>77v craggy, with cavities fometimes an inch deep. Neither thefe cavities, nor the elevations which are formed between them, appear to be at all accidental, as there is a tolerable fimilarity between thefe excrefences, though they are very different in different buffaloes. The ears are a foot in length, fomewhat pendant, and in a great meafure covered and defended by the lower edges of the horns. The edges o f the ears are notched and ihrivelled up in divers ways, which probably proceeds from the wounds thefe creatures frequently receive in their battles with each other, and from the rents they get in the briars and almoft impenetrable thickets through which they pafs together, with other cafualties of that nature. Though feveral Hottentots have been induced from thence to imagine, that the buffaloes belonged to certain fupernatural beings, who marked thefe animals in this manner for their own cattle. By way of naming thefe beings to me, they made ufe of the word duyvel, which means devil. The hairs o f the buffalo are of a dark brown colour, about an inch long, harih, and, on fuch males as are advanced in years, very thin, efpecially on the middle of the fides of the belly; hence they appear at fome diftance as i f they were girt with a belt; and what contributes not a little to this appearance is, that the buffaloes in general are very fond of rolling in the mire. The hairs on the knees are in moft buffaloes fomewhat longer than thofe on the reft o f the body, and lie, as it were, in whirls. The eyes are fomewhat funk within their prominent orbits. This, together with the near lituation o f them to the bafes of the horns, which hang fomewhat over its pendant dangling ling ears, and its ufual method of holding its head inclined to one fide, gives the buffalo a fierce and treacherous af- pe£t. The difpofition likewife of the animal feems to eorrefpond with its countenance. He may in fome fort be called treacherous, as he is wont to hide himfelf among the trees, and ftand there ikulking till fomebody happens to come .very near him, when he ruihes out at once into the road, and fometimes attacks them. This animal likewife de- ferves the appellation of fierce and cruel, as it has been remarked, that, not content with throwing down and killing the perfon whom he attacks, he ftands over him afterwards, in order to trample upon him with his hoofs and heels, at . the fame time cruihing him with his knees, and with his .horns and teeth tearing to pieces and mangling the whole body, and ftripping off the ikin by licking it with his tongue. .This, however, he does not do all at once, but at intervals, going away between whiles to fome diftance off. Notwith- ftanding all this, the buffalo will bear to be hunted ; though fometimes he will turn and hunt his purfuer, whofe only dependence in that cafe is upon the fwiftnefs of his fteed. The fureft way to efcape from him is to ride up fome hill, as the great bulk of the buffalo’s body, like that of the elephant, is a weight fufficient to prevent him from being able to vie with the ilender and fine-limbed horfe in fwiftnefs; though, on the other hand, the buffalo, in going down-hill, gets on much fafter than the horfe; afiadt to which I have more than once been an eye-witnefs. . The buffalo , is faid to be o f a very hot nature, by rea- fon that, according to the moft authentic information I could procure, when thoroughly warmed in hunting, he Vol. II. K throws
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