BUFFALO, Bos bubalus, an animal of the ox tribe, very important and useful to man. It is a native of the East Indies, where it has been long domesticated, and from which it was carried to Egypt and to the south of Europe. It was introduced into Italy about the close of the 6th c. A. D., and is now very generally used as a beast of draught and of burden in that country, as it is also in India.
The B. is larger than the ox, and its limbs are stouter. Its form is more angular and clumsy; the head is larger in proportion to the size of the body; and the forehead is rather convex, and higher than broad; the dorsal line rises into a considerable elevation above the shoulders; the dewlap and the tail resemble those of the ox; the horns are large, slightly compressed, recline towards the neck, and have their points turned up. It is characteristic of the B., when walking or running, to carry the head with the muz zle projecting straight forward, and the horns laid back on the shoulders. The hair is irregular and bristly, often very thin, so that the smooth brown hide "shines with an unpleasant polish in the sunlight." In this as in other respects, the animal is adapted for marshy situations, which it naturally affects; preferring for its food the rank coarse herbage which they afford, delighting to immerse itself in water till only its head appears above the surface, in which condition it will remain for hours, and often enveloping itself in mud as a protection against insects. On account of these propensities, the buf faloes used as beasts of burden in India are seldom laden with any goods liable to be spoiled by water, as the animal is always ready to take an opportunity of lying down with his load in any river or pond which presents itself. In Italy, the B. seems nowhere more at home than in the Pontine marshes and the pestilential Maremma. The very regions where malaria is most prevalent seem to be those most adapted to its constitution.
The 13. is a very powerful animal, much more powerful than the ox, and capable of dragging or carrying a far heavier load. The female yields a much greater quantity of milk than a cow, and of excellent quality. It is from 13. milk that the ghee or semi-fluid butter of India is made. The hide is greatly valued for its strength and durability, but the flesh is very inferior to that of the ox.
The B. exhibits a considerable amount of intelligence. In a state of domestication, it is capable of becoming very docile. In the s. of Europe, it is generally managed by a ring passed through the cartilage of the nose, but in India by a mere rope. The
Indian driver rides upon a B.; but these animals keep so closely together as they are driven along, that, if necessary, he walks from the back of one to that of another per fectly at his ease. In it, wild state, the B. is savage and dangerous, and even in domesti cation it is apt to resent injury. The native princes of India make buffaloes and tigers fight in their public shows; and the B. is more than a match for the tiger, even in single combat. The appearance of a tiger excites a herd of buffaloes, much as we see oxen excited by the approach of a dog; and if his safety is not secured by flight, they kill him, tossing him from one to another with their horns, and trampling him with their feet.
The B. is used in some parts of the east in the shooting of waterfowl, being trained to the sport, and sold at a considerable price. The sportsman conceals himself behind the B., which, being a familiar sight, is not alarming to the birds.
The CAPE B., Bo Caffer, is generally regarded as a distinct species. It seems never to have been reduced to the service of man, although there is reason to believe it to be very capable of domestication. The horns are very large; they spread horizontally over the top of the head, and are then bent down laterally, and turned upwards at the point. The head is carried, as by the common B., with projecting muzzle and reclining horns. but the bases of the horns nearly meet on the forehead, where they are from 8 to 10 in. broad. The length of a full-grown Cape B. is about 8 ft. from the root of the horns to the tail, and the height 5+ feet. This animal is regarded as more formidable than any other in South Africa; and the hunter will more readily risk an encounter with a lion than offer any provocation to a B. without great advantages for the combat, or great facilities for escape. The B. is still found in large herds in the interior of South Africa, but in Cape Colony, where it was once plentiful, it has now become comparatively rare.. The hide is so thick and tough that the Caffres make shields of it, impenetrable to mus ket-shot: and the balls used by the huntsmen in shooting the animal are mixed with tin, and yet are often flattened by the resistance. The Cape B. grazes chiefly in the evening,. and lies in woods and thickets during the day.
An attempt has been made to establish a genus, bubalus, flaying the common B. for its type; but the characters lack precision, and the limits are uncertain.—The of the Anglo-Americans is the American bison. See Bisox.