Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/34

8 know that grass was left for him at the inner gate of the shed. In a short time it was found that he liked having his nose and head rubbed, and licked the clothes of the person who rubbed him. He took salt from the hand, but did not at first seem to care about it, probably because it was not mixed with earth as in salt licks, which he was accustomed to, spitting it out if he got too much in his mouth at one time. After two months he became quite tame, and permitted his captor to come into the enclosure, not even moving if he happened to be lying down. After the third month he began to shed his hair, and liked it rubbed off with a wisp of grass, allowing the operator to sit on him whilst cleaning him, but he did not like his hind legs or tail to be touched, kicking out as if he were tickled when this was done.

"After four months a domestic Cow was put into the shed, and the two ate from the same bundle of grass, one on the outside, and the other from the inside of the shed. When the Cow was let into the stockade neither of the animals took any notice of the other, so the Cow was taken out. Although so tame with a European, the Gaur would never allow a native to come near him; and it was unsafe to be in the enclosure if a native came anywhere near, as the bull would jump up, snort, and rush about the place in a very excited manner. The cost of bringing grass for him (of which he ate 2 cwt. per diem) was so considerable that it was thought advisable to put a ring through his nose and have him led out to graze with the domestic cattle. A rope was tied round his horns and his head securely fastened between two bars of the stockade; it would then have been easy to ring his nose from the outside, and it is a thousand pities that this was not done. His terror was, however, so great, that the attempt was given up for that day, and it was settled to postpone the operation until he had become accustomed to have his head tied up. Alas! as will be seen, the glorious golden opportunity was lost in this wise:—

"It will be remembered that there was a shed in one corner of the stockade, built with a view of introducing a domestic Cow to bear the Gaur company. In this shed was kept Guinea-grass, to be given to him in the mornings. One night, however, he thought he would prefer having this grass, of which he was inordinately fond, without waiting for daybreak. He managed to