short; general colour dark red, passing into grayish-white on the face,
under-parts, and inside of limbs ; no dark line down middle of back ; no
white patch on the buttocks ; front of fore-legs above the knees reddish-
black; tip and front margin of ears jet black ; a grayish-white ring round
the eyes ; front and sides of upper part of head tawny white; muzzle
grayish-black. Female with the ears larger ; the general colour light red,
with a dark line down the back, and the under-parts and a large patch on
the buttocks white ; no black on front of fore-leg or on ear. Height at
shoulder 4 feet 10 inches.1
The above is an abbreviation o f the description given by Surgeon-
Captain H. S. Wood of an adult bull and cow shot by himself in the
Kubbu Valley, between Manipur and Northern Burma. From the condition
of its front teeth, the bull was regarded as a very old animal, its age
being estimated at about twenty years. Presuming it to be a truly wild
animal, there can be no question as to its distinctness from the typical
Javan race ; and it would likewise seem distinct from the Burmese form,
but until specimens are available for comparison, it had best be left
unnamed. The forehead of the bull showed the usual callous mass of
horny structure between the bases of the horns; a distinct dorsal ridge,
ending abruptly at the middle of the back without forming a hump, and
the dewlap slightly developed.
The following are the dimensions of the bull shot by Surg.-Capt.
Wood, viz. :—
Height at shoulder . . . . 5 O
Length (nose to tip of tail over back) . H O
Length (nose to tip of tail across body) 1 1 9
Length of head and neck (above) 3 -IO
Length of head and neck (below) 3 O
Length of tail . . . . 211
Length of ears . . . . 0IO
In the description quoted, the height is given as 3 feet 10 inches, but this seems an error.
Girth (middle of body)
Girth (chest)
Girth of fore-leg above knee
Girth of hind-leg above hock .
Girth of neck (middle)
Girth of haunch
Length of skull anteriorly
Distance between orbits ■ •
Breadth of forehead (between horns)
Length of left horn (base to tip round curve)
Length of right horn (base to tip round curve)
Girth of right horn (base)
Girth of left horn (base)
Distance between tips of horns .
Distance between convexities of horns .
ft. in.
7 IO
7 O
O
I 6
3 IO
1 11
1 i f f
1 2
0 IO
2 9b
2 1
1 4
1 5
2 2l
3 2
Distribution. |§T h e Kubbu Valley, between Manipur and Northern
Burma ; perhaps extending to the ranges eastward of Chittagong, where
this form may intergrade with the Burmese race.
Ha6&$L-The following notes on the habits of the Manipur banting,
or tsaing :'(tsaine) are given by S u r g . - Capt. Wood These animals,
he writes, “ are found in herds varying from ten to thirty in number ;
and in the large herds there are generally found two or three small
bulls whose heads are not worth obtaining. The largest horns, as is the
case in other bovine animals, are found in solitary bulls who keep to
themselves, and only occasionally mix with the cows during the breeding-
season. When the green grass sprouts up after the yearly fires, the old
bulls wander over large areas, and seldom remain in the same locality
for two successive days ; while, like the gaur, they are almost always
on the move, feeding as they go along and only lying down during the
day when the sun is hottest. The tsaing can go for days without water,
and the Burmese say that they only drink once in seven days. I have
come across herds in absolutely dry districts, miles away from water.