snags not unfrequently occur on
the upper surface of the brow-tine, but that tine never
forks, while “sports” at its junction with the beam
are seldom seen.
Such is the typical form of antler characteristic of
the swamp-deer, but among a series of heads obtained
by Major C. B. Wood in 1899 in the Central Provinces,
the one shown in fig. 46 departs widely from this
type, while the others, although less markedly abnormal,
exhibit a variation in the same direction. In these
antlers the long and much-curved brow-tine arises at
more than a right angle from the beam, which is also
much curved ; so that a little more and the two would
form a continuous curve. The forking of the beam
likewise occurs at a point higher up than usual, and
the inner or posterior branch of the fork is thinner
and shorter than the outer or anterior branch, which
curves forward in continuation of the line of the beam,
and gives off two snags from its sharp hind or upper
surface, serially continuous with the small hind branch
of the main fork. In fact, the whole antler (especially
on the left side, where fe ind ‘branche: aeons
fork is not subdivided) ; is in many respects more like
that of one race of the thamin than of a typical swamp-
deer, this being especially shown by the nearly
cylindrical shaft of the beam. If all swamp-deer from
the Central Provinces presented this type of antler,
they would be entitled to rank as a distinct local race,
but other specimens obtained by Major Wood indicate
that this is not the case, although they depart to a
250
The Swamp-Deer, or Barasingha
certain degree from the normal in the direction of the
aberrant type.
A length of 41 inches, with a basal circumference
of 54 inches, is the “record” for swamp-deer antlers.
As already mentioned, the swamp-deer is restricted
to the Indian mainland, being unknown in Ceylon
as well as in the countries lying to the south of the
Assam valley, which forms its limit in this direction.
Westward the range of the species is continued along
the foot of the Himalaya to the Kyarda Dun, beyond
the Jumna. From the eastern Sandarbans of Bengal
the swamp-deer is met with in a few localities in the
Indo-Gangetic plain as far as Bahawalpur and Rohri
in Sind, as well as locally through the. great tract
between the valleys of the Ganges aaa the Godaveri,
as far eastwards as the Mandla Ere SICL Lexis liicewise
numerous in the upper portion of the valley of the
Narbada, as well as southwards to the neighbourhood
of Bastar. In the Central Provinces the limits of the
areas inhabited by this deer correspond to the tracts
of sal-forest.
Avoiding thick forest, swamp-deer, which subsist
by grazing, affect the Aces of ane and grassy
plains with scattered trees ; the vicinity of water being
essential. In such ipeatiies they are found during the
cooler months of the year in herds, which in some
instances are of great extent. In the spring the
members of these herds disperse ; single stags being
'met with on the grass plains of Assam during March
with their antlers in velvet. These deer are at least
as diurnal in their habits as chital ; and the pairing-
season appears to take place in the latter part of
October.
Where the ground on which they are found, as in
parts of Central India, is open, swamp-deer may be
stalked ; but in the high grass of the Nepal Terai and
Assam they are commonly shot from elephants.
251
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE) BHAMIN, ORSEED'S DEER
(Cervus eldi)
Native Names.—Sangnai, or Sangrat, ManiPuRI ;
Thamin, or Thameng, BuRMESE
(Pate vi, fig. 8)
The thamin, or Burmese representative of the
swamp-deer, was formerly placed in a genus by itself,
under the name of Panolia ; and is hence sometimes
spoken of as the “ Panolia deer.’ Its relationship to
the swamp-deer was, however, gradually recognised ;
but it was not till the description of the above-
mentioned head of the latter species obtained by Major
Wood that the closeness of the relationship was realised.
It is somewhat remarkable that it was not till 1842
that the thamin was definitely made known to science,
although there is a possibility that a deer described
five years earlier may have belonged to this species.
The thamin stands about 3 feet 9 inches in height
at the shoulder, and has a coat of coarse hair, which
becomes shaggy in winter, when it forms a kind of
mane on the throat of the stags. Thamin differ from
all other deer (with the exception of Major Wood’s
specimen of the swamp-deer) by the curvature of the
antlers. These are cylindrical and rugose, with the
long and arched brow-tine forming the continuation
of the curve of the beam, which is set at right angles
to the pedicle, so that the entire antler is approximately
bow-shaped. For the greater part of its length the
beam is undivided, having at first a backwards, then
an outwards, and finally a forwards curvature ; but
towards its termination it is simply forked, each fork
corresponding to the main fork in swamp-deer antlers.
In old animals the outer tine of the terminal fork
is larger and more complex than the inner one; the
number of terminal points varying from as few as two
252
4
[ ,
Si ee i
The Thamin, or Eld’s Deer
or ithree fo fat ‘least cieht or ten, In) this respect,
however, there is considerable local variation. In the
Burmese thamin (Cervus eldi typicus) the antlers are
cylindrical to their summits, with few or no additional ~
points on the prongs of the main fork, and a long
brow-tine. On the other hand, in the Siamese thamin
(C. eldi platyceros) the front or larger branch of the
Fic. 47.—Group of Burmese Thamin, from a photograph by the Duchess of Bedford.
main fork is considerably flattened, and carries a large
number of snags on its sharp hind edge, and the brow-
tine is relatively shorter. It is in this race that the
antlers make a close approximation to Major Wood’s
specimen of the swamp-deer. In both races one or
more prominent snags are usually developed at the
point of junction between the brow-tine and the beam,
that is to say, immediately above the pedicle ; and it is
a general feature of the species that the antlers of
253
Game Animals of India, etc.
opposite sides are unsymmetrical when compared with
one another. In the Burmese thamin, with which
alone this book is concerned, the colour of the winter
dress of the stags is uniformly dark brown above
(occasionally with a few light spots near the middle
line of the back) and white or whitish beneath ; the
throat-fringe, which sometimes shows a white gorget,
is darker than the rest of the coat, and there is usually
some white on the chin, around the eyes, and on
the margins of the ears. In summer the colour of the
stags changes to fawn above and pale brown on the
under-parts. At all times hinds are a paler rufous
fawn ; and very young fawns are usually spotted with
white on the hind-quarters. The Siamese race of the
thamin is more rufous-coloured, and more or less
distinctly spotted at all seasons of the year. In general
bodily form thamin are like swamp-deer, having the
same short tail, but retaining more or less distinct
traces of the metatarsal gland and tuft.
In the Manipur valley, which is one huge swamp,
the thamin have developed a peculiar modification in
the foot which enables them to walk with ease in such
ground. In the Burmese thamin the under surface of
the hind-pasterns 1s covered with hair in the ordinary
manner, and the animal walks entirely on the main
hoofs, keeping the pasterns much elevated. In the
Manipur thamin, on the other hand, the under surface
of the pastern is covered with a very hard, bare skin,
which immediately above each hoof has almost the
consistency of horn, and is practically continuous with
the hoof itself. Moreover, so far as can be determined
from comparison with a mounted specimen of the
Burmese form, the pasterns are considerably longer ®
than in the latter. In walking, according to the
account given by Major C. S. Cumberland, the foot is
much bent, so that the animal walks on nearly the
whole of the under surface of the pasterns, and thus
gains a firm support on the yielding morass.
254
oo“ =
The Thamin, or Eld’s Deer
Assuming this feature to be constant (as Major
Cumberland believes to be the case), the Manipur
thamin appears entitled to rank as a distinct local form,
for which I have proposed the name C. e/di cornipes.
Apart from this point, the modification is of special
interest as indicating a mode by which ruminants may
adapt themselves to a life in swamps. In the well-
known instance of the sitatunga antelope of Africa, a
sufficiently large surface of support is afforded by a
lengthening of the hoofs; in the present case the
hoofs remain of the normal length, and support is
obtained by the animal walking on the under surface
of the hardened pasterns. It is, in fact, an incipient
instance of the reversion of a digitigrade animal to the
plantigrade progression of its swamp-dwelling ancestors.
Thamin are found on all flat alluvial tracts in the
countries to the east of the Bay of Bengal, ranging
from Manipur through Burma and Tenasserim into
the Malay Peninsula.
The largest pair of thamin-antlers recorded measures
42 inches along the outer curve (exclusive of the brow-
tine), with a basal circumference of 5, a tip-to-tip
interval of 29, and a maximum width inside of
24 inches. The corresponding dimensions of the
second largest specimen are 41, 54, 272, and
36 inches. Both came from Burma, the former
having two points on one side and three on the other,
while the latter has five in both antlers.
Thamin are very similar in their mode of life to
swamp-deer, congregating for at least a portion of the
year in large herds, and frequenting low, flat country,
where they at all times avoid thick forest and dense
bush-jungle, although frequently resorting to open
tree-jungle. To a great extent they are grazing
animals, feeding largely on wild rice; but they also
browse on the leaves of certain trees. | When
disturbed, hinds give vent to a kind of barking grunt,
while the cry of the stags is a louder and longer sound
255
Game Animals of India, etc.
of the same nature. The pairing-season lasts from the
middle of March to the middle of May, and the fawns,
of which there is but one at a birth, are dropped in
October and November, when they find shelter among
wild rice. The fawn often remains with the hind till
its second year. In Manipur the stags begin to drop
their antlers in June, although in Lower “Burma the
shedding is deferred till the latter part of August or
beginning of September. During the dry season,
which lasts from the middle of February till the eee
part of April, thamin betake themselves to salt-
swamps, and, except for dew, must apparently exist
without fresh water.
In Upper Burma, where they are fairly common,
thamin are driven by beaters, but in Lower Burma
they are sometimes shot, in native fashion, with the
aid of lanterns at night. In addition to the sportsman
and his rifle-coolies, the party on such an expedition
includes a lantern-carrier and a man with bells and
rings on a stick. On arrival at the spot selected, a fire
is kindled after dark, ‘and a kind of incantation-
ceremony performed, in the course of which the
various members of the party, together with the rifles,
should pass through the smoke. The lantern, which
consists of an earthenware pot with a hole in one side,
and is used as a search-light, is then lit, the bells are
jingled, and on the approach of a stag, the light is
turned full in its eyes, by which it becomes so dazed
as to offer an easy shot.
A large herd of thamin is kept at the present time
by the Duke of Bedford in an enclosure in the park at
Woburn, where these deer, like chital and barasingha,
have become thoroughly acclimatised.
256
a
¥
|
4
1
-
The Muntyac
THE MUN BAC
(Cervulus munyac)
Native Names.—Kakar, Hinpustanr; Ratwa, Nepa-
LESE; Karsiar oF THE BuoTias; SikkUu“ OF THE
Lepcuas ; Maya, Bencatt; Gutra (male), Gusri
(female) anp Bherki or THE Gonps; Bekra and
Bekar, Maurarut; Kankari, Kard-kari, Kond-
kari AND Chali, CanareEsE; Kuka-gori, TELEGU 3;
Kalai anp Katu-ardu, Tamit; Wel ann Hula-
muha, CinGaLesE; Hugeri, AssaMESE; Gyz,
Burmese; Kidang, Maray ; Fangli-bakri, com-
MONLY IN SOUTHERN INp1a.
(Pate vii, fig. 2)
Although the term “ muntjac” is one in regard to
the origin of which there seems no clue (it was used
by the German naturalist Zimmermann so long ago as
the year 1780 as the name of the present species) it is
so convenient a designation for the small deer of the
genus Cervulus, since it serves to mark their distinct-
ness from the members of the genus Cervus, that its
retention is advisable. Some aes. apparently basing
their objection on the fact that muntjac is not the
native name of any member of the group, prefer the
title rib-faced deer, or barking deer, but such a
designation fails to emphasise the structural difference
Beucen the present group and more typical deer.
Muntjacs in the wider sense of the term are small
deer inhabiting India and some of the neighbouring
countries, easily recognised by the peculiar structure of
the skull and antlers of the bucks. The antlers, which
do not normally exceed half the length of the etc. are
two-pointed, and consist of a short brow-tine, Sdl a
beam, of which the tip is inclined inwards ; the two
forming an acute angle at their junction. Thee antlers
257 S
Game Animals of India, etc.
are supported on long, slender bony-pedicles, often but
little shorter than the antlers themselves, and frequently
longer; the pedicles being continued downwards on
the forehead of the skull as sharp ridges, converging
towards the middle line as they descend, but never
actually meeting. In the does tufts of bristly hair and
short prominences mark the position occupied by the
pedicles of the antlers in the bucks. With advancing
age the pedicles of the antlers of the bucks become.
shorter and thicker than in youth, when they are
sometimes longer than the skull. The typical members
of the group have a pair of glands in the skin of the
forehead situated on the inner side of each of the sup-
porting ridges of the antler-pedicles ; and the face-glands
beneath the eyes are likewise well developed. On the
other hand, the metatarsal glands and tufts are wanting.
An important feature is the large size of the upper
tusks of the bucks, which project beyond the level
of the upper lips, although they do not grow from
persistent pulps.
The Indian muntjac, kakar, or barking-deer, as
it is called, is a reddish-coloured deer, standing from
about 20 to 22 inches in height at the withers. It
has a relatively short tail, comparatively short and fine
hair, and no tuft of bristly hairs on the crown of the
head between the pedicles of the antlers. In adult
bucks the general colour (apparently at all seasons) is
uniform foxy or chestnut red, darker on the back,
and paler on the lower surface a the body. The fee
and limbs are brownish ; and a distinct black line runs
down the inner side of the pedicles of the antlers, to
be continued for some distance down their supporting
ridges. The chin, upper portion of the throat, hind
part of the abdomen, and the inner side of the thighs,
together with the ieee surface of the tail, are whites
Aa there is a whitish mark above the boar on the
front surface of each leg. Females are coloured
practically the same as males, with the exception that
258
The Muntyac
tufts of bristly black hairs mark the position of the
antler-pedicles of the latter. The fawns are spotted.
I have seen examples of dark-coloured muntjacs, in
which the back was nearly black, and the rest of the
hair very dark brown; a skin of this type, obtained
near Darjiling, at an elevation of about 5000 feet, was
brought home by Mr. M. G. Jukes, and Dr. C. Hose
states that dark-coloured muntjacs are not uncommon
-in some of the mountainous districts of North Borneo.
This abnormal coloration would therefore seem to be
an instance of the melanism frequently met with among
animals inhabiting subtropical mountain forests, and
cannot be regarded as indicative of a local race.
Indian muntjac antlers seldom oe 64 inches in
length, with the brow-tine only about 13 inches ; but
a specimen from Mussuri measures 74 enea in length,
and an exceptionally long pair from Java rather more
than 10 inches. In 1899 Mr. R. E. Holding (Proc.
Zool. Soc. London, p. 295) described and figured a large
pair of muntjac antlers picked out of a cargo of horns
from Singapore. These are characterised by their
great size and massiveness, and the shortness and
Bronte of the supporting pedicles. The antlers
measure g inches in length, and the brow-tine 4# inches,
while the pedicles have a girth of 34 inches. Any
doubt as to their being really muntjac-antlers is dis-
pelled by the frontlet and antlers of a muntjac from
Pahang, Malay Peninsula, shown in fig. 48, in which the
antlers measure 7 inches in length, and are remarkable
for their stoutness and great lateral compression, and
consequent great antero-posterior depth ; the pedicles
being also short and stout. This specimen, which was
collected by Dr. C. Hose, is in the British Museum.
It may be added that a pair of muntjac antlers from
Java, recorded in Records of Big Game, measures 10%
inches in length, whilst another pair from "area mennaned
in the same work measures 82 inches. I presume a
third pair in the same list from Singapore, belonging to
259
Game Animals of India, etc.
Sir E. G. Loder, is Mr. Holding’s specimen, although
eae be
the length is given as 9} inches.
With the exception
of one pair in the same list, of which the length is
Fic. 48.—Frontlet and Antlers of the Malay
Muntjac.
provisionally stated
to be 84 inches, no
Indian muntjac ant-
lers with which I
am acquainted equal
these dimensions.
In 1904 Mr. D.
H. Allen presented
to the Bri tate
Museum the skull
of an old male munt-
jac picked up in the
Thouagyen Forest,
Amherst District,
Burma, the antlers
of which are almost
identical with those
of Dr. Hose’s speci-
mens, showing the
same massiveness
and marked flatten-
ing of the” innet
surface. The dimen-
sions of the left and -
larger antler are as
follows: Length
along outer curve,
6% inches; girth
above burr, 44 inches ; maximum width of inner surface,
13 inches.
The combined evidence of these specimens tends to
show that Burmese and Malay muntjac commonly attain
an antler-development unparalleled in the Indian Cer-
vulus muntjac; and it therefore seems legitimate to
regard the former as representing a distinct race. So
260
The Muntjac
far as I am aware, none of the scientific names usually
regarded as synonyms of the Indian animal were
originally applied to Burmese or Malay specimens.
The name C. pletharicus was, indeed, proposed by
Mr. Kohlbrigger in 1896 for the Bornean muntjac,
but I have no means of knowing that this is identical
with the Burmese- Malay animal. I have therefore
proposed to designate the latter as a distinct race,
characterised by its large and massive antlers, under
the name of Cervulus muntjac grandicoruis.'
The true or Indian muntjac, inclusive of local races,
ranges from the outer Himalaya to Cape Comorin ;
and is also found in Ceylon, and extends eastwards
through Arracan and Burma into the Malay Peninsula,
and so onwards to the Malay islands and the coast
districts of China. Muntjac from the south of India are
smaller than those from the more northerly districts ;
while, as noted above, those from the Malay Peninsula
and islands are larger.
Like the majority of the smaller deer, muntjacs are
unsociable creatures, passing the greater portion of
their time in solitude, although seeking the society of
a mate during the pairing-season. More than a pair
are seldom seen in company, although three, and even
four, have been observed together. Muntjac only
eee the thick covert in sien they dwell for the sake
of drinking or of feeding on the grass of the adjacent
glades; and as they are strictly nocturnal, they are
scarcely ever seen except when driven from their re-
treats. When walking quickly, they move their limbs
in a peculiarly stilted and deliberate manner ; but,
when running, scuttle along with the head carried low
and the hind-quarters elevated, the same mode of
progress being followed when creeping through thick
covert.
The pairing-season, in the more northern districts of
the country, takes place in January and February for the
1 The Field, vol. civ. p. 780, 1904.
2601
Game Animals of India, etc.
most part ; and when such is the case, the fawns, of
which one or two make their appearance at a time, are
dropped in July or August. In other districts there
seems no regular pairing-season, and fawns are
produced at any time of year.
The hoarse, bark-like cry, from which the name
kakar is derived, is uttered not only by the bucks in
pairing-time, but, under the influence of alarm, at any
season of the year ; during the pairing-time it 1s most
commonly heard in the morning and evening, although
occasionally it may startle the traveller after darkness
has fallen. During their contests with one another the
bucks appear to rely upon their long upper tusks,
rather than upon their antlers. In spite of their
tendency to coarse feeding, muntjac yield a venison
superior to that of most Indian deer.
I have tried to shoot kakar by having the jungles on
a hill-side beaten ; but since these little deer are solitary,
it is seldom that they come near the sportsman, if there
be only a single gun in the field, consequently the
sport is by no means exciting or satisfactory. In ‘places
where they are numerous, the best plan is to walk them
up in covert when they are on the feed in the evening
or the early morning.
Muntjac have long been acclimatised in France ; and
at Rambouillet they survived the severe winter of 1879-
1880 with only the shelter of an open shed. They run
wild in the Duke of Bedford’s coverts at Woburn
Abbey.
Muntjyac in India are stated to shed their antlers in
May and renew them in August; but a head of a
Tibetan muntjac which came under my notice leads me
to think that the shedding is not annual. In this speci-
men (shot in a wild state) the antlers are so worn and
polished that the external surface has become abraded,
leaving the hard white inner layer, which has been
polished to such an extent that it resembles ivory. Such
wearing seems unlikely: to have been caused within less
262
The Muntac
than a twelvemonth; and the inference is that the antlers
cannot be annually shed. The statement that muntjac
can move their upper tusks seems doubtful.
THE TIBETAN MUNTJAC
(Cervulus lachrymans)
Since this species is closely allied to the last, and
occurs in districts where European sportsmen seldom
penetrate, a few lines in regard to it will suffice. In size
it is inferior to the Indian muntjac, standing only 19
inches at the shoulder ; and while having face-markings
similar to those of the latter, it is distinguished by a
difference in general colour, which is bright rufous
brown, with the hairs on the back speckled, the head
and neck being yellowish brown, or even yellow.
This muntjac was first discovered in Moupin,
Eastern Tibet, whence its range extends into Central
and Southern China.
THE TENASSERIM. MUNTJAC
(Cervulus fee)
(PATE vit, figs 3)
Very different from both the preceding species is the
rare Tenasserim muntjac, in which the general colour,
instead of being some shade of chestnut, is sepia~-brown,
while the tail, which is comparatively short, is black
above and white below. It agrees, however, with the
Indian muntjac in the absence of a tuft of hair between
the pedicles of the antlers. The upper part of the face
is very brilliantly coloured, being bright yellow from
above the level of the eyes, with the exception of a black
V running along the inner borders of the face-ridges
to terminate on the brown of the nose ; and the front
surface of the thighs is conspicuously marked with a
white line. Unlike the Indian muntjac, this species has
no glands on the forehead.
262
v
Game Animals of India, etc.
This muntjac was described from a male, obtained
about 1888 in the mountains to the south-east of
Maleyit, in Tenasserim, and preserved in the Museum
at Genoa. In many respects it forms a link between
the Indian species and the hairy-fronted muntjac
(Cc. crinifrons) of Eastern China, which is a larger plum-
coloured species, distinguished by a crest of long coarse
hairs on the crown of the head, almost completely
concealing the pedicles of the ee.
THE: TIBETAN-TUELTED DEER
Elaphodus cephalophus
P phatop
(PLaTe vu, fig. 4)
The tufted deer, of which the Tibetan representative
alone comes within the purview of this volume, are
connected with the muntjacs by means of the hairy-
fronted species to which a passing reference has just
been made. They derive their title of tufted deer from
the crest of long and dense bristly hair crowning the
summit of the head; while their scientific name of
Elaphodus reters to the long sabre-like tusks in the
upper jaw of the bucks. The two latter features are
common to the hairy-fronted muntjac, and the short
antlers are similarly supported on long ridges ; but the
species of Elaphodus are distinguished from Cervulus
by the pedicles of the antlers diverging inferiorly
instead of converging, while they are not continued
down the face as ridges. The tips of the tusks of the
bucks are not turned outward in muntjac fashion, while
the hair is extremely coarse and comparatively long.
The lateral hoofs are much smaller than in muntjac,
being quite rudimentary. The fawns differ from those
of the chestnut-coloured muntjacs in being spotted
only along the middle line of the back ; but since the
264
~ .o
The Tibetan Tufted Deer
young of the plum-coloured muntjacs are unknown,
this character cannot at present be regarded as one of
generic importance. Tufted deer have broad, rounded
Fic. 49.—Head of Michie’s Tufted Deer, from Proc, Zcol. Soc, London, 1876,
<
RS
=
By
ears, of which the outer surface is thickly haired, and
a tail of moderate length.
In the Tibetan species, which may be compared
in size to the Indian muntjac, standing about 22 or
23 inches at the withers, the general colour is deep
265
Game Animals of India, etc.
chocolate-brown, the hairs on the fore part of the body
having brown tips with a white ring below, whereas
farther back this white ring is absent. Consequently
the region of the shoulders is finely speckled, but the
hind-quarters are uniformly coloured. The crest forms
a nearly black horse-shoe on the forehead, bordered
above each eye by a line of grey; the ears show a
large amount of white internally and on the inner
margin, and the lower surface of the tail and the inner
sides of the thighs and buttocks are likewise white.
This little deer inhabits the mountains of Moupin,
in Eastern Tibet, but is replaced in the east of China
by a closely allied species, of which the head is shown
in fig. 49, while another representative of the group
inhabits the mountains bordering the Ichang valley.
THE KASTURA, OR MUSK-DEER
(Moschus moschiferus)
Native Names.—Kastura anp Mushk, Hinpustani ;
Raos or Rons, Kasumirt; La ano Lawa,
Tipetan ; Ribjo, Lapax1; Bena and Masakneba
IN GARHWAL AND KuMaon.
(Pate vii, fig. 5)
As the animal now to be discussed is very different
from true deer, and is only admitted within the family
Cervide on sufferance, it would be better if it were
called either by its Hindustani name of kastura, or
simply musk, dropping altogether the affix “deer,” but
custom is hard to overcome, and since the name musk-
deer is current, it would be hopeless to attempt its
abbreviation.
From all the true deer mentioned in this volume
musk-deer differ by the absence of antlers in both
sexes ; but as a similar feature also obtains in the case
266
PSS = See
The Kastura, or Musk-Deer
of the Chinese water-deer, this alone would not suffice to
differentiate the present animal from other members of
the family Cervidz. As a matter of fact, the structural
features by which the musk-deer is separated from the
latter are chiefly connected with the skeleton and the
soft internal organs, and detailed reference to them
would be out of place on this occasion. It must
accordingly suffice to mention that such structural
differences do exist, among them being the presence of
a gall-bladder, which is never developed in true deer.
As regards general appearance, the musk-deer might
be taken, if its long tusks be disregarded, for a female
antelope just as well as for a female deer; but the
sabre-like upper tusks of the bucks are a feature
unparalleled among hollow-horned ruminants. In the
extremely large size of the lateral hoofs, which are
capable of being spread out so as to secure an additional
foothold, the musk-deer is peculiar.
In build musk-deer are stout and heavy, if not
clumsy, the rump being raised above the level of the
fore-quarters, while the hind-limbs are longer than the
front ones, which, however, are also of considerable
length ; both pairs being thick. The coarse and thick
hair, which is minutely waved, is extremely brittle and
pith-like, and serves as a protection against the cold of
the animal’s habitat. The ears are large ; and although
much smaller in females, the upper tusks attain great
development in bucks. From other Cervide musk-
deer differ by the absence of face-glands below the
eyes ; and the metatarsal and tarsal glands found in so
many deer are likewise wanting. The tail is reduced
to a mere glandular rudiment; but whereas in the
bucks it terminates in a small tuft, in the does it is
covered uniformly with hair. A gland in the skin of
the abdomen of the bucks secretes, at least during the
pairing-season, the well-known powerful scent from
which the animal derives its name.
In height the musk-deer stands some 22 inches at
267
Game Animals of India, etc.
the rump, and about a couple of inches less at the
withers. On the upper part of the head and body and
outer surface of the limbs the prevailing colour is some
shade of rich dark brown, more or less mottled and
speckled with grey, and x immature ‘individuals dis-
playing traces of spots, generally arranged in lines.
The speckled appearance of the coat is due to the
coloration of the individual hairs, which are white for
the basal three-quarters of their length, then ringed
with white, and terminating in a blackish tip. The
under surface of the body and the inner sides of the
limbs are whitish, and there may be a single or double
white spot on each side of the throat. In regard to
details of coloration there is, however, a considerable
individual variation, some skins being paler and others
more yellow than ordinary ; 1n addition to which there
may be splashes of black or golden red on the upper-
parts, while the under surface may be either golden
yellow or white.
Being forest-dwelling mountain animals, musk-deer
are restricted in the Himalaya to the wooded ranges,
where they are usually found at elevations of about
8000 feet, or higher, during summer. So far as
present information goes, the western limit of the range
occurs somewhere about the neighbourhood of Gilgit ;
the species is unknown in the barren districts of Dras,
Zanskar, and Ladak, but farther west, probably in the
neighbourhood of Sikhim, extends northwards into the
forest districts of Eastern Tibet. It has also a wide
distribution in Central and Northern Asia.
As musk-deer yield a product valuable to man,
which can be obtained from no other source, they are
objects of eager and incessant pursuit, which would in
all probability have already resulted in their extermina-
tion, were it not for the circumstance that they frequent
country where concealment is comparatively easy. As
it is, however, the numbers of this animal have been
seriously reduced in the more accessible parts of its
268
The Kastura, or Musk-Deer
habitat ; although the enactment of game-laws in
certain districts may do something towards its rehabili-
tation. The contents of a “pod” of musk weigh
about one ounce.
In wandering among the birch-forests which clothe
Fic. 50.—A Young Musk-Deer, from a photograph by the Duchess of Bedford.
the mountains of Kashmir for a certain height above
the belt of pines, especially in early spring, when the
snow still lies deep between the silvery stems, the
traveller will, from time to time, be startled by a little
animal of the size of a roe getting up suddenly at
no great distance away, and starting off in a series of
enormous bounds, after having taken from ten to
twenty of which, it will turn round to gaze at the
269
Game Animals of India, etc.
disturber of its haunts—a habit which too often leads
to its destruction. The creature that has thus bounded
off is a musk-deer, which has either been gathering a
meal from the dead grass buried beneath the snow or
the lichens growing on the surrounding tree-stems, or
has been sleeping in its “form.” For musk-deer, like
hares, appear to have regular resting-places, in which
they ie up for the greater part of the day, being
mainly nocturnal in their habits. Although he birch-
forests and the higher portion of the pine-zone form
their principal bane in Kashmir, they may be seen
farther eastwards at considerably lower levels, at times
even among the rhododendron-forests, which in spring
clothe the sides of many of the outer Himalayan valleys
with a blaze of colour.
Musk-deer appear enabled to maintain a firm foot-
hold on smooth and slippery boulders or faces of
rock by means of the peculiar conformation of their
hoofs, which are unlike those of other ruminants. As
already mentioned, the lateral hoofs, which are more or
less completely rudimentary in most ruminants (if not
altogether wanting, as in the pala antelope and the
giraffe), in the musk-deer vie in length and mobility
with the main pair ; and it would seem that by widely
spreading these nee a grasp of the surface of the rock
is obtained. These large lateral hoofs also appear to
act as a kind of break, by preventing the animal from
slipping when descending a frozen snow-slope, or an
inclined face of rock. In the fore-legs the toe-bones
supporting the lateral hoofs are supplied with special
muscles and tendons which have become aborted by
disuse in most other ruminants.
The food of the musk-deer varies, it seems, according
to season, probably including dried grass and lichens
during the winter, and leaves of trees and flowers in
summer. When wounded or captured musk-deer
often utter piercing screams, but under ordinary
circumstances they are comparatively silent, although
270
|
|
4
The Kastura, or Musk-Deer
sometimes giving vent to loud hisses as they stand
gazing on an intruder into their lonely and silent
domains.
For the greater part of the year musk-deer are
solitary, but in January the buck seeks the company of
a single doe, with which it remains during the pairing-
season. In June the fawns make their appearance, and
although one is the usual number at a birth, there are
occasionally twins. In this respect musk-deer are
unlike Chinese water-deer, which are also devoid of
antlers and provided with long upper tusks in the
males; the number of the young produced by the
doe of the latter being as many as_half-a-dozen.
Fawns arrive at maturity rapidly, and are capable of
reproducing their kind within their first year.
Sportsmen are in the habit of estimating the fineness
of the musk-deer they shoot by the length of their
tusks. In the largest specimen on record the tusk
projects 34 inches beyond the jaw-bone ; while two
examples are known in which the length is 3 inches.
The only apparent difference between the sexes when
seen in the field is the presence of the long upper tusks
in the males, and to recognise the absence or presence
of these weapons in a momentary glance requires some
degree of practice. With these weapons the bucks
engage in combats with one another during the pairing-
season, specimens being sometimes killed in which the
hair has been ripped off in long lines. The brittleness
and stiffness of the hair renders the skin of little value,
although from its peculiar nature the cold-resisting
power of the fur must be great.
In musk-deer shooting the usual plan is to walk up
to the game, when either a small-bore rifle or a shot-
gun may be used. Less sportsmanlike is the method
Ge driving ; while the plan followed by the natives of
Garhwal ae catching them by means of long net-fences,
provided at intervals with gaps in which are set running
nooses, is to be deprecated from all points of view.
271
Game Animals of India, etc.
The musk-deer inhabiting Kansu has already been
separated as a distinct, species (M. sifanicus), and
possibly, when large sets of specimens are available for
comparison, the Himalayan musk-deer may be divisible
into local races. A skull in the British Museum
indicates that the range of musk-deer extends as far
east as Amurland.
THE MEMINNA CHEVROTAIN
(Tragulus meminna)
Native Names.—FPisura, Pisora, ano Pisai, Hinpv-
STANI AND Mauratui; ‘fitrat-haran, BENGALI 5
Gandwa, Uria; Yar, Ho-xot; Kuru-pandi,
TeLecu ; Kuram-pani, Tamit ; Kur-pandi, Cana-
RESE 3 Meminna and Walmaha, C1NGALESsE.
(PiaTeE vii, fig. 6)
Among the errors of popular natural history none
is more persistent or difficult to eradicate than the
belief that the little animals known as mouse-deer, or
chevrotains, are members of the deer tribe, or Cervide ;
for they are really very like diminutive hornless deer,
such as the Chinese water-deer and the musk-deer.
Superficial resemblances are, however, not to be trusted ;
and when the anatomy of the chevrotains is examined,
there are found important features by which they are
distinguished from typical ruminants, such as deer.
It is true they have no upper front teeth, and that
they ruminate, or “chew the cud,” and also that their
stomachs are divided into compartments; but the
compartments are three instead of four in number, and
the fibula or smaller bone of the second segment of
the hind-limb is complete and free from the tibia or
larger bone, instead of incomplete and more or less
united with the latter. All the bones of the lateral
272
The Meminna Chevrotain
toes are likewise complete, whereas some of them are
imperfect or even wanting in true ruminants. Then,
again, if the ankle-joint be examined, it will be found
to contain one bone more than in the latter group, in
which two of the original elements are fused together.
In the structure of their cheek-teeth chevrotains
resemble, however, true ruminants, as they do in
possessing ‘cannon-bones,” although in the African
genus Dorcatherium it is only in one pair of limbs that
the two component elements unite to form a cannon-
bone.
All Oriental chevrotains are small, delicately built
animals, with elevated hind-quarters, and slender limbs.
They inhabit forests, and are of shy and skulking
habits. From their larger African relative they are
distinguished by having cannon-bones in both limbs.
The head is long and pointed, with comparatively
small and rounded ears, a large portion of the narrow
muzzle bare and moist, and no glands below the eyes ;
glands being likewise wanting between the hoofs and
in the groin. There are no appendages comparable
either to horns or antlers, but the males, as in musk-
deer and the Chinese water-deer, are furnished with
long sabre-like tusks, capable of inflicting severe
wounds in their combats with one another. The tail
is more or less short, the hair is fine and close, and
the females are provided with four teats. In walking,
chevrotains have a peculiar stilted gait, treading only
on the tips of the hoofs ; the legs having such a rigid
appearance that it is a common idea there are no joints
to the knees.
The meminna is distinguished by being spotted and
streaked with white, as well as by the chin and throat
being completely covered with hair, instead of showing
a bare glandular area ; while the tail is shorter than in
other species, and there is only a small bare patch on
the hind-leg in the neighbourhood of the hock. In
height the animal stands from about 10 to 12 inches
273 ah
Game Animals of India, etc.
at the shoulder ; the length from the nose to the root
of the tail varies from 18 to 22 inches, the tail itself
measuring only an inch, or an inch and a quarter ;
the weight is from five to six pounds. In colour the
upper-parts are rich brown (darker in some individuals
than in others), speckled with yellow, the individual
hairs being brown at the roots and black at the tips,
below which they are ringed with yellow, thus causing
the speckled appearance of the coat. The sides of the
body, from the shoulder to the rump, are marked with
longitudinal rows of white or buff spots, which tend
to form streaks about half-way down ; and the inner
surface of the ears, a streak above each eye, three
broad stripes on the throat and chest, together with
the under-parts, are white.
The range of this chevrotain is limited to the forests
of Ceylon and Southern India at elevations not ex-
ceeding about 2000 feet above the sea; its northern
extension including Orissa, Chutia Nagpur, the
eastern division of the Central Provinces, and the
Western Ghats to the northward of Bombay. Its
reported occurrence farther north requires confirma-
tion. The animal is evidently a member of the Malay
fauna ; and the group, as is attested by the occurrence
of fossilised remains of extinct species in the sub-
Himalaya, must have existed in Northern India at a
time when Ceylon formed a portion of the peninsula.
Meminna is the Cingalese name of the species, and
is mentioned by Robert Knox in a work on Ceylon,
published during the reign of Charles II. :—“ Deer,”
it is there written, “are in great abundance in the
woods, from the largeness of a cow to the smallness
of a hare, for there is a creature in this land no bigger
than the latter, though every part rightly resembleth
a deer; it is called Meminna, of a grey colour, with
white spots and good meat.’”’ Although now commonly
known by Europeans as mouse-deer, Sir Emerson
Tennent states that in his time it was called “ moose-
274
The Meminna Chevrotain
deer ” in Ceylon, “ moose” being probably a corruption
of the Dutch word muis, equivalent to mouse. He
likewise suggests that the title musk-deer, by which
these animals are also known, is traceable to the same
origin, but it seems more probable that it was given
from their superficial resemblance to the true musk-
deer. Sir Emerson Tennent mentions that in 1847
he saw in Ceylon a pure white chevrotain.
In Central India the meminna usually takes up its
abode among jungly rocks, from which it never ventures
out into the open, and in the crevices of which it spends
the hot midday hours, and’ produces its young. Con-
sequently it is but seldom seen, and when encountered
at once makes for its rocky haven. The young, of
which there are generally couplets, are beautiful little
creatures, so delicate and fragile that they seem scarcely
fitted to endure the hardships of the world. They
are born towards the end of the rainy season, or the
commencement of the cool season ; the males consort
with their partners only during the pairing-season,
which takes place about June or July, spending the
rest of the year by themselves. Both sexes feed in
the evenings and early mornings, and the only sound
they are known to utter is a feeble bleat.
As they carry no trophies worth talking about,
chevrotain offer little attraction to the sportsman.
They may be killed either with a shot-gun or the
rook-rifle.
tHEeNAPU CHEVROTAIN
(Tragulus napu)
Native Name.—Napu, Matay
In common with its smaller Malay relative, the
napu, or larger Malay chevrotain, is distinguished
ATS
Game Animals of India, etc.
from the meminna by its uniformly coloured body,
and the presence of a naked glandular area on the
throat, as well as of another bare tract on the hind
surface of each hind-leg in the neighbourhood of the
hock ; the tail, too, is longer, measuring about 3 inches.
In height the animal stands about 13 inches at the
shoulder, the length to the root of the tail being about
28 inches. The general colour of the upper-parts is
yellowish or rufous brown, becoming greyer on the
flanks, the tail being brown above and white below.
A distinctive feature is the presence of five white bands
on the throat and chest, of which one is median, while
the other four form oblique lateral pairs.
The geographical range of the napu extends from
the southern districts of Tenasserim through the Malay
Peninsula to the islands of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo.
The island forms of both this and the kanchil have
received in many cases distinct specific names, but they
can scarcely be regarded as more than local races, and
consequently need not be further noticed.
THE KANCHIL CHEVROTAIN
(Tragulus javanicus)
Native Names.— Yun, Burmese ; Kanchil, Maray
In this work it will suffice to state that the lesser
Malay chevrotain, as this species is frequently called,
is chiefly distinguished from the napu by its inferior
size, and the presence of only three white stripes on the
throat and chest. Of these stripes, the central one
is situated within an arrowhead-like brown mark,
while the other two form a pair on each side of the
latter. As in the napu, the distinctness of these
markings shows considerable variation. The maximum
length, from nose to root of tail, attained by this
276
The Kanchi] Chevrotain
species is 18 inches. The distribution is very similar
to that of the napu, but includes Cochin-China and
Cambodia.
THE INDIAN WILD BOAR
(Sus cristatus)
Native Names.—Suar, Barha, anp Bad or Bura
Fanwar, Hrinpustani ; Dukar, Mauratui, Guze-
RATI, AND SinDI; Hkh, BaLucHi; Guraz -AND
Kuk, Punjast; Pandi, Tamir anp TELEGU ;
Katu-pani, Tami; Paddi or THE Gonps; Bir
Sukri, Ho-xo.; Kis or THE Huiti-TRripes oF
RaymenaL; Handi, Mikka, Fevadi, Kari-jatt,
Canarese ; Sukaram, Marapari; Waluru, C1nca-
LEsE ; Banel, Nepatese ; Ripha anv Phak OF THE
Buotias oF Daryrtinc ; Sarao In THE DapPHia
Hitits; Bak anv Techim or THE MuUsHnIs ;
Sniang 1N THE Kuast Hits; Yak 1n THE Garo
Hiirs; Omar anv Hono, Kacuari; Kudbak,
Tharo, Kashag, Mengi, anv Vak oF THE Naaas ;
Eyeg, Anon; Mu, Kuamtr1; Ok, Manipur ;
Vu, Kuxi ; Vhu, Aka; Wa, Stncpuo ; Tau-wet,
Burmese ; Kafet, Tarain ; Hto oF THE KaRENS ;
Mu in THE Suan States; Babi-utan, Matay.
(PLATE vu, fig.7)
The Indian wild boar is one of the gamest of all
four-footed animals, never giving in without a gallant
struggle for life, and invariably fighting bravely to the
bitter end ; and if not actually the first, “ pig-sticking”’
is one of the finest and most exciting of all Indian
field-sports, calling into play all the bodily activity and
skill of horse and rider, and making no inconsiderable
demands on the nerve and coolness of the latter. The
element of danger is, indeed, by no means lacking in
277
Game Animals of India, etc.
this pastime ; and if pig-sticking takes a secondary
place among Indian sports, it is only by tiger-shooting
that it is excelled. Nor are tangible trophies wanting
to reward the sportsman, for although boars’ tusks
are not to be compared with horns or antlers, yet, in
their way, they are handsome objects, and capable of
being worked up as accessories of several useful or
ornamental articles.
Since every one is familiar with a pig, and a wild
boar is nothing more than a pig that has not been
shorn of its natural glories by the effects of domestica-
tion, it will be unnecessary to discuss in what respects
the members of the family Suide differ from other
hoofed mammals, or how the pigs of Europe and Asia
are distinguishable from the bush-pigs and wart-hogs
of Africa.
The characters by which the Indian wild boar is
differentiated from the wild boar of Europe are so
trivial, that it is only by naturalists that they are
appreciated. The near relationship of the two species
is shown by the shape of the lower tusks; the
transverse section of these forming a triangle of which
the hind surface is only slightly narrower than the
front one, whilé the outer surface has but half the
breadth of the one first named. The importance of
this apparently trivial feature is referred to later.
Adult Indian wild boars not unfrequently stand
from 33 to 36 inches in height at the shoulder, and
it is even stated by Mr. F. B. Simson that a very old
individual killed in Bengal (where large boars are far
from uncommon) fell little short of 38 inches. In
length a boar will measure about 5 feet from the
muzzle to the root of the tail; the length of the latter
being from 8 to 11 inches or more. From 200 to 300
pounds, or even more, may be given as the weight
attained’ by the Indian wild boar; and that the
European species runs to about the same bulk is
attested by a specimen killed in Spain by the Duc
278
The Indian Wild Boar
d’Orléans, the weight of which was 302 pounds. It
is comparatively seldom that lower tusks of the Indian
species, when removed from the jaw, measure more
than about 9g inches alone the outer curve, but speci-
mens measuring 10, 103, 102 inches are nore: and
these dimensions are exceeded by two tusks (one
malformed), the respective lengths of which are given
by their owner as 142 and 143 inches.
The Indian wild boar is a taller and more scantily
haired animal than its European relative, but with a
strongly developed crest or mane of long bristles
running from the nape of the neck down the back ;
and it is also stated that the tail, which reaches nearly
to the hocks, is more thickly tufted at the tip. The
Indian species lacks the woolly under-fur commonly
found in the European Sws scrofa. An important
distinction is to be found in the greater length and
complexity of the last lower molar tooth in each jaw
of 8. cristatus; the length of this tooth generally
exceeding the combined length of the two molars
immediately in front. The general colour of the
coarse and bristly hair of the adult is black, more
or less mixed with rusty brown or whitish ; the tint
being browner in young, and greyer in aged individuals.
It may be added that there are neither a distinct whitish
streak on the side of the face nor warts on the head. As
in other wild representatives of the genus Sus, the new-
born young are light yellowish-brown, marked with
longitudinal stripes of dark brown. Occasionally, in
thick forest and jungle, herds of wild pigs are met
with in which the general colour of the hair is brown,
instead of black ; but there is no evidence that this
difference indicates a distinct local race.
The Indian wild boar (Sus cristatus typicus, to give its
full title) is found from the Himalaya, where it ascends
to a considerable elevation, throughout India, Ceylon,
and Burma. Whether the wild swine of Baleemenan
and Afghanistan belong to this species, or to the
279
Game Animals of India, etc. |
European 8. scrofa (which is probably found in Persia)
is not determined, although Dr. Blanford considered
that such might be the case. The same remark
applies to the wild swine of Kashmir. Under these
circumstances it has not been considered necessary to
introduce Sus scrofa as a member of the fauna treated
of in this volume.
To a considerable extent the Indian wild boar is
nocturnal, hiding in thick covert—it may be long grass,
cultivated crops of grain or sugar-cane, bushes, or,
more rarely, forest—during the greater part of the ‘day,
and issuing forth to feed in the morning and evening.
The extent to which pigs are nocturnal varies, however,
according to the degree in which they are cienmnede
and in certain districts they may be seen feeding till
comparatively late in the day. On moonlight nights
they remain out for hours ; and in cultivated districts
the damage they do to growing crops by turning
up the soil with their snouts is extensive. The
“‘sounders,”’ as the herds in which they associate are
commonly termed, are composed exclusively of. sows,
immature boars, and young; the old boars spending
a solitary existence. The number of individuals in a
sounder does not ordinarily exceed ten or a dozen,
although occasionally as many as a score, or more, may
be seen in company. The solitary old boars are
extremely awkward animals to encounter; and the
natives of certain districts of the Himalaya have a
saying that it is as easy to face a tiger as one of these
veteran swine. Although mainly vegetable-feeders,
wild swine by no means restrict themselves to a diet of
this description, being, in fact, more or less omnivorous.
Not only will they make a hearty meal off carrion, but
in Assam they are stated to be in the habit of digging
up the fish which take refuge in the mud of the river-
beds during droughts. If they have a partiality for
one kind of vegetable food more than another, it is for
the roots and tubers of plants growing in moist situa-
280
The Indian Wild Boar
tions ; and they prefer marshy situations, such as the
banks of jhils and tanks, to dry ones, wallowing in mud
being a pastime among pigs of all descriptions.
Pigs increase with great rapidity, the period of
gestation being only about four months, so that there
is time for the production of a couple ae litters a year ;
the number of young in which is generally from four
to six. In certain districts, at all events, Indian swine
are in the habit of forming a rude kind of shelter of
grass, in which the sows are reported to place their
offspring for security ; while occasionally old boars
resort to these refuges. The flesh of young porkers is
excellent eating, but since cooks in India are for the
most part Mohammedans there is great difficulty in
getting it dressed for table, and the carcase is usually
made over to the saises, or grooms, and other low-caste
Hindus.
At the first burst, a wild boar starts off at a rattling
pace, but he is not long-winded, and is sooner or later
caught up by the horseman unless the ground is very
bad, nor are the sows much, if at all, superior in speed
and wind to the boars. When brought to bay, old
boars fight in the most determined manner, charging at
every horse that comes in their way, and inflicting
terrible wounds with their formidable lower tusks by a
side sweep of the head. A competent observer has
given it as his verdict that there is not a bolder animal
in the world than a wild boar. Not that boars are
specially vicious by nature, for if unmolested they
generally leave the passer-by alone ; but when once
roused, they “mean business.” Even the tiger cannot
attack them with impunity, there being several instances
on record where “ stripes’’ has come off worst in such
an encounter. But it is not every boar that displays
the same amount of boldness and courage, nor indeed
of speed ; and it is stated that while the comparatively
lightly-built and “leggy” animals of the Deccan and
the Punjab possess the greater capacity for speed, the
281
Game Animals of India, etc.
heavier and more massive boars from the swampy
districts of Bengal are the best fighters.
Wherever the country is suitable for riding, “ pig-
sticking "sis the only legitimate sport connected with
Sus cristatus. As this sport has been described over
and over again with a detail which would be impossible
in this volume, the reader may be referred to the
numerous works on the subject, among which may be
mentioned Mr. F. B. Simson’s Letters on Sport in
Eastern Bengal, and a well-known volume by Mr. J.
Moray-Brown.
In the Himalaya and the hills of Ceylon, where
riding is impossible, the wild boar is, however,
occasionally shot, or (in Ceylon) hunted with hounds.
Of the latter sport a vivid and interesting account is
given by Sir Samuel Baker. When boar-hunting in
the hill-forests of Ceylon that sportsman followed the
hounds on foot, and tackled the boar at bay with
the hunting-knife alone. Comparatively few would,
however, care to follow his example in this respect ;
and the spear is the weapon generally chosen to give
the coup de grace in this exciting and dangerous kind of
sport. Sir Samuel expressed great admiration for the
general “cuteness” of the Indian wild boar, stating
that not only is it a fierce antagonist, but that it is a
creature which always knows its own mind and acts up
to its own convictions, never hesitating in a course on
which it has once determined. If it decides to go
forward, nothing will stop it ; while, on the other hand,
if it determines to break back, not even a serried line of
elephants will check its mad rush. Giving a sharp
jerk of its mobile snout, first to one side and then to
the other, it dashes headlong through the line, leaving
its mark even upon the tough hide of the legs of the
elephants, should they attempt to bar its progress.
In regard to its powers of scent, the same author
makes the following observations :—“ I have frequently
seen a pig making apparently direct for my position,
; 282
The Indian Wild Boar
but it meets a small jungle-path upon which some
person has been walking. The pig at once halts,
smells the ground, and waits, listening attentively and
making up its mind. It may be that it determines to
go forward ; if so, it starts off at its best pace; but
should it declare for a retreat, it waits, listens for the
advance of the line of beaters, and quietly hides in the
densest bushes. At last, with shouts sufficient to scare
away every animal for miles around, the beaters arrive ;
you know the pig is there, but nobody has yet
discovered it. Just as the beaters have brought their
line in good order to the extreme margin of the jungle,
there is a sudden outburst of shouts and yells, a rush
in all directions ; screams and halloes; sticks going
upon all sides ; a few short angry grunts, and a rattling
of loose stones, explain that the boar has broken back
through the line of beaters.”
Lower Siam and the central part of the Malay
Peninsula are inhabited by a wild pig near akin to the
Indian species, but of inferior size, with smaller and
nearly naked ears, which are devoid of a fringe of hair,
and less complex last molars. Although described as a
separate species, it may best be termed Sus cristatus
jubatus. Still smaller is S. cristatus jubatulus from Pulo
Teratau and perhaps other islands off the west coast of
the Malay Peninsula. A small pig from Kisserain
Island, Mergui Archipelago, may be the same as the
last.
In past times Northern India was inhabited by two
gigantic pigs (Sus giganieus and S. titan), one of which
was apparently nearly as large as a good-sized mule,
although shorter in the legs. Both were allied to the
warty pig. (S. verrucosus) of Java, as is shown by the
section of the lower tusk.
The wild pig discovered by the Abbé David in the
forests of Moupin, Eastern Tibet, described by Pro-
fessor A. Milne-Edwards, of the Paris Museum, as
a Sus moupinensis, is stated to show relationship with
283
Game Animals of India, etc.
the wild swine of Europe and Southern Asia. It is
probably not entitled to rank as a species by itself,
but whether it should be regarded as a local race of |
the Indian species, or be affiliated to the European
S. scrofa, is at present uncertain.
THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR
WILD. PIGS
(Sus vittatus andamanensis AND S. Vv. nicobaricus)
The larger islands of the Bay of Bengal and the
Malay Archipelago are the home of a group of wild
pigs near akin to S. cristatus, and in some cases
indistinguishable externally from the island races
of that species. They are, however, easily separated
by the much simpler form of the last molar tooth in
each jaw; the upper one having only two transverse
ridges and a small terminal heel. The section of the
lower canine of the boars is similar to that of S. cristatus ;
a character distinguishing them from S. verrucosus ot
Java. The group is typified by S. vittatus of Sumatra,
and although its various representations in other islands
and in the Malay Peninsula have been described as
distinct species, it is preferable to regard them merely
in the light of local races.
The two smallest representatives of the groups are
the Andaman and the Nicobar wild pigs (8. véttatus
andamanensis and S. v. nicobaricus). The former, which
appears to be chiefly distinguished from the latter by
its smaller size, stands about 20 inches in height, and
has blackish hair, with a brownish tinge on the mane.
S. v. peninsularis of Johore and other parts of the ex-
tremity of the Malay Peninsula is a considerably larger
member of the group.
The S. verrucosus group does not occur within our
limits.
284
The Pigmy Hog
EEE: PIGNNGEOG
(Sus salvanius)
Native Name.—Sano-banel, NEPALESE
(Pate vii, fig. 8)
Its diminutive size serves to distinguish the wild
pig inhabiting the sal-forests of the Terai-land at the
foot of the Himalaya in Nepal, Sikhim, and Bhutan,
from all its relatives, although structurally it does not
appear to differ essentially from other members of the
genus Sus. The females have only three pairs of teats,
instead of the six pairs found in other pigs ; a feature
which might be regarded sufficient to justify the
reference of the pigmy species to a genus by itself.
In this case 1t would be known as Porcula salvania, a
name proposed by its describer Brian Hodgson, on the
supposition that it had one pair of molars less in each
jaw than ordinary swine.
In size the pigmy hog does not surpass a hare, the
height of a full-grown boar not exceeding a foot, and
the length from the muzzle to the root of the tail being
only about 26 inches. The tail is short, measuring
only about an inch and a quarter; and the ears are
small and naked. Although there is no distinct crest,
the hairs on the hind part of the neck and the middle
of the back are slightly longer than on other regions
of the body. The general colour of the adult is brown
or blackish brown, owing to a mixture of brown and
black hairs; but the young are marked with longi-
tudinal rufous stripes on a brown ground, with the
under-parts white.
Hodgson describes the pigmy hog as living in herds
of from five to twenty head among the tall grass-jungle
of the Terai ; the old boars associating with the herd.
Since they only come into the open at night, these pigs
are rarely seen, and still more rarely shot.
285
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE INDIAN] ZION
(Felis leo guzeratensis)
Native Names.—Sher, Babar-sher, anv Singh, Hinpv-
sTANI 3 Untia-bagh (camel-coloured tiger), Guze-
RATI ; Sawach iN Karurawar ; Shingal, BenGatt ;
Suh (lion), AND Siming (lioness), KAsHMriR1; Rastar,
Brauul.
(PLaTE viii, fig. 1)
As this volume makes no pretence to be a natural
history, it will be unnecessary to indicate in what
respects Carnivora differ from Ungulata, to which the
foregoing pages are devoted. Neither is there any
occasion to refer to the distinctive characteristics of the
Felide, or cat tribe, of which the lion stands first on
the list, since such details are to be found in natural
history works. Moreover, the lion itself is such a
well-known and familiar animal, that detailed descrip-
tion of its external features and colour would be
superfluous.
The tiger being the great Indian cat par excellence,
while the lion occupies a similar position in the Giina
of Africa, it is apt to be forgotten that the latter has
equal claims to be regarded as an Asiatic animal, and
that although verging on extinction in India, it is still
comparatively abundant in parts of Persia and Meso-
potamia, as it probably once was in India, where,
however, its range seems to have been restricted to
the central and north-western districts.
That it was once a familiar animal in India is proved
by the frequency with which its name has been adopted
by distinguished native families, as exemplified by
the names Ranjit Singh, and Ranbir Singh among the
Sikh chieftains of the Punjab, and Sher Ali among the
Mohammedan rulers of Afghanistan.
286
1. Indian Lion.
2. DLiger.
3. Leopard.
4. Persian Leopard.
5. Snow-Leopard.
6. Clouded Tiger.
Puatre VIII
287
Ts
8.
9.
10.
Wile
317
Fishing-Cat.
Leopard-Cat.
Jungle-Cat.
Caracal.
Tibetan Lynx.
Hunting-Leopard.
Game Animals of India, etc.
As regards Afghanistan and Baluchistan, lions are
now unknown in both, neither does there seem to be
historical evidence of their former existence in these
states.
The last stronghold of lions in India is the peninsula
of Kathiawar, forming part of the district of Guzerat,
and bounded on the south by the Gulf of Cambay and
to the north by the Gulf of Kutch; but they also
lingered to a recent date in Kutch itself. Not very many
years ago natives also from time to time reported the
occurrence of an occasional lion in Central India ; and
a few undoubtedly lingered in the wilder districts of
Rajputana, especially to the south of Jodhpur, in
Oodeypur, and around Mount Abu, where they were
once common. In Kathiawar the last haunt of lions is
the forest covering the Gir range of hills, which extend
for about forty miles in the southern part of Kathiawar,
parallel with the coast at a distance of about twenty
miles inland. Twenty years ago it was believed that
not more than a dozen lions survived in this forest,
and, to ensure the preservation of the race, lion-shooting
was prohibited ; the preserve being closely maintained,
as the impression prevailed that in later years the
number had decreased. |
About 1902 Lord Curzon projected a lion-hunt in
the Gir forest, but as the result of representations
abandoned the expedition. This probably helped to
foster the belief in the increasing rarity of the Indian
lion; but there is evidence that it is much more
numerous than has been supposed. There also appear
to have been misapprehensions as to his habits, due to
the fact that few persons besides native trackers have
penetrated the Gir forest to any extent, which is much
denser than generally supposed.
Somewhat later Lord Lamington, when Governor
of Bombay, organised a lion-hunt in the Gir forest ;
the two divisions of his party shooting in places about
twelve miles apart. In a short time they accounted
288
The Indian Lion
for four lions, but unhappily Major Carnegy, of the
Political Department, was attacked by a wounded lion
and killed before his companions could despatch the
beast, and the hunt was in consequence brought to
a premature close.
Going back to earlier days, we find in the Oriental
Sporting Magazine tor 1832 over the signature of
“‘ Collector,” whose address is given as Baroda, a full
account of two sportsmen shooting a large lion off
elephants ; and in the Bengal Sporting Magazine of
October 1838 a writer signing himself “ Kattywar ”
states that he shot eleven lions between the r4th and
24th of May, to which three more were added between
the rgth and 27thof July. Throughout the later volumes
of the Bengal Sporting Magazine, the India Sporting
Review and the revived Oriental Sporting Magazine,
which followed it, there are occasional articles descrip-
tive of lion-shooting ; and in the Asian for June 30,
1885, Colonel Martin related how he and General
Travers killed two lions on a hill to the west of Goona
in Gwalior in 1860, and two years later he and Colonel
Beadon at Patulghur, some seventy miles north-west
of Goona, bagged no less than eight. One of the last
lions killed in Central India was shot by Sir Montague
Gerrard at Cheen Hill, nine miles from Goona, on
Waterloo Day 1872; and.in the Asian of April 7,
1893, mention is made of another shot by Colonel
Hill in 1873. In Guzerat—exclusive of Kathiawar—
the last survivor is said to have been killed in 1888.
Since that date there have been. no lions elsewhere
than in the Gir.
In the wild district between Saugor and Jhansi
lions were by no means very uncommon about forty
years ago. In 1866 two engineers engaged in the
construction of the railway between Allahabad and
Jabalpur shot one close to the line; and about
thirty years before lions were comparatively common
in the Ahmedabad district, while in the first and
289 U
Game Animals of India, etc.
second decades of the last century they were to be
met with in Sind and as far to the east as Palamow
and Rewa.
A lion shot by Lord Harris had a fine mane, and
thus disproves the story long current among naturalists
as to the maneless character of the “lion of Guzerat,”’
which arose from the description of an immature
specimen. If the absence of mane is not a distinctive
feature of the Indian lion, it is possible that a claim to
racial distinction may be drawn from the colour of the
mane, unless indeed too few specimens are now in
existence to render the point certain. The present
writer has never heard of the occurrence of a black-
maned Indian lion; and in the Badminton Library
Lieut.-Colonel Heber Percy states such animals are
unknown. As black-maned lions are common in
Somaliland and other parts of North-Eastern Africa, if
it could be proved that all Indian lions were tawny-
maned, there would be primd facie evidence of their
right to be regarded as the representatives of a local race.
Some light may be thrown on the point by the Persian
lion, which will probably be found indistinguishable
from the Indian ; and if Persian lions are all tawny-
maned, it may be inferred that the same will be the case
with their Indian representatives. Felis leo guzeratensts
is the distinctive title of the Indian lion.
The Indian lion seems to be inferior in size to the
lion of many parts of Africa, and more nearly equal to
the small Somali race. On the other hand, it should
be remembered that when an animal is on the verge
of extermination its surviving members are scarcely
likely to attain the maximum dimensions of their race.
Consequently the Indian lion may once have been a
larger animal than it has shown itself in modern times ;
although the analogy of the lions of Persia and Somali-
land is against this view.
A lion killed many years ago by Captain Smee
measured 8 feet 94 inches in length before skinning ;
290
The Indian Lion
one mentioned in the De/hi Gazette as having been
shot in Central India was only 8 feet 7 inches ; while
the specimen mentioned above as described in the
Oriental Sporting Magazine for July 1876 reached
g feet 3 inches: A specimen shot by Lord Harris was
still larger, its length being g feet 7 inches ; but one
killed by Colonel Fenton measured g feet 5 inches.
As lions of considerably over 10 feet in length have
been obtained, even in Somaliland, it will be obvious
that none of the above-mentioned specimens can be
regarded as really large animals. The length of the
skull of Lord Harris’s specimen is only 134 inches,
whereas a Somali lion-skull of 15 inches is on record,
and a South-East African example reaching 164 inches
is known.
A pair of Asiatic lions exhibited in the Surrey
Zoological Gardens were brought home from Basra,
at the head of the Persian Gulf, in H.M.S. Boyne,
by the captain of which vessel they were presented
to George IV., and on arrival were deposited in the
Royal Menagerie at Exeter Change. They were
described as relatively small, with hair of a_ pale
fawn-colour.
Lions being inhabitants of more or less open, dry, and
sandy districts, a large portion of India, such as the Assam
Valley, the sub-Himalayan Terai, the sal-forest of the
Narbada, the swamps of Lower Bengal, and the greater
part of Madras, are totally unsuited to their habits ; and
their limited geographical distribution in the country is
thus easily accounted for. The same cause may explain
their absence from the countries to the eastward of the
Bay of Bengal. When less uncommon than it now is,
the Indian lion was said to avoid, as a general rule,
heavy forest, preferring sandy hills covered with thin
scrub and grass, among which it might be stalked on
foot with the danger attached to tiger-shooting under
similar conditions. According to native reports, lions
. . . 5 . .
in India were always in the habit of selecting one
291
Game Animals of India, etc.
particular bush or tree for their midday place of repose,
so that when one was known to be in the neighbourhood
its discovery was an easy matter. This may have
helped considerably in the diminution in its numbers
which has taken place during the last century.
The following account of the habits of the Indian lion
is from a sporting writer: —‘ He seeks the loneliest spot
for his midday sleep, and, when disturbed, does not slink
away like the tiger, but walks or runs upright, without
any attempt to hide himself. He avoids man more
than either the tiger or the leopard, and never lives
near a-village or hamlet. The lion is fond of his
kind, and moves in family parties, three generations
being sometimes found in one party.” Whatever may
have been the case when its numbers were few, there
is no doubt that after having been so long undisturbed
the Gir lion has become unusually bold. A couple of
them were recently seen in the vicinity of Junagarh
city, and carried off cattle from places close to a number
of buildings. There are stories of their having carried
off within the last year or two cultivators working on
patches of ground in the jungle.
In the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates lions
often resort to reedy swamps for covert, and in
the neighbourhood of Shiraz enter reed-brakes and
oak-forest for the purpose of preying upon the
droves of swine which find shelter and food in such
localities.
The male lion, it may be added, is the only member
of the Felide adorned with the flowing mane on the
head and fore-quarters which adds so much to the
grandeur of its appearance ; the tuft on the tip of the
tail being another distinctive peculiarity. It is likewise
the only species that is polygamous. The lioness, in
general form, is much more like a tiger; to which
animal the present species is very closely related ;
although from the occurrence of faint spots in the
cubs it is evident that the ancestor of the lion was a
292
The Indian Lion
spotted instead of a striped animal. An important
difference in regard to the relations of the bones of
the face distinguishes the two species. In the skull
of a lion the nasal bones, which form the roof of
the chamber of the nose, terminate superiorly on
the forehead on the same horizontal line as do the
upper extremities of the maxilla, or upper jaw-bones.
In the tiger’s skull, on the other hand, the nasals
reach considerably higher on the forehead than the
maxille.
The lower jaws of the two animals are also dis-
tinguishable by the contour of the lower border of
each lateral half. These are by no means the only
differences. Compared with that of a tiger, the great
upper carnassial, or flesh-tooth, of the lion has the
tubercle near the front extremity of the inner side
markedly smaller ; the lion in this respect approaching
nearer to the great extinct sabre-toothed tigers than
does its striped eolahave.
An interesting paper on the occurrence of the hou in
Greece during the historic period, by Dr. A. B. Meyer,
appeared in Der Zoologische Garten, vol. xliv. pp. 65-78,
1903 ; atranslation being published in the Smithsonian
Report for the same year, pp. 661-667.
To the Fournal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal for
1867 Dr. W. T. Blanford contributed some important
notes on the distribution of the lion in India ; while in
the Proceedings of the same Society for 1881 Prof. V.
Ball directed attention to a forgotten record of the
occurrence of the lion in Palamow.
293
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE TIGER
(Felis tigris)
Native Names.—Bagh (tiger), Baghni (tigress), 'aND
Sher (tiger), Sherni (tigress), Hinpustani ; Nahar
or Sela-vagh, Hinpi or Centrat Inpia; Badr,
Persian ; Mazar, Batucuti ; Shink, Sinvi ; Padar-
suh, Kasumiri 3; Patayat-bagh anno Wahag,
Mauratui; Go-vagh, Bencatr; Tut anv Sad
oF THE Hrii-Trises or RajMEHAL; Garumkula
OF THE Kots; Lakhra or THE UrRaons; Arodi oF
THE Konps ; Ku/a oF THE SOUTHALS AND KoRKUs ;
Puli, Tamir, Terecu, Marapari, anD Gownp! ;
Puli-redda-puli anno Peram-pilli, Tamit; Pedda-
puli, Tevecu ; Perain-puli anv Kudua, Mavapart ;
Kuli, CanaresE; Nari oF THE Kuros; Pirri
AND Bursh or THE Topas oF THE Nixorris; Tag,
Trpetan ; 7ukt, on Tuk, Buortias ; Sathong,
Lercua ;' Keh-va or THE Limsu; Schi oF THE
Axas; Matsa 1n THE Garo Hits; Kla 1n THE
Kuast Hiiis; Sa, Ragdi, Tekhu, anpo Khudi,
Naca; Humpi, Kux1; Sumyo 1x Axor; S84,
Kuampti; Strong, SincpHo; Kez, Manipurt ;
Misi, KacHart; Kya, Burmese; Kla, Tatain ;
Khi, Botha-o, anp Tupul, Karens ; Htso, SHANs ;
Rimau, Arimau, or Harimau, Matay.
(Pate vii, fig. 2)
As the wolf looms large in the nursery-stories and
fairy tales of Europe, so the name of the tiger is writ
large in the folk-lore of the natives of India and the
Malay countries. The Hindu believes that an addi-
tional lobe is added yearly to the liver of the tiger, and
that his claws, if arranged together in a circle and hung
round the neck of a child, are a sure preservative
against evil. In most parts of the country the tiger is
294
Indian Tiger Skin.
2 re ha « €or
The Tiger
never alluded to by its proper name, but spoken of as
“the Uncle,” “the Great One,’ and other respectful
epithets. Among the Malays there is a deeply
ingrained belief that those versed in occult arts are
capable of transforming themselves at will into tigers ;
as there is in the existence of “ghost-tigers”’ (rimau
kramat), which latter are invulnerable and recognisable
by having one foot smaller than the other. The most
curious of these legends is, however, one relating to the
origin of the tiger’s stripes. A boy, so runs the story,
of an incorrigibly bad disposition, was once soundly
thrashed by his schoolmaster, with the result that he
was transformed into a tiger, who to this day carries
on his hide the mark of the stripes with which he was
beaten.
Now it is these same stripes which form the most
characteristic external feature of the tiger; no other
member of the feline tribe being so conspicuously
marked in this manner, although a sombre - hued
approximation to this type of coloration is presented by
the wild cat of Europe and one phase of the domesti-
cated “tabby.” It was long held that the stripes of
the tiger were developed in order to harmonise with
the vertical streaks of light and shade to be seen in an
Indian grass-jungle ; but it should be remembered that
the Siberian tiger, which is similarly marked, inhabits a
totally different kind of country, and since the tiger
appears to be a comparatively recent immigrant into
the peninsula of India, it is evident that an explanation
is required of the use of its coloration which will
apply equally to all phases of its existence. If there
be, indeed, any preferential claim for one part of its
habitat rather than another, this preference is due to
Central Asia.
From the reports of sportsmen and travellers as to
the almost invisibility of zebras when standing in the
open, even at a comparatively short distance, the truth
would appear to be that the colouring of the tiger is for
295
Game Animals of India, etc.
the purpose of rendering it as inconspicuous as possible
when wandering in the gloaming in search of prey. It.
has been remarked that a tiger shooting out suddenly
from the dark jungle on to an unexpecting bullock
appears to the spectator more like a puff of grey smoke
than anything else in nature, so harmoniously do its
colours fade into a grey when seen by the faint light of
early dawn or late evening.
A less noisy, but apparently a stronger and more
active animal than the lion, the great striped cat of
Asia is represented by four local races: irstly, there
is the typical Indian, or Bengal tiger (/. tigris typica),
a large, long- fied long - “bodied, lithe, and lanky
animal, ahs which, rites “exception of the short ruff
on the throat, the fur is uniformly short and somewhat
stiff throughout, with the black stripes (frequently
double) generally numerous, and the colour of the fur
a rich orange or rufous fawn. In the Caspian provinces
of Persia and the Caucasus the tigers, on the other
hand, run smaller and are more roughly haired; this
small Persian race (F. tigris virgata) possibly entering
the western confines of the area treated of in this volume.
The Manchurian tiger (Ff. tigris mongolica), which
ranges into Korea, is characterised by its large size,
heavy build, shout and thick limbs, and the length,
fineness, and thiclnecser the fur, Shien seems less
highly coloured, and may be less fully striped than is
generally the case in the Indian race. The head and
muzzle of the Manchurian tiger have likewise a
different appearance from those of its Indian cousin.
This, however, is to be expected, for, in the case of a
species with a wide geographical range, when there are
two or more local races whose respective habitats differ
considerably in respect to climate, it is a rule that the
race inhabiting the colder climate is more heavily built
than the one from a hotter region, he Transcaspian
tiger has. been described by Dr. Satunin as a fourth
local race, under the name of F. sigris septentrionalis.
296
The Tiger
The geographical range of the tiger extends from
the Caucasus through Northern Persia, India, Assam,
Burma, and the Malay Peninsula to the Malay Islands,
China, Manchuria, Amurland, and Korea. The species
is, however, absent from Ceylon; and since there is
geological evidence to prove that the latter island was
connected at no very remote epoch with the mainland
of the peninsula, there is strong presumptive evidence
that the tiger is a comparatively recent immigrant from
the north or east into India itself. Another inference
is that the Palk Strait, separating Cape Comorin from
Ceylon, is beyond the ordinary swimming powers of
the tiger. In India tigers are found from Cape
Comorin to the Himalaya, ascending in the latter
range to an elevation of about 7000 feet above
sea-level ; but they are unknown in Afghanistan and
Baluchistan.
There is considerable variation in the richness of
the ground-colour of the fur of Indian tigers, and
occasionally specimens are met with in which the
colour is creamy buff, with the stripes only showing
somewhat darker in certain lights; but in most in-
stances there is no information whether these white
tigers were true albinos.
A white tiger was exhibited alive at Exeter Change
about 1820; a second was killed at Poona about 1892 ;
in March 1899 a white tiger was shot in Upper Assam
and the skin sent to Calcutta, where a fourth specimen
was received about the same time. The Maharaja of
Kuch-Behar also possesses a white tiger-skin. In
regard to the third specimen, the property of Mr. W. J.
Consadine, Major H. G. C. Swayne wrote as follows :
—‘“ The colour of the skin is like that of a polar bear,
with the faintest lines to indicate stripes. The ground-
colour is bright creamy white, exactly like a polar
bear ; the darker lines, representing stripes, are about
the dull white of a rather dirty white cat which has
been out all night on the roof.”
297°
Game Animals of India, etc.
Many years ago a black tiger was found dead near
Chittagong.
In old days exaggerated ideas were prevalent with
regard to the maximum length attained by the tiger ;
but when criticism was brought to bear on the question
there is little doubt that scepticism was pushed too far,
and the dimensions underrated. Unfortunately, the
measurement of length is not always taken in the same
manner; this being sometimes the interval between
the muzzle and the tip of the tail in a straight line,
and in other cases the length of the same interval
following the curves of the head and body. The latter
method, commonly known as “ sportsman’s measure-
ment,” is the one usually adopted, and was doubtless
employed in the under-mentioned instances. Measured
in this fashion, full-grown tigers commonly range
between g and Io feet, and tigresses between 8 and
g feet ; but larger animals undoubtedly occur at times.
The two largest mentioned in Records of Big Game
respectively measure 10 feet 7 inches and Io feet
6 inches. These, however, if we credit sportsmen
whose testimony should be above suspicion, by no
means approach the maximum.
‘In the Asian newspaper for February 1896 Mr.
Moray Brown published the following list of unusually
large tigers, omitting mention of such as fell short of
rt feet. “Firstly, we find the late: Sir J: .B-sYule
stating that he has killed tigers of 11 feet odd inches
twice or thrice. Colonel George Boileau killed a tiger
at Muteareah in Oudh well over 12 feet before the
skin was removed, and of quite exceptional size. The
Hon. J. R. Drummond, sometime Commissioner of
Rohilkund, stated that he never saw a 12-foot tiger,
though he shot one of 11 feet 9 inches, measured as
he lay on the ground before being padded. Colonel
D. G. Stewart states that the largest tiger he ever saw
measured 11 feet + inch. General Sir H. Green
observed that the biggest tiger he ever assisted in
298
vate ==> te
The Tiger
killing was one shot near Surat, which was 11 feet
11 inches, measured as it lay, and whose skin when
pegged out was 12 feet 4 inches. Sir H. Green shot
one himself which measured 10 feet 11 inches. Mr.
C. Shillingford, whose experience extended over thirty-
five years, during which period he shot more than two
hundred tigers, states that in 1849 he shot the largest
tiger he had ever seen, which measured, as it fell,
12 feet 4 inches. This tiger was very old, with short
hair and light incolour. Mr. Shillingford shot another
Of Wi teetetorinches, and in 18% 5conesor)ri feet
4 inches. Mr. Cumming shot one at Rohinipore of
11 feet 4 inches, one at Kaladearah in 1865 of 11 feet
2 inches, and one at Gour in 1871 of 11 feet 2 inches.
Finally, Sir Charles Reid informed Sir Joseph Fayrer
that he had shot in the Duna tiger which measured
12 feet 3 inches before the skin was removed.”
To the above may be added a supplemental list
furnished by Mr. F. A. Shillingford (nephew of the
above-mentioned gentleman of the same name) to the
same journal for August 1896. It is there written :—
“On March 20, 1866, my neighbour, the late Mr.
Henry Cave of Gondwarah, Purneah, shot a tiger
It feet, measured on the ground, where he fell, and
the hunt is described in the Oriental Sporting Magazine
for July 1868. On December 13, 1867, at Bankacot,
about four miles from this factory (Kolassy, Purneah),
I accounted for a tiger 11 feet, measured about three
hours after death. On October 18, 1868, my brother,
the late Mr. J. Shillingford, shot a tiger 11 feet.
On November 3, 1868, Mr. J. Shillingford shot
the largest of his many large tigers at Tappra, in the
Kosi Duars, measuring 11 feet 5 inches. On April 18,
1870, Mr. W. DeCourcy shot a tiger 11 feet 1 inch;
while on April 19, 1871, Mr. J. Shillingford shot one
Of Ta feats.
Some years ago Mrs. Lawrie-Johnstone shot in the
Duars a tiger of which the skin when removed measured
2199
Game Animals of India, etc.
12 feet 5 inches in length ; indicating that the animal
could scarcely have measured less than 11 feet 1 inch.
The following dimensions and weights of tigers
have been furnished by the Maharaja of Kuch-Behar.
Ft. Ins. | Ft. Ins. | Ft..Ins. | Ft. Ins. | Ft. Ins. | Ft. Ins. | Ft. Ins.
Total Jength : ~4| XO.) te | 10) To 9) Tok to, 8s) 10) Los, to, irons
of body 9 35) Gwe A Oerrkul Sy ack 6 «1 6 11 nO
Girth ented Ehuniidis 54 52 | 54 52 | 544 52% 483
Upper arm. : 29 26 29 29 | 27% 264 264
Forearm . : : 21 21 19 19% | 20 20 20
Head . 40% 36 39 364 38 37 384
Height at shoulder ‘ 44% 40 40 404 38 364 383
Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs.
Weight ; - : ? 520 508 | 487 493 496 500
of number 1 the Manehae wrote that “this is
undoubtedly the biggest and heaviest tiger I have shot
or seen shot. Unfortunately I was unable to weigh
him, as we had no scales with us, but he must have
weighed close on 600 pounds.”
ae much literature has been devoted to the inti
of tigers and tiger-shooting, that it would be almost
waste of space to recapitulate the leading points in
connection with the former subject, while the latter
will be left almost alone.
Speaking generally, it may be said that, apart from
certain minor differences according as to whether
individual animals come under the designation of
game-killers, cattle-lifters, or man-eaters, tigers as a
rule are solitary and unsociable animals, although the
male and female associate more closely during the
pairing-season. Whether the union be permanent or
temporary, it is certain that tigers are monogamous.
When more than two tigers are seen in company, the
party is usually, if not invariably, a family one. It has
already been stated that tigers are less noisy animals
than lions ; and it may be added that they are as fully
nocturnal in their habits as the latter, and perhaps
more so._ Intolerance of the direct rays of the summer
sun is one of the most marked traits of the Indian
tiger ; this supporting the view that the animal is a
300
The Tiger
comparatively recent inhabitant of the more torrid
portions of its habitat. In this connection may be
mentioned the extraordinary length and thickness of
the fur of Indian tiger-cubs—a provision against cold
totally unnecessary in their present environment, which
may be inherited from an ancestor whose home was
in the bleak north.
Water is essential to tigers, and the necessity for
frequent access to this element curtails their wanderings
in the hot season, when pools are few and far between.
At other seasons tigers. are, however, great wanderers ;
and it is noteworthy that when one tiger occupying
a definite “beat”’ is killed, its place is almost immedi-
ately filled by a successor. Grass-jungles, swamps,
and forests are the resort of tigers ; but, failing these,
clefts or caves in rocks, ruined buildings, or dry nalas
afford amply sufficient shelter to the striped robber.
Although, like lions, tigers are unable to climb, their
presence in a district is made evident by the marks
of their claws on the tree-stems, which extend as high
as they can reach when standing on their hind-legs.
The falsity of the popular idea that tigers spring
upon their victims from a distance, and after killing
them by a blow from one of the fore-paws, or by
tearing at the throat with the claws, suck their blood,
was demonstrated by Mr. G. P. Sanderson, in Thirteen
Years among the Wild Beasts of India. From the
accounts of natives the same sportsman came to the
conclusion that the tiger clutches the fore-quarters of
its victim with its paws, one of which is generally
thrown over the shoulder, while with the jaws it seizes
the throat from below, and turns it upwards and over,
so as to dislocate the vertebrae of the neck : sometimes
giving additional weight to the wrench by jumping to
the opposite side of the stricken animal.
This explanation was for some time generally
accepted ; but in a communication to the Asian news-
paper of July 12, 1895, Mr. F. A. Shillingford raised
301
Game Animals of India, etc.
objections to certain details of the attack as described
by Mr. Sanderson. His observations are as follows :
— Tigers, as a rule, always roar when charging or
fighting in self-defence, but there are exceptions to the
rule. In the latter case it would appear that a very
savage tiger, in order to wreak his vengeance without
fail on the intruders, lies low and attacks without
warning. The well-known feint of an attack, termed
by the natives dhagocha, made by tigers to demoralise
a line of beaters, and thus effect an unchallenged
retreat, is always accompanied by the loudest roar they
can emit. It seems almost impossible to picture a
tiger seizing by the neck from below without first
closing with his victim. He must turn his neck
round until his open jaws face upwards, in order to
grip from below, and this can hardly be accomplished
without the purchase of his paws on the shoulders, and
this, in my opinion, is what occurs in the generality
of cases. There are instances in which you see fang-
marks both at the back and in front of the neck, but
the former, I take it, is a mere preliminary grip of an
obstreperous victim, quickly followed by the fatal
clutch below. That the tiger always breaks the neck
I do not believe. Let any one open the jaws of the
skull of a tiger and then look at the neck of a full-fed
buffalo, and he will see this. The expanse of the open
jaws would only cover a bunch of the muscles of
the neck, and with this grip it seems absurd that the
animal could give the fatal wrench that dislocates the
neck. In the case of a bull-buffalo, such as are
sometimes killed, it seems doubtful whether the neck
of the aggressor or of the victim is the tougher. That
the necks of animals, especially cows, are often broken,
may be due to the fall in the struggle, but the idea
that tigers systematically set to wrenching their necks,
appears untenable. That tigers approach their victims
stealthily and without noise is natural, but in the
moment of victory they may roar occasionally to
302
The Tiger
terrify their prey into succumbing sooner. This was
exemplified in the case of a planter, seated on an easy-
chair outside his bungalow, being startled in his reverie
by a loud roar to the left, and on looking round he
saw some 500 yards off a tiger struggling with a
bullock inva field: - The tiger eed the bullock, and
retreated into the jungle before guns could ee got
ready.”
In the Fauna of British India, Dr. W. T. Blanford,
while accepting the view that tigers generally kill their
prey, when of large size, by breaking the neck, suggested
that in the case of very large beasts, ice gaur and
buffalo, which they are aril to edihene. they
occasionally hamstring them, most likely by a blow
from the paw, although this is not certain. Dr. Blan-
ford was acquainted with two instances where buffalo
were thus hamstrung. At a later date, in the Fournal
of the Bombay Natural History Society, Mr. C. W. Allan,
writing from Burma, stated that on several occasions
he has come across sambar, tsaine (Burmese bantin),
gaur, and domesticated buffalo that have been ham-
strung by tigers, the method adopted being seemingly
to stalk the victim and bite one of the hind-legs
immediately above the hock, thus severing the tendon
and breaking the bone, apparently by- ome. bite:
Subsequently the other leg j is treated in the same way,
after which the victim is seized by the throat and
killed. Although the writer referred to had never
apparently seen a tiger actually make this mode of
attack; he states that, according to native accounts,
it is ene ordinary me ciad by which these animals kill
their prey in Burma, and he asks what is the experience
of sportsmen in eae on this point. From Mr. Allan’s
account it may apparently be taken that tigers do, as
a rule, kill large game in Burma by hamstringing them,
while in India this method appears to be the exception
rather than the rule. Further information as to the
method in which the attack is made is, however, desir-
18.
Game Animals of India, etc.
able, for although a tiger may well sever the hock-tendons
of a gaur by biting, it seems difficult to understand
how it could break by this method the lower ends of
the two leg-bones immediately above the hock. If
there is direct evidence of this being done the fact
must be accepted ; but if there is not, Dr. Blanford’s
supposition that the attack is made by a blow from the
paw would seem more probable.
A remarkable, and apparently inexplicable difference
between tigers and leopards is exhibited by the manner
in which they break up their prey ; a tiger invariably
commencing to devour his victim at the hind-quarters,
whereas a leopard turns his attention at the commence-
ment of his meal to the chest and fore-quarters.
In the condition of their food tigers are by no
means particular, and they have been observed gorging
on putrid carcases, from which the vultures have been
driven away by their appearance on the scene. In
many cases, they will consume almost the whole of
the animal which affords the meal, rejecting neither
skin nor bones, except such of the latter as are too
large or too solid to be devoured. Neither do they
limit themselves to any particular kinds of animal as
food, for tigers have been known to kill and eat bears,
leopards, and even individuals of their own species.
Colonel F. T. Pollok states, for instance, that he has
known of cases in Assam where, after a contest between
two of these animals, the victor has made a meal off
the body of the vanquished. An instance is also
known of a tiger having killed a young individual of
its own species over a dead bullock, and eaten the
former in preference to the latter. One reason for
regarding the tiger as more active and powerful than
the lion is that on every occasion when a contest
has taken place in a menagerie between two of these
animals, the tiger has come off victorious.
Man-eating tigers, which are generally females, are
perhaps the most wary of all the members of the-species.
304
The Tiger
Although it is probable that some man-eaters have
taken to their particular line from being disabled by
old age from pursuing more active prey, it is certain
that this is not the case with the majority, which are
often in the best condition. Rather is the acquisition
of the habit to be attributed to the boldness acquired
by cattle-lifting tigers, which on some particular occasion
summon up courage to attack the herdsman. Having
once discovered ee much easier it is to kill a man
than a cow, such tigers ever afterwards practise man-
eating to a certain extent, although only a limited
number confine themselves exclusively to a diet of
human flesh.
Several instances are on record where young elephants
have been killed by tigers, and in the Asian of May 15,
1900, a writer instances a case where, although the
evidence is circumstantial, an adult elephant appears
to have fallen a victim.
After first mentioning that he was disinclined to
attach credit to the statements of the natives as to the
manner in which the elephant in question came by its
death, the writer states that, accompanied by some
friends, he visited the spot where the encounter had
taken place. His description of the scene that met his
eyes is as follows :—
“The place where the remains of the elephant lay
showed that a hard struggle had gone on between the
elephant and a tiger, or a couple of tigers for aught we
knew. The high grass-jungle where the elephant was
hobbled and let loose at night for grazing was trodden
and trampled down for about 40 square yards. The
elephant was hobbled, and therefore could not run
away from its assailants, and its cries of distress and
shrill trumpetings were heard by the villagers a couple
of miles off. The rope-hobbles were still on its legs,
and the half-severed ear and the holes on the skin of
its neck indicated the attack of a tiger, and left no doubt
in my mind that the beast was done to death by a pair
395 x
Game Animals of India, etc.
of tigers, which must have tackled her from both sides
at the same time, and buried deep their fangs in her
jugular veins and finished her off quickly. The skin
did not seem to have been injured much, and it lay
like a pall, or rather a tarpaulin, covering the whole
skeleton.”
The ordinary cry of the tiger is stated to be very
similar to the lion’s roar, but is much less frequently
uttered, tigers never standing and emitting roar after
roar for an hour together after the manner of lions in
Africa. When surprised, a tiger springs up with a loud
“woof”; while, when angered, it gives vent to a growl.
Different from all of these is the hoarse guttural sound of
a charging tiger, repeated two or three times during the
short furious rush. Although occasionally reaching as
many as six, the number of tiger-cubs in a litter usually
varies between two and five; but two is the most
common number, and three the next. In all cases of
twins the cubs are respectively male and female. Now
it is a well-known fact that tigresses are much more
numerous than tigers, and it would be an interesting
matter to ascertain whether, in the case of triplets, two
of the cubs belong to the female sex. Even, however,
if this should prove to be the case, it may be doubtful
if the occurrence of triplets is sufficiently common to
account for the disparity in the numbers of the two
sexes. The cubs require about three years to attain
full growth, the greater portion of this time being
spent with the female parent, which does not appear
to breed more frequently than every second, or possibly
every third year.
Many years ago, in the Yournal of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal, I described the lower jaw of a tiger
containing a small additional molar tooth (or rather
the socket for the reception of the same) behind the
carnassial or flesh-tooth. In a recent issue of the
Zoologischer Anzeiger Mr. Hilzheimer (who appears
to be unacquainted with the foregoing case) recorded
306
The Diger
a precisely similar abnormality in a tiger’s skull. The
occurrence of such a supernumerary tooth is a matter
of considerable interest as showing a reversion to the
early extinct cats, such as Pseudzlurus, in which the
occurrence of a molar behind the lower carnassial tooth
is normal. Among the hundreds of skulls of tigers,
lions, and leopards in the possession of sportsmen,
there must almost certainly be some showing a similar
abnormality, and records of such an occurrence would
be of interest.
Tiger-shooting may be divided into four main
classes, namely, shooting from elephants, driving with
beaters to sportsmen posted in trees, sitting up over
the “kill” to await the return of the murderer, and
walking up on foot. The last is certainly the most
dangerous, and probably therefore the most exciting
sport, fatal accidents being frequent. The least
exciting of the four is the sitting up over the “kill,”
on a machan, or platform, built in some convenient
tree ; but where the forest is dense, or elephants are
unobtainable, it is frequently the only practicable mode.
In districts where beating is the custom, natives are
usually chary of giving any information as to the
whereabouts of “stripes,” partly in order that they
themselves may not be impressed to take a share in the
honk, or drive, and partly from the fear that if they do
so, they will fall victims either to the wounded tiger,
if it escapes, or to its companion, upon whom the office
of vendetta is supposed to devolve. Here it may be
repeated that in many parts of India natives never
mention the tiger by its proper title, but use some
other term, as, for instance, the name of the jackal ;
this being dpe to superstition that the mention a
the name will lead to the death of the speaker.
Beating is practised in Central and Southern India,
where tigers are commonly found in densely-wooded
ravines, of which the banks are often high and precipi-
tous. On the other hand, beating with elephants is
Bo7
Game Animals of India, etc.
chiefly employed in the tall grass-jungles of the Terai
and Assam, where any other mode would be almost
impracticable. In the swampy Sandarbans of Lower
Bengal, where the tigers lead a semi-aquatic life, they
must either be walked up on foot, or shot from a
meachan, unless the sportsman is lucky enough to
“pot” his game from a boat.
THE LEGPARD
(Felis pardus)
Native Names.—Chita, Sona-chita, Chita-bagh, Adnara,
AND Tendwa, Hinpustani; Palang, Persian ;
Diho, Batucu1; Suh, Kasumiri; Tidua anv
Srighas 1‘ BUNDELKAND 3 Gorbacha or Borbacha,
Deccani 3; Karda, Asnea, Singhal, anv Bibia-bagh,
Mauratui; Tenderwa and Bibla AMONG THE -
Bauris oF THE Deccan ; Honiga anv Kerkal,
CanareEse 3; Jeon-kula oF THE Kols; ‘Ferkos IN
RajMEHAL ; Burkal anv Gordag oF THE GoNDs ;
Sonora oF THE Korkus; Cyhiru-thai, Tamit ;
Chinna- pali, Tetecu; Pali, Maraparr; Kuttya,
Crncacese 3 Bai-hira, Tehr-he, Goral-he, or Ghor-
he 1N THE Simta District ; Szk, Trpetan ; Sytk,
Syiak, oR Sejjiak, Lepcua; Kajengla, Manipur ;
Misi-patrai AND Kam-kei oF Kuki; Hurrea-kon,
Morrh, Rusa, Tekhu-Khuia, anv Kekhi, Naas;
Kya-lak or Kya-thit, Burmese; Klapreung, Tarain ;
Kiche-phong oF THE Karens; Rimau-bintan, Mauay.
(Pate viii, figs. 3 and 4)
Among many instances of uncertainty as to the
proper application and signification of names in natural
history, perhaps no greater confusion exists than in the
case of the large spotted cat scientifically known as Fe/is
pardus. This animal was known to the ancients by the
308
The Leopard
names pardalis and panthera, respectively Anglicised into
pard and panther. . At the same date the animal now
known as the hunting-leopard was designated /eopardus,
or leopard, from the idea that it was a hybrid between
ane lion and the pard. As time went on, the name
“pard” fell into disuse, and the term leopard became
ance iiaont the, animal eo which it originally
belonged to one of the varieties of Fe/is pardus ; panther
being retained for another phase of the same animal,
on fhe supposition that there were two kinds of Fhe
spotted cats.
This transference of the name leopard to Felis |
pardus left the animal to which it originally pertained
without a popular title of any kind; and the Hindu-
stani name chita (meaning spotted or speckled) was
consequently made to do duty for the latter. Such a
restriction seems, however, unjustifiable, for although
by the natives of Gentil and Upper India the latter title
is applied indifferently to Felis pardus and Cynelurus
jubatus, on most occasions on which it is employed the
former animal will be the one designated. Sometimes
if a native wishes to particularise the exact kind of chita
to which he may be referring, he will distinguish Fe/is
pardus either as sona-chita (golden chita) or chitabagh
(spotted tiger), but on ordinary occasions chita suffices.
One way out of the difficulty is to avoid the use of
the name chita altogether, and to call Cynelurus jubatus
the hunting-leopard, and to restrict the term leopard to
Felis pardus. Another element of confusion arises
from the fact that Indian sportsmen are convinced of
the existence of two species of large spotted cats, in
addition to the hunting-leopard, which they respectively
call leopard and panther. It is, however, certain that
these animals are at most only varieties of a single
species, of which they may indicate a larger and a
smaller race ; and it is accordingly proper to use only a
single English name for this species, although the
existence of two Indian races, if proved true, may be
Bj)
Game Animals of India, etc.
indicated by designating one the lesser and the other
the larger Indian leopard ; the name “ panther”’ being
allowed to fall, so far as possible, into oblivion.
The next point is the definition of the leopard.
Under this term are included all varieties of large
ring-spotted cats inhabiting the Old World, with the
exception of the snow-leopard, of which the distinctive
features are pointed out later. From the hunting-
leopard, the present species, in addition to the difference
in general form and the structure of the claws, is dis-
tinguished by the circumstance that a certain proportion
of the spots on the back and sides form large circular
broken rosettes, while all those of the former animal
are smaller and solid. The only other cat with which
the leopard is liable to be confounded is the jaguar of
the New World ; the latter being generally recognisable
by the presence of a small black central spot to each
rosette, of which there is no trace in the leopard, and a
difference in the length of the tail.
In size the leopard is variable; the extremes of
length ranging from less than six to as much as eight
feet. The general ground-colour of the upper-parts
varies from olive through rufous to pale yellow or
brownish yellow, and that of the under-parts from
yellow to white. The black spots on the head and
lower part of the limbs are small and solid ; and such
solid spots may be continued on to the neck and
shoulders, as well as in a double line down the middle
of the hind part of the back, while the greater portion
of the outer surface of the limbs may occasionally be
solid-spotted. Over a larger or smaller extent of the
upper surface of the body and outer side of the upper
portion of the limbs the spots take the form of rosettes,
consisting of a black, and frequently interrupted ring
with a pale centre, which may or may not be darker
than the general ground-colour. On the under-parts
the spots are solid, and often lighter-coloured than
those of the back, being generally also larger and more
310
The Leopard
irregularly shaped than those on the head. On the
upper surface of the tail the spots are elongated and
light-centred ; but towards the tip of the upper surface
they assume the form of broad transverse bars, the
under surface of the tail-tip being uniformly yellowish
or white.
Marked local differences in form and in the length
of the tail and hair are likewise noticeable, the Man-
churian race being a more heavily built and longer-
haired animal than the leopard of Bengal.
The distribution of the leopard includes the greater
part of Africa, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Syria,
Palestine, Persia, Baluchistan, Afghanistan, a large part
of Central Asia, India, Assam, Ceylon, Burma, the
Malay Peninsula, Siam, China, Manchuria, Java, and
Sumatra. With such an enormous geographical range,
it is only natural to suppose that the leopard should
be divisible into a considerable number of local races.
The first point in connection with these races is to
indicate which is the typical Felis pardus of Linneus,
by whom the species was named. In the Systema
Nature the first reference is to the figure of an African
representative of the species, and this might be taken
‘to indicate that the typical leopard 1 is the African form ;
but at the conclusion of his notice Linnzus gave is
habitat of the species as in Indis, and since the
description indicates that all the spots on the upper
surface are ringed, it accords better with the Indian
than with the African animal.
African leopards are collectively characterised by
the spots being numerous and comparatively small,
and more especially by the circumstance that the whole
or the greater portion of those on the fore part of the
body—that is to say, about as far back as the hind
side of the shoulders—are in the form of irregular
solid spots, the rosettes not making their appearance
till behind the shoulder-blades. Frequently these
solid spots tend to continue some distance down the
311
Game Animals of India, etc.
middle line of the back ; and the majority, if not all of
the spots on the limbs, are of the solid type, although
larger than those on the shoulders. These features
are well displayed in fig. 51. As a rule, the middle
line of the back is marked by a broad dark streak,
and the centres of the rosettes are elsewhere not
conspicuously darker than the general ground-colour.
In a few skins the rosettes all over the body tend to
break up into small irregular spots ; and it is occasion-
ally difficult to decide whether a particular skin is
Indian or African, although there is no difficulty at all
in determining the locality of a series.
Another point is that there are no black leopards in
Africa, although occasionally specimens are met with
on the high grounds of South Africa in which practically
the whole of the rosettes are broken up into minute,
widely separated spots, while the ground-colour is
darker than usual and the middle line of the back
almost completely black. In one such specimen the
semi-blackness of the back extends over the whole
of the upper-parts, although the spots are still. more
or less distinctly visible. African leopards generally
appear to be comparatively small, and in Somaliland
there isa pigmy race (F. pardus nanopardus) in which
the length of flat skins of males is less than six feet,
while those of females are still smaller.
In East African specimens the ground-colour of the
skin is generally light golden tawny, with the under-
parts and the inner surface of the limbs white. On
the other hand, leopards from the moist forest region
of the west coast are darker, the ground-colour of the
upper-parts being olive tawny, and that of the lower
parts yellow tawny.
In the year 1777 Erxleben applied the name Fe/is
leopardus to the African leopard, and in the absence
of any evidence to the contrary, it may be permissible
to consider this typified by the East African leopard,
which should then be known as F. pardus leopardus.
312
er. 4 ott
S 7 oy
Se Qee
i
4 ~
=.
&
<> 3
ign 7
3 SA)
Fic. 51.—Skin of an African Leopard, from Dr. Bonavia’s Studies in the Evolution
of Animals.
Bs
Game Animals of India, etc.
If there were only these two phases to deal with, the
West African might be separated as a distinct race, but
since both agree in the general arrangement of their
spots, and thereby differ from the Asiatic representatives
of the species, such a classification does not adequately
express the relationships of the different modifications ;
and it would require a quadrinomial system to properly
indicate the distinctions.
Indian leopards (fig. 52) have the spots larger, less
numerous, and more widely separated than in their
African representatives, while the rosettes extend
forwards on the back as far as the hind region of the
neck, and likewise reach some way down the upper
region of the limbs. The middle line of the back
never forms such a conspicuously dark streak as in
African leopards, and in many skins there is no
appreciable darkening in this region at all. Individual
specimens, more especially in the Malay countries,
may, however, be completely black, the spots and.
rosettes then being visible only in certain lights.
Frequently the centres of the rosettes on the back are
appreciably darker than the general ground-colour.
As regards the length of the fur and the thickness of
the tail, Indian and African leopards are very similar ;
the fur on both body and tail being short and close.
As the Indian leopard appears to be the typical
representative of the species, its full title will be Feds
pardus typica. But Indian leopards are by no means pre-
cisely alike, the lesser form, which is the one generally
met with in the plains of the Peninsula, being character-
ised by the relatively small size of the rosettes, the pale
ground-colour, and the absence of darkening in the
central area of the rosettes, generally accompanied by
a relatively long tail and short head. On the other
hand, in the larger Indian leopard of the damp forest-
regions of Bengal, Assam, the Terai, Burma, and
probably the Malay countries, the ground-colour tends
to reddish, the central areas of the rosettes are darker
314
Skin of an Indian Leopard.
SUS
Game Animals of India, etc.
than the rest of the fur, and the tail is relatively short
and the head long. A mounted example of this type
is exhibited, in a crouching attitude, in the British
Museum. Although ina large series it may be difficult
to assign individual skins and skulls to one or the
other, if the two forms are, as a whole, distinguish-
able and restricted to particular localities, they are
undoubtedly entitled to recognition.
The Indian race of the leopard (whether in both
of its two phases is uncertain) probably extends into
the Malay countries and the south of China; but in
Baluchistan, Persia, etc., it is replaced by a distinct
race, of which the characteristics are given below. In
Manchuria the species is represented by F. pardus
villosa, of which a mounted example is exhibited in the
British Museum ; this being much more distinct than
any of the other local races of the species, and present-
ing the extreme divergence from the small-spotted
African race. In general massiveness of build the
Manchurian leopard is indeed very similar to the tiger
of the same region, having stout and somewhat clumsy
limbs, a relatively short and broad head, and long,
thick fur. The spots are much larger and more widely
separated than in Indian leopards. The ground-colour
of the fur is pale sandy, but the light centres of the
rosettes, especially on the back, are much darker than
the general body-colour. The solid spots of the head
are continued on to the region of the shoulders, and
thence down the whole of the fore-limbs, similar solid
spots reappearing on the hind-legs. These large spots
are widely separated from one another, and nearly
circular in shape, and thus markedly different from the
small, closely-crowded, and irregular solid spots on the
fore-quarters of African leopards, while they are equally
different from the annulated spots occurring in the
same region in the Indian representative of the species.
The dark rings are, in fact, much less broken up than in
either the Indian or African races. A leopard-skin from
316
Fic. 53.—An Indian Leopard.
Game Animals of India, etc.
Shensi, Northern China, presented to the British
Museum by Father Hugh, seems, however, to be
intermediate between the Manchurian and the larger
Indian race ; having the long hair and thick tail of the
former, ee resembling the latter in the rich tawny
eround-colour of the fur, and also in the prevalence of
rosettes, especially on the hind-quarters.
Black leopards are not entitled to be regarded as a
distinct race, being merely specially coloured individuals
of the larger Indian leopard, which is found not only
in Bengal, but apparently also in Burma and the Malay
countries. Hot, moist forest districts are those most
favourable to the development of melanism amon
leopards, Travancore and the south of India generally
being the regions on the west of the Bay of Bengal
where these ‘‘sports’’ are most common, while to the
east they are still more abundant in Lower Burma and
the Malay countries. In a paper contributed to the
Zoologist for 1898 Colonel F. T. Pollok has suggested
that the reason for the prevalence of melanism in the
latter district is that the leopards habitually prey on
gibbon apes, and that their dark colour renders them
more inconspicuous than if they were spotted. He
even goes so far as to say that under such conditions
a leopard of the ordinary colour would starve; but
this implies that all Malay leopards are black, which is
certainly not the case, and it is also more than doubtful
whether, in the case of an animal creeping along the
arm of a tree, a uniformly black colour would not
be more conspicuous than the ordinary spotted coat
of the leopard. A white (albino) leopard has been
recorded by Buchanan Hamilton.
The most essential difference between the habits of
the leopard and the tiger is the facility with which the
former can ascend trees ; indeed, in some of the forest-
districts where it preys largely on monkeys, it may
become almost completely arboreal. This arboreal
habit renders the leopard more cunning than a tiger,
318
The Leopard
since, when approaching a “kill,” it is stated to invari-
ably scan the boughs above, whereas a tiger only does
this when it has learnt caution from having been fired
at from above on a previous occasion. It has been
already mentioned that whereas a tiger commences its
meal by tearing at the hind-quarters of its victim, a
leopard begins operations on the fore-quarters and
viscera.
Leopards are on the prowl for prey throughout
the night, dogs being their favourite victims in the
neighbourhood of human habitations, while, as already
stated, in many forest-districts they subeise chiefly on
monkeys. When a leopard takes to man-eating, it is
even more to be dreaded than a tiger with similar
propensities, since it will frequently not hesitate to
burst through the frail walls of native huts and seize
the inhabitants as they lie asleep. Colonel Pollok
states that in certain portions of the Nizam’s dominions
the average deaths from man-eating leopards reached
one per diem, while in others it was as many as two
daily. Even shikaris posted on platforms (machans) in
trees have been carried off by the stealthy approach
from behind of the very animals for which they were
lying in wait.
In many parts of India the favourite haunts of
leopards are rocky, scrub-clad hills, containing numerous
clefts and caverns, in which they make their lairs.
Water is less essential to their well-being than is the
case with the tiger, and they are not unfrequently
found in completely dry districts in India, while in
Somaliland they commonly dwell in such situations.
In India, at any rate, leopards are generally found in
pairs, and the cubs are born during February or March,
the number in a litter being usually from two to four,
although Colonel Pollok states that he has heard of as
many as seven. In leopard-cubs the spotting is much
less distinct than in the adult, and the general colour
brownish ; this being» precisely the reverse of what
ee)
Game Animals of India, etc.
occurs in the lion. As a rule, leopards are silent
animals, although when charging they utter a short
growl ; but when on the prowl they occasionally give
vent to a harsh cry, quite different from the roar of a
tiger, and somewhat intermediate between a grunt and
a cough.
Although leopards were at one time hunted by the
troopers of the Central Indian Horse by beating them
out from patches of sugar-cane during the rainy season
with the aid of a pack of dogs, and then spearing them,
while they are often speared by parties of two or three
mounted Europeans, the more general plan is either to
watch for them by night in a machan over a tethered
bait or a “kill,” or to drive them from covert with a
line of beaters. Machan-shooting is weary work, and
requires a large stock of patience on the part of the
watcher. As leopards usually go in search of water
between seven and eight in the evening, and again
between five and six in the morning, it is at such times
that they most frequently approach the bait; the
majority of tethered baits being seized between the
time of sunset and an hour after. In the dim twilight
the spots of the leopard harmonise so exactly with the
speckled shade of the surrounding foliage that unless
the watcher make the best use of his eyes, the marauder
will be only too likely to have sprung upon the bait
before its presence is even suspected.
The following hints on machan-shooting are given
by a writer in the Asian newspaper of February 27,
1900 :—
“Tf you have had a kill, go early to your machan,
and take the precaution to have the kill securely
tied or hung to some fixed object, or you may find the
leopard carry it off without giving you a chance. If
you are to sit over a live goat, see first that the machan
is so constructed as to give you the advantage of rising
ground if there be any. Take care that the rope of
the goat is not too long, or you will find it difficult to
320
The Leopard
get a shot from your circumscribed look-out hole. If
there is a little moonlight expected after dusk, try and
arrange your machan so as to have the light falling from
behind you on to the goat. Recollect the shadow cast
by the moon. It is not always easy to distinguish the
shadow from the substance of the goat, and the same
is of course true of the leopard. Take your time in
aiming, and if the leopard is inextricably mixed up with
the goat, wait. Eventually the leopard will conquer
the goat and give you a steady shot while sucking the
blood from the neck.
“Don’t fancy the leopard will not come, once you
have made up your mind to sit up. Some are exceed-
ingly crafty and suspicious, and do not fail to observe
the goat most carefully. Often the goat ceases bleating
simply from an access of fear; it has seen, heard, or
scented the leopard. You will often see it, after stand-
ing or lying carelessly, suddenly assume a rigid position,
gradually moving its head round, and sometimes by
the action of its legs unmistakably indicating that the
foe is about. The goat will sometimes stamp on the
ground and emit little snorts. Of course occasionally
this may only indicate a hyena, or a pig, or the insignifi-
cant mongoose, or a hare, but never neglect such indica-
tions. As to using slugs, I think you will do well to
have a smooth-bore loaded with buck-shot ; but stick
to your rifle to the last possible moment. Slugs do
not always penetrate between the ribs and reach a vital
part, and they seldom leave a bloody trail. I have
rarely found my .500 Express fail even when it was
impossible to see the sights.”
In a work on the animals of Russia and Asia,
published in 1811, the Russian naturalist Pallas gave
the name Felis panthera to the leopard of the Caucasus ;
and although he appears to have regarded it as identical
with the true F. pardus of Linnzus, yet according to
modern usage his name is entitled to stand for the
Persian and Caucasian race of the species. The name
a2 ¥
Game Animals of India, etc.
of this race will consequently be Felis pardus panthera.
It should be added, however, that in 1856 the French
naturalist Valenciennes gave the name of Felis tulliana
to the Persian leopard (ignoring the priority of the
name panthera) ; and in consequence of this the race
is frequently known as F. pardus tulliana. If it were
possible to distinguish the Caucasian from the Persian
leopard (which does not seem to be the case), the name
F.. pardus panthera would stand for the former and
F, pardus tulliana for the latter.
The geographical range of the Persian leopard (plate
vill, fig. 4) appears to extend from the Caucasus and
Anatolia through Persia and Baluchistan to the hills of
Sind. This race may be distinguished from the Indian
leopard by its longer fur, thicker tail, and certain details
of colouring ; being in these respects in some degree
intermediate between the latter and the snow-leopard.
A skin of this race from the Caucasus was described
by myself in the Zoological Society’s Proceedings for
1899 ; the description being accompanied by a coloured
plate. From the small size of this plate the animal
does not appear very markedly different from an
ordinary Indian leopard, but when skins of the two are
laid side by side, the distinction is apparent. Com-
pared with an Indian leopard’s skin the Caucasus
specimen is distinguishable by the irregular formation
and small size of the rosettes, in which the centres are
not appreciably darker than the general ground-colour,
as they are in the larger form of the Indian race. From
the head to the shoulders the spots are solid, somewhat
like those of the African leopard. The fur, which is
relatively long all over the body, becomes still more
markedly so on the under surface, where it is white,
with large solid elongated spots, widely separated from
one another. In this respect the specimen is decidedly
nearer to the Indian than to the African race, in the
latter of which the spots on the under surface are
generally so large as to leave only a network of light
322
The Leopard
ground between. In the double line of solid elongated
black spots down the middle of the hind half of the
back,. there is, however, an approximation towards the
African type. The long and bushy tail, the terminal
third of which is black and white only, is strikingly
like that of the snow-leopard.
It would be of interest to ascertain in what part of
India the Persian race is replaced by the Indian, and
likewise whether there is a complete gradation between
the two. The writer once purchased a leopard-skin
in Kashmir which, although evidently nearer to the
Persian than to the Indian race, may have indicated a
partial transition between the two. A mounted speci-
men of the Persian leopard, obtained from Astrabad,
in Persia, and presented by Colonel Beresford-Lovett
in 1882, is exhibited in the British Museum. In the
thick, furry tail, as well as in general colouring, it
presents a marked contrast to the crouching specimen
of the larger Indian leopard exhibited in the same case.
THE OUNCE, OR SNOW-LEOPARD
(Felts uncia)
Native Names.—lkar, Zig, Sachak, AND Sah, OF THE
Buotias; Bharal-h@ or THE TRIBES NORTH OF
Stmia ; Thurwagh 1n Kunawar.
(PLaTE viii, fig. 5)
Although sometimes confounded with the long-
haired Persian race of the leopard, the white or snow-
leopard is a distinct species. It was formerly regarded’
as very rare, but skins may now be frequently seen in
the windows of the London furriers, and a few years
ago a specimen was exhibited in the Zoological Society’s
Menagerie. By Anglo-Indian sportsmen the animal
is almost invariably designated snow-leopard ; but by
the older travellers and naturalists it was commonly
323
Game Animals of India, etc.
termed the Ounce or Onza,—names said by Buffon to
be corrupted from Lyzx or Lunx, of which the present
species was supposed to be a relative. The same name
occurs again in the scientific title of the jaguar, Fe/is
onca. The name Bharal-he, given to the snow-leopard
by the hill-tribes to the north of Simla refers to its
partiality for the blue sheep or bharal.
The snow-leopard is specially characterised by the
length and thickness of the fur, which attains its
maximum development on the tail. The ground-
colour is white, and the black spots, except on the
head, are larger and more ill-defined than in the
leopard, forming interrupted and somewhat irregular
rosettes, with the light areas inside rather darker
than the general ground-colour. On the head and
limbs, as well as in the terminal third of the tail
(where they form rings), the spots are solid, that is to
say, without light centres; and on the under surface
of the body there are comparatively few, and these
somewhat ill-defined. A dark longitudinal streak runs
from near the middle of the back to the root of the
tail; and the black external surface of the ear is
marked by a large yellowish spot.
The snow-leopard stands about 24 inches at the
shoulder ; and, although precise dimensions are difficult
to obtain, its total length would appear to range
between 6 and 7 feet, or rather more. In a specimen
of which the length was 6 feet minus half an inch, the
tail measured 36 inches ; but this appendage had also
a similar length in an example of which the entire
length was 6 feet 4 inches. The skull, which measures
from 6 to 7 inches in length, may be distinguished
from that of the leopard by the more swollen palate,
and the shorter nasal bones, approximating in the
latter respect to that of the lion.
The snow-leopard, as its name implies, is essentially
an inhabitant of high mountains, and is found on all
the elevated ranges. of Central Asia, occurring not
ee
Leopard.
—The Snow
4
5
Fic
Game Animals of India, etc.
only in the neighbourhood of the snowy range of the
Himalaya, as well as in Ladak and Tibet, but extending
in a north-westerly direction to Gilgit, Hunza, and
Nagar, and being likewise met with in Turkestan,
Trans-Baikalia, Amurland, and North-Western China.
Its reported extension into Persia is, however, more
than doubtful, and its alleged occurrence in the
Caucasus is due to specimens of the Persian variety
of the leopard having been mistaken for this species.
Although usually found at elevations above 8000 feet
(and probably ascending to 18,000 or 20,000 feet), in
winter it descends as low as about 6000 in the Gilgit
district.
Beyond the fact of its living for the most part in
open, and frequently snow-clad, country (for which its
colour is no doubt specially adapted), there does not
appear to be much calling for special mention in the
habits of this species, although our information on
this subject is far from being as full as desirable.
Comparatively few specimens are seen by European-
sportsmen, and still fewer bagged. The present writer
once had a good view of one of these animals ascending
a hill at some distance off in Ladak, and Mr. Darrah
relates how on one occasion in the same district he
suddenly came across a snow-leopard lying on a rock,
although only the head and a portion of its thick tail
were visible. This animal had recently killed a bullock,
of which the carcase lay near by, and, after the manner
of the Indian leopard, it returned to the “kill” in the
evening, although Mr. Darrah was not fortunate
enough to add its skin to his trophies.
Away from the neighbourhood of human habitations
the prey of the snow-leopard comprises bharal, shapo,
young argali, ibex, and probably an occasional chiru
and goa gazelle. Near villages, however, or in the
vicinity of Tatar encampments, the animal turns its
attention to domesticated sheep, goats, ponies, and
occasionally, as in the instance mentioned above, cattle.
326
The Ounce, or Snow-Leopard
Whether it displays the same partiality for dog-flesh as
the ordinary leopard is not recorded, but if so it must
have some difficulty in gratifying its taste, as the
mastiffs which guard Tibetan encampments and villages,
and are the only dogs in the country, are awkward
customers for even a leopard to kill and carry off.
tie CLOUDED: TIGER
(Felis nebulosa)
Native Names.—Pungmar anpd Sarchack OF THE
Lepcuas ; Zik oF THE Limpu or NeEpaL; Kung
oF THE Buotias; Lamchitia oF THE KHAS TRIBE
oF Nepat ; Thit-kyoung, Burmese 3 Arimau-dahan,
Matay.
(Prare vii, fig. 6)
A much rarer animal than the last is the beautiful
but smaller cat commonly known as the clouded tiger,
although sometimes designated clouded leopard. Its
Malay name means “tree-tiger.” Most of the little
known of this species in the wild state is derived from
native sources, which are frequently more or less
untrustworthy ; but it appears to have been seen in
its natural haunts by Dr. Charles Hose in Borneo.
The clouded tiger is essentially a Malay animal,
inhabiting the Malay islands and peninsula, and thence
extending through Burma into Assam and the Sikhim
and Nepal Himalaya. It has a special claim on the
interest of the naturalist on account of the unusually
great relative length of its upper tusks, or canines,
which in this respect come nearer to those of the
extinct sabre-toothed tigers (Macherodus) than is the
case in any other living member of the cat tribe.
In size the clouded tiger may be compared to a
5 . .
small specimen of the leopard, its length ranging
327
Game Animals of India, etc.
between 6 and 64 feet, of which from 2 feet 6 inches
to about 3 feet is taken up by the long, thickly-haired
tail. The colouring may be regarded as a modification
of the type found in the snow-leopard ; for if we
imagine the dark rosettes of the latter diminished in
number and extended in size, so as to form large
blotches with dark margins and centres of a somewhat
deeper shade than the general ground-colour, we
should have the “clouded” pattern met with in the
present species. The ground-colour is some shade of
pale yellowish-grey, upon which are dark blotches or
patches of a couple of inches or more in diameter ;
these being frequently edged in part, especially on the
hind border, with black. In aged individuals the
blotches themselves tend more or less completely to
disappear, leaving little or nothing more than their
broken black margins. The upper surface of the
head is ornamented with solid black spots ; and two
broad black bands, separated by narrower streaks or
rows of elongated spots, run from the ears to the
shoulders, to be continued as more or less ill-defined
lines of oval spots along the middle of the back. The
cheeks have the two black stripes so common among
the smaller cats, and the margins of the upper lip may
be also black, while the black of the outer surface of
the ear is frequently relieved with a central grey spot.
The tail is ornamented with a series of dusky rings,
frequently imperfect on the sides, and connected along
the upper surface of the eal portion by a dark,
longitudinal stripe. Typically the tail is of great
we bees length— frequently nearly as long as the head
and body—but in Formosa there is a shorter-tailed
race of the species, known as Felis nebulosa brachyurus.
As is indicated by its Malay name, the clouded
tiger is arboreal, and its food appears to consist of
small mammals and birds, for which it lies in wait on
the branches of trees. In Borneo it occurs both on
the plains and in the mountains up to an elevation of
328
The Clouded Tiger
5000 feet, and in the Himalaya it ranges up to about
7000 feet. If taken young, it can be easily tamed,
and it has been several times exhibited in the London
Zoological Gardens.
The marbled cat (Felis marmorata) of the Eastern
Himalaya, which may be described as a miniature replica
of the present species, can scarcely claim to be regarded
as a game animal.
The same type of colouring is presented by Fon-
tanier’s cat (Felts tristris) of East Central Asia ; and in
the opinion of the present writer this type of colouring
may indicate affinity between all the members of this
group and the ocelot cats of tropical America.
PLHEZGORDEN OR BAY CAF
(Felis temminckt)
Of somewhat inferior size to the clouded tiger
(length of head and body 31 inches, of tail 19 inches),
the golden cat is distinguished by its uniformly coloured
coat, which, except on the face, lacks both stripes and
spots. The colour varies from bright rusty red to
dark brown or grey, the cheeks and forehead being
streaked with white and brown, and faint traces of
spotting occasionally showing themselves on the flanks
and the under surface of the body. The range of this
cat extends from Nepal and Sikhim, in the Eastern
Himalaya, at moderate elevations, through the hills of
Tippera, to Burma, and so by way of the Malay
Peninsula to Borneo.
This species has been regarded as the ancestor of the
Royal Siamese domesticated breed ; but, in the opinion
of Mr. R. I. Pocock, the theory is improbable.
329
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE FISHING-CAT
(Felis viverrina)
Native Names.— Banbiral, Bardeen, Khupya-bagh,
AND Bagh-dasha, inpvustani; Mach-bagral,
Benoa. ; Handun-diva, C1INGALESE.
(Pare vii, fig. 7)
It has long been a matter of speculation why
domesticated cats should display such a marked
partiality for a fish-diet, and yet be so averse to wetting
their feet ; and the problem is rendered no easier of
solution by the fact that the present species (which
slightly exceeds its domesticated relative in size) is
endowed with the same taste, and has no hesitation in
taking the necessary steps to gratify this desire. Nor
has this fishing habit escaped the notice of the natives
of India, its Bengali name being the equivalent of its
English title.
The fishing-cat is a spotted species, of somewhat
larger dimensions than the under-mentioned leopard-
cat, from which it differs by the grizzly grey fur of the
body being marked by longitudinal lines of partially
connected dark brown spots, replaced on the hind-
quarters by smaller black spots. The short and bushy
tail, which is about one-third the length of the head
and body, is marked above by transverse bars of dark
brown. Very characteristic of the species is the
narrowness of the nasal bones of the skull, which form
a sharp ridge.
This cat, which also inhabits the south of China
and the island of Formosa, is found in Ceylon, India,
Lower Burma, and Tenasserim. In India it has been
recorded from the Indus Valley, the outer Himalaya,
Nepal, Assam, and Bengal, and it may possibly occur
also on the coasts of Malabar and Travancore, although
it appears to be absent from the Central Provinces.
She
The Fishing-Cat
In order to exercise its fish-catching propensities this
species generally takes up its residence in marshy
situations, on the banks of swamps and rivers, where
it also feeds on the large snails known as Ampul-
larie. In spite of its comparatively small size, it
is a vicious creature, frequently levying toll on
poultry and such domesticated quadrupeds as it is able
to destroy.
EP, LEOPARD-CAG
(Felis bengalensis)
Native Names.—Chita-billa (spotted cat), Hrnpvu-
sTANI ; Ban-biral, Bencatt ; Wagati, AMONG THE
MauraTHAS OF THE Guats ; Thit-kyoung, ARAKA-
NESE 3 Kye-thit, Thit-kyuk, AND Kya-gyuk, BuRMESE ;
Kla-hla or THE TaLatns AND Karens; Rimau-
akar, Matay.
(Piate viii, fig. 8)
Of all the smaller Indian felines the leopard-cat
is perhaps the most abundant and most generally
distributed. Compared with the fishing-cat it is a
smaller and more “leggy” animal, being, in fact,
somewhat inferior in size to an ordinary domestic cat,
but with proportionately longer limbs. As regards
colour and markings, it is extremely variable, and
consequently difficult to describe ; but since there is
no other species with which it is liable to be confounded,
the description need not on the present occasion be
detailed. As a rule, the ground-colour of the fur-
of the upper-parts varies from yellowish grey to bright
yellow ; and on this are dark brown spots and streaks,
which also extend on to the white under-parts, while
the extremity of the long tail is marked by black
transverse bars. The majority of the dark markings
take the form of more or less elongated spots, but
a8
Game Animals of India, etc.
there are a couple of dark bars on the inner side of
each fore-leg, as well as two horizontal cheek-stripes,
of which the lower may be joined with a horizontal
throat-band, while there may be other more or less .
ill-defined stripes across the lower part of the throat
and chest. On the forehead two pairs of longitudinal
stripes run backwards over the head to the hind part
of the neck ; and the middle pair of these stripes,
which may be separated for some distance by other
markings, is frequently continued down the back as
a double row of spots. In addition to these dark
markings, there is generally a white streak running
from the inner side of each eye to the forehead ; and
likewise a large whitish spot on the outer surface of
each ear, the remainder of which is black. From
22 to 26 inches is the general length of the head and
body of this little cat, while that of the tail varies
between 11 and 12 inches, or sometimes a little more.
Doubtless this widely-spread species will eventually
be found to be divisible into local races, of which more
than one may be found in India itself. As a matter
of fact, several names have already been proposed for
different colour-phases of this highly variable cat.
Such distinctions have, however, little interest for the
average sportsman, and may accordingly be dismissed
without further notice. In Southern. India and Ceylon
there is a smaller species known as the rusty-spotted
cat (Felis rubiginosa), which, in addition to having one
pair of teeth less in the upper jaw, is distinguished by
the middle pair of the four longitudinal agen streaks
on the forehead being continued as two simple slightly
divergent lines or rows of spots between the shoulders,
whereas in F. bengalensis there are never these two
lines alone. The upper surface of the tail is also
devoid of spots in F. rubiginosa.
In addition to an extensive range in China and the
Malay countries, the leopard-cat extends from Burma
through Assam to India, where it is found from the
334
The Leopard-Cat
foot of the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, although
apparently unknown in Ceylon. If its absence from
the latter island be a fact, the species would appear
. to be a member of the Malay fauna which has entered
India at a comparatively recent epoch. It is to a great
degree a nocturnal and arboreal animal, frequently
taking up its quarters in a hollow tree, and feeding
upon small mammals and birds ; in disposition it is
extremely savage and spiteful.
fake MANUL CAP
(Felis manu!)
Native Name.— Manul, TrpetTan
The wild cat inhabiting the arid deserts of Ladak
and Tibet and thence northwards through Mongolia
to Siberia, is a species agreeing approximately in size
with the preceding, but differing from all others met
with in the area of which the present volume treats
by its thick coat of long and soft fur, and short tail.
The general colour is pale whitish or yellowish grey,
with a few indistinct dark markings on the head and
upper portions of the limbs, and some more clearly
defined but widely separated narrow black transverse
barrings across the hind-quarters, the tail being likewise
ringed with black. From behind each eye a white
streak, between a pair of black ones, runs downwards
and backwards, and behind each ear is a black mark.
The under-parts are white. About 21 inches is the
usual length of the head and body, and that of the
tail 10 inches.
Unlike the majority of smaller cats, which dwell
in forest or jungle, the manul makes its home among
barren rocks, in the crevices of which it rears its
offspring. Its prey comprises various small mammals
333
Game Animals of India, etc.
and birds, especially the rodents known as picas ; and
its thick fur affords an adequate protection against the
winter cold of its habitat.
In the <Annuaires du Musée Zoologique of the
Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg for the year
1904 (pp. 495-506) Dr. Const. Satunin, of Tiflis,
published a paper on the manul, which he made the
type of a new genus, Trichelurus, on account of
certain peculiarities in the skull, being apparently
unaware that a separate genus name had been proposed
for it many years previously by the Russian naturalist
Severtzoff. According to Dr. Satunin, the typical
F. manul ranges from the Western Siberian steppes
and the mountain ranges of Transcaspia (including the
Kopet-dagh, Murgab, and Tedshen) as far east as
Lake Baikal. East of Lake Baikal in Siberia and all
over Mongolia the typical form is replaced by the
so-called F. manul mongolica, represented in Wolf’s
figure in Elliot’s Monograph of the Felide (plate x).
As the name mongolica is preoccupied (see p. 296), this
race may be called F. manul satuni.
Nearly related is Felis nigripectus of Hodgson,
which Dr. Satunin regards as a distinct species, the
skull, and especially the “nasal bones, presenting peculiar
characters. This cat, which ranges all over Tibet,
has been recorded from Ladak.
The suggestion has been made that the manul is the
ancestor of the Persian breed of domesticated cats ; but
it differs from all the latter in that the pupil contracts
to a nearly circular disk, instead of to a slit ; while the
ears are smaller and set lower on the sides of the head,
and the markings are of a different type.
334
The Desert-Cat
THE DESERECALT
(Felis ornata)
A short notice must suffice for this cat, since it 1s
one of those species of which the claims to admission
in a work devoted to “game” are doubtful, its size
being approximately the same as that of a domesticated
cat. It resembles the jungle-cat in the presence of a
few long stiff hairs on the tips of the ears, forming
incipient pencils, but these hairs are brown instead of
black ; and it is further distinguished from that species
by the greater length of the tail, which reaches to the
hocks, by the ears being coloured like the rest of the
head, and by the fur being marked by numerous
roundish black spots on a pale yellow ground. The
under surfaces of the paws are black ; and the terminal
half of the tail is ringed with black; the cheeks are
marked by a pair of horizontal brown stripes ; and there
are two black transverse bands on the inner-surface of
the fore-arm, the outer surface of the limbs also showing
dark cross-bars.
The desert-cat inhabits open, sandy districts in
North-Western India, extending from Banda, through
the North-West Provinces to Agra, Sambhar, and Sind,
where it is comparatively common.
The species was long regarded as nearly allied to the
jungle-cat, but Mr. R. 1. Pocock (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lon-
don, 1907, p. 165) considers that its affinities are really
with the African wild cat (Felis ocreata), which is itself
near akin to the European wild cat (/. catus). In Bok-
hara the group is represented by the steppe-cat (F’.
caudata), which was shown by Prof. Martorelli in 1895
to be an ally of F. ocreata.
335
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE JUNGLE-CAT
(Felis chaus)
Native Names.— fangli-billi, Hinpustani; Khatas,
Hinpustani anD Bencatr; Bamberal, BENGALI ;
Gurba-i-kuhi, Persian ; Baul anv Bhaoga, Mau-
RATHI; Berka IN RaJMEHAL; Mant-bek, CANARESE;
Kada-bek ann Bella-bek, WWavari; Katu-pundi,
Tami_ ; Furka-pilli, Tetecu ; Cherru-puli, Mara-
BARESE ; Kyoung-tset-kun, ARAKANESE.
(Pate vii, fig. 9)
The jungle-cat is a widely-spread species, ranging
from North Africa and the Caucasus through Syria,
Palestine, Transcaspia, Asia Minor, Persia, Baluchistan,
and Afghanistan, to India, Ceylon, Assam, Burma, rl
North- W est Chien In size it cones sara: an
ordinary domestic cat; and it is easily distinguished
from other species by the almost or completely uniform
tawny colour of the fur of the body, and the extreme
shortness of the tail, which is less than a third of the
total length. The ears are tipped with a few long
black hairs, scarcely sufficient to form a distinct pencil.
Their presence serves, however, to indicate the affinity
of the jungle-cat to the lynxes, with which it agrees in
the characters of the skull and teeth. Another special
feature is in the more or less reddish colour of the
backs of the ears. The length of the tail varies from
a third to two-fifths of that of the head and body.
There are remarkable local variations in the size of
the teeth and the colour of the fur.
The colour of the head and upper-parts of the body
varies from sandy or yellowish grey to greyish brown,
the back being darker than the flanks, often with a
rufous, and more rarely a dusky tinge. Although the
head and body are generally of a uniform colour, there
are usually dusky bands across the limbs ; and in some
336
The Jungle-Cat
skins reddish stripes on the cheeks and a band of the
same tint on the chest may be observed. More rarely
indistinct vertical rows of spots or wavy lines may be
detected ; and the occurrence of a black specimen has
been recorded in India. The under surface of the
body is tawny or reddish white ; the foot and ankle are
brown beneath ; the tail has a black tip, and several
black rings in its terminal third ; and the ears generally
have black tips, and although often foxy red, may be
more or less grizzled.
In 1898 Mr. W. E. de Winton pointed out, in the
Annals and Magazine of Natural History, that the species
may be divided into several local races. As it was first
described upon the evidence of specimens obtained
from the neighbourhood of the Caspian, it is evident
that this region is the home of the typical jungle-cat
(Felis chaus typica); and the same race extends into
the Caucasus, Turkestan, and Persia, while it may not
improbably also occur in Baluchistan and Afghanistan.
From this typical race the Indian jungle-cat (Felis chaus
affinis) may be distinguished by its slighter build,
somewhat longer tail, and the bright foxy-red colour
of the back of the ears, which contrasts with the tawny
of the rest of the head. The skull is proportionally
narrower, and the teeth are relatively smaller, and less
crowded together. On the other hand, the Egyptian
jungle-cat (Felis chaus nilotica), which closely resembles
the typical race in form and colour, although of rather
superior size, is distinguished by the darker and more
grizzled ears, the colour of which does not form a bold
contrast to that of the rest of the head, as in the
typical and Indian races, in both of which the ears are
foxy red, although brighter in the latter than in the
former.
Another race (Felis chaus pallida) occurs in North-
Western China, distinguished by its pale colour ; but
the most remarkable of the local races seems to be the
one from Palestine (felis chaus furax), in which the
387 a
Game Animals of India, etc.
teeth are so disproportionately large as to be little
inferior in this respect to those of a small female
leopard. Concerning this feature, Mr. de Winton
remarks that ‘‘ there is as little difference between the
teeth of the Palestine chaus and those of a female
leopard as there is between those of the European wild
cat and the Indian chaus—in fact, the flesh-teeth are
actually larger than those of the ocelot, and had the
separate teeth been found fossil, they would have been
put down to an animal of the size of a leopard.
Therefore in this group of cats we have all the
intermediate steps in size between the teeth of Felis
catus (wild cat) and Felis pardus, though the animals
themselves do not vary greatly in size and are not much
larger than the former.”
The Indian jungle-cat presents nothing calling for
special notice in its habits. It is very generally
distributed over India, from a considerable elevation in
the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, and it appears to be
equally abundant in Ceylon and Burma. Himalayan
skins may be distinguished from those obtained in the
plains of India by the greater length of the fur.
This cat is less strictly nocturnal than the majority
of its kind, Jordon mentioning that he has known one
spring out and seize a peacock as it fell to the gun, while
the present writer has seen a specimen walk out of a
maize-field at midday. It is a destructive creature to the
smaller kinds of game, both furred and feathered ; and
it occasionally directs its attentions to domesticated
poultry. From three to four kittens is the usual
number in a litter; and the female is said to breed
twice a year. Jt has been stated that hybrids between
this species and domesticated cats are by no means rare
in India, but Mr. R. I. Pocock, who has made a special
study of the subject, is of opinion that the evidence in
favour of such crossing is untrustworthy.
338
The Caracal
AE CAR Al
(Felis caracal)
Native Names.—Szyah-gush, Perstan ; Karakal, Turki
(PLaTeE vii, fig. 10)
The names Siyah-gush and Karaka/ both refer to the
black ears of this animal, which form one of its most
distinguishing features, when viewed from behind, siyah
meaning black in Persian, and kara having the same
signification in Turki. Other instances of the employ-
ment of the same words occur in Siyah-posh, for the
black-clothed Kafirs of Central Asia, and Karakorum
(black sand) as the name of a pass on the route to
Yarkand. The caracal has a wide geographical distribu-
tion, ranging from Africa through Palestine, Arabia,
Syria, the Taurus, Mesopotamia, and Persia, to Baluch-
istan and India, and also occurring in Transcaspia.
In Ceylon it is unknown ; and in India, where it is
everywhere rare, it is more abundant, as might have
been expected, in the western districts, such as Sind,
Kutch, and the Punjab, although it is met with over a
great part of the peninsula, in suitable localities. It is
unknown in the Eastern Himalaya and Bengal, as it
also is on the Malabar coast. By Vigne it was stated
to occur in the Upper Indus Valley, and he gives ech as
its Ladaki name ; but this term is evidently the same
as ee, which is commonly used for the Tibet lynx ; and if
the animal was seen by that traveller in Baltistan and
Ladak, it was probably in a state of captivity.
The caracal forms a connecting link between the
jungle-cat and the true lynxes ; its ears resembling
those of the latter in being furnished with large tufts
of long black hairs at their tips, although its tail is
much longer, and the throat and chest lack the
distinctive lynx-ruff. Still the caracal is more of a
lynx than a cat, its skull and teeth being decidedly
339
Game Animals of India, etc.
lynx-like. In size it is intermediate between the
jungle-cat and an ordinary lynx ; but it is of remarkably
slight and slender build, the limbs being proportionately
long, and the tail, which reaches down to the hocks,
about equal to one-third the length of the head and —
body. The height at the shoulder varies from 16 to
18 inches, the length of the head and body from 26
to 30 inches, and that of the tail between 9 and
10 inches.
No one can fail to recognise a caracal at the first
glance, its lynx-like ears, uniformly red colour, and
comparatively long tail rendering it unmistakable.
With the exception of the outer surface of the ears, a
pair of spots on the upper lip, and sometimes others on
the face, as well as, in some instances, the tip of the
tail, which are black, and two pairs of pale spots in the
neighbourhood of the eyes, the whole of the upper-
parts and limbs are uniformly reddish, varying from
rufous fawn to brownish rufous. On the under-parts
the colour varies from pale rufous to white, the inside
of the ears being likewise white. Although it is rarely
that traces of spotting can be detected on the back and
sides of adult individuals, pale rufous spots are generally
more or less in evidence on the light under surface of
the body, and in newly-born kittens the whole coat
is distinctly spotted. Individuals inhabiting desert
districts are probably paler-coloured than those which
live among grass and scrub.
The caracal may be regarded as a member of that
section of the Indian fauna which attains its maximum
development in Western Asia and Africa. Always
frequenting more or less open country, it sometimes
takes advantage of the cover afforded by bushes and
long grass, but never that of forests. Perhaps its most
distinguishing trait is its agility, by which it is enabled
to capture birds on the wing at a height of several feet
above the ground, springing at them as they fly over
its head, and knocking them over with a blow of one
340
The Caracal
of its fore-paws. It likewise possesses a speed which
falls little short of that of the hunting-leopard. Taking
advantage of these attributes, the native chieftains of
India have long been in the habit of training caracals to
capture the smaller deer and antelope, as well as hares,
cranes, peafowl, etc. According to Vigne, who travelled
in Kashmir and India between the years 1836 and
1840, the number of tame caracals then kept by some
of the chiefs was very large. Pairs of these animals
were frequently matched against one another to kill the
greatest number out of a ace of pigeons feeding on
the ground, the caracals springing suddenly into the
idee of the flock and knocking down the birds before
and as they rose to fly. In the wild state various
kinds of game-birds, together with gazelles, hares, and
the eilce deer, an the ae prey a caracals ;
the habits of Buren are, however, still imperfectly
known.
PRE EYNX
(Felis lynx isabellina)
Native Names.—Patsalan, Kasumiri; Ee or Ech,
Lapaxki; Tsogde, Batti
(PLaTE vil, fig. 11)
Although frequently regarded as a distinct species,
there can ae little doubt ‘that the Tibetan lynx (F.
lynx isabellina) is merely a pale-coloured race of the
ordinary lynx of Northern Europe and Asia, especially
since there appears to be a more or ae complete
transition between the two forms in the Gilgit district.
Desert animals, in harmony with their Somes
are always of a more sandy, or “isabelline,”’ tone of
colour than their relatives inhabiting orass-clad or
forest districts ; and since the lynx of Scandinavia and
other parts of Northern Europe is a forest-dwelling
341
Game Animals of India, etc.
creature, while its representative in Ladak and Tibet
has to be satisfied, for the most part, with bare rocks
as a dwelling-place, it is only natural to expect that
there would be a marked difference in colour between
the two.
Lynxes are the most aberrant representatives of the
genus Felis—so aberrant, indeed, that they are often |
assigned a genus to themselves. From the caracal,
which is their nearest relation, lynxes differ by fie
abundant frill, or ruff, of long mae fringing the throat,
which helps to give them their peculiar and striking
appearance, and likewise by the shortness of the tail,
which does not nearly reach so low as the hocks. The
coat is more or less distinctly marked with small solid
black spots, and the pads of the feet are clothed with a
variable amount of hair. A generally “stilty ” appear-
ance, due to the relatively long legs and the short tail,
is characteristic of lynxes. The tufts of long black hairs
surmounting the pointed ears have been already alluded
to under the heading of the caracal ; and certain char-
acters distinctive of the skull will be found described in
works of a more scientific nature.
In the Tibetan lynx the general colour of the thick
and soft fur is pale sandy grey, or isabelline, with the
under-parts white, and the extremity of the tail, the
margins, tips, and tufts of the ears, together with a
variable number of hairs in the throat-ruff, black. In
the summer coat the whole tawny area is ornamented
with black spots; but in winter these disappear from
all parts except the limbs and flanks, and sometimes
even there. In rare instances black spots may be
noticed on the white under-parts in the summer. The
Tibetan race is further characterised by the relative
shortness of the hair on the toes.
This race inhabits the plateau of Eastern and
Western Tibet, and certainly extends into Baltistan ;
but its exact geographical limits are impossible to define,
because, when we descend lower down the valley of the
342
The Lynx
Indus, to the neighbourhood of Gilgit, where there is
a certain amount of forest, the lynxes begin to assume
a more rufous tinge, and thus pass imperceptibly into
the typical European form in which the colour may
occasionally be rusty red. Seeing that in Scandinavia
the lynx is a forest-dwelling animal, it is not a little
remarkable that in the Kashmir territories the animal
seems never to be found on the forest side of the
snowy range in Kashmir itself, but is restricted to the
bleak and arid country on the Ladak side of the
passes. It is true that the creature has a Kashmiri
name, but the same is the case with several animals
not found in the vale of Kashmir ; Kashmiris being
frequent travellers into the adjacent districts, and often
receiving consignments of skins from Ladak and
other places.
Throughout its habitat the Tibetan lynx is a rare
animal, seldom seen, and still more rarely shot. Cubs
are, however, occasionally taken by the natives of
Ladak, Spiti, and Hanle; and the writer once made
the acquaintance of a tame specimen belonging to the
Governor of Ladak. ‘Tibetan hares and blue pigeons
form the chief prey of the lynx in Ladak, although it
also levies toll on the smaller domesticated animals of
the Tatars. In capturing pigeons the tame lynx just
mentioned displayed an agility comparable to that
described in the case of the caracal.
Lynx-cubs, of which there are generally two or three
in a litter, are beautiful little “ fluffy”’ creatures ; and
in Ladak are generally born in a crevice among rocks.
In the province of Kham, South-East Tibet, there is
stated to be a distinct race of lynx—Fe/ts lynx camensis.
The Canadian lynx is another race of the ordinary
species, but the Spanish lynx (Fes pardina) and the
American red lynx (fF. rufa) are distinct.
343
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE HUNTING-LEOPARD
(Cynaelurus jubatus)
Native Names.—Chita anno Laggar, Hinpustant ;
Yuz anv Yuz-palang, Persian ; Chitra OF THE
Gonps; Chita-puli, Te.ecu ; Chircha anv Sivungi,
CANARESE.
(PLaTE viii, fig. 12)
Neither of the two popular names in common use
for this interesting animal is altogether satisfactory.
The Hindustani Chita, which, like its Gond equivalent
Chitra, means spotted, is, as mentioned above, applied
in many parts of India to the leopard ; and with regard
to the name “hunting-leopard,” there is the, great
objection that the creature is not a leopard, either in
structure or in coloration, being in fact the only exist-
ing member of the cat tribe that is unquestionably
entitled to be classed in a genus apart from all the
rest. To some of the older writers the animal was
known as the guepard; and, whatever may be its
origin, this name is unobjectionable, but since it has
become obsolete, it would be hopeless to attempt its
revival. Of the other two names, hunting-leopard
seems less liable to lead to confusion.'
From all the species—both cats and lynxes—in-
cluded in the genus Fe/is, the hunting-leopard is
distinguished by the circumstance that it is unable to
withdraw its claws entirely within the margins of their
protecting sheaths, so that the points remain exposed.
The body is more slender, and the limbs are pro-
portionately longer and slighter than in any of the
species of Felis; the animal being obviously cut out
for racing much more decidedly than are any of the
latter. There are likewise certain distinctive features
! See above under the heading of Leopard.
344
The Hunting-Leopard
connected with the skull and the upper flesh-teeth,
which may be passed over without special mention.
In place of being called the “ hunting-leopard,” the
animal might have been better designated the “ hunting-
serval,” since the black markings on its fur take the
form of solid spots like those of the African serval,
instead of the rosettes distinctive of the leopard. In
size and form the species may be compared to a
long-legged, slender-bodied leopard, with short and
rounded ears, a tail somewhat exceeding half the
length of the head and body, the hair of the neck
rather elongated, so as to form an incipient mane
(whence the name jubais), that on the under surface
of the body rather longer and shaggier than elsewhere,
and the fur as a whole somewhat coarse. On the
upper-parts of the head and body, as well as the outer
surface of the limbs, the ground-colour varies from
tawny to bright ruddy fawn, while on the under-parts
it is paler, and devoid of the round black spots with
which it is elsewhere ornamented ; the chin and throat,
which are buffish white, being also unspotted.
Towards the extremity of the tail the spots tend to
coalesce so as to form incomplete rings. The outer
surface of the ears is black, except at the base and on
the margins, where it is tawny. From the outer
angle of each eye a black streak runs to the lip, this
being continued, either as a continuous line or a row
of spots, from the inner angle of the eye to a point
just below the ear. The cubs have a coat of long
and uniformly grey hair, but on turning this ioe
more or less distinct traces of spots are noticeable on
the shorter under-fur.
The geographical distribution of the hunting-leopard
is very similar to that of the lion. Unknown in
Ceylon and on the Malabar coast, the species ranges
from the confines of Bengal through Central India and
Rajputana to the Punjab, whence it extends through
Baluchistan and probably parts of Afghanistan to
345
Game Animals of India, etc.
Persia, Russian Turkestan, Transcaspia, and so on
through Syria and Palestine to Africa, where it ranges
as far south as the Cape. According to Dr. Satunin,
it is not found in the Caucasus. Further observations
are required as to the southern limits of the range of
the hunting-leopard in India.
Although much has been written with regard to the
training and employment of the hunting-leopard for the
purpose of capturing blackbuck and other animals by
the natives of India, little has been said about the
creature in its wild state; and since this has been
repeated over and over again in works of natural
history, a short notice will be sufficient in this place.
The favourite haunts of the Indian hunting-leopard are
low, isolated, rocky hills, whence it can obtain an unre-
stricted view of the surrounding plains, and mature its
plans for stalking the blackbuck, gazelles, deer, and
other animals which form its prey. These felines
hunt in couples, and creep up to within a certain dis-
tance of their intended victims, when they make a
sudden rush at a terrific pace, which, whether successful
or otherwise, is the final effort, the pursuit being aban-
doned if the quarry is not ppctniken during the first
spurt. Occasionally, instead of a single pair, it is said
that a whole family will join in the stalk and subsequent
rush. After a successful foray the hunting-leopard in-
dulges in such a gorge that it generally requires two or
three days’ repose and quiet before again taking the
field. Before each chase these animals repair to some
favourite tree, upon the bark of which they sharpen and
clean their claws. The cubs are carefully trained by
their parents in stalking and taking their prey ; and so
essential is this parental instruction that, according to
native reports, cubs that have not been thus taught are
of no use for hunting. Consequently the trained in-
dividuals kept by the chiefs for the latter purpose
are captured when full-grown. The method of
hunting with these tame animals has been so often
346
The Hunting-Leopard
described, that there would be nothing gained by its
repetition.
Hunting-leopards never attack man, and very seldom
carry off or molest domesticated animals. Considering
that on ordinary ground the best English greyhounds
have not a chance with blackbuck, the speed of the
hunting-leopard during its final rush must be tremen-
dous. This speed can, however, only be maintained
for a very short distance, and a well-mounted horseman
can come up with a hunting-leopard after a compara-
tively short run, when it generally permits itself to be
speared without vigorous resistance, although at times
requiring to be driven out from the covert in which it
has taken refuge. If the statement by Jardine that
these animals were formerly kept by the Moghul
emperors in thousands for sporting purposes is to be
relied upon, it would seem that they must have been
more numerous than is the case at the present day,
when they are comparatively rare.
A full-grown hunting-leopard stands about 24 feet
in height at the shoulder, and has a total length of
about 7 feet, 23 of which is accounted for by the tail
alone.
THE INDIAN CIVET
(Viverra zibetha)
Native. Names.—Khatas, Hinpustanit (in common
with several small Carnivora) ; Mach-bhondar,
Bagdos, anp Puda-ganla, Bencatt; Bhran 1n
THE Nepat Terat; Nis-diralu, Nepaese ; Kung
OF THE Buotias; Saphiong of the Lepcuas ;
Kyoung-myeng (horse-cat), Burmese; Tangalong,
Matay.
Although commonly called cats or civet-cats, the
civets and their allies the palm-civets are very different
347
Game Animals of India, etc.
animals from the Felide, forming the related family
Viverride. Civets, in place of the short, “smug”
faces of the cats, have long, sharply pointed muzzles,
which implies the possession of a larger series of teeth.
And not only are the teeth of the members of the civet
tribe more numerous than those of the cats, but they
are likewise different in structure, being less completely
adapted for rending flesh.
The civets of the genus Viverra, which with the
exception of the fossa (Cryproprocta) of Madagascar,
include the largest representatives of the family to
which they belong, are distinguished by the grooved
upper lip, the long, ringed tail, the absence of tufts on
the ears, the black gorget on the throat, the long and
loose character of the fur, which is generally elongated
into a kind of crest down the back, and the short and
partially retractile claws. They walk on the tips of
their toes, and, with the exception of the “ pads,” the
sole of the foot is hairy. These animals are furnished
with a pouch in the groin which secretes the strong
perfume from which they derive their name (or which
derives its name from them).
The present species, also known as the large Indian
civet, is larger than the other members of the group
inhabiting the country, the length of the head and
body being about 32 inches, and that of the tail
8 inches. Its most distinctive feature is the banding
of the whole length of the tail by alternate dark and
light rings. The general colour is dark hoary grey,
frequently with a more or less decided brownish or
reddish tinge, the sides of the body being often uni-
formly coloured, but in other instances marked with
transverse cloudy dark bars ; the crest, like the gorget
on the throat, is black, but the front and sides of the
throat, as well as the chest, are white. Not unfre-
quently there is a dusky band above and another below
the gorget, and when the second of these is developed,
it joins a horizontal streak running from behind the
348
SS
~
a
1. Binturong.
2. Striped Hyzna.
3. Tibetan Wolf.
4. Indian Wolf.
5. Wild Dog.
6. Panda.
Puate IX
349
7. Short-tailed Panda.
8. Himalayan Brown Bear.
g. Blue Bear.
1o. Himalayan Black Bear.
11. Bruan, or Malay Bear.
12. Aswal, or Sloth-Bear.
Game Animals of India, etc.
ear. The upper portion of the limbs shows dark
barrings externally, but their lower parts are uniformly
blackish brown, or black.
The range of this civet includes Burma, Assam, the
Eastern Himalaya, and Bengal. In Sikhim and Nepal
it ascends to a considerable elevation above the sea-
level ; and it is for the most part solitary, hiding in
thick covert during the day, and wandering in search
of food by night. Although unable to climb, it takes
readily to the water, and frequently makes its lair in a
hole in the ground. All animals that it can kill, as
well as eggs, seem acceptable as food to the civet, which
not unfrequently does considerable harm to domesti-
cated poultry. Since the skin is of little value, the
animal offers slight attraction to the sportsman.
Three smaller species of civet inhabit India and
Burma. In addition to these there are, in the Eastern
Himalaya and Burma, the graceful and _ beautifully
coloured linsangs (Linsanga), while various species of
palm-civets, or toddy-cats (Paradoxurus), as well as
mongooses (Herpestes), are to be met with all over the
country. None of these can, however, be regarded as
game animals, even in the widest sense of that term.
THE BINTURONG
(Arctictis binturong)
Native Names. — Young, Assamese; Myouk - kya
(monkey-tiger), Burmese ; Untarong, Maray
(Prate ix, fig. 1)
Although prehensile tails, by means of which their
owners sling themselves to branches, are common
among the marsupials of Australia, the ant-eaters, and
monkeys of South America, and the opossums of both
divisions of the New World, for some unexplained
35°
The Binturong
reason such a power in the caudal appendage is not in
fashion in other parts of the world. The binturong,
or, as it should be correctly called, untarong, is, how-
ever, one of the few exceptions to this rule, and for
this, if for no other reason, is worthy the attention of
the sportsman. It is, indeed, the only prehensile-tailed
mammal of any size found throughout the three great
continents of the Old World.
The binturong may be compared in size and general
appearance to a large, long-tailed, shaggy black cat,
with tufts of elongated hair to its pointed ears. And
since it cannot be confounded with any other animal,
this comparison will suffice. It may, however, be
added that, instead of walking on its toes, after the
manner of a cat, the binturong applies the whole under
surface of the hind-foot to the ground, like a bear. In
most specimens there is a more or less marked tendency
to a grey grizzling, and in Borneo there is a distinctly
grey phase. The length of the head and body ranges
between 28 and 33 inches, and that of the tail between
26 and 27 inches.
The distributional area of the binturong extends
from the Malay Islands and Peninsula through Borneo
to Assam. Although Dr. W. T. Blanford doubted its
alleged occurrence in the Eastern Himalaya, Mr. W. L.
Sclater states that it is found as far west as Simla.
However this may be, there is no doubt that the
animal is a Malay type.
The binturong has been from time to time exhibited
in the London Zoological Gardens ; and as it is purely
nocturnal, it is mainly from these captive specimens that
the little we know of its mode of life has been gleaned.
It is always found in forests, and is probably for the most
part, if not completely, arboreal. Captive individuals
have demonstrated the prehensile power of the tail, and
have likewise indicated the omnivorous tastes of the
creature. As to its breeding-habits, there is oppor-
tunity for sportsmen to enlighten naturalists, as there is
35%
Game Animals of India, etc.
to ascertain the truth of the assertion that the binturong
utters a weird and piercing cry.
THE: STRIPEDORY ANA
(Hyena Striata)
Native Names.—Lakar-bagha, Lakar-bagh or Lakra,
Thirak, Hondar, Harvagh, anv Taras, Hinpvus-
TANI; Taras, MaAauHRATHI AND SinpD13;_ Cherak,
Sinpi; Aptar, BaLtucut; Renhra oF THE Gonps ;
Hebar-kula, Ho-xoi; Derko-tud 1n RajMEHAL ;
Dhopre, KorKxa 3; Kirba anv Kut-kirba, CANARESE ;
Dumul-gundu anv Korna-gundu, Trrecu ; Kalu-
that-korachi, Tami.
(PLATE 1x, fig. 2)
Hyenas are among the few animals for which no
one has a good word to say ; and it must be confessed
that they are attractive neither in personal appearance
nor in habits. Nevertheless they are useful creatures,
being some of the most efficient of all scavengers, since
their powerful cone-like teeth enable them to crack
bones of considerable calibre, and thus devour skeletons
which are left by other animals. In return for these
benefits, the striped hyana, when captured, is cruelly
maimed and tortured by some at least of the natives
of India.
Although there may be some confusion between
the spotted African hyzna and the hunting-dog of the
same country, no one in India is likely to mistake a
hyzna for any other animal, or to fail to recognise one
when met with, either alive or dead. Consequently,
there is no need to describe the features by which these
animals are distinguished from cats and civets on the
one hand and dogs and wolves on the other. Neither is
it necessary to record in detail the specific characters of
352
The Striped Hyzna
the striped species, seeing that it is the only repre-
sentative of the group in India. As regards the first
point, it will suffice to mention that BReee animals are
classed in a family by themselves—the Hyenide—and
exhibit certain indications of affinity with the Fe/ide and
Viverride, as they also do with the Canide. No.one
who has examined a hyena’s skull will have failed to
recognise the enormous biting power indicated by the
great vertical ridge or wall of bone running down the
middle of the temporal region, or the bone-crushing
capacity of the (premolar) teeth immediately behind
the tusks, which, instead of the compressed form they
exhibit in cats and dogs, have assumed the shape of
blunt truncated cones, admirably adapted for the pur-
pose for which they are intended. So great, indeed, is
the power of its jaws, that a hyena is credited with
being able to crack the leg-bone of a horse at a
single snap.
Compared with its spotted African cousin, from
which it is distinguished by the characters of its skull
and teeth, as well as by external appearance, the striped
hyana is a comparatively small beast, standing about
26 inches and measuring about 34 feet from the tip of
the snout to the root of the tail, the tail itself averaging
14 feet in length. The general colour of the untidy
and shaggy fur, which is elongated into a semi-upright
crest or mane along the neck and back, is dirty grey,
marked with a number of narrow transverse tawny or
blackish stripes on the body and limbs.
Not extending into the countries lying east of the
Bay of Bengal, unknown in Ceylon, and comparatively
rare in ler Bengal, the striped hyana ranges over
the greater portion of the peninsula of India, and thence
westward through South-Western Asia, including Bok-
hara and Arabia, to the Caucasus and North and East
Africa. It belongs therefore to the western element in
the fauna of India, and while fossil remains of more or
less nearly related species occur in the Pliocene rocks
393 24
Game Animals of India, etc.
of Northern India, others indistinguishable from this
species have been recorded from those of England and
other parts of Europe. Both the Asiatic and the African
representatives of the species have been divided into
local races, which need not, however, be noticed in
this place.
As a rule, Indian hyznas prefer open country,
especially of a hilly nature, for their resorts, and are
seldom seen in forest, although they may take cover in
grass or bushes, or even sugar-cane. Rocky ravines
are perhaps the places most generally chosen by these
skulking, cowardly animals for retirement.during the
day, and here they make their lairs among crevices and
clefts in the rocks, or in holes dug in the soil by their
own exertions. Except on the comparatively rare
occasions when one is driven from covert during a
beat, or a belated individual encountered returning to
its lair in the early dawn, hyzenas are rarely seen by the
sportsman, who seldom takes much trouble in looking
after them, as they yield little in the way of trophies.
The skin is valueless, and there are not many sportsmen
who set much store on the skulls of these animals. Some-
times hyzenas are ridden down and speared by mounted
men, and the sport they then afford is by no means to
be despised. It is not that they have any great speed ;
on the contrary, they are soon outstripped even by an
ordinary horse, but from their frequent doubling and
turning they are difficult animals with which to get to
close quarters, so that the run is generally of consider-
able length. Few sportsmen have, however, practised
hyzena- spearing ; and to the majority these eee are
a nuisance, from their propensity to gnaw and otherwise
damage AEG: skins, or other edible articles (including
boots) left unguarded within their reach at night.
Sometimes a hyena summons up courage to enter the
open door of a tent on a hot night, ae the occupant
may be startled by the glare ae os green eyes as it
stands in the doorway.
354:
The Striped Hyzna
Generally the striped hyzna is solitary, prowling at
night in search of the carcases of animals killed by
Carnivora bolder than itself, or of those which have
succumbed to disease ; and it is reported that these
animals have no compunction in devouring the body
of another member of their own species, if it should
come in their way. A large proportion of their food ts
formed by the skeletons of animals whose flesh has
been partially devoured by larger Carnivora, and the
bones subsequently picked nearly clean by vultures and
jackals. The gnawed ends of such bones are not un-
frequently left by the hyzenas at the entrances of their
dens, the situation of which is thus revealed to the
passer-by. Although seldom, if ever, killing healthy
wild animals, hyenas not unfrequently take toll of
domesticated sheep, goats, and dogs. The sound of
the shrill, weird cry of this species, almost impossible
to describe in words, when once heard at night will not
readily be forgotten.
EE WwW OLE
(Canis lupus)
Native Names.—Gurg, Perrstan; Gurk, Batucui ;
Kharma, Brauur; Ratnahan, Kasumiri; Chanco,
TIBETAN.
CRann ini 09)
The European wolf, of which the Tibetan wolf and
the wolves of North America are local races, is so
well known that no detailed description is necessary.
It is one of the largest wild representatives of the dog
tribe, or Canidae, standing about 2 feet 4 inches at the
shoulder, and usually measuring from 3 feet 6 to 9 inches
from the muzzle to the root of the tail, the length of the
tail varying from 15 to 16, or if the hair at the tip be
included, some 3 inches more. ‘The general colour
Sb)
Game Animals of India, etc.
of the long thick fur of the upper-parts and outer sur-
faces of the limbs is some shade of yellowish or reddish
grey, frequently more or less mingled with black,
wholly black individuals being by no means uncommon,
and the tail being not unfrequently black-tipped. The
under-parts and inner surfaces of the limbs are whitish.
A soft woolly under-fur, of which the general colour is
slaty or light brown, is developed at the base of the
longer Ma
Within the area treated of in the present volume
the ordinary or typical race of the wolf is probably met
with in the northern part of the Punjab, and certainly in
the west of Sind and in Baluchistan, whence it ranges
into Persia and doubtless also into Afghanistan. Prob-
ably it likewise extends into the valley of Kashmir,
although it is replaced on the Ladak side of the range
forming the northern barrier of that valley by the
Tibetan race. Information is required as to the wolf
of the Gilgit neighbourhood ; but it will probably be
found that Sea: in Tie district there exists a
transition between the typical and the Tibetan races of
the species.
To withstand the intense winter cold of the bleak
altitudes at which it dwells, and at the same time to
harmonise with its physical surroundings, the wolf of
Ladak and Tibet (Canis lupus laniger) has developed a
woolly character in its fur, and has also become paler
than ordinary examples of the European race. So
pale, indeed, is the colour of the fur that, as shown
by a specimen from Ladak in the British Museum, it
may be best described as whitish grey. As in the case
of the ordinary wolf, individuals are, however, occa-
sionally seen in which the entire coat is black, more or
less grizzled with grey in the region of the snout.
According to Ladaki reports, black individuals of the
Tibetan wolf, known to the natives as chanco nagpo,
and apparently by no means uncommon, are bolder and
more aggressive than ordinary pale-coloured specimens ;
356
The Wolf
and since a similar idea is current with regard to black
leopards, it would be interesting to find out whether
this belie is founded on fact. These wolves are seldom
encountered by European sportsmen, General Kinloch
and Mr. Darrah being among the few who have seen
them. According to an account given by the former,
it appears that chanko are usually found singly or in
pairs, and that, in summer at any rate, they never
collect in packs rafter the manner of the wolbi in Siberia.
They are in the habit of prowling round the flanks of
the flocks of the natives, watching their opportunity to
attack and carry off sheep when the guardian mastiffs
-are occupied elsewhere, General Kinloch being of
opinion that they prefer the capture of domesticated
animals to the chase of wild ones. Mr. Darrah, how-
ever, records that the body of a shapo shot by himself
was soon devoured by these animals. General Kinloch
tamed a pair of cubs, which were brought to England
in 1868.
THE INDIAN WOLF
(Canis pallipes)
Native Names. — Bheriya, Gurg, Honpar; WNekra
AND Bighana, Hinpustanr; Bagyar, SInp1;
Landga, Gonvi anp Deccan; Tola, CANARESE 5
Toralu, TELEGU.
(Pate ix, fig. 4)
According to Mr. W. E. de Winton (Proceedings of
the Zoological Soctety of London for 1899), some mis-
conception has occurred with respect to the Indian
wolf of the Deccan on account of its having been
confused with the European wolf of the Punjab and
Sind ; the animal figured in Dr. Mivart’s Monograph
of the Canide as the Indian wolf being, for instance,
the European wolf of North-Western India. The
Indian wolf, like the American coyote, is in reality in
357
Game Animals of India, etc.
some degree intermediate between true wolves and
jackals. In point of size it is larger than the Indian
jackal (Canis aureus), but in this respect very similar
to the large Egyptian jackal (Canis lupaster). Between
the skulls of the latter and that of the Indian wolf
there is in fact no practical difference in point of size,
although the Indian animal is distinguishable by its
larger and heavier teeth, the difference being especially
noticeable in the case of the upper carnassial, or flesh-
tooth.
In addition to being smaller than the European
species, the Indian wolf is also slighter in build, with
little or no woolly under-fur. In length the head and
body are about 3 feet, against 34 feet in the European
species. The general colour of the fur is greyish
fulvous, usually showing a more or less distinct tinge
of brown, and in some instances mingled with black on
the back. Although it has been stated that rufous-
coloured skins have been seen, all the specimens in
the British Museum are browner than those of the
European wolf, and of an earthy-grey colour, and it is
not improbable that the rufous-coloured skins assigned
to the present species were really referable to the latter
animal. On the back the tips of all the hairs are black,
and near the skin coarser white hairs are mingled with
the ordinary fine brown fur. As a rule, the hairs on
the tail are black-tipped, and the fur of the under
surface of the body is dirty white. Cubs are sooty
brown in colour, with a conspicuous spot of white in
the centre of the chest, which disappears in the course
of a few weeks, when a dark gorget, which like-
wise vanishes before the attainment of maturity, is
developed.
The typical locality for the Indian wolf is the plateau
of the Deccan, from which locality it was first described
by Colonel Sykes in 1831. From the Deccan it ranges
over a considerable portion of the Indian Peninsula,
although not extending into the foot-ranges of the
358
The Indian Wolf
Himalaya nor to the Trans-Indus districts of the
Punjab and Sind. Indeed it is doubtful if it reaches
the Indus in the Punjab, since a skull from the Salt
Range has been referred to the European wolf. The
Indian species appears to be unknown on the Malabar
coast, and is far from common in Bengal. In Ceylon
it is unknown, as it is in the countries to the east of
the Bay of Bengal ; but it has also been recorded from
Arabia. Open plain country forms its usual resort,
and it is rarely met with in hills or forest.
Except that it never collects in large packs after the
manner of its European cousin in many parts of Russia
and Siberia, the Indian wolf appears to be similar in its
general mode of life to the former, so that there 1s
nothing in this respect calling for notice. Although
preying largely on the smaller domesticated animals,
the Indian wolf appears to be a terrible foe to black-
buck, while even man himself is by no means exempt
from its attacks. In attacking adult human beings it
appears that two or more individuals are in the habit
of joining forces; but in carrying off children from
villages—to which the great bulk of the mortality
from these animals is due—a single wolf is able to do
the business by himself.
When caught in the early morning in a more or
less gorged condition, the Indian wolf may sometimes
be ridden down and speared by a well-mounted man,
but at other times, although not appearing to be going
at any great pace, it will easily keep ahead of the fleetest
greyhounds till the latter succumb from exhaustion.
When their “earths”’ are known, wolves may some-
times be smoked out and shot; but these animals
afford little sport, and are regarded rather in the light
of “vermin” than “ big game.”
Since the last remark applies with still greater force
in the case of the Indian jackal, it has not been
deemed necessary to include that species in the present
volume.
$09
Game Animals of India, etc.
THE DHOLE,“@GRZWILD: DOGG
(Canis [Cyon] sumatrensis)
Native Names. — Fangli-kutta, Ram-kutta, Son-kutta,
AND Ban-kutta 1s Hinpvustani; Kolsun, Kolasna,
Kolasra, anD Kolsa, Mauratui ; Rega-kutta AND
Adavi-kutta, Tretecu; Shin-nai, MALaBARESE ;
Evam-naiko, Gonp ; Tani, Ho-Kou ; Vatai-karau,
Tami ; Ram-hun, KasuMiri; Siddaki, Lapak1 ;
Bhaosa, Bhansa, anv Buansu in THE Himatraya ;
Hazi anv Phara, Tiset; Paoho, BHoTIA aT
Daryjrtinc ; Sa-tum, LercHa; Tau-khwe, Bur-
MESE 3 Anjing-utan, Matay.
(PLaTE ix, fig. 5)
The wild dogs of Asia, which are generically distinct
from the African hunting-dog, are distinguished from
domesticated dogs, wolves, jackals, and foxes by the
absence of the last pair of teeth in the lower jaw, so
that the total number of teeth is forty instead of forty-
two. Additional points of distinction are the relatively
shorter muzzle, the slightly convex (instead of straight
or concave) profile of the face, and the greater number
of teats possessed by the female, these forming either
six or seven pairs in place of the usual five. The
presence of long hairs between the naked pads on the
soles of the feet is another character in which the wild
dogs differ from more typical wild Canide.
Whether these points of distinction are sufficient to
justify the separation of the wild dogs as a genus (Cyoz)
apart from the wolves and jackals, may be a matter of
opinion. As a compromise, they may be regarded as
a subgenus, when the full title of the present species
will be Canis (Cyon) sumatrensis. The Malay wild
dog, it may be mentioned, was described in 1822 as a
variety of domesticated dog, under the name of Canis
360
The Dhole, or Wild Dog
familiaris, var. sumatrensis; and since this name is
earlier than any of the others’ applied to either the
Indian or the Malay race, it must according to
modern rules of nomenclature stand for the species.
In regard to the name “wild dog,” commonly
applied to these animals, Dr. Blanford has remarked
that it is a misnomer, “for in every important detail in
which the genus Cyon differs from Canis—in the form
of the skull, the dentition, and the number of mamme
—domestic dogs agree with the latter and not with
the former.” The name, it is further suggested, has
probably been applied to the members of the present
group on account of their hunting in packs, their hand-
some appearance, and their courage. It is, however, a
translation of the Malay amjing-utan and the Hindustani
jangli kutta ; and this we venture to think is its more
probable origin. The name “dhole” has been em-
ployed by Colonel Hamilton Smith and some other
writers, although it is not the name by which these
animals are known to the natives of the countries they
inhabit.
These wild dogs are confined to Asia, where their
range includes Central Asia as far north as the Altai,
Amurland, and the island of Sagalien, while to the south-
ward it embraces India, Burma, and the Malay Penin-
sula and Islands, with the exception of Celebes and the
Philippines. No representative of the group has been
found either in the north of China or in Japan.
The Malay race of the wild dog appears distinguish-
able from its Himalayan and Indian representatives by
its smaller size and slighter build, the limbs being
decidedly more slender. The colour also seems to be
a brighter tinge of red, and the tail, of which the tip
is black, is stated to form a smaller brush. From
Himalayan specimens of the Indian race, the Malay
race also differs by the absence of a woolly under-
1 A still earlier name is Canis javanicus, but it is uncertain to what
animal it was applied.
361
Game Animals of India, etc.
fur at the base of the long hairs of the coat, but as the
same absence characterises Indian skins, this feature
cannot be reckoned as distinctive of the former.
The Malay wild dog is known to occur in Sumatra,
Java, the Malay Peninsula, and Tenasserim, while it
has been reported from Borneo. It has, however, yet
to be determined whether the wild dog of Northern
Burma is identical with the present or the following
race ; and it may be regarded as certain that when a full
series of specimens is obtained, a complete transition
will be found in the districts between Tenasserim and
Assam from the one to the other.
Whether the wild dog of India and the Himalaya
is specifically the same as its Malay representative
is a point on which naturalists are not agreed. A
compromise is to regard the two as local races of a
single species, when the name of the Malay race will
be C. sumatrensis typicus, and the Indian C. sumatrensis
deccanensis. Both differ from the wild dog of the
Altai and other parts of Central Asia (C. alpinus) by
the circumstance that the upper cutting, or carnassial,
tooth is longer than the combined length of the two
molars behind it, instead of shorter. From the analogy
of the distribution of other animals, it might have been
supposed that the wild dog of the Himalaya and Tibet
would be nearer to the Altai than to the Indian form ;
but this is not the case, and the Tibetan and Indian
animals, which agree in the relative size of their teeth,
are regarded as identical. The typical Deccan wild
dog lacks, however, the under-fur of the Himalayan
and Tibet specimens.
In general appearance and build the Indian wild dog
(like its Malay representative) is more like a jackal than
a wolf, the limbs being proportionately shorter than in
the latter. The tail forms a good brush. In length
the head and body of a full-grown male measured
between 37 and 38 inches, while the tail, inclusive of
the hair, measured between 14 and 15 inches. The
362
The Dhole, or Wild Dog
colour is as follows :—Upper-parts generally rusty red,
varying to rufous grey, or light brownish grey, paler
below. In place of being uniform, the colour is varie-
gated by dark tips to the hairs on the back. The
under-fur, when present, varies in colour from light
brown to dull rufous on the upper-parts, and has light-
coloured, coarser hairs intermixed ; the longer hairs are
light rufous, with dark rusty red tips. The terminal
portion of the tail is black, very rarely with the extreme
tip whitish. Young animals are sooty brown through-
out. From the typical Malay race of the species, the
Indian wild dog appears distinguishable by its some-
what superior size and more powerful build, as well as
by the less bright ferruginous tint of the fur.
The Indian wild dog has a comparatively wide
geographical range, extending from Eastern Tibet to
Cape Comorin, although unknown in Ceylon. It has
been recorded from Gilgit, Ladak, Spiti, Nepal, Kash-
mir, and the Western Himalaya generally. Its absence
from Ceylon suggests that it did not reach the mainland
of India till after the separation of that island.
The wild dog is a ferocious and gregarious animal,
hunting its prey in packs, which usually comprise from
six to a dozen individuals, although occasionally as
many as a score. In the plains of India and the outer
ranges of the Himalaya it dwells in forests, but in
Tibet it must necessarily be an inhabitant of more open
country. The destruction it inflicts on deer, wild
sheep, and chiru antelope is great; and wherever its
footprints are to be met with in Ladak, the sportsman
may as well give up hope of killing game. Even the
tiger and the Himalayan black bear are stated to
occasionally fall victims to the attack of these blood-
thirsty marauders, and the mangled remains of a tiger
have in one instance been found lying side by side
with the bodies of three wild dogs. In the Himalaya
ibex form a large proportion of the prey of these
animals ; and it has been stated that the serow is the
363
Game Animals of India, etc.
only creature capable of withstanding their attacks,
sometimes even transfixing its assailants with its sharp
and powerful, although short horns, which are admir-
ably adapted for stabbing. Possibly, too, the dense
and long coat of the serow may stand it in good stead
when repelling attacks of this nature. Instances are
on record where wild dogs have succeeded in pulling
down not only such large animals as the sambar, but
even domesticated Indian buffalo. Although freshly-
killed flesh is the general diet of these animals, it is
probable that, as in the case of most other Carnivora, a
meal of carrion forms an occasional variety. Since
they generally avoid the neighbourhood of human
habitations, the toll levied by wild dogs on domesti-
cated animals is less than in the case of many other
Carnivora; but they at times kill sheep, goats, and
cattle, while, as already mentioned, they occasionally
venture to attack the buffalo. They display great
sagacity during the breeding-season by driving their
prey to the neighbourhood of their dwelling-places
before giving it the coup de grace, so that there should
be the feet ‘possible trouble in carrying the supply of
food to the spot where it is required.
In some instances at least wild dogs breed in a kind
of warren, where several females associate together, one
such breeding-place having been discovered near Simla.
Winter is the breeding-season, the young being usually
produced in holes or clefts among rocks from January
to March. From two to four is the usual number
of cubs produced in a litter, although there may be as
many as half-a-dozen.
Although wild dogs generally hunt in the daytime,
it is probable that sometimes at least they are on the
move during the night. It has been asserted that,
when in pursuit, they “give tongue,’ like hounds,
but this is denied by an observer who saw a pack
in full chase. Others state that these animals howl
at night.
364
The Dhole, or Wild Dog
In captivity wild dogs appear very difficult to tame,
if indeed they are not absolutely untameable. It is
true that when taken young they display a certain
amount of docility during the earlier months of their
captivity, and will even play with domesticated dogs,
but with advancing age their wild nature reasserts
itself with its original force, and they become spiteful
and dangerous.
PHS PANDA
(4lurus fulgens)
Native Names.— Wah, Ye, anv Nigalya -ponya,
Nepa.ese ; Thokya, Thongva, and Sankam or
Saknam, LercHa; Wakdonka anv Woker, Buorta.
(PLaTE ix, fig. 6)
There are several names used in natural history, of
which the origin is unknown, among these being
“panda,” which is the title by which the present
animal was called when exhibited alive in the London
Zoological Gardens. It is certainly not current among
the native tribes in the districts where the animal dwells,
by some of whom it is called Wah, or Thongwa; and
were it not that panda has come into general use, one of
these would be a better title. The origin of a name, so
long as it be concise and euphonious, is not, however,
of much consequence, and as panda fulfils both these
conditions, it may continue to be employed. The
alternative names red cat-bear and Himalayan raccoon,
are both open to objection.
The panda is one of the most beautifully coloured
of all mammals, and in size and shape somewhat recalls
a cat, although it may be distinguished by the circum-
stance that in walking it applies the whole sole of the
foot to the ground. T@atlike features are displayed by
365
Game Animals of India, etc.
the rounded form of the head, the short and broad
face, in which the eyes are directed forwards, and the
small rounded ears. The limbs are short and stout,
with the feet and their pads completely covered with
fur, and the large claws sharp and capable of partial
retraction within protecting sheaths. The long, thick,
soft coat has a woolly under-fur, and the well-haired
cylindrical tail, which is rather more than two-thirds
the length of the head and body, is marked by rings
paler than the general colour of the fur, its tip being
black. The prevailing colour is rich rusty red, fre-
quently somewhat paler on the back than elsewhere,
and always lighter on the forehead ; the under-parts of
the body and the inner surface of the limbs are for the
most part black, although brownish in places, and the
outer side of the ears is often sable, although sometimes
dark red. With the exception of a red stripe running
down from the eye to the angle of the mouth, and
sometimes also of a line from the forehead to the
snout, the face and lips are white, as are also the
margins and inner surface of the ears. The claws are
white, and the soles of the feet whitish or whitey
brown. ‘The length of the head and body varies from
20 to 24, and that of the tail (exclusive of the hair at
the tip) from 16 to 17 inches, the weight ranging
between 7 and 94 pounds. Individuals are occa-
sionally met with in which the black tends to invade
the upper-parts.
Very curious are the teeth of the panda, which at
first sight recall those of hoofed herbivorous mammals,
the tusks being small and weak, and the molars with a
complicated arrangement of cusps on their grinding
surfaces. Closer examination shows that these latter
teeth are essentially similar in general structure to
those of the American raccoons, and thus unlike those
of other Carnivora.
The panda has a somewhat remarkable distribution,
inhabiting the Eastern Himalaya, at an elevation
366
The Panda
between about 7000 and 12,000 feet, as far westwards
as Nepal, and extending eastwards through the moun-
tainous districts of Assam into Yunnan, but being
unknown in the Malay countries. In the dunals and
Magazine of Natural History for September 1902, Mr.
O. Thomas described from Szechuen a larger form of
panda, under the name of -#/urus fulgens styani.
For a long time the panda was regarded as repre-
senting a family group by itself, although its resem-
blance to the American raccoons had been pointed out
by Brian Hodgson and Edward Blyth, the latter of
whom classed it among the raccoons. In 1869, when
the first living specimen brought to England was
exhibited in the Zoological Gardens, Mr. A. D.
Bartlett remarked how closely this animal resembled
the American kinkajou (one of the raccoon family) in
habits, while at the same time Sir W. H. Flower
demonstrated its anatomical relationships with the
raccoons; and in the Fauna of British India, Dr.
W. T. Blanford definitely classed the panda with
raccoons in the family Procyonide. Remains of a larger
species of panda have been discovered in rocks of
Tertiary age in England and Hungary.
Like all animals of the Eastern Himalaya, the panda
is a forest-dwelling creature, making its lair either in
hollow trees, or, as some have suggested, in crevices of
rocks ; but it is by no means purely arboreal, as it
frequently descends to the ground for the purpose of
feeding. Neither is it by any means exclusively
nocturnal, although it passes a considerable portion of
the day in slumber, its chief feeding -times being
morning and evening. Generally two, sometimes with
their offspring, are found in company ; and, as might
be assumed from the structure of its teeth, the species
is mainly a vegetable-feeder, although it eats eggs, and
probably also insects and grubs. Since it is dull of
hearing and sight, and apparently not endowed with an
acute sense of smell, while its means of defence are
367
Game Animals of India, etc.
feeble, the panda is not difficult to capture, and examples
are frequently taken by the Lepchas in the neigh-
bourhood of Darjiling. Nevertheless, it is seldom
brought to England; and up to 1896 only two
examples had been exhibited in the London Zoological
Gardens, namely, the one presented in 1869, and a
second purchased in 1876. Pandas have, however,
been kept in the Zoological Gardens at Calcutta.
Ordinarily the panda utters a faint kind of squeak,
which has been compared to the chirp of a bird ; but in
the pairing-season it indulges in loud, unearthly cries,
and when angered it will hiss and spit like a cat. The
young, of which there are generally two at a time, are
born in spring.
THE SHORT-TAILED PANDA
(4 luropus melanoleucus)
(Pate 1x, fig. 7)
The remarkable black-and-white bear-like animal
from Eastern Tibet, of which the head is shown in
plate ix, fig. 7, was long regarded as a member of the
family Ursidz, since in general form, and especially in
the shortness of the tail, it has a marked resemblance to
a small bear, although with a shorter and more rounded
head. When first described, some idea of the relation-
ship of this animal to the Himalayan panda was enter-
tained ; and it was for this reason that it was named
Atluropus. This presumed relationship has been con-
firmed by Sir E. Ray Lankester, who is of opinion that
the animal is a near relative of the true panda and has
only a remote kinship with bears.
The first knowledge of the existence of the short-
tailed panda was derived from the travels of the Abbé
David in Eastern Tibet ; the specimens brought home
368
The Short-Tailed Panda
by that explorer from the district of Moupin and now
exhibited in the Paris Museum of Natural History,
being long the only known examples of this animal in
Europe. In 1896 two skins, with portions of the
skeletons, were, however, procured by Mr. Rothschild,
one of which is in the museum at Tring, while the
second is exhibited in the British (Natural History)
Museum. Three years later other examples were
brought to England by Mr. F. W. Styan from
Szechuen, North-West China.
Apart from its curious colouring, and the greater
width and shortness of its head, the short-tailed panda
is very like a, ‘small, bear. It-1s true) that at has a
distinct tail, instead of a mere vestige of that appendage,
but this alone would not justify its separation from the
bear family; neither would the fact that the soles of
the feet are clothed with fur, instead of being naked,
necessarily involve such separation, seeing that there is
a thin coating of hair on those of the polar bear. The
skull and teeth, as well as the bones of the skeleton,
are, however, so essentially unlike those of a bear, and
approximate so closely to those of the Himalayan
panda, that there can be little question as to the near-
ness of the relationship between the two animals.
The head and skull of most bears are long and
narrow, with a nearly straight or little-arched profile ;
and the upper cheek-teeth likewise conform to this
type, being considerably longer than broad. In the
short-tailed panda, on the other hand, the head and
skull are comparatively short and wide posteriorly, with
a remarkable convex and sloping profile, while the
upper cheek-teeth have broad, nearly square crowns,
with a curiously complicated arrangement of cusps and
ridges on their grinding surfaces. In all these respects
the present animal approximates to the Himalayan
panda, from which it differs by having forty instead of
only thirty-eight teeth. It is true indeed that the skull of
the Malay bear makes some approach to the panda type
369 2B
Game Animals of India, etc.
in its relative width and shortness, but the teeth are
still typically ursine. Both kinds of panda have six
pairs of lower cheek-teeth, of which in the Himalayan
species four are premolars and two molars, whereas in
the short-tailed panda there are three pairs of premolars
and three molars. In possessing three lower molars
the latter differs from other members of the raccoon
family and resembles bears ; but this extra pair of teeth
may perhaps be regarded merely as an indication of
closer affinity with the common ancestor of raccoons
and bears than is possessed by other members of the
Procyonide.
Although its feet are bear-like, the short-tailed panda
is perhaps less completely plantigrade than bears. In
size it may be compared to a small Kashmir bear. The
fur is long and thick, and the general colour cream
white, with the ears, rings round the eyes, the shoulders,
and the limbs jetty black.
The width of the skull implies great jaw-power, and
the structure of the cheek-teeth indicates that the
creature feeds on vegetable rather than animal diet ;
this inference being confirmed by such meagre reports
as we possess of its habits. As it is stated to be a
vegetarian, subsisting chiefly on roots and the young
shoots of bamboos, it is evidently an inhabitant of forest
districts, and not of open plateau. In winter its peculiar
type of colouring would not improbably render it incon-
spicuous when walking in snow among tree-stems ; but
in summer it would apparently be just as conspicuous,
and it has been suggested that its colouring, like that
of skunks, is of what is known as the warning type.
Further information is, however, required with
regard to these points, as well as with respect to the
limits of the geographical range of this most remark-
able animal.
37°
;
'
’
‘
:
The Brown Bear
THE BROWN BEAR
(Ursus arctus isabellinus and U. a. shanorum)
Native Names. — Barf-ka-rinch and Lal-bhalu,
Hinpustani 3 Kunia-haput, Kasumriri ; Drengmo,
Batti ; Drin-mor, Lapak1; Brabu, KIsHTAWARI 3
Dab, Neparese ; Tom-khaina, TipETAan.
(PLATE ix, fig. 8)
Although often showing a white collar or gorget on
the throat, bears, as a rule, are uniformly coloured
animals, distinguishable eon the short-tailed panda by
the fam of their molar teeth, which are long and
narrow, with the last in the upper jaw elongated, and
exceeding in length the one in front.
The snow, or red bear, as, by literal translation of
its Hindustani names, the Himalayan animal is called
by sportsmen, cannot be regarded as more than a local
race of the brown bear of Europe, distinguished (especi-
ally when young) by its generally paler fur and its
somewhat inferior size. Usually the colour of the long
winter coat is pale creamy brown, or isabelline fawn, in
fairly young individuals, and these sometimes show a
white gorget, stated to be also visible in older indi-
viduals immediately after the assumption of the short
summer fur. Very old animals, more especially males,
become, however, much darker, and sometimes have a
silvery tinge, owing to the tips of the hairs becoming
white. The skull of the kunia-haput, as this bear is
called in Kashmiri, is characterised by the elevation of
the forehead, so that in a profile view an obtuse angle
is formed immediately in front of the eyes ; another
feature being the distinct hollow at the junction of the
nasal with the frontal bones. As a rule, the claws are
pale-coloured, or even white.
Most Kashmir brown bears do not exceed 6 feet in
aie
Game Animals of India, etc.
length, and may be less than 5 feet, although General
Kinloch and General Macintyre record old animals
measuring about 7 feet to the root of the tail, and
Dr. Leith-Adams has stated that, as an exceptional
instance, he saw one which measured peace.
In the Himalaya the brown bear ranges from
Afghanistan at least as far east as Nepal, but is unknown
in the outer portions of the range, as it is in the arid
districts to the north of the forest-region of Kashmir
and adjacent districts. It extends, for instance, into
the Tilel valley, and so on to Astor and Gilgit, but is
unknown in Dras, Suru, Zanskar,. and lLadak, asuut
apparently is in Upper Baltistan. In Kashmir it is, I
believe, not found in the Pir Panjal range, or on the
southern flank of the Kajnag. Westward of Afghanistan
this race probably passes into the Syrian brown bear
(Ursus arctus syriacus), which is found in the mountains
of Persia, as well as in the country from which it takes
its name, and is of greyer tone of colour.
For the most part the brown bear in Kashmir and
the adjacent valleys lives at a considerable elevation,
frequently hibernating in the zone of birch-forests,
which grow at a higher elevation than pines ; and in
summer its feeding-grounds are generally on the open
grassy hills above the forests, where it may be seen
grazing (for these bears do graze) close to flocks of
sheep and goats. In autumn it will, however, often
descend to the higher villages for the sake of feeding
on grain and walnuts, and will sometimes come even as
low as the valley of Kashmir itself, especially in the
Lolab district, which forms the north-western extremity
of the valley, General Macintyre mentioning that in
the Kashmir valley he once shot an old bear making a
meal off the putrid carcase of a cow. These bears also
come low down into the valley in spring, when the
mulberries, of which they are remarkably fond, are ripe.
Whether at the level of Kashmir itself these bears
remain active all the year round is difficult to ascertain,
372
The Brown Bear
but in the higher valleys in the neighbourhood, such as
Tilel and Wardwan, they hibernate for a long season,
not venturing forth till the snows begin to melt in
March, April, or May. When they first come forth
from cieie winter lairs, which may be either clefts
in rocks or hollow tree-trunks, their coats are in
splendid condition; but in ‘he late summer and
autumn, when dic, animals have become very fat,
the Far is 1n a most dilapidated condition, and thie
skin not worth the trouble of stripping from ihe carcase.
The supply of fat accumulated during the summer and
autumn is completely consumed during the winter
slumber and fast, the animal coming forth in the spring
as thin as the proverbial herring. To the female the
winter fast must be an especially trying time, as it is
during hibernation that the cubs, usually two in
number, are born. In the higher valleys the mother-
bear is generally to be seen in spring accompanied by
two cubs, the father of the family usually wandering
about by himself at some distance off. When they
first venture abroad among the birch-forests the ground
is still to a great extent covered with snow, and it is
probable that their food consists largely of bark, twigs,
and moss ; but as soon as the grass grows they take to
grazing. ;
Few things edible seem to come amiss to a Kashmir
brown bear ; the partiality of these animals for grass,
grain, fruit, and an occasional meal of carrion has been
already pene med) and they are also fond of: grubbing
for ants and the bulbs of the lily-like plants which grow
in profusion in the valleys around Kashmir above the
forests. They are reported to occasionally kill sheep
and goats, and an instance is on record of an old bear
killing a couple of its younger brethren and partially
devouring their bodies.
As a rule, these bears are by no means vicious or
quarrelsome, although occasionally a coolie, generally
through his own foolhardiness, is mauled by one, while
373
Game Animals of India, etc.
sometimes a European sportsman gets to closer quarters
than is pleasant. This, however, is generally owing
to the practice of shooting uphill at a bear; the rule
being to get above the animal on the hill-side, and
shoot downwards, when, after being hit, it will -roll
away from the sportsman. When two bears are feed-
ing peaceably side by side, and one is wounded by a
bullet, it will generally, with a loud grunt of rage, turn
furiously on its companion, which it evidently con-
siders the aggressor, and the pair can then in most
cases be bagged by the sportsman.
Thirty years ago bears were extraordinarily numer-
ous in Tilel, and the writer is almost afraid to say how
many he has seen in a day; but at the present day
their numbers are greatly diminished. To the beginner
bear-shooting is exciting enough, but it soon begins to
pall, since, with due precautions to prevent them from
winding the sportsman, these animals can be approached
to within a short distance, and killed outright at the
first shot. Near the upper end of the Tilel vailey I
once succeeded in getting within about 20 yards of a
brown bear, and killing it stone-dead with a smooth-bore
bullet, which broke one of the vertebre of the neck.
When after ibex, Kashmiri shikaris are much put out
if their masters turn aside for the sake of a bear.
General Macintyre gives the following account of
the behaviour of a pair of cubs whose mother he shot.
““As I considered,” he writes, “the youngsters quite
big enough to take care of themselves, I aimed deliber-
ately at the old lady and let drive ; she rolled a short
distance down the hill, and, after a few struggles and
groans, expired. The two cubs at first merely stood up
on their hind-legs and gazed about them with much
apparent astonishment; but on seeing their mother
lying motionless below, they at once ran down to her,
when their behaviour was such that | felt quite sorry
I had shot her. The anxiety they plainly evinced, as
they ran grunting and sniffing about their defunct
374
EE
The Brown Bear
parent, was quite touching. Even on observing us as
we approached, they seemed unwilling to leave her.
When they at last made up their mind to do so, they
merely retired into an adjacent patch of wood, where
they continued their whining lamentations, occasionally
venturing out a few yards to stand upright and watch
us as we ruthlessly stripped their dam of her hairy coat,
and did not take their final departure until we gave
chase, thinking we might capture them. Although too
small to shoot, they were quite knowing enough not to
allow themselves to be caught.”
In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for
1906, Mr. O. Thomas described the skin and skull
of a bear from the Shan States, sent home by Lt.-Col.
A. Alcock, then Superintendent of the Indian Museum,
Calcutta. This bear lived for a short time in the pos-
session of Mr. Rutledge, an animal dealer, who on its
death presented the body to the Indian Museum. No
bear had previously been recorded from this part of Asia ;
and the specimen proved to be a member of the Ursus
arctus group, apparently nearly allied to U. a. yesoensis, of
Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, but evidently
representing a different race, which it was proposed to
call Ursus arctus shanorum. This bear is small in size,
with the general colour dark brown ; the hairs of the
sides being tipped with grey, and an ill-defined dark
line running down the middle of the back. The skull
is of the long, narrow, vaulted shape of that of U. a.
yesoensis, but much smaller, with the nasals abruptly
and strongly narrowing in their posterior half. The
breadth across the postorbital processes is unusually
small; the palate is narrow; and the premaxille do
not extend back to the level of the back of the tusks
or canines. The teeth are remarkably short and broad
in outline, the first premolar .being very broad and
heavy, nearly as broad as long, with low cusps and a
low broad internal lobe ; while the first molar is rather
shorter, and yet actually broader, than in yesoenszs.
375
Game Animals of India, etc.
The lower teeth.are similarly broader throughout, the
last molar being unusually wide and square in shape,
and not narrowing behind.
From the Hokkaido brown bear the Shan race is
distinguishable by its inferior size, and its smaller
and somewhat differently proportioned cheek-teeth, as
described above.
Other specimens of this race of brown bear would
be of great interest.
THE BLUE BEAR
(Ursus pruinosus)
(PLaTE ix, fig. 9)
For years naturalists had a vague knowledge of the
existence of at least one species of bear in Tibet, but it
is only in comparatively recent times that the present
one has become fully known. In the year 1853 Mr.
Edward Blyth published a brief notice of a bear-skin
obtained by Dr. A. Campbell from Tibet, and sug-
gested that if it proved distinct from the Himalayan
black bear (of which he thought it might be a variety)
it should be known as Ursus pruinosus, from its generally
hoary colour. In 1892 the British (Natural History)
Museum received the skin and skull of a small bear
from Tibet, now exhibited in the mammal gallery,
the skull of which showed that the animal had nothing
to do with the Himalayan black bear, but was somewhat
more nearly allied to the brown bear, although differ-
ing remarkably in colour. The animal (fig. 55), which
was not quite adult at the time of its death, appeared
to have been in the winter coat ; the hair on the back
and flanks being long, but elsewhere shorter. Although
all the hair is black at the base, much of it is white in
the terminal half, and the whole colouring is unlike
that of any other bear. On the face and fore-part of
376
The Blue Bear
the body white is the prevailing colour, although in
places there are some black hairs, which are more
strongly developed about the forehead, ears, and the
fore-part of the nape of the neck. On the hind portion
of the nape is a pure white band, or collar, followed by
377,
in the British Museum.
iImen
5.—The Blue Bear, from the speci
25
Fic
Game Animals of India, etc.
a nearly black transversely elliptical patch above the
shoulder-blades. Over the rest of the body the hair
is mingled black and white, so as to present a bluish
tinge ; and the hind-legs are similarly coloured, although
the lower halves of the fore-limbs are almost completely
black. The claws, which are of moderate length, are
white. :
The structure of the skeleton seems to indicate that
this bear is specifically distinct from the brown bear ;
but there is some doubt whether it ought to bear the
name Ursus pruinosus, and if this doubt be confirmed, it
should be known as U. /agomyarius—a name applied by
Colonel Przewalski to a bear from Tibet. Information
is required as to the size attained by this bear, the
specimen in the British Museum being not quite
mature.
Probably the blue bear is found in the forest-
districts in the neighbourhood of Lhasa, but on this
point, as well as in regard to its habits, there is no
information.
A noticeable feature of this bear is the curious
approximation it makes to the type of coloration ob-
taining in the short-tailed panda of the same country.
This is especially shown by the presence of the pure
white band on the hind part of the nape of the neck,
followed by the black patch between the shoulder-
blades, and less so by the tendency to blackness on the
ears and crown of the head. Possibly this similarity
in the colouring of the two may be due to their living
under similar conditions.
In 1897 the writer had the opportunity of seeing
a bear-skin obtained by Mr. Neil Malcolm in Tibet,
which is described in the Proceedings of the Zoological
Society for that year. This skin differs considerably
from that of the blue bear, showing much less white on
the back and shoulders, and having black (instead of
nearly white) ears. It has a rufous band down the
middle of the back, which is not observable in the latter.
378
The Blue Bear
It seems not improbable that this and other skins
of a similar type which have come under the writer’s
notice indicate the existence of a representative of the
brown bear in Tibet. Indeed, on the supposition that
the blue bear is a distinct species, the presence of such
an animal is almost essential in order to link up the
Himalayan with the Shan brown bear.
EEL SEIENVIALAY AN. BEACK BEAR
(Ursus torquatus)
Native Names. —Rinch or Rich ano Bhalu; Hinpus-
TANI; Mum, Batucui; Siyah-haput, KasHmirt ;
Sanar anv Hing-bong, Nepauese ; Dom, Buotia ;
Sona, LepcHa; Magyen, Limso; Situm, Darya
Hits; Situm, Asor; Mapol, Garo Hits;
Muphur ann Musu-bhurma, Kacuari; Vumpi,
Kuxr; Sawom, Manrirpurr; Hughum, Thagua,
Thega, Chup, Sevan, anv Sapa, Nacas ; Wek-won,
BurMESsE.
(Prare ix; fie." 1o)
Although a member of the genus Ursus, and pos-
sessing the same number of front teeth as the brown
bear, the Styah-haput, as the Himalayan black bear is
called by Kashmiri shikaris, is a very different animal
from the former, distinguished by its black colour and
conspicuous Rallies sorget, as well as by the form of the
skull and cheek-teeth. It is often called Ursus tibetanus,
but since it does not occur in Tibet, that name, although
earlier, is discarded in favour of the one given above.
With the exception of the gorget, or inverted
crescent, on the chest, the ends of which are prolonged
upwards ; in front of fic shoulders, and the chin, both
of which are white, the fur of this species 1s usually black
throughout ; although in some specimens the upper
379
‘
Game Animals of India, etc.
lip is whitish, and in others the nose, and, it is stated,
also the paws, may be rusty brown. Unlike that of
the snow-bear, the fur at all seasons is short and com-
paratively harsh, although sometimes showing a waved
appearance, On the withers, indeed, it is somewhat
longer, this being most marked in the winter coat,
when the appearance of a low hump is given. There
is no wholly under-fur at the base of the hairs. The
rather large ears are fringed with elongated hairs, and
the comparatively short but curved and strong claws
are black. As a rule, this species seems to be larger
and heavier than the snow-bear, although not attaining
the maximum length of the latter, and it is larger than
the sloth-bear of the plains. An old male has been
recorded to measure 6 feet 5 inches in length from the
muzzle to the root of the tail; but ordinary examples
run from about 5 feet 6 inches to as little as 4 feet
8 inches in length, exclusive of the 3-inch tail. From
200 to 250 pounds is given as the usual weight, but
this is probably exceeded by old animals in autumn.
Although it is unnecessary to refer in detail to the
characters of the skull, it may be mentioned that the
median ridge on the hind half of the upper surface is
less developed than in skulls of the Himalayan brown
bear, and that the profile forms a more regular curve,
the abrupt descent in the region of the eyes characteristic
of the latter being absent.
The range of the Himalayan black bear extends
from the confines of Persia through Baluchistan, the
Khirtar range on the western border of Sind, and
Afghanistan to the forest-regions of the Himalaya,
whence it is continued into Assam, Mergui, and Pegu,
and thence to the south of China, Hainan, etc. There
are' statements as to the occurrence of this bear in the
plains of Assam and Lower Bengal, but these (especially
in regard to Bengal) require confirmation. Information
is also required as to the limits of its range in the
forest-regions of the Himalaya, although this probably
. 380
The Himalayan Black Bear
includes the greater part of the middle and outer ranges.
The species is found all over the Kashmir valley, as it
is in Kishtwar and Chamba, but whether it occurs in
the upper part of the MaaeWardyan and Tilel valleys
is difficult to ascertain. I have never seen it in Tilel,
and it never extends into the treeless districts north
of Kashmir ; but the mum, or mumh, of Baluchistan,
which Dr. Blanford identified with the present species,
apparently inhabits open and more or less desert dis-
tricts, where its mode of life must differ considerably
from that of the Kashmir black bear. From 9000 to
10,000, or even 12,000 feet, is given as the elevation
to which these bears ascend in the summer in the
Himalaya, while they are stated to descend in winter
to 5000 feet or even less. They are common in
summer in many parts of the Kashmir valley, the
greater portion of which is not much over 5000 feet
above sea-level.
Kashmiri shikaris are more afraid of the black bear
than they are of its brown relative ; and although this
may be partially due to the fiercer disposition of the
former, it also seems attributable to the different kinds
of country in which the two animals are stalked. A
brown bear when hard hit while grazing on a grassy
hill-side can scarcely fail to roll headlong down the
slope. On the other hand, a black bear when wounded
on the comparatively flat ground of a forest has no such
involuntary means of avoiding an encounter with its
ageressor. Apart from this, there is no doubt that a
far larger number of Kashmiris are mauled by black
than by brown bears ; although this is due to the fact
that it is the former species which chiefly ascends fruit-
trees in the Kashmir valley. Thirty years ago it was
quite common to see three, four, or even more, black
bears up a single mulberry or aliue tree ; and the
Kashmiri coolie thought nothing of ascending the same
tree, armed with nothing better than a stout /athi
(cudgel), in order to drive off the robbers. Conse-
381
Game Animals of India, etc.
quently, either by falling to the ground in the endeavour
to escape, or from a direct encounter with an enraged
bear, these people frequently received frightful injuries,
au which, however, in most instances they completely
recovered.
Black bear stalking in the forests bordering the
valley of Kashmir requires more care than is expended
in approaching the brown bear on the open hills above,
the senses of sight and hearing being more developed
in the black than in the brown species. Many of
these forests are very dense, so that it requires the eye
of a practised shikari to see the dark forms of the bears
while searching for chestnuts on the ground without
the party being detected by the vigilant animals.
Another method of shooting is by beating the small
patches of forest found in many Kashmir zalas, when
the bears march out deliberately in single file, with
their curiously sedate steps and solemn expression of
countenance, offering in most cases easy shots to the
sportsman, who may, however, be deterred from
taking aim by a tendency to laughter. To behold a
family party of five black bears walking solemnly out
of covert, one after another, is indeed a comic sight ;
and still more ludicrous is it to see one of these
animals descending—stern-forwards—a fruit-tree in
which it has been disturbed, and looking downwards
every now and then over one shoulder to see who is
below. Shooting them in the fruit-trees is perhaps
taking a rather unfair advantage of the bears, but is
still often practised. Black bear shooting, although
rather more exciting than stalking the brown species,
is, however, by no means a very high class of sport,
especially as the skins are never of any particular
value, and in autumn, owing to the masses of yellow
fat that are accumulated beneath them, are absolutely
useless. In regard to the proper place to hit these
animals, General Macintyre observes that “a_ bear,
after being skinned and decapitated, looks very like a
382
i el le eld alt en
The Himalayan Black Bear
corpulent man with short muscular limbs, and _ its
vitals lie in much the same region, with regard to its
shoulders, as those of a human being. It is flat-
chested, and its fore-quarters are straight and placed
far forward, so it is necessary to plant your bullet a
good span behind the shoulder, and pretty high up.
This, of course, only applies when Geese (8 Ge Jane
deliberate aim ae a good position for taking it from.”
Maize, fruits, nuts, and roots form the main rations
of the black bear ; acorns, walnuts, and chestnuts
affording a large portion of its nutriment during
autumn and winter ; and while this species digs much
less in the ground fon roots and bulbs than ae brown
cousin, it is much more prone to climb in search 2
fruits. Honey is another favourite article of diet,
search of which it will sometimes not hesitate to ae
villages; indeed, it not unfrequently displays a tendency
to resort to the neighbourhood of human habitations.
It has been mentioned that the brown bear occasionally
makes a meal off a dead carcase, and the present
species now and then displays a similar penchant for
carrion. Nor is it by any means contented with dead
animals, for it will not unfrequently attack and kill
various domesticated species, including cattle and
ponies ; and it is stated to be the most carnivorously
disposed of any Indian bear.
Since it inhabits, as a rule, a lower and warmer
zone than its brown cousin, it would be natural
to suppose that the black ‘bear is a less thorough
hibernator ; and such seems to be the case, these
bears undergoing only a partial sleep, safely ensconced
in caves or hollow trees, and waking up in warmer
intervals during the winter to refresh themselves by a
walk and a feed. In the following account of bear-hunting
in Burma, taken from the Asian of November 2G 1896,
the writer regarded the animals of which he was in
pursuit as sloth-bears, but as these do not occur in
that country there e little doubt they belonged to
383
Game Animals of India, etc.
the present species. Describing his first sight of the
party, the narrator says: ‘It was indeed a fine sight.
A family of bears were taking their constitutional ; a
huge fellow had gone on to a log which had fallen
across the stream and was half-way across ; two others
were having a pleasant scramble for the right of
precedence, but without the heart-burnings of a state
function. It was too good a chance to lose, so,
forgetting for the moment our main aim, I raised my
rifle, and, taking a steady shot, rolled the old bear off
the log, the ball going into the shoulders and coming
out at the mouth. The remaining two bolted back
whence they had come before the smoke rolled away.
By this time the rear men had found out that a whole
family of the dreaded ‘mee-ay-woon’ (ground-bear)
had been run into, and there was a general dropping
of pots and pans and a swarming up trees. One man
only so lost his head that he tried to ‘squirm,’ up a
smooth tree about fifteen feet in girth and was unable
to get up; he then made similar attempts at other
trees, and was yet running round and round, though
imbecile with faintness, when we came back for them.
In the meanwhile I loaded and went forward with the
old man to see our prize ; he stopped about ten yards
off, and I went beyond the fallen tree and looked
down ; there was the bear, and he was not yet dead
but trying to rise. I was weighing the propriety of
finishing him, but the old man held up his hand and
pointed away to the bison-valley. At this moment I
heard horrible howls and growls behind me, and,
turning round, saw the two bears which had bolted
coming along at a gallop, now and then making
grotesque jumps into the air. These animals had
never heard a rifle-shot before, and had seen no living
enemy. They were probably not charging me but
returning to their friend. I was standing almost in
their line, however, and a little covered by some young
growth of bamboo. The wounded animal answered
384
The Himalayan Black Bear
their calls and tried to climb out the ravine, but as I
anxiously watched him, in a quandary as to my next
move in this fix, which seemed turning into a tragedy,
I saw him fall back again, and thus turned my whole
attention to the real dangers. By this time the pair
were about six paces from me; picking out the
foremost and most savage one, I aimed for his breast
and pulled triggers; he turned a somersault, and I
reloaded in a flash, but before the smoke again lifted
the pair had reached the ‘kine’ grass bordering the
glade. One more glance at the huge fellow in the
ravine and then I went forward to finish number two,
heard moaning in the kine about thirty paces of. I
followed their trail, along which the grass was bent
down, till I was about six paces off, but could only see
the grass waving. Another step and I saw both.
The wounded one lay on his back whilst the other
sat at his head and howled in sympathy, pawing him
the while as if asking him to move on. I was full
in view, but they failed to notice me. There were
already two wounded, and I did not wish to have
another on my hands.” Eventually two members of
the party were bagged.
_ Like other members of the genus, this bear is a
ood swimmer, crossing without hesitation rivers of
considerable size. The cubs are born in spring,
generally in a hollow tree-stem or among dense scrub-
jungle. As the period of gestation in other bears is
about six months, it is probably of the same approximate
duration in this species. This would make the pairing
season in the autumn ; and since it is said that old
males and females are only found together at the
season in question, the fact that I have seen a family
party of five in September or October, and that Mr.
Darrah (Sport in the Highlands of Kashmir) records
seeing four in company in November, serve to support
this view.
Two cubs are generally produced at a time, which
385 Ze
Game Animals of India, etc.
remain with their mother till able to take care of them-
selves. When five individuals are found together, the
party usually consists of the old male and female, one
cub of the second year, and two of the first year. I
have never heard of a party of six being seen in
company.
In Japan the Himalayan black bear is represented
by a closely allied species or race ; and in the New
World this group appears to be represented by the
North American black bear (Ursus americanus).
THE BRUAN, OR MALAY BEAR
(Ursus malayanus)
Native Names.—Wek-won, Burmese ; Bruan or
Bruang, Ma.ay
(PLaTE 1x, fig. 11)
At first sight there might seem to be some con-
nection between the Malay druan and the term éruin,
so often applied to bears in Europe ; but since Malay
has no relationship with the Aryan languages, the
resemblance between the two words must apparently
be due to coincidence.
Although black, the Malay bear is very different
from the preceding species ; being not only of smaller
dimensions, but also a lighter-built and longer-legged
animal, with a shorter and broader head, a longer
tongue, and a closer fur. Its gait, too, is different,
being quicker and less deliberate than that of most
eines bears ; and the animal, judging from menagerie
specimens, appears to be of a more restless disposition,
pacing up and down for hours at a time, when it jerks
its head from side to side with a peculiar motion, and
now and then uttering a kind of plaintive grunt.
In addition to its broad head, short muzzle, and
386
\
The Bruan, or Malay Bear
long tongue, the Malay bear is characterised by its
small and rounded ears, on which the hair is uniformly
short, instead of shaggy, as in the Himalayan black
bear. The general colour of the short and close fur is
black, but in places it passes into brownish, and the
muzzle, to beyond the eyes, together with the chin,
has frequently a whitish tinge. A crescentic light-
coloured gorget is conspicuous on the chest, its two
“horns”’ being broad, and sometimes uniting so as to
form an oval or heart-shaped patch with a black centre ;
in other instances the lower part of the patch is pro-
longed into a white streak running between the fore-
legs. In colour the light gorget or patch varies from
white, through yellow, to deep orange. It was at one
time supposed, that all Bornean representatives of this
bear have the patch orange, while in Malay examples it
is lighter-coloured, and two species were accordingly
made ; but it does not appear that there is any con-
stant difference in this respect. Unlike those of the
Himalayan black species, the claws are generally pale
horn-colour.
Usually the Malay bear does not measure more
than 4 feet from the muzzle to the root of the tail,
the tail itself being about 2 inches; but it has been
suggested that in unusually large examples the length
of the head and body may reach 4% feet.
Compared with those of the two preceding species,
the skull of this bear is distinguishable at a glance by
the shortness of the nasal region, and the great breadth
across the temples, the cheek-bones forming greatly
expanded arches. The molars are also ‘relatively
shorter and broader than in other Indian bears.
The range of this bear extends from the islands of
Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, into the Malay Peninsula,
and so on through Burma and Pegu to the Tenasserim
province, Arakan, Chittagong, wat the Garo Hills. In
a notice contributed to the Proceedings of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal for 1899, Mr. G. C. Dudgeon gave
387
Game Animals of India, etc.
reasons for believing that the species is found as far
west as the Darjiling district ; and it reappears in the
form of a local race in Eastern Tibet. There is at
present no sufficient evidence that the insular repre-
sentatives of this bear can be distinguished either from
one another or from the mere b form, so that local
races cannot yet be established, although Palle materials
may render this possible. The nearest relative of the
species seems to be the spectacled bear (Ursus ornatus)
of the Chilian Andes.
In 1905 the publisher of this volume received the
skull of a bear reputed to come from either Eastern
Tibet or the north-western provinces of China. It was
clearly that of a bruan, but since I had some doubt
whether it was really from the Tibetan area, I gave it
no further consideration. I subsequently learnt that
the skin of the same animal came with the skull ; and
that the entire specimen was mounted and sold to the
Bergen Museum as Ursus torquatus. The skin, I am
informed, has much longer black hair than the ordinary
Malay ee with long fringes to the ears, and the usual
whitish gorget on the throat.
In 1907 “the same firm received another bear-skull
of similar type from the Tibetan area, which came with
a skin of Felis scripta. As to its being Tibetan (in a
wide sense) there seems no question. It belonged to
a fully adult bear of the Ursus malayanus type, as is
evident from its width and relative shortness. Its
extreme basal length is 8.75, and its maximum width
8.5 inches ; these Reiiaeneiant: comparing with 8.5 and
8.3 inches in an old and large skull of the typical U.
malayanus measured by Dr. W. T. Blanford. So far as
I can see, there are no characters by which this skull
(in a limited series of specimens) can be distinguished
from that of the typical U. malayanus ; nevertheless, in
a paper published in the Zoological Society’s Pro-
ceedings for 1907 I assigned the Tibetan bruan to a
distinct race, with the name of Ursus malayanus wardi.
388
ee ai
The Bruan, or Malay Bear
The skin of the Bergen specimen is stated to be more
like that of a Himalayan black bear than a Malay
bruan.
Pak ASWAL, OR SLOTH-BEAR
(Melursus ursinus)
Native Names.—Rinch or Rich, Bhalu, anv Adamzad,
Hinpustanit; Bhaluk, Bencarr; Riksha, San-
scRIT; Aswal or Aswail, Mauratui; Yerid,
Yedjal, and Asol oF THE Gonps; Bir-menai,
Oran ; Bana or THE Ho-koL; Elugu, Tevecu ;
Kaddi or Karadi, Tamit anp Canargse; Pani-
karadt, Maraparr; Usa, CiNGALESE.
(Pate 1x, fig. 12)
With its long, shaggy, coarse black hair, mobile snout,
long extensile tongue, and large and powerful claws,
the aswal or sloth-bear, as it is commonly called by
sportsmen, must be regarded as very distinct from
more typical representatives of the family Urside.
Still more important points of distinction are revealed
by its anatomy, which are regarded as sufficient to
justify the separation of the animal from the genus
Ursus, and its reference to a group (Melursus) by itself.
One of these points of difference is a reduction in the
number of the upper front, or incisor, teeth from three
to two pairs ; while another is the small proportional
size of the cheek-teeth ; and a third the excessive width,
length, and concavity of the bony palate of the skull,
and the great convexity of the profile of the latter.
With the exception of the extremity of the snout
(which is dirty grey), of a narrow white horseshoe-
shaped gorget on the chest, and of the white claws, the
sloth-bear is entirely black ; the long and shaggy hair,
which is more elongated over the shoulders than else-
where, gives such a generally untidy appearance that
389
Game Animals of India, etc.
not even its best friend could say that it was a comely
or graceful creature.
This bear is somewhat smaller than the black
Himalayan species, the length from the muzzle to the
root of the tail varying from about 44 feet to 5# feet.
The tail is, however, longer than in other bears,
measuring from 4 to 5 inches in length, exclusive of
the long hair with which it is clothed. About 280
pounds appears to be the average weight of old males
in good condition; but one enormous specimen,
which was probably unusually fat, is stated to have
scaled 320 pounds.
The sloth-bear is one of the comparatively few
large mammals restricted to peninsular India and
Ceylon,’ its range in the former country extending
from near the foot of the Himalaya to Cape Comorin,
and as far west as Kutch and Kathiawar, although
farther north its range is limited by the Indian desert.
It is known to occur in Eastern and Northern Bengal,
but whether it penetrates into Assam has yet to be de-
monstrated. Its fossilised remains have been discovered
in a cave in the Karnul district of Madras, and the
skull of a nearly allied extinct species has been obtained
from the Siwalik Hills; no other representative of the
genus Melursus being at present known.
Although in general somewhat timid and retiring,
the sloth-bear occasionally makes ferocious and un-
provoked attacks on man, when it inflicts terrible
wounds with its long talons, usually on the head and
face. Such wounds are, however, more frequently
recovered from than those received from the tiger.
When such unprovoked attacks are made they generally
arise from the bear being suddenly surprised, and
not knowing how to escape ; and as these animals are
1 In the absence of corroborative evidence, the capture of a young bear
in Pegu, stated to have only four upper incisors, can scarcely be regarded
as sufficient to prove the occurrence of this species to the east of the Bay of
Bengal. F
39°
ee eee ee Po
a ee a a
The Aswal, or Sloth-Bear
dull of sight and less quick-witted than either tigers or
leopards, they find more difficulty in deciding on their
line of flight, so that such encounters are more frequent
than in the case of the two animals last mentioned. A
female bear with her young ones is more prone to
attack than is a solitary individual ; and, of course, one
brought to bay is at all times dangerous. Still there
appear to be instances where these bears have attacked
without any assignable reason. It is often stated that
when at close quarters they rise on their hind-legs for
fies inal rusiyss but this.:is) denied: by MraG.- P.
Sanderson (from whose account many of the following
observations are taken), and it is quite certain that the
sloth-bear does not “hug” its victim after the fashion
popularly, but erroneously, attributed to other members
of the bear tribe.
As an illustration of the power of these animals, it
may be mentioned that during the winter of 1897-98
an encounter took place between a polar bear and an
Indian sloth-bear at Sanger’s Circus, in which the latter
came off an easy victor. It seems at first sight remark-
able that such a powerful animal as a polar bear should
have been so easily vanquished, but it was doubtless
the cruelly long claws of the Indian species that did the
business, while the length and shagginess of its coat
would protect it from the teeth and shorter talons of
its northern antagonist.
It is commonly asserted by sportsmen that when
one of two sloth-bears in company is struck bya bullet,
it immediately institutes a savage assault on its com-
panion. Mr. Sanderson, has, however, thrown doubt
on the truth of this statement, although I can vouch
for its correctness in the case of the Himalayan brown
bear.
A novice in tracking may easily mistake the foot-
prints of a sloth-bear for those of a man, but close
inspection will show that there are four where there
should be only two, while further examination will
Ses
Game Animals of India, etc.
reveal the fact that bear-spoor is shorter and wider than -
that left by the human foot.
Jungly hill districts, where there are numerous
small isolated outliers at the foot of main ranges, are
the favourite haunts of the sloth-bear, the most favoured
situations being those where numerous large boulders
cover the surface of the ground, or where rocks are
fissured by ravines and crevasses, or hollowed into
caverns. In such cool retreats, protected from’ the
fierce rays of the sun, and safe from the attacks of
insect plagues, the bears pass the hottest hours of the day,
issuing forth at evening to feed. When the ground is
of such a nature as not to show their footprints, the
presence of these animals may frequently be revealed
by the curious humming sound proceeding from the
depth of the rocks, produced, it is said, by the bears
sucking their paws. Although the greater part of the
day is usually passed idly in such subterranean retreats,
in cloudy weather, and more especially at the com-
mencement of the rainy season, when the hardness of
the ground during the preceding hot weather has pre-
vented them from obtaining a sufficient supply of
insects by digging, they may be seen abroad at all hours
in districts where they are little disturbed, busily
engaged in searching for food. It should not, however,
be imagined that rock-fissures and caverns are the only
places where sloth-bears are to be found, for, in the
absence of these, they are content to lie hidden in scrub-
jungle, at the root of a clump of a tall bamboo, or even
in the open beneath some shady tree.
Except when the female is suckling her cubs, both
sexes may be seen in company, but when three bears
are observed together, these generally comprise a female
and a couple of cubs ; and if it be a fact that triplets
are occasionally produced, a party of four might some-
times come under the same description. The females
display great affection for their offspring, carrying them
on their backs during their nocturnal prowls, until of
392
The Aswal, or Sloth-Bear
such a size that there is only room for one, when the
other has perforce to walk behind alone. After a time
its fellow is discarded from the maternal back, and has
likewise to trust to its own limbs for the means of loco-
motion, when the first cub remounts. During the time
that both cubs are permitted to ride, they are carried by
the mother to the feeding-grounds, on arrival at which
they dismount, scrambling up again to the same seat on
the approach of danger. At the time that the two sexes
are in company, an equal degree of affection is displayed
by the male towards his partner, and when one is
wounded, a chorus of piercing shrieks is immediately
raised by its companion. When commenting on the
allezed statement that one wounded sloth-bear will
attack its fellow, Mr. Sanderson observes that “a
wounded bear’s companions generally rush to him
to ascertain the cause of his grief, joining the
while in his cries, when he, not being in the best of
humours, lays hold of them, and a fight ensues, brought
about by the affectionate, but ill-timed solicitude of his
friends.”
The small size of the cheek-teeth of the sloth-bear
indicates that its diet consists neither of flesh nor of
vegetable substances that require much trituration.
And although by no means averse to an occasional
meal of carrion, these animals subsist to a great extent
on ants and termites, or white ants, together with the
grubs of beetles and other insects. For digging out
such creatures from their subterranean haunts, as well
as for opening the nests of wild bees, for the sake of
the honey they love so well, their long curved claws are
admirably adapted. Regardless of the stings of either
ants or bees, these bears plunge their muzzles straight
into the nests, licking up the smaller insects or the
honey of the larger ones with their long extensile
tongues. Although the bees must almost certainly
make their presence felt in an unpleasant manner on
the naked nose of the bear, the shaggy fur with which
393
Game Animals of India, etc.
its hide is elsewhere protected must doubtless render
those weapons of offence innocuous. Fruits of various
kinds, as well as the fleshy flowers of trees like the
mohwa, which at times fall in showers on the ground,
form no inconsiderable portion of the food of sloth-
bears. And being, like most of their kind, expert
climbers, these animals ascend trees not only in search
of fruits and honey, but also to levy toll on the con-
tents of the pots hung by the natives on the trunks
of the date-palm to receive the sweet juice from which
a fermented liquor is manufactured. According to
“native reports, the bears, being clumsy creatures, not
only drink the liquor, but smash a considerable number
of the pots, and at times become helplessly intoxicated
from the effects of the fermented palm-sap.
The presence of sloth-bears in a district where there
are fruit-trees or date-palms is indicated by the marks
of their claws as they ascend and descend the stems ;
their claw-marks being likewise visible where they have
been digging for white ants. Many of the latter, as
well as wood-boring grubs, are drawn out from their
retreats by the sloth-bear’s power of suction; the
animal in this operation first giving a great expiratory
puff from its nose, which is placed close to the nest or
hole, in order to clear away the dust, and then taking
an equally deep inspiration. The sound of these
respiratory movements is audible at great distances.
The visual powers of these creatures are by no
means strong, and since their hearing is but little
better, it is not difficult to approach them within a
short distance, when their strange antics and uncouth
gambols may be watched. When feeding on a hill-
side and suddenly disturbed by an intruder, they are
said to show no hesitation in rolling headlong into the
valley below.
Although exterminated or much reduced in numbers
in many districts where they once abounded, sloth-bears
are still common over a large portion of India. Three
394
The Aswal, or Sloth-Bear
methods of hunting are in vogue. One plan is to dis-
cover the cave, or other lair of the bear, and to take up
a position above or near its entrance during the night
while the occupant is abroad, and await his return soon
after dawn. ‘This, however, is weary work, and many
sportsmen prefer the plan of driving the bear from
covert with a line of beaters ; although this is practic-
able only when the animal is in scrub-jungle or among
sugar-cane or other cultivated crops. The third and
most sportsmanlike method is by tracking, when the
bear is followed up to its feeding-place (which it
frequently does not leave till the morning is well
advanced), or in some cases to its lair, when this is in
the open. In the Mysore jungles tracking 1s most easy
during the months of September and October, when a
plain trail is left through the dewy grass, which at this
season is about a couple of feet high, and therefore
easy to traverse. In regard to this method, Mr.
Sanderson observes that “ bear-shooting conducted on
proper principles, with two or three bears afoot together,
lacks neither excitement nor amusement. It is not
very dangerous sport, as the animal can be so easily
seen, whilst he is not so active as a tiger or panther.
Still he is very tough, and to any one who would value
him for his demonstrations he would appear sufficiently
formidable. If a bear charges, he can generally be
killed without more ado by a shot in the head when
within two paces.”
The same sportsman also practised bear-tracking
with the aid of dogs. According to his experience, a
sloth-bear, despite its great muscular power and bodily
activity, may be easily held by three bull-terriers, one
being trained to seize by the tender muzzle, which
affords a good grip and renders the animal almost
helpless. It might have been thought that the bear’s
claws would inflict grievous harm on its canine assail-
ants, but harmful as they are to the skin of man, to the
tough and yielding hide of a dog they do little damage.
325
Game Animals of India, etc.
Sir Samuel Baker, who regarded it as one of the
most vicious animals with which he was acquainted,
records two occasions where a sloth-bear has attacked
an elephant, one of these instances being altogether
unprovoked.
MARMOTS
(Arctomys caudatus, etc.)
Native Name.—Drun, KasHmIrI
The traveller who for the first time crosses the
range forming the north-eastern barrier of Kashmir—
whether his route takes him into Maru-Wardwan via
the Margan Pass, to Dras by the Zogi-la, or to Tilel
and so on to Astor by the Bandipur and Tragbal road
—will be startled as he nears the summit by loud
whistling screams proceeding simultaneously from
several points around. On looking about to discover
the source of these cries, he will observe a number of
little red and black animals standing up on their hind-
quarters, and looking inquisitively round to ascertain
the business of the intruder on their domain: -On
approaching one of these marmots the traveller will
find that when within a certain distance, the little
creatures will disappear suddenly, with a parting scream,
into the recesses of its burrow, on the entrance-mound
of which it had been sitting, to venture forth once
again when the danger appears to be over.
Marmots are burrowing members of the squirrel
family, recognisable by their comparatively large size,
small ears, and moderately long bushy tails. The red
marmot (4rctomys caudatus), the species now under
discussion, may be compared in size to a cat, and is one
of the largest and most brilliantly coloured of the
Himalayan and Tibetan members of the group. It is
characterised, among other features, by the length of
its tail, which approximately equals half that of the
396
ee
Se ee ee ee ee 1
Marmots
head and body. The general colour of the moderately
long and somewhat harsh fur varies from yellowish
tawny to bright orange red, with more or less of black
on the back, and the tip of the tail of the same sable
hue. A blackish patch also surrounds the eye, the rest
of the face being brown, while the under-parts and
legs are reddish brown. A good-sized specimen will
measure about 3 feet, or just over, in total length ;
12 or 13 inches being taken up by the tail.
Marmots are unknown on the ranges south of the
Kashmir valley, and belong to the Tibetan rather than
to the proper Himalayan fauna. The red marmot is
found on all the ranges to the north and north-east of
the valley of Kashmir, at heights varying from about
8000 to 14,000 feet, and extends northwards through
Astor to the bleak and inhospitable plateau known as
Deosai, or Devil’s Plains.
In Rupshu and Ladak, and thence northwards to
the Kuen-Lun and eastwards to Lhasa, at elevations of
from 13,000 to 18,000 feet or more, the place of this
species is taken by the Tibetan marmot (4. Aimalayanus),
distinguished by its relatively shorter tail and greyer
colour. On the other hand, in Sikhim, Nepal, Bhutan,
and the neighbouring districts of the Eastern Himalaya
there is the smaller Hodgson’s marmot (4. hodgson!),
in which the proportionate length of the tail is still less
than in the last, not being quite one-third that of the
head and body. Even these do not exhaust the list of
species found in the area treated of in this volume,
since there is one species (4. dichrous) in Northern
Afghanistan, and another (.4. robustus) in Eastern and
North-Eastern Tibet.
It may be a question whether marmots should be
included among “‘game animals.” Their skins, although
handsomely coloured, are too coarse and wiry to be
satisfactory from the furrier’s point of view; and
although they are collected by some sportsmen, they
are not regarded with favour by the majority.
397
Game Animals of India, etc.
Marmots feed chiefly on roots, and live in colonies,
excavating their own burrows. In shooting them, it is
essential that they should be killed outright at the first
shot, as otherwise they drag themselves down their
burrows out of reach of the sportsman’s arm before he
can get up to the burrow, to the entrance of which they
resort when danger threatens. After being once fired
at and missed they will generally reappear after a short
interval ; but, in my own experience, after having been
twice shot at, ‘they consider discretion the better part of
valour, and femain vndet ground. In the absence of
a rook-rifle, I used to kill marmots by shooting them
in the head with a charge from a shot-gun, but there is
little doubt that the former weapon would be better
for such sport.
HARES
(Genus Lepus)
Native Names.—Kzhargosh, Hinpustrani, Pusutu, anp
Persian ; Khara, Susra or Sassa, Hinpbustant,
Bencaci, AND Manratui 3 Lambha or Lambhana,
Hinpvustani ; Malo/, Gonp; Kulkai, Kors anp
Santas; Koarli, Korxu ; Manye, Hi1.1-rTr1pes
oF RaymeHaL; Sassa, Saho, or Seher, Sinpv1;
Yun anv Phu-goung, Burmese 3 Malla, Canargse 3
Musal, Tamit; Kundeli anv Chourapilli, Tevecu ;
Moilu, Marapart; Hava, Cincatese; Rigong,
TIBETAN.
As_ hares clearly come under the designation of
“small game,” the more important species found in
the area eed of in this volume receive brief mention.
In many parts of the world there is a tendency to
compare long-eared animals with the despised but useful
ass. Thus the Persian name for a hare (khargosh)
means the donkey-eared animal, while in the United
States other members of the group are designated —
398
Hares
“jackass rabbits.” Similarly, in Argentina the name
“mulita”’ (little mule) is applied to a long- eared
armadillo.
Sportsmen accustomed to European hares will be
somewhat surprised to see the Indian species, when
hunted, not unfrequently take refuge in holes. Except
in the case of the bristly rabbit (Lepus hispidus) of the
Eastern Himalaya and Assam— which receives no further
mention here—such holes are not, however, dug by the
rodents themselves, but are the burrows of other animals
—such as foxes—they may encounter in their flight.
In default of holes, hares in the Nilgiris when coursed
sometimes seek asylum in the hollow trunks of trees.
The black-naped species (Lepus nigricollis), which is the
hare of Southern India and Ceylon, may be distinguished
at a glance by the presence of a large black patch on
the back of the neck. It is found in the peninsula to
the south of the Godaveri river, and is met with com-
monly on the Nilgiris, as it is on the plateau of Newera
Elia in Ceylon.
From other Indian members of the genus Lepus
(apart from the black-naped species), the North Indian
hare (L. ruficaudatus) is distinguished by its harsh
fur and reddish-brown upper surface of the tail, the
ears being nearly naked. The general colour of the
upper-parts is light reddish brown, mingled with black
on the face and back, the chest and legs being more
decidedly red, and the chin, the upper portion of the
throat, and the under-parts white. A narrow black
line margins the tips of the outer surface of the ears.
With the exception of Western Rajputana, Sind, and
the south-western districts of the Punjab, where its
place is taken by the next species, this hare is found
throughout the greater part of Northern India, ranging
from Hazara in the north-west to Assam in the east.
It is known to occur at least as far south in the peninsula
as the valley of the Godaveri, and it may extend into
parts of the Deccan. Its favourite haunts are among
399
Game Animals of India, etc.
grass and bushes in dry districts, whether cultivated or
jungle. When coursed with greyhounds in districts
where the ground is favourable it affords fair sport.
All hares have a groove in the upper front teeth,
which, in some species, penetrates the interior of the
tooth in a branching form, and in the present species
the complexity of this branching reaches its highest
development.
The Sind hare (Lepus dayanus), the common species
of North-Western India, is distinguished from the pre-
ceding species by its soft, silky fur and the blackish-
brown colour of the upper surface of the tail. It is
also greyer, the general hue of the fur of the upper-
parts being greyish brown with the usual mixture of
black.
The range of this well-marked species includes the
more or less sandy and arid tracts of Sind, Kutch, the
Indian Desert, and probably a portion of the Punjab.
It is a rather smaller animal than the last, the length
of the head and body being about 17 inches, instead
of between 18 and 20 inches.
In common with the Afghan hare, the Burmese hare
(Lepus peguensis) differs from the two last noticed by
having the upper surface of the tail black ; its other
special characteristics being the generally rufous tinge.
of the fur and the presence of a large black patch at
the tip of the outer surface of the ear. The fur of the
upper-parts is a mixture of rufous and black, while the
under-parts are white, a sharp line marking the limits
of the dark and light areas. This hare, which is
absent from the coast region and dense forest tracts,
inhabits a considerable portion of Burma, although its
precise limits are not ascertained.
The generally greyer tone of the fur seems to be
the best and most easily recognisable feature by which
the Afghan hare (Lepus tibetanus) may be distinguished
from the last, which it resembles in the black upper
surface of the tail. The general colour of the soft fur
400
Hares
of the upper-parts varies from light greyish to light
reddish brown mingled with black, the rump of some
examples exhibiting an ashy tinge, and the under-parts,
with the exception of the light brown chest, being
white. Externally the ears are brown at the sides and
buff behind, but towards the tips they become gradually
black ; their entire margins being frequently buff.
Nineteen inches is the usual length of the head and
body, against 21 inches in the Sind hare.
The range of this hare includes a large portion of
the Upper Indus valley, notably in Baltistan, or Little
Tibet, and extends towards the west over the greater
part of Afghanistan and Baluchistan, the species being
met with in the neighbourhood of Quetta and in the
Khirtar range of Sind. Although found at consider-
ably higher levels in Baltistan, in Baluchistan (where it
was first described under the name of L. craspedotis by
Dr. Blanford), it descends as low as about 500 feet
above the sea. It is stated to have been obtained from
the Nubra valley, in Ladak.
The two common Tibetan hares (Lepus oiostolus and
hypsibius) are nearly allied to the blue or mountain
hare (L. timidus') of Europe, of which they may be
local races, and differ from all those noticed above in
that the upper surface of the tail is almost or com-
pletely white. In accordance with the nature of the
climate of the elevated region in which they dwell, the
fur is soft, thick, and woolly, and in the species first
named, at any rate, the ears are densely furred on their
external surface. This species (L. oiosto/us), often
called the woolly hare, although the smaller of the two,
has relatively longer ears, which considerably exceed
the head in length. The general colour of the upper-
parts is yellowish brown mixed with dark brown, the
rump being ashy grey, the tail nearly white, the fore-
part of the neck and chest pale fawn, and the rest of
1 This name is often applied to the English hare, of which the proper
title is L. europaeus.
401 2D
Game Animals of India, ete.
the under-parts white. This hare occurs typically in
that part of Tibet lying immediately north of Nepal
and Sikhim, whence skins were obtained and named by
Brian Hodgson ; but in all probability it also extends
farther towards the east, and specimens have been
obtained from high valleys to the south of the great
snowy range in the Sikhim district.
The Ladak, or upland hare (L. Aypszbius), is probably
nothing more than a local race of the last, from which
it is stated to differ by its somewhat superior size and
shorter ears. The tail is pure white throughout, and
the blue-grey tint of the hind-quarters stands out in
striking contrast to the brown of the rest of the back.
This hare is definitely known from the higher valleys
of Ladak, such as Chang-chenmo, as well as from the
plateau of Rupshu, where it is met with at elevations
between 14,000 and I 5,000 feet, or even more, above
the sea. I have, however, shot hares in plantations a
few miles higher up the Indus valley than the town of
Leh, at considerably lower elevations, which I am inclined
to believe belonged to the present form. A hare from
North Tibet and Kansu, identified by Dr. E. Buchner,
of St. Petersburg, with Z. oiostolus, has been regarded
by Dr. Blanford as probably representing either a variety
of L. hypsibius or an undescribed species.
In the small patches of Eleagnus jungle growing
along the water-courses in. the neighbourhood of
Chang-chenmo blue hares, as they are commonly called,
are extraordinarily abundant, and sufficient to supply
the traveller’s camp with food for a week or more may
often be shot in the course of a few minutes. In my
own opinion their flesh is decidedly superior to that of
the hares of the plains of India, although this favour-
able verdict may be partly owing to the keen appetite
developed by camp-life in Ladak. Anyway, blue-hare
soup is excellent.
402
INDEX OF SPECIES, ETC.
egagrus, Capra, 108
fEluropus melanoleucus, 368
ABlurus fulgens, 365
fulgens styani, 367
affinis, Cervus, 215
Felis, 336
African leopard, 312
wild cat, 335
alaiana, Capra, 118
albirostris, Cervus, 221
almaysii, Capra, 118
Altai gazelle, 200
Andaman wild pig, 284
andamanensis, Sus, 284.
Antelope, four-horned, 171
Indian, 175
Tibetan, 184
Antilope cervicapra, 175
Arakan serow, 143
Arctictis binturong, 350
Arctomys caudatus, 396
dichrous, 397
himalayanus, 397
hodg soni, 397
robustus, 397
Argali, Tibetan, 95
arkal Ovis, 101
Arna, 83
Ashy Tibetan goral, 155
Asiatic elephant, 6
ibex, 113
asinus, Equus, 44
Ass, Baluchi wild, 48
Tibetan wild, 43
Assam buffalo, 87
Astor markhor, 123
Aswal, 389
aureus, Canis, 358
axis, Cervus, 233
Axis major, 238
medius, 238
minor, 238
Baluchi chinkara, 207
urial, 100
Baluchi wild ass, 48
Bantin, 67
Burmese, 69
Malay, 75
Barasingha, 24.5
Barking-deer, 258
Bay cat, 329
Bear, black, 379
blue, 376
brown, 371
Himalayan black, 379
Himalayan brown, 371
Malay, 386
red, 371
Shan, 375
sloth, 389
snow, 371
Syrian, 372
bedfordi, Urotragus, 148
bengalensis, Felis, 331
bennetti, Gazella, 201
Bharal, 105
Bibos, 50
Binturong, 350
binturong, Arctictis, 350
birmanicus, Bos, 69
Bison, Indian, 50
Black bear, 379
Blackbuck, 175
Black leopard, 318
blanfordi, Ovis, 100
Blue bear, 376
bull, 164
sheep, 105
blythi, Capra, 108
Boar, Indian wild, 277
Bos bubalis, 83
bubalis fulvus, 88
bubalis macroceros, 84.
etruscus, 76
Jfrontalis, 64.
gaurus, 50
gaurus readei, 62
grunniens, 76
grunniens mutus, 77
403
Game Animals of India, ete.
Bos sondaicus, 67
sondaicus birmanicus, 69
sondaicus butleri, 76
Boselaphus tragocamelus, 164.
brachyurus, Felis, 328
Brown bear, 371
Bruan, 386
bubalinus, Nemorhedus, 144
bubalis, Bos, 83
Bubalus, 83
Bucapra daviesi, 158
Budorcas taxicolor, 157
taxicolor tibetanus, 163
Buffalo, Assam, 87
Indian, 83
Burmese bantin, 64
gaur, 60
thamin, 253
butleri, Bos, 76
camensis, Felis, 343
Canadian lynx, 343
Canis aureus, 358
deccanensis, 362
lupaster, 358
lupus, 355
lupus laniger, 356
pallipes, 357
sumatrensis, 360
sumatrensis deccanensis, 362
Capra falconeri, 121
falconeri cashmiriensis, 124
falconeri jerdoni, 130
Sfalconeri megaceros, 128
hircus egagrus, 108
hircus blythi, 108
sibirica, 113
sibirica alaiana, 118
sibirica almasyi, 118
sibirica dauvergnei, 119
sibirica fasciata, 116
sibirica hagenbecki, 118
sibirica lydekkeri, 116
sibirica pedri, 119
sibirica sacin, 119
sibirica transaliana, 118
sibirica wardi, 115, 118
Capricornis rubida, 143
Caracal, 339
caracal, Felis, 339
cashmirianus, Cervus, 298
cashmiriensis, Capra, 124
Cat, bay, 329
desert, 335
fishing, 330
golden, 329
jungle, 336
leopard, 331
manul, 333
Cat, marbled, 329
Persian, 334
Siamese, 329
catus, Felis, 335
caudata, Felis, 338
caudatus, Arctomys, 396
Urotragus, 155
cephalophus, Elaphodus, 264
cervicapra, Antilope, 175
Cervulus fea, 263
lachrymans, 2.63
muntjac, 257
muntjac grandicornis, 261
Cerwus affinis, 215
albirostris, 221
axis, 233
axis zeylanicus, 238
cashmirianus, 208
duvauceli, 245
eldi, 252
eldi cornipes, 255
eldi platyceros, 253
porcinus, 241
schomburgki, 248
unicolor, 223
yarcandensis, 215
Ceylon chital, 238
elephant, 12
Chanco, 356
Chevrotain, 272
kanchil, 276
meminna, 272
napu, 275
Chinkara, 201
Baluchi, 207
Sind, 203
Chiru, 184
Chita, 309, 344
Chital, 233
Ceylon, 238
Chousingha, 171
christyi, Gazella, 203
cinereus, Urotragus, 155
Civet, Indian, 347
Clouded leopard, 327
tiger, 327
cornipes, Cervus, 255
craspedotis, Lepus, 401
Criotherium, 160
cristatus, Sus, 277
Cryptoprocta, 348
cycloceros, Ovis, 101
Cynelurus jubatus, 34.4
Cyon, sumatrensis, 360
dauvergnei, Capra, 119
daviesi, Bucapra, 158
dayanus, Lepus, 400
deccanensis, Canis, 362
404
Index of Species, etc.
Deer, 208
barking, 258
Eld’s, 252
hog, 24.1
Indian spotted, 233
mouse, 272
musk, 262
swamp, 245
Thorold’s, 221
tufted, 264
Desert cat, 335
Dhole, 360
dichrous, Arctomys, 397
Dog, wild, 360
Dorcatherium, 273
duvauceli, Cervus, 245
Egyptian jackal, 358
eldi, Cervus, 252
Eld’s deer, 252
Elephant, Ceylon, 12
Indian, 6
Sumatran, 12
Elephas indicus, 6
maximus, 12
sumatranus, 12
xeylanicus, 13
Elaphodus cephalophus, 264
Equus asinus, 44
caballus przewalskii, 43
hemionus, 43
hemionus kiang, 43
onager indicus, 48
etruscus, Bos, 76
Euceratherium, 160
evansi, Urotragus, 153
falconeri, Capra, 121
Sasciata, Capra, 116
fea, Cervulus, 263
Felis bengalensis, 331
caracal, 339
catus, 335
caudata, 338
chaus affinis, 336
chaus furax, 337
chaus nilotica, 337
chaus pallida, 337
leo, 286
leo guzeratensis, 286
lynx camensis, 343
lynx isabellina, 341
manul, 333
manul mongolica, 334.
manul satuni, 334
marmorata, 329
nebulosa, 327
nebulosa brachyurus, 328
nigripectus, 334
Felis ocreata, 335
ornata, 335
pant.tera, 321
pardina, 343
pardus, 308
pardus leopardus, 312
pardus nanopardus, 312
pardus panthera, 322
pardus tulliana, 322
pardus villosa, 316
rubiginosa, 332
temmincki, 339
tigris, 294
tigris mongolica, 296
tigris septentrionalis, 296
tigris virgata, 296
tristis, 329
tulliana, 322
uNnCia, 323
UVIVEFTINA, 330
Fishing cat, 330
Fontanier’s cat, 329
Fossa, 348
Four-horned antelope, 171
frontalis, Bos, 64.
Sulgens, FElurus, 365
fulvus, Bos, 88
furax, Felis, 337
fuscifrons, Gaxella, 207
Gaur, 50
Burmese, 60
Malay, 63
gaurus, Bos, 50
Gayal, 64
Gazella subgutturosa yarcandensis, 196
bennetti, 201
bennetti christyi, 203
bennetti fuscifrons, 207
picticaudata, 189
subgutturosa, 192
Gazelle, Altai, 200
goitred, 192
Indian, 201
Mongolian, 192
Persian, 193
Tibetan, 189
Yarkand, 196
Ghor-khar, 48
giganteus, Sus, 281
Gilgit ibex, 119
markhor, 128
Goa, 189
Goat, see Wild Goat, 108
Goitred gazelle, 192
Golden cat, 329
Goral, 148
ashy, 155
grey Tibetan, 156
405
Game Animals of India, etc.
Goral, Himalayan, 148
Tibetan, 155, 156
goral, Urotragus, 148
grandicornis, Cervulus, 261
griseus, Urotragus, 156
grunniens, Bos, 76
guzeratensis, Felis, 286
hagenbecki, Capra, 118
Hangul, 208
Hares, 398
hemionus, Equus, 43
Hemitragus hylocrius, 137
jemlaicus, 134
Himalayan black bear, 379
brown bear, 371
goral, 148
ibex, 119
serow, 144
himalayanus, Arctomys, 397
hircus, Capra, 108
hispidus, Lepus, 399
hodgsoni, Arctomys, 397
Owvis, 95
Pantholops, 184.
Hodgson’s sheep, 95
Hog-deer, 241
Hog, pigmy, 285 :
Hunting leopard, 344.
Hyena striata, 352
Hyena, striped, 352
Hyelaphus, 241
hylocrius, Hemitragus, 137
hypsibius, Lepus, 401
Ibex, Asiatic, 113
Gilgit, 119
Himalayan, 119
Irtish, 116
Ladak, 119
Nilgiri, 137
Sayansk, 116
Sind, 108
Thian Shan, 118
Indian antelope, 175
bison, 50
buffalo, 93
civet, 347
elephant, 6
gazelle, 201
jackal, 358
leopard, 314
lion, 286
rhinoceros, 26
sambar, 224
spotted deer, 233
tiger, 296
wild boar, 277
wild dog, 362
Indian wolf, 357
indicus, Elephas, 12
Equus, 48
Tafirus, 40
Irtish ibex, 116
isabellina, Felis, 341
Ursus, 371
Jackal, Egyptian, 358
Indian, 358
javanicus, Tragulus, 276
Jjemlaicus, Hemitragus, 134
Jjerdoni, Capra, 130
jubatulus, Sus, 283
jubatus, Cynalurus, 344
jubutas, Sus, 281
Jungle cat, 336
Kakar, 258
Kanchil chevrotain, 276
Kansu musk-deer, 272
Kashmir stag, 208
Kastura, 266
Katutay ibex, 116
Kiang, 43
kiang, Equus, 43
Kobdo ibex, 118
Kopet-Dagh urial, 107
lachrymans, Cervulu:, 263
Ladak ibex, 119
lagomyarius, Ursus, 378
| laniger, Canis, 356
lasiotis, Rhinoceros, 38
leo, Felis, 286
Leopard, 308
African, 312
black, 318
Leopard-cat, 331
Leopard, clouded, 32
hunting, 344
Indian, 314
Manchurian, 316
Persian, 322
snow, 323
Somali, 312
| leopardus, Felis, 312
Lepus, craspedctis, 401
dayanus, 400
hispidus, 399
hy psibius, 401
nigricollis, 399
oiostolus, 401
peguensis, 400
ruficaudatus, 399
tibetanus, 400
Lhasa stag, 221
_ Lion, Indian, 286
| lupaster, Canis, 358
406
Index of Species, etc.
lupus, Canis, 355
lydekkeri, Capra, 116
Lynx, Canadian, 343
lynx, Felis, 341
Lynx, Spanish, 343
Tibetan, 341
macroceros, Bos, 84.
major, Axis, 238
malayanus Ursus, 386
Malay bantin, 75
bear, 386
gaur, 63
muntjac, 261
sambar, 232
serow, 147
wild dog, 360
Manchurian leopard, 316
tiger, 296
Manipur thamin, 255
Manul cat, 333
manul, Felis, 333
Marbled cat, 329
Marco Polo’s sheep, 89
Markhor, 121
Astor, 123
Gilgit, 128
Pir Panjal, 124
Suleman, 130
marmorata, Felis, 327
Marmots, 396
maximus, Elephas, 6
medius, Axis, 238
megaceros, Capra, 128
melanoleucus, ZEluropus, 368
Melursus ursinus, 389
Meminna chevrotain, 272
meminna, Tragulus, 272
milne-edwardsi, Nemorhaedus, 143
minor, Axis, 238
Mishmi takin, 163
Mithan, 64
Mongolian gazelle, 192
mongolica, Felis, 296, 334.
moschiferus, Moschus, 266
Moschus moschiferus, 266
sifanicus, 272
moupinensis, Sus, 281
Moupin takin, 163
Mouse-deer, 272
Muntjac, 257
muntjac, Cervulus, 257
Muntjac, Malay, 251
Tenasserim, 263
Tibetan, 263
Musk-deer, 266
Kansu, 272
Musk-ox, 159
mutus, Bos, 77
nahura, Ovis, 105
Napu chevrotain, 275
napu, Tragulus, 275
nebulosa, Felis, 327
Nemorhadus argyrochetes, 147
sumatrensis, 139
sumatrensis bubalinus, 144
sumatrensis milne-edwardsi, 143
sumatrensis 1ubidus, 143
sumatrensis swettenhami, 147
Nicobar wild pig, 284
nicobaricus, Sus, 284
niger, Rhinoceros, 38
nigricollis, Lepus, 399
nigripectus, Felis, 334
Nilgai, 164
Nilgiri ibex, 137
tahr, 137
nilotica, Felis, 337
ocreata, Felis, 335
otostolus, Lepus, 401%
onager, Equus, 48
ophion, Ovis, 99
orientalis, Ovis, 99
ornata, Felis, 335
Ounce, 323
Ovis ammon hodgsoni, 95
nahura, 105
ophion, 99
orientalis, 99
poli, 89
vignel, 99
vignei arkal, to1
vignei blanfordi, 100
vignei cycloceros, 101.
vignel varentsowil, 101
pallida, Felis, 337
pallipes, Canis, 357
Panda, 365
short-tailed, 368
Szechuen, 367
Panther, 309
| panthera, Felis, 321
| Pantholops hodgsoni, 184
Para, 24.1
pardina, Felis, 243
pardus, Felis, 308
| pedri, Capra, 119
| peguensis, Lepus, 400
peninsularis, Sus, 284
Persian cat, 334
gazelle, 193
leopard, 322
tiger, 296
picticaudata, Gazella, 189
Pig, Andaman, 284
| Pigmy hog, 285
407
|
Game Animals of India, etc.
Pig, Nicobar, 284
Pir Panjal markhor, 124.
platyceros, Cervus, 253
pletharicus, Cervulus, 261
Piephagus, 76
poli, Ovis, 89
porcinus, Cervus, 241
Porcula salvania, 285
Preptoceras, 160
pruinosus, Ursus, 376
przewalskii, Equus, 43
Pseudois, 105
Punjab urial, to1
Pyoung, 60
readei, Bos, 62
Red bear, 371
Rhinoceros, great Indian, 26
Rhinoceros lasiotis, 38
niger, 38
Rhinoceros, Singpho, 32
Sumatran, 36
Rhinoceros sumatrensis, 36
unicornis, 26
robustus, Arctomys, 397
rubida, Capricornis, 143
rubidus, Nemorhedus, 143
rubiginosa, Felis, 332
ruficaudatus, Lepus, 399
sacin, Capra, 119
Sakin, 113
Salt Range urial, 1o1
salvania, Porcula, 285
salvanius, Sus, 285
Sambar, 223
Indian, 224
Malay, 232
satuni, Felis, 334
Sayansk ibex, 116
schomburgki, Cervus, 248
scrofa, Sus, 280
Seladang, 63
septentrionalis, Felis, 296
Serow, 139
Arakan, 143
Himalayan, 144
Malay, 147
Tibetan, 143
white-maned, 147 _
Shan bear, 375
shanorum, Ursus, 371, 375
Shapo, 99
Sheep, blue, 105
Hodgson’s, 95
Marco Polo’s, 89
Short-tailed panda, 368
Shou, 215
Siamese cat, 329
Siamese thamin, 253
sibirica, Capra, 113
sifanicus, Moschus, 272
Sikhim stag, 215
Sind chinkara, 203
ibex, 108
wild goat, 108
Singpho rhinoceros, 32
Sivatherium, 171
Sloth-bear, 389
Snow-bear, 371
Snow-leopard, 323
Somali leopard, 312
sondaicus, Bas, 67
Spanish lynx, 343
Stag, Kashmir, 208
Lhasa, 221
Sikhim, 215
Yarkand, 215
Steppe cat, 338
striata, Hyena, 352
Striped hyzna, 352
styani, ZElurus, 367
subgutturosa, Gaxella, 192
sub-quadricornutus, Tetraceros, 172, 173
Suleman markhor, 130
Sumatran elephant, 12
rhinoceros, 36
sumatranus, Elephas, 12
sumatrensis, Canis, 360
Cyon, 360
Nemorhadus, 139
Rhinoceros, 36
Sus cristatus, 277
cristatus Jubatulus, 283
cristatus jubatus, 283
giganteus, 281
moupinensis, 281
peninsularis, 284
salvanius, 285
scrofa, 280
titan, 281
verrucosus, 281
vittatus, 284
vittatus andamanensis, 284
vittatus nicobaricus, 284.
Swamp-deer, 245
swettenhami, Nemorhaedus, 147
syriacus, Ursus, 372
Syrian bear, 372
Szechuen panda, 367
Tahr, 134
Nilgiri, 137
Takin, 157
Mishmi, 163
Moupin, 163
Tapir, Malay, 40
Tapirus indicus, 40
408
Index of Species, etc.
taxicolor, Budorcas, 157
temmincki, Felis, 329
Tenasserim muntjac, 263
Tetraceros quadricornis, (7%
quadricornis sub-quadricornutus, 172,173
Thamin, 252
Burmese, 253
Manipur, 255
Siamese, 253
Thian Shan ibex, 118
Thorold’s deer, 221
Tibetan antelope, 184
argali, 95
gazelle, 189
goral, 155, 156
lynx, 341
muntjac, 263
serow, 143
tufted deer, 264
wild ass, 43
wolf, 355
tibetanus, Lepus, 400
Ursus, 379
Tiger, 294
clouded, 327
Indian, 296
* Manchurian, 296
Persian, 296
Transcaspian, 296
tigris, Felis, 294
titan, Sus, 281%
torquatus, Ursus, 379
tragocamelus, Boselaphus, 164
Tragulus javanicus, 276
meminna, 272
napu, 275
Transcaspian tiger, 296
transaliana, Capra, 118
tristis, Felis, 329
Tsaine, 67
Tufted deer, 264
tulliana, Felis, 322
uncia, Felis, 323
unicolor, Cervus, 223
unicornis, Rhinoceros, 26
Urial, 99
_ Baluchi, 100
Kopet-Dagh, 101
Punjab, 101
Urial, Salt Range, 1o1
Urin, 100
Urotragus bedfirdi, 148
caudatus, 155
cinereus, 155
evansi, 153
goral, 148
griseus, 156
ursinus, Melursus, 389
Ursus arctus isabellinus, 371
arctus shanorum, 371, 375
arctus Syriacus, 372
lagomyarius, 378
malayanus, 386
malayanus wardt, 386
pruinosus, 376
tibetanus, 379
torquatus, 379
varentsowi, Ovis, 101
Verrucosus, Sus, 28 I
vignei, Ovis, 99
villosa, Felis, 316
virgata, Felis, 296
vittatus, Sus, 284
Viverra xibetha, 347
viverrina, Felis, 330
wardi, Capra, 115,118
Ursus, 386
White-maned serow, 147
Wild boar, 277
Wild cat, 335
African, 335
Wild dog, 360
Wild goat, Sind, 108
Wild pig, Andaman, 284
Nicobar, 284
Wild sheep, see Sheep, 95
Wolf, 355
Indian, 357
Tibetan, 355
Yak, 76
yarcandensis, Cervus, 215
Gazella, 196
Yarkand Gazelle, 196
Stag, 215
seylanicus, Cervus, 238
Elephas, 13
zibetha, Viverra, 347
THE END
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ROWLAND WARD, umorep
Waturalists
By Special Appointment to His Majesty the King
and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.
“THE JUNGLE,” 167 PICCADILLY, LONDON, wW.
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“THE JUNGLE,” 167 PICCADILLY, W.
Price £3:3s. net. Ouarto
The
Geese of EHurope & Asia
BEING THE DESCRIPTION OF MOST
OF) TEES Ex INM ABLE ENG rrr
OLD WORLD
BY
SERGIUS ALPHERAKY
COR. M. ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF THE IMPERIAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, ST. PETERSBURG j
HON. M. RUSSIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 5; ORD. M. IMPERIAL RUSSIAN
GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, ETC. ETC.
WITH
TWENTY-FOUR COLOURED PLATES BY F. W. FROHAWK
F.E.S., M.B.O.U-
s
AND
A PROMLISPIECE BY DR VP: PasusSHKIN
EONDON] ROWLAND WARD; Erp:
Me NGLE.” 167 PICCADILEY
‘Tue GEESE OF EUROPE & ASIA.—Few groups of
birds have hitherto received so little attention from a literary
point of view as the Wild Geese, and since these are of the
greatest interest alike to naturalists and to wildfowlers, Mr.
ROWLAND WARD has much pleasure in directing attention
to the issue of a limited English edition of the highly im-
portant work on the group by the eminent ornithologist,
Sergius Alphéraky. It is illustrated with 24 coloured Plates by
F. W. Frohawk, drawn from life and reproduced in the highest
class of chromo-lithography, as well as by a Frontispiece by Dr.
P. P. Sushkin depicting a scene-of goose-life on a Siberian lake.
The author has spared nothing in making this exceptionally
fine work as nearly complete as possible.
The twenty-two species and sub-species are treated of in
the fullest manner as regards their habits and geographical
distribution ; and the plumage of the adult, of the immature
bird, and of the young in down is fully described. The work
also contains two supplements—one on the eggs of the geese,
by G. F. Gobel, and the other entitled “Extracts from the
Diary of my Journey in Kolguev,” by S. A. Buturlin.
Including as it does all the known species of wild geese
frequenting the British Islands, the work cannot fail to prove
most valuable to all wildfowlers, sporting naturalists, and orni-
thologists generally. As the author is not only a very eminent
scientist but a great sportsman, he has been able to treat the
subject from both a scientific and a sporting standpoint.
PRESS NOTICES
“Mr. Alphéraky . . . is to be congratulated in giving us the first
detailed account of this interesting and, we may say, literally confusing
group of birds. It is an admirable treatise, full of research in field and
museum, and the work of one who has carefully studied the subject from
all points of view. . . . In this excellent monograph the author gives us all
we wish to know about the difference of sexes, gradual growth from
nestling upward, plumage, variation, moulting, local names, chase, and
colour of the soft parts ; the latter, perhaps, the most important point of
all in the determination of species. . . . To the oologist, too, the table
and descriptions to be found on pp. 185-190, furnished by Mr. G. F.
Gobel, are of the most exact and comprehensive nature, and the book
is one that every working naturalist or wildfowler should possess in his
library, for it is by far the best work that has as yet appeared on this
interesting family of birds.” —/Vature.
‘* All who are interested in geese would do well to read Mr. Alphéraky’s
book and study the coloured plates both of the geese and those showing
differences in their bills.”— The Saturday Review.
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