The beafts are commonly white, have black nofes, and large
perpendicular horns : they are alfo remarkable, like moil other
Indian and African cattle, for a hunch riiing between the
ihoulders. Thofe of Guzerat are moil remarkably large, and
in great requeft through moil parts of India. The hunch
is highly efteemed as a delicacy, falted and boiled. When
they are fitted for the faddle or'the draft, a cord, and forrie-
times a piece of wood is paffed through the nofe from
noilril to noilril, and a cord extended from each end, asr a
bridle. M. Sonnerat, vol. i. tab. 7, gives a print of the Hackerie,
or Gari, as it is called in India, and all its apparatus. In England,
if thefe creatures are forced out of their ufual flow pace,
it is too well known that they will faint, or lie down under their
burthen; but at Bombay, they trot and gallop as naturally as
horfes, and are equally as ferviceable' in every other refpeit, except
that, by their being fubjeht to a loofe habit o f body, they
fometimes incommode the traveller by the filth thrown upon
him by the continual motion of their tails. Whenever they get
to the end o f the journey, the driver always alights, andputs the
near bullock in the other’s place ; then he puts his hand into
both their mouths, and after pulling out the froth, mounts his
box again and drives back. It feems this precaution is abfolutely
neceffary, for as they travel at the rate of feven or eight miles
an hour, they would otherwife be in danger of fuffocation.
Besides the large fpecies which I have engraven in vol. i.
tab. ii. o f my Hjl.Huadr. is a diminutive fpecies, tab. iii, common
at Surat, not bigger than a large dog, which has a fierce look,
but is trained to draw children in their little carts. 1 have been
informed,
informed, that a bull and cow from, I believe the Tanjore country,
have been imported into England, the height o f the firft
not exceeding nineteen inches, and of the lafi: not eighteen.
Be in g on the fubjedt of animals, I ihall mention a fpecies of She«.
the next genus, the fheep. That called Cabrito by the Por-
tuguefe, is a very long legged kind, and o f a very difgufting
appearande. At Goa it is fometimes faddled and bridled, and
ferves inftead of a poney, and will carry a child o f twelve years
of age.
A bout Bombay is found the fquirrel, Hift. Quadr. ii. N° 336,
known by the name o f the place; it is very large, and o f a purple
color.
I m u s t now digrefs to a- very different olafs. The tribe of S e r p e n t s .
fnakes is- very numerous in India. I think their great hiitorio-
grapher, M. de la Cepede, enumerates forty-four fpecies already
known. I ihall only mention the moil curious: I am uncertain
whether they are quite local. Mr. Ives fpeaks of fome found in
this ifland or neighborhood; the Cobra Capelio I fhall.’defcribe
fome time hence. Mr, Ives relates, that the- Cobra Manilla is
only a foot long,, of. a bluifh color; haunting old walls. Its bite
is as fatal as that of the Cobra Capelio, which kills in the fpace
of a quarter of an hour. The Cobra de Aurellia is only fix inches
long, and not thicker than the quill of a crow; it. is apt
to creep into the ear, and occafion death by madnefs. The fand
fnake is fmall, but not lefs fatal than the others. The Palmira,
with a viperine head, and varied body, is four feet long, yet
in no part thicker than a fwan’s quill.
A m o n g