on for this. The two are identically the same, and numerous
instances have been known of the latter joining herds of their wild
brethren; and I have known cases of the domestic animal absconding
from a herd and running wild. Such a one was shot by a friend of mine
in a jungle many miles from the haunts of men, but yet quite out of
the range of the wild animal. Probably it had been driven from a herd.
Domestic buffalo bulls are much used in the Central provinces for
carrying purposes. I had them yearly whilst in camp, and noticed that
one old bull lorded it over the others, who stood in great awe of
him; at last one day there was a great uproar; three younger animals
combined, and gave him such a thrashing that he never held up his
head again. In a feral state he would doubtless have left the herd
and become a solitary wanderer. Dr. Jerdon, in his 'Mammals of
India,' says: "Mr. Blyth states it as his opinion that, except in
the valley of the Ganges and Burrampooter, it has been introduced
and become feral. With this view I cannot agree, and had Mr. Blyth
seen the huge buffalos I saw on the Indrawutty river (in 1857), he
would, I think, have changed his opinion. They have hitherto not been
recorded, south of Raepore, but where I saw them is nearly 200 miles
south. I doubt if they cross the Godavery river.

"I have seen them repeatedly, and killed several in the Purneah
district. Here they frequent the immense tracts of long grass
abounding in dense, swampy thickets, bristling with canes and wild
roses; and in these spots, or in the long elephant-grass on the bank
of jheels, the buffalos lie during the heat of the day. They feed
chiefly at night or early in the morning, often making sad havoc in
the fields, and retire in general before the sun is high. They are
by no means shy (unless they have been much hunted), and even on an
elephant, without which they could not be successfully hunted, may
often be approached within good shooting distance. A wounded one will
occasionally charge the elephant, and, as I have heard from many
sportsmen, will sometimes overthrow the elephant. I have been
charged by a small herd, but a shot or two as they are advancing will
usually scatter them."

The buffalo is, I should say, a courageous animal--at least it shows
itself so in the domesticated state. A number of them together will
not hesitate to charge a tiger, for which purpose they are often used
to drive a wounded tiger out of cover.