covers the whole of their bodies, hanging down to the knees; and it
proves a sufficient protection against the lowest temperature of the
cold and desolate region which they inhabit. It furnishes at once a
cloak by day and a bed by night.
The Yak is not generally fierce, but, if intruded upon by strangers, it
sometimes manifests very formidable symptoms of impatience, stamping its
feet, whisking its tail aloft, and tossing its head. When excited, it is
not easily appeased, and is exceedingly tenacious of injury, always
showing great fierceness whenever any one approaches who has chanced to
provoke it.
The cow is called _Dhe_, of which the wandering Tartars possess great
numbers, having no means of subsistence but those supplied by their
flocks and herds.
A fine male specimen of this Ox was brought to England by Warren
Hastings, and several attempts were made to procure a cross between it
and the common English Cow, but without success. He invariably refused
to associate with ordinary cattle, and exhibited a decided antipathy to
them. His portrait was painted, and is now in the Museum of the College
of Surgeons, London. The following figure (taken from the 'Oriental
Annual') is so much like the portrait of Warren Hastings's Yak, that it
might almost be taken for a copy of it.
[Illustration]
There is the skin of a Yak in the Zoological Museum, which coincides
pretty nearly with the foregoing description. There is also a stuffed
specimen of a female in the British Museum.
Like the European Bison, the skeleton of the Yak has fourteen pairs of
ribs. Period of gestation not recorded.
THE GYALL, (_Bos Frontalis_ of Lambert;)
THE GAYAL, (_Bos Gavaeus_ of Colebrooke;)
THE JUNGLY GAU, (_Bos Sylhetanus_ of F. Cuvier.)
Of the animals named in the foregoing list, we have had several very
interesting accounts; but none of these have been sufficiently precise
to enable us to determine the specific character of the animals
described.
Are they, as some affirm, merely different names for the same animal; or
do they designate animals which are really and truly distinct?
Nothing short of an appeal to structure can satisfactorily settle this
or any other disputed point of a similar nature; but, unfortunately for
zoology, the opportunities for such appeals are rare, and, when they do
occur, are seldom taken advantage of. Let us hope that this hint will
not be lost on some of our intelligent countrymen in the East; and that
before long we may be favoured with the result of their researches.
In the meantime, and in order to facilitate as much as possible the
endeavours of those who may have opportunities for such inquiries, the
following epitome is given of the various papers which have already
appeared on the subject, but which, in their present scattered form, are
of very little general utility.
THE GYALL.
The earliest descriptive notice we have of the Gyall was that given in a
paper read before the Linnean Society, in 1802, by Mr. Lambert, on the
occasion of a bull of this species arriving in London from India.
"_Bos Frontalis._
"General colour a blueish-black; the frontal fascia gray; the horns
short, thick, and distant at their bases, the tail nearly naked,
slender, and with a tuft at the end. The Gyall has no mane; its coat is
soft; the edge of the under lip is white, and is fringed with bristling
hair. The horns are pale, with their bases included in the frontal
fascia."
[Illustration: The Gyall, reduced--from the Linnean Transactions.]
The animal of which this description is given, appeared to be between
two and three years old, very tame, and inoffensive. A drawing was
taken of it, which was engraved and published in the Linnean
Transactions.
The following are its dimensions:
Ft. In.
From tip of nose to end of tail 9 2
" tip of hoof of fore foot to top of the rising of
back 4 1-1/2
Girth of largest part of abdomen 5 7
From the tip of the hoof of the hind leg to the
highest part of the rump 4 0-1/2
" the tip of forehead to end of nose 1 9
Girth of head over the angle of the jaws 2 11-1/2
Between tips of horns 1 8-1/2
Length of horn, externally 0 8-1/2
Girth of horn at largest part 1 1
In reply to some inquiries respecting this animal which he made of a
gentleman, (Mr. Harris,) resident in India, Mr. Lambert received the
following:
"DEAR SIR,--I have before me your note, with the drawing, which
undoubtedly appears to me to be the figure of the animal I mentioned to
have in my possession. Some parts of the drawing seem to be rather too
much enlarged, as in the base of the horns, and the rising between the
fore shoulders.
"The animal I described to you, and which I have kept and reared these
last seven years, and know by the name of the Gyall, is a native of the
hills to the north east and east of the Company's province of
Chittagong, in Bengal, inhabiting that range of hills which separates it
from the country of Arracan.
"The male Gyall is like our Bull in shape and appearance, but I conceive
not quite so tall; it is of a blackish-brown colour; the horns short,
but thick and strong towards the base, round which, and across the
frons, the hair is bushy, and of a dirty white colour; the chest and
forehead are broad and thick. He is naturally very bold, and will defend
himself against any of the beasts of prey.
"The female differs a little in appearance; her horns are not quite so
large, and her make is somewhat more slender. She is very quiet, and is
used for all the purposes of the dairy; as also, (I have been informed
by the natives,) for tilling the ground, and is more tractable than the
Buffalo. The milk which these cows give has a peculiar richness in it,
arising, I should conceive, from their always feeding on the young
shoots and branches of trees in preference to grass.
[Illustration: (Head of Gyall, from Linnean Transactions.)]
"I constantly made it a practice to allow them to range abroad, amongst
the hills and jungles at Chittagong, during the day, to browse; a keeper
attending to prevent their straying so far as to endanger losing them.
They do not thrive so well in any part of Bengal as in the
afore-mentioned province, and in the adjoining one, Pipperah, where, I
believe, the animal is also to be found. I have heard of a female Gyall
breeding with a common Bull. I wish it were in my power to give you more
particulars, but I am describing entirely from memory."
In February, 1804, Mr. Lambert again addressed the Linnean Society on
the same subject. He says, "Since I presented to the Society the last
account of the Bos Frontalis, or Gyall of India, Mr. Fleming, a
gentleman who has just returned from that country, has very obligingly
communicated to me the following further particulars. This account was
transmitted to Mr. Fleming by Mr. Macrae, resident at Chittagong, in a
letter, dated March 22, 1802, and was accompanied with a drawing, by
which it appears that the animal from which my figure was taken was full
grown." (See the figure, p. 51.)
MR. MACRAE'S ACCOUNT.
The Gyall is a species of cow peculiar to the mountains, which form the
eastern boundary of the province of Chittagong, where it is found
running wild in the woods; and it is also reared as a domestic animal by
the Kookies, or Lunclas, the inhabitants of those hills. It delights to
live in the deepest jungles, feeding on the tender leaves and shoots of
the brushwood; and is never met with on the plains below, except when
brought there. Such of them as have been kept by the gentlemen at
Chittagong, have always preferred browsing among the thickets on the
adjacent hills to feeding on the grass of the plains.
It is of a dull heavy appearance, yet of a form that indicates both
strength and activity; and approaches nearly to that of the wild
Buffalo. Its head is set on like the Buffalo's, and it carries it much
in the same manner, with the nose projecting forward; but in the shape
of the head it differs materially from both the Buffalo and the Cow, the
head of the Gyall being much shorter from the crown to the nose, but
much broader between the horns than that of either. The withers and
shoulders of the Gyall rise higher in proportion than those of Buffalo
or Cow, and its tail is small and short, seldom falling lower than the
bend in the ham. Its colour is in general brown, varying from a light to
a deep shade; it has at times a white forehead, and _white legs_, with a
white belly and brush. The hair of the belly is invariably of a lighter
colour than that of the back and flanks. The Gyall calf is of a dull red
colour, which gradually changes to a brown as it advances in age.
The female Gyall receives the bull at three years of age; her term of
gestation is eleven months, when she brings forth, and does not again
admit the male until the second year thereafter, thus producing a calf
once in three years only. So long an interval between each birth must
tend to make the species rare. In the length of time she goes with
young, as well as in that between each conception, the Gyall differs
from the Buffalo and Cow. The Gyall does not give much milk, but what
she yields is nearly as rich as the cream of other milk. The calf sucks
its dam for eight or nine months, when it is capable of supporting
itself. The Kookies tie up the calf until he is sufficiently strong to
do so.
The Gyalls live to the age of from fifteen to twenty. They lose their
sight as they grow old, and are subject to a disease of the hoof, which
often proves fatal at an early age. When the Kookies consider the
disease beyond the hope of cure, he kills the animal and eats the
flesh, which constitutes his first article of luxury.
The Kookies have a very simple method of catching the wild Gyalls, which
is as follows:--On discovering a herd of wild Gyalls in the jungles,
they prepare a number of balls, of the size of a man's head, composed of
a particular kind of earth, salt, and cotton. They then drive their tame
Gyalls towards the wild ones, when the two herds soon meet, and
assimilate into one; the males of the one attaching themselves to the
females of the other, and _vice versa_. The Kookies now scatter their
balls over such parts of the jungle as they think the herd most likely
to pass, and watch its motions. The Gyalls, on meeting these balls as
they pass along, are attracted by their appearance and smell, and begin
to lick them with their tongues; and relishing the taste of the salt,
and the particular earth composing them, they never quit the place until
all the balls are consumed. The Kookies having observed the Gyalls to
have once tasted their balls, prepare a sufficient supply of them to
answer the intended purpose; and as the Gyalls lick them up, they throw
down more; and it is to prevent their being so readily destroyed that
the cotton is mixed with the earth and the salt. This process generally
goes on for three changes of the moon, or for a month and a half, during
which time the tame and the wild Gyalls are always together, licking the
decoy balls; and the Kookie, after the first day or two of their being
so, makes his appearance, at such a distance as not to alarm the wild
ones. By degrees he approaches nearer and nearer, until at length the
sight of him has become so familiar that he can advance to stroke his
tame Gyalls on the back and neck, without frightening away the wild
ones. He next extends his hand to them, and caresses them also, at the
same time giving them plenty of his decoy balls to lick. Thus, in the
short space of time mentioned, he is able to drive them, along with the
tame ones, to his parrah, or village, without the least exertion of
force; and so attached do the Gyalls become to the parrah, that when the
Kookies migrate from one place to another, they always find it necessary
to set fire to the huts they are about to abandon, lest the Gyalls
should return to them from the new grounds.
It is worthy of remark that the new and full moon are the periods at
which the Kookies in general commence their operations of catching the
wild Gyalls, from having observed that at these changes the two sexes
are most inclined to associate. The same observation has been made with
respect to Elephants.
THE GAYAL.
About four years after the publication of Mr. Macrae's account of the
Gyall (namely in 1808,) there appeared, in the Eighth volume of 'Asiatic
Researches,' a description of a species of Ox, named Gayal, communicated
by H. T. Colebrooke.
He commences by observing, that "the Gayal was mentioned in an early
volume of the 'Researches of the Asiatic Society,' (vol. ii, p. 188,
1790,) by its Indian name, which was explained by the phrase "Cattle of
the mountains." It had been obscurely noticed (if indeed the same
species of Ox be meant) by Knox, in his historical relation of Ceylon
(p. 21), and it has been imperfectly described by Captain Turner, in
his journey through Bootan, ('Embassy to Tibet,' p. 160).
"Herds of this species of cattle have been long kept by many gentlemen
in the eastern districts of Bengal, and also in other parts of this
province; but no detailed account of the animal and of its habits has
been yet published in India. To remedy this deficiency, Dr. Roxburgh
undertook, at my solicitation, to describe the Gayal, from those seen by
him in a herd belonging to the Governor-General. Dr. Buchanan has also
obligingly communicated his observations on the same cattle; with
information obtained from several gentlemen at Tipura, Sylhet, and
Chatgaon, relative to the habits of the animal. The original drawing
from which the plate has been taken was drawn by a native artist."
[Illustration: Reduced copy of the Plate just referred to.]
This representation does not appear to have been taken from a specimen
of the animals here described: it bears a much stronger resemblance to
our figure of the Gaur, which was taken from the stuffed specimen in the
British Museum (see p. 97), than it does to the Gyall (_Bos frontalis_
of Lambert, see p. 51), or to the Gayal, which died in the Zoological
Gardens in 1846, from which our figure was taken, which is given on p.
68.
Dr. Roxburgh, who undertook, at the solicitation of Mr. Colebrooke, to
describe the Gayal, appears to have done so by the very simple method of
copying Mr. Macrae's description of the Gyall, which appeared in the
'Linnean Transactions,' in 1804, to which he has added, that the dewlap
is deep and pendant; and this, according to every other account, is not
the fact.
With respect to the account given by Dr. Buchanan, I have thought it
best to quote it in full; because (although it repeats several of the
characteristics already given,) it appears to flow from the pen of one
who really observed what he describes.
He says: "The Gayal generally carries its head with the mouth projecting
forward, like that of a Buffalo. The head, at the upper part, is very
broad and flat, and is contracted suddenly towards the nose, which is
naked, like that of the common cow. From the upper angle of the forehead
proceed two thick, short, horizontal processes of bone, which are
covered with hair; on these are placed the horns, which are smooth,
shorter than the head, and lie nearly in the plane of the forehead. They
diverge outward, and turn upward with a gentle curve. At the bases they
are very thick, and are slightly compressed, the flat side being toward
the front and the tail. The edge next the ear is rather the thinnest, so
that a transverse section would be somewhat ovate. Toward their tips
the horns are rounded, and end in a sharp point. The eyes resemble those
of the common Ox; the ears are much longer, broader, and blunter than
those of that animal.
"The neck is very slender near the head, at some distance from which a
dewlap commences, but this is not so deep, nor so much undulated as in
the Zebu or Indian Ox. The dewlap is covered with strong longish hairs,
so as to form a kind of mane on the lower part of the neck; but this is
not very conspicuous, especially when the animal is young.
"In place of the hump (which is situated between the shoulders of the
Zebu) the Gayal has a sharp ridge, which commences on the hinder part of
the neck, slopes gradually up till it comes over the shoulder-joint,
then runs horizontally almost a third part of the length of the back,
where it terminates with a very sudden slope. The height of this ridge
makes the neck appear much depressed, and also adds greatly to the
clumsiness of the chest, which, although narrow, is very deep. The
sternum is covered by a continuation of the dewlap. The rump, or os
sacrum, has a more considerable declivity than that of the European Ox,
but less than that of the Zebu.
"The tail is covered with short hair, except near the end, where it has
a tuft like that of the common Ox; but in the Gayal the tail descends no
lower than the extremity of the tibia.
"The legs, especially the fore ones, are thick and clumsy. The false
hoofs are much larger than those of the Zebu. The hinder parts are
weaker in proportion than the fore; and, owing to the contraction of the
belly, the hinder legs, although in fact the shortest, appear to be the
longest.
"The whole body is covered with a thick coat of short hair, which is
lengthened out into a mane on the dewlap, and into a pencil-like tuft on
the end of the tail. From the summit of the head there diverges, with a
whirl, a bunch of rather long coarse hair, which lies flat, is usually
lighter-coloured than that which is adjacent, and extends towards the
horns and over the forehead. The general colour of the animal is brown,
in various shades, which very often approaches to black, but sometimes
is rather light. Some parts, especially about the legs and belly, are
usually white; but in different individuals these are very differently
disposed."
The following is the measurement of a full-grown cow:--
Ft. In.
From nose to summit of head 1 6
Between roots of horns 0 10
From horns to shoulder 3 3
From shoulder to insertion of tail 4 3
Height at shoulder 4 9
Height at loins 4 4
Depth of chest 2 9
Circumference of chest 6 7
Circumference at loins 5 10
Length of horns 1 2
Length of ears 0 10
"The different species of the Ox kind may be readily distinguished from
the Gayal by the following marks; the European and Indian oxen by the
length of their tails, which reach to the false hoofs; the American Ox,
by the gibbosity on its back; the _Bovis moschatus_, Caffer, and
_pumilus_, by having their horns approximated at their bases; the _Bos
grunniens_ by it's whole tail being covered with long silky hairs; the
_Bos bubalus_,(at least the Indian buffalo,) by having the whole length
of its horns compressed, and by their being longer than the head, and
wrinkled--also by its thin coat of hair, by its want of a dewlap, and
above all by its manners; the _Bos barbatus_, by the long beard on its
chin.
"The cry of the Gayal has no resemblance to the grunt of the Indian Ox,
but a good deal resembles that of the Buffalo. It is a kind of lowing,
but shriller, and not near so loud as that of the European Ox. To this,
however, the Gayal approaches much nearer than it does to the Buffalo."
Mr. Macrae, who furnished the account in 1804, is again consulted; and
from his second account, the following additional particulars have been
gleaned. [Now, however, as the reader will observe, the name is Gayal,
and not Gyall; although, according to Mr. Macrae's own derivation of the
word, it would appear to be more correctly Gyall.]
"The Gayal is found wild in the range of mountains that form the eastern
boundary of the provinces of Aracan, Chittagong (Chatgaon), Tipura, and
Sylhet.
"The Cucis, or Lunclas, a race of people inhabiting the hills
immediately to the eastward of Chatgaon, have herds of the Gayal in a
domesticated state. By them he is called Shial, from which, most
probably, his name of Gayal [Gyall] is derived; as he is never seen on
the plains, except when he is brought there. It appears, however, that
he is an animal very little known beyond the limits of his native
mountains, except by the inhabitants of the provinces above mentioned.
"His disposition is gentle: even when wild in his native hills, he is
not considered to be a dangerous animal; never standing the approach of
man, much less bearing his attack.
"To avoid the noon-day heat, he retires to the deepest shade of the
forest; preferring the dry acclivity of the hill to repose on, rather
than the low swampy ground below; and never, like the Buffalo, wallowing
in mud.
"Gayals have been domesticated among the Cucis from time immemorial; and
without any variation in their appearance from the wild stock. No
difference whatever is observed in the colour of the wild and tame
breeds; brown of different shades being the general colour of both.
"The wild Gayal is about the size of the wild Buffalo of India. The tame
Gayals among the Cucis, being bred in nearly the same habits of freedom,
and on the same food, without ever undergoing any labour, grow to the
same size with the wild ones.
"The Cucis makes no use whatever of the milk, but rear the Gayals
entirely for the sake of their flesh and skins; they make their shields
of the hides of these animals. The flesh of the Gayal is in the highest
estimation among the Cucis; so much so, that no solemn festival is ever
celebrated without slaughtering one or more Gayals, according to the
importance of the occasion.
"The domesticated Gayals are allowed by the Cucis to roam at large
during the day, through the forest, in the neighbourhood of the village;
but as evening approaches, they all return home of their own accord; the
young Gayal being early taught this habit, by being regularly fed every
night with salt, of which he is very fond; and from the occasional
continuance of this practice, as he grows up, the attachment of the
Gayal to his native village becomes so strong, that when the Cucis
migrate from it, they are obliged to set fire to the huts which they are
about to leave, lest their Gayals should return thither from their new
place of residence, before they become equally attached to it, as to the
former, through the same means.
"The wild Gayal sometimes steals out from the forest in the night, and
feeds in the rice fields bordering on the hills. The Cucis give no grain
to their cattle. With us (at Chatgaon) the tame Gayals feed on Calai
_(phaseolus max_); but as our hills abound with shrubs, it has not been
remarked what particular kind of grass they prefer.
"The Hindus in this province will not kill the Gabay (or Gayal) which
they hold in equal veneration with the cow. But the As'l Gayal, or
Seloi, they hunt and kill, as they do the wild Buffalo. The animal here
alluded to is another species of Gayal found wild in the hills of
Chatgaon. He has never been domesticated, and is in appearance and
disposition very different from the common Gayal which has just been
described. The natives call him the As'l Gayal, in contra-distinction to
the Gabay. The Cucis distinguish him by the name of Seloi; and the Mugs
and Burmas by that of P'hanj, and they consider him, next to the tiger,
the most dangerous and fiercest animal of their forests."
Mr. Elliot, in writing from Tipura, says,--"I have some Gayals at
Munnamutty, and from their mode of feeding I presume that they keep on
the skirts of the vallies, to enable them to feed on the sides of the
mountain, where they can browse; they will not touch grass, if they can
find shrubs.
"While kept at Camerlah, which is situated in a level country, they used
to resort to the banks, and eat on the sides; frequently betaking
themselves to the water, to avoid the heat of the sun. However, they
became sickly and emaciated, and their eyes suffered much; but, on being
sent to the hills, they soon recovered, and are now (1808) in a healthy
condition. They seem fond of the shade, and are observed in the hot
weather to take the turn of the hills, so as to be always sheltered from
the sun. They do not wallow in mud, like Buffaloes, but delight in
water, and stand in it during the greatest heat of the day, with the
front of their heads above the surface.
"Each Cow yields from two and a half to about four sers [from five to
eight pounds] of milk, which is rich, sweet, and almost as thick as
cream; it is of a high flavour, and makes excellent butter."
We learn from Mr. Dick that the Gayal is called Gaujangali in the
Persian language, Gavaya in Sanscrit, and Mat'hana by the mountaineers;
but others name the animal Gobay-goru.