Big Game Shooting, volume 2 (of 2)

by Clive Phillipps-Wolley

Captain Lamb gives the following interesting account of a stalk:

I started up the river bed and found fresh tracks. After following the track for a good way we came on a single bull feeding on a grassy plain about half a mile in width, studded with a few trees. Leaving all the men behind, I crept up on my stomach to within about forty yards of him, and got behind a small pollard tree without the bull being aware of my presence. I fired at his shoulder with the 12-bore, and he fell over kicking on his back. Just as I was going to give him another shot, a second and larger bull rushed out from the long grass and attacked number one, who was still kicking on the ground. He gave him a tremendous punishing, bowling him over whenever he attempted to rise. I was so astonished at the whole thing, that I simply stood and watched. After a little while, number two seemed to think there was something wrong, and stopped to look round; whereupon, I took the opportunity of giving him a shot, which laid him on his back like his fellow. Both bulls then got up and went into the long grass. I followed number one, going very cautiously, as I was not quite sure of number two’s whereabouts. I came up with number one, who was still on his legs, knocked him over again and finished him with a shot behind the ear. I then went after number two and killed him without any difficulty. The fight had been quite knocked out of him.

Buffaloes appear to charge much more readily when hunted with a line of elephants or from boats than when stalked on foot. In the first case at all events the buffalo is generally roused from his midday sleep, and attacked at close quarters, when his temper is ruffled, while when stalked on foot he gets such a severe wound when feeding (probably without seeing his enemy) that the fight is knocked out of him to start with. Still fatal instances have occurred, notably in the case of Mr. Chatterton, of the police, who was killed by a buffalo in 1886.

‘He gave him a tremendous punishing’

Measurements

Authority	Length, nose to root of tail	Tail	Girth of body	Girth of forearm	Height at shoulder	Length of horn	Girth of horn	Tip to tip across forehead	Splay at tips	Widest span inside	Sex	Remarks
Bubalus arni
	ins.	ins.	ins.	ins.	ins.	ins.	ins.	ins.	ins.	ins.
British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	78	17	..	..	..	Bull (?)	Pair of horns without skull
”	..	..	..	..	..	77⅜	17⅞	..	..	..	Bull	(Single horn) Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
”	..	..	..	..	..	R65½ L68¼	20¼	146¾	98	..	”
Colonel J. Mathie, British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	65¾	20¼	..	..	..	”	Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	58⅝	12⅜	..	..	..	Cow (?)	”
Mrs. Hannaford	..	..	..	..	..	58½	13¼	..	..	..	Cow	”
British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	58½	12¾	..	..	..	Cow (?)	”
Bethnal Green Museum	..	..	..	..	..	58¼	18	..	42¼	..	Bull	”
British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	58¼	13	..	..	..	Cow
Mr. J. D. Inverarity	..	..	..	..	..	57	..	..	..	..	Bull	”
Mr. Eyre Coote	..	..	..	..	..	56	15½	..	55½	58	”	”
Mr. J. Carr Saunders	..	..	..	..	..	55½	18½	124	..	..	”
Hume Collection, British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	54½	18⅛	..	38¼	48⅞	”	”
Mr. A. O. Hume	..	..	..	..	..	53⅞	12	..	..	..	Cow (?)	”
Baron de Nolde	..	..	..	..	..	53¼	21	..	26⅞	..	Bull	”
Hume Collection, British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	53¼	12⅛	..	..	..	”	”
Mr. B. H. Hodgson, British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	53⅛	12½	..	..	..	”	”
British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	53	12⅛	..	..	..	”	”
Hume Collection, British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	52¾	18¼	..	30½	44⅛	Bull	”
British Museum	..	..	..	..	..	52	16¾	..	..	..	”	”
Colonel Kinloch	115	47	99	20	60	..	..	99	..	..	”	‘Large Game Shooting’
”	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	122	..	..	Cow	”
”	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	151	..	..	Bull	Quoted ”
”	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	over 156	..	..	Cow	Quoted ”
Sterndale’s ‘Mammalia’	123	..	..	..	76	..	..	..	..	..	..
Captain Lamb	..	..	..	..	64	48	..	..	..	..	Bull
Average of good head {	..	..	..	..	..	48	18	..	..	..	Bull
	..	..	..	..	..	50	12	..	..	..	Cow

Kinloch gives an account of a bull charging elephants both before and after being wounded. When they have thoroughly made up their minds to fight, buffaloes will, as a rule, carry out their plans most resolutely; but wild ones, though in a less degree, have the same kind of slow-wittedness that is so remarkable in tame buffaloes. If a European rides past a herd of tame buffaloes in some rather out-of-the-way district where Europeans are scarce, some of the herd are sure to begin pondering on the advisability of charging him, but before they can make up their minds, the object of their attentions has got beyond reach and they give up the problem. The average size of a good bull’s horns is about 40 ins. in length by 16 ins. in girth, or about 8 ft., measuring from the tip of one horn round the curve across the forehead and up the other horn. It is somewhat unfortunate that sportsmen should have selected this style of measurement, as it gives a poor idea of the comparative size of horns.