In this place it may be well to mention that two other buffaloes have
been described from the Philippines. The first of these is the Bubalus
mainitensis, of Heude,1 from the island of Mindanao, at the south-eastern
corner of the group ; but since its describer himself states that “ ce büße est
actuellement entierement domestique,” its claim to rank as a species cannot,
for the present at least, be admitted.
The second, which is reputed to come from the island o f Busuanga,
in the Calamianes sub-group, has been named by Dr. Nehring B.
moellendorß? But a gentleman who has resided for a long period in the
Calamianes informed Dr. Meyer3 that there are no wild buffalo on any
of the islands of that group.
HabitsB -T h e tamarau seems to be distributed all over Mindoro,-
although chiefly found in the neighbourhood of marshes and near the
mouths of the rivers. Professor Steere, by whom the British Museum
specimen was procured, gives the following account: 4—“ The animals are
buffalo-like in habits ; they come out upon the sandy reaches of the rivers
at night to fight and to escape the insects, and gather together in bands of
some size. They separate by day, going two or three together, or sdiitarilyp
into the low bottoms at the back of the streams, feeding on the wild sugarcane,
and making their way to the little forest streams and pools, in which
they bathe in the water and the mud like the buffaloes. The domestic
buffalo, the only beast of burden here, has escaped from its owners in the
island of Mindoro in large numbers, and is now found wild, and is^called~
cimmarone. The tamarau and these come into frequent conflict; the
tamarau being said to attack the buffaloes at first sight, and, though much
smaller, being quicker and stronger, to drive the buffaloes back.”
Mr. J . Whitehead, in a letter to Mr. O. Thomas, furnishes the following
1 Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, vol. ii. p. 205 (1894), iii. p. 45, pi. x. (1896).
2 SB . Ges. naturf. Berlin, 1894, p. 185.
8 Op. cit. p. 13.
4 Owing either to a misprint or an error, the animal is termed the “ tamaron ” in the original.
additional particulars This interesting little bovine is not uncommon
in the huge virgin forests that cover nearly the entire island of Mindoro.
It is, however, difficult to hunt the animal successfully unless a number of
beaters, accompanied by good dogs, are employed. I foolishly employed a
professional native hunter .for several da yg but, although we found a
number of fresh tracks, we never saw a sign of a tamarau. The tamarau,
the natives name this animal, is also, -found high up on the mountains.
I have seen regular tunnelled pathways through the thick bamboo undergrowth
which » v e r s the mountain-sides above 6000 feet. But the animal
isr so small that one has to bend double||||||go on onelihands and knees,
making it quite impossible to follow up the tracks. On moonlight nights
the tamarau might be heard bellowing on the m#fntain-side, generally far
away and above my camp. The aboriginals of Mindoro told me that they
never attack the tamarau, being too much afraid of it ; the only reduction
of its numbers I®? caused, by a few sporting Spaniards and.bne or two
professional Indian hunters.”
6. T h e A n o a , or C e l e b e s B uf fa lo—Bos d epress icorn is,; .
AntilopeLfAnoa) depressicornis, H. Smith, in Griffith’s Animal Kingdom,
vol. iv. p. 293, v. p. 355 ( i8 2 7 ife |
Bos {Anoa) depresticbrnis, Gray, Spicil. 7,ool. p. 12 (1828).
Antilope depressicornis, Quoy and Gaimard, Ann. Sci. Nat. vol. xvii.
p. 623 (1829), Voyage de 1'Astrolabe—Zool. vol. i. p. 136 (1830).
. Anoa depressicornis, Swainson, Classif. Quadrupeds, p. 286 (1835) ; Gray,
List. Mamm. Brit. Mus. p. 153 (1843), ^at- Vngulata Brit. Mus. p. 29
(18 52 ),“Ctf/. Ruminants Brit,, Mus. p. 13 ( 1 8 7 « ; Sundevall, K. Svenska
Vet. Ak. Handl. for 1844, p. 148 (18 46 ); Heller, Der TJrbuffel, etc., p. 5
(1889) ; Ward, Records o f Big Game, p. 281 (1896).
Antilope (Taurotragus) depressicornis, Wagner, in Schreber’s Sdugethiere,
vol. i& p . 539 (1844).