HOG: WILD ASS: SHEEP: GOAT, ETC. 657 enemy which the husbandman has to guard against; doing more damage than elephants, tigers, leopards, deer, and antelope, all put together. A rare animal, called the pigmy hog (Porculia salvania), exists in the tarái of Nepál and Sikkim, and has been shot in Assam. Its height is only 10 inches, and its weight does not exceed 12 lbs. Ass. The wild ass (Equus onager) is confined to the sandy The wild deserts of Sind and Kachchh (Cutch), where, from its speed and timidity, it is almost unapproachable. Goats. Many wild species of the sheep and goat tribe are to be Sheep and found in the Himálayan ranges. The Ovis ammon and O. poli are Tibetan rather than Indian species. The urial and the shapu are kindred species of wild sheep, found respectively in Ladakh and the Suláimán range. The former comes down to 2000 feet above the sea, the latter is never seen at altitudes lower than 12,000 feet. The barhal, or blue wild sheep, and the markhor and tahr (both wild goats) also inhabit the Himalayas. A variety of the ibex is also found there, as well as in the highest ranges of Southern India. The sarau (Nemorhædus rubidus), allied to the chamois, has a wide range in the mountains of the north, from the Himalayas to Assam and Burma. The antelope tribe is represented by comparatively few Antelopes. species, as compared with the great number found in Africa. The antelope proper (Antilope cervicapra), the 'black buck' of sportsmen, is very generally distributed. Its special habitat is salt plains, as on the coast-line of Gujarát (Guzerát) and Orissa, where herds of 50 does may be seen, accompanied by a single buck. The doe is of a light fawn colour, and has no horns. The colour of the buck is a deep brown-black above, sharply marked off from the white of the belly. His spiral horns, twisted for three or four or more turns like a corkscrew, often reach the length of 30 inches. The flesh is dry and unsavoury, but is permitted meat for Hindus, even of the Brahman caste. The four-horned antelope (Tetraceros quadricornis) and the gazelle (Gazella bennettii) are also found in India. The chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni) is confined to the Himálayan plateaux. The nilgai or blue cow (Portax pictus) is also widely dis- Nílgái. tributed, but specially abounds in Hindustán Proper and Gujarat. As with the antelope, the male alone has the dark blue colour. The nilgai is held peculiarly sacred by Hindus, from its fancied kinship to the cow, and on this account its destructive inroads upon the crops are tolerated. The king of the deer tribe is the sámbhar or gerau (Cervus Deer. VOL. VI. 2 T The Bison. The Buffalo. Rat tribe. It is aristotelis), erroneously called 'elk' by sportsmen. The ox tribe is represented in India by some of its noblest species. The gaur (Bos gaurus), the 'bison' of sportsmen, is found in all the hill jungles of the country, in the Western Gháts, in Central India, in Assam, and in British Burma. This animal sometimes attains the height of 20 hands (close on 7 feet), measuring from the hump above the shoulder. Its short curved horns and skull are enormously massive. Its colour is dark chestnut, or coffee-brown. From the difficult nature of its habitat, and from the ferocity with which it charges an enemy, the pursuit of the bison is no less dangerous and no less exciting than that of the tiger or the elephant. Akin to the gaur, though not identical, are the gayál or mithun (Bos frontalis), confined to the hills of the north-east frontier, where it is domesticated for sacrificial purposes by the aboriginal tribes; and the tsine or banting (Bos sondaicus), found in Burma. The wild buffalo (Bubalus arni) differs from the tame buffalo only in being larger and more fierce. The finest specimens come from Assam and Burma. The horns of the bull are thicker than those of the cow, but the horns of the cow are larger. A head has been known to measure 13 feet 6 inches in circumference, and 6 feet 6 inches between the tips. The greatest height is 6 feet. The colour is a slaty black; the hide is immensely thick, with scanty hairs. Alone perhaps of all wild animals in India, the buffalo will charge unprovoked. Even tame buffaloes seem to have an inveterate dislike to Europeans. The rat and mouse family is only too numerous. Conspicuous in it is the loathsome bandicoot (Mus bandicota), which sometimes measures 2 feet in length, including its tail, and weighs 3 lbs. It burrows under houses, and is very BIRDS OF PREY: GAME BIRDS. 659 destructive to plants, fruit, and even poultry. More interesting is the tree rat (Mus arboreus), a native of Bengal, about 7 inches long, which makes its nest in cocoa-nut palms and bamboos. The voles or field mice (genus Arvicola) occasionally multiply so exceedingly as to seriously diminish the outturn of the local harvest, and to require special measures for their destruction. The ornithology of India, although it is not considered so Birds. rich in specimens of gorgeous and variegated plumage as that of other tropical regions, contains many splendid and curious varieties. Some are clothed in nature's gay attire, others distinguished by strength, size, and fierceness. The parrot tribe is the most remarkable for beauty. So various are the species, that no attempt is made here even to enumerate them, but the reader is referred for details to the scientific works on the subject.1 Among birds of prey four vultures are found, including the Birds of common scavengers (Gyps indicus and G. bengalensis). The prey. eagles comprise many species, but none to surpass the golden eagle of Europe. Of falcons, there are the peregrine (Falco peregrinus), the shain (Falco peregrinator), and the lagar (Falco jugger), which are all trained by the natives for hawking; of hawks, the shikara (Astur badius), the sparrow hawk (Accipiter nisus), and the crested goshawk (Astur trivirgatus). Kingfishers of various kinds, and herons are sought for their plumage. No bird is more popular with natives than the maina (Acridotheres tristis), a member of the starling family, which lives contentedly in a cage, and can be taught to pronounce words, especially the name of the god Krishna. birds. Waterfowl are especially numerous. Of game-birds, the Game floriken (Sypheotides auritus) is valued as much for its rarity as for the delicacy of its flesh. Snipe (Gallinago scolopacina, etc.) abound at certain seasons, in such numbers that one gun has been known to make a bag of 100 brace in a day. Pigeons, partridges, quail, plover, duck, teal, sheldrake, widgeon-all of many varieties--complete the list of small game. The red jungle fowl (Gallus ferrugineus), supposed to be the ancestor of our own poultry, is not good eating; and the same may be said of the peacock (Pavo cristatus), except when young. The pheasant does not occur in India Proper; but a white variety is found in Burma, and several beautiful species (conspicuously the manaul) abound in the Himalayas. 1 Especially those of Jerdon, Gould, Hume, and Marshall. Reptiles. The The serpent tribe in India is numerous; they swarm in the gardens, and intrude into the dwellings of the inhabitants, especially during the rainy season. Most are comparatively harmless, but the bite of others is speedily fatal.1 The cobra di capello-the name given to it by the Portuguese, from the appearance of a hood which it produces by the expanded skin about the neck-is the most dreaded (Naja tripudians). It seldom exceeds 3 or 4 feet in length, and is about an inch and a quarter thick, with a small head, covered on the forepart with large smooth scales; it is of a pale brown colour above, and the belly is of a bluish-white tinged with pale brown or yellow. The Russellian snake (Daboia Russellii), about 4 feet in length, is of a pale yellowish-brown, beautifully variegated with large oval spots of deep brown, with a white edging. Its bite is extremely fatal. Itinerant showmen carry about these serpents, and cause them to assume a dancing motion for the amusement of the spectators. They give out that they render snakes harmless by the use of charms or music-in reality, by extracting the venomous fangs. But, judging from the frequent accidents, they sometimes seem to dispense with this precaution. All the salt-water snakes in India are poisonous, while the fresh-water forms are innocuous. Sir Joseph Fayrer has demonstrated that none of the snake-bite. reputed antidotes will cure the bite of the cobra, if the snake is full-grown, and if its poison fang is full and be not interfered with by clothing. The most hopeful remedy in all cases of snake-bite is the injection of ammonia. The loss of life from this cause in India is painful to contemplate. But the extermination of snakes is attended with great difficulty, from the great number of the species, the character of the country, the rapid undergrowth of jungle, and the scruples of the people. Something, however, is being effected by the Statistics, offer of rewards. In 1877, a total of 16,777 persons are 1877; reported to have been killed by snakes, as compared with only 819 by tigers. In the same year, rewards to the amount of £811 were given for the destruction of 127,295 snakes. In and 1882. 1882, a total of 19,519 persons are reported to have been killed by snakes, as compared with 2606 by tigers, leopards, and all other wild beasts. A sum of £1487 was paid in 1882 for the destruction of 322,421 venomous reptiles. Deaths from Crocodile. The other reptiles include two varieties of crocodile (C. 1 Sir Joseph Fayrer's Thanatophidia is the standard work on Indian snakes. Vincent Richards' Landmarks of Snake Poison Literature is an excellent compendium. porosus and C. biporcatus) and the garial (Gavialis gangeticus). Scorpions also abound. All the waters of India-the sea, the rivers, and the tanks- Fishes. swarm with a great variety of fishes,1 which are caught in every conceivable way, and furnish a considerable proportion of the food of the poorer classes. They are eaten fresh, or as nearly fresh as may be; for the art of curing them is not generally practised, owing to the exigencies of the salt monopoly.. In Burma, the favourite relish of nga-pi is prepared from fish. At Goálandá, at the junction of the Brahmaputra with the Ganges, and along the Madras coast, establishments have been established for salting fish in bond. The indiscriminate slaughter of fry, and the obstacles opposed by irrigation dams to breeding fish, are said to be causing a sensible diminution in the supply in certain rivers. Measures of conservancy have been suggested; but their execution is attended with great difficulty, owing to the habits and the necessities of the poorer population. Among Indian fishes, the Cyprinidæ or carp family and the Siluridae or cat-fishes are best represented. From the angler's point of view, by far the finest fish is the mahsir, found in all hill streams, whether in Assam, the Punjab, or the south. One has been caught weighing 60 lbs., which gave play for more than seven hours. Though called the salmon of India, the mahsir is really a species of barbel. One of the richest and most delicious of Indian fishes is the hilsá, which tastes and looks like a sort of fat white salmon. It is caught in immense quantities in the rivers of the Bengal delta, and forms a staple article of food in Calcutta. The Bombay and Madras markets are still better supplied by a variety of delicate fishes. But the enhanced price of this important article of native diet throughout the country, the decreased supply, and the ever-increasing fineness of the meshes of the nets employed in catching the fry, are matters of grave concern alike to the Government and to the poorer classes of the population. In this connection may be mentioned the susu or Gangetic Dolphin. dolphin (Platanista gangetica); a mammal often erroneously called a porpoise. Both the structure and habits of this animal are very singular. It measures from 6 to 12 feet in 1 The latest standard works on Indian fishes and their economic aspects are the Reports and official volume by Dr. Francis Day, late InspectorGeneral of Fisheries to the Government of India; available to all inquirers, at the India Office, London. |