roughout their
entire length: the colour of the upper surface of the horn is lightish,
on the lower side nearly black. The head is narrow, and the muzzle fine;
the ears are long and nearly naked; the eyes large and bright, with a
peculiarly timid and suspicious expression. The limbs are slender, and
indeed the whole frame is slight, and seems to betoken greater speed
than strength.

We have a notable example of the uncertainty of framing generic
characters, before the peculiar attributes of each species are known,
in Griffiths' work, already referred to (vol. iv, p. 382). "Buffaloes
_in general_" are there said to possess _strong and solid_ limbs,
_large_ head, _broad_ muzzle, _long_ and slender tail, back _rather_
straight. Here we have an animal (a Buffalo by universal consent) whose
limbs are _slender_, head _small_, muzzle _fine_; whose tail is _not_
long, and whose back is any thing but straight. The Cape Buffalo, also,
(see p. 86,) has _rather_ a small head, its tail is absolutely _short_,
and its back has very considerable curvature.

[Illustration]

The preceding outline of the backs of four Buffaloes will show how
inappropriate the character of a _straight back_ is, when applied to
"Buffaloes _in general_." The lowest outline (5), inserted by way of
contrast, represents the back of the Domestic Ox, to which the character
of straight might very properly be applied. (1) Italian Buffalo. (2)
Manilla Buffalo. (3) Pulo Condore Buffalo. (4) Cape Buffalo.

Generic characters should be such (and such _only_) as will apply to
every species included in the genus.

The period of gestation of the Manilla Buffalo is between forty-eight
and forty-nine weeks. In two actual cases of a female now living in the
Zoological Gardens, the periods were, in the one case, 340 days, in the
other, 341 days; being 70 days longer than the ordinary term of the
domestic Cow.

[Illustration: Head of Manilla Buffalo--female.]

PULO CONDORE BUFFALO.

_Bos Bubalus?_

[Illustration]

Not much is known of the Buffalo which is found in the island of Pulo
Condore. It is related by those navigators who completed the voyage to
the Pacific Ocean, begun by Captain Cook, that when at Pulo Condore,
they procured eight Buffaloes, which were to be conducted to the ships
by means of ropes put through their nostrils and round their horns; but
when they were brought within sight of the sailors, they became so
furious that some of them tore