ard, one from each side of
the head. Each horn is at least a yard long; and there are some
buffaloes that have horns two yards long! (See the picture facing the
next page.)

So you can understand that this kind of buffalo is a strong and mighty
animal. But still, if just one buffalo tried to fight a tiger, the
tiger could kill him every time. Why?

Because the tiger is much _quicker_ than the buffalo. The tiger could
jump to the side to escape the buffalo's horns. Then the tiger could
turn quickly, and strike the buffalo on the neck from behind. And
though the buffalo's neck is very thick, the tiger himself is so
strong that he could break the buffalo's neck at one blow.

So, to guard against the tiger, the buffaloes have to live together
like a band of soldiers, so that the tiger never gets the chance of
catching just one buffalo alone.

Now I shall tell you how these buffaloes live. They live in a part of
the country where there is plenty of water, and lots of trees and
grass. There is sure to be a stream or two in the jungles there, like
the one where we saw the buffaloes drinking at midnight.

When the buffaloes are feeding in the jungle, and wandering here and
there to find good grass to eat, they always try to remain somewhere
near one of these streams.

Why do they do that? To drink, of course.

[Illustration: The Buffalo that lives in India]

And as the country is hot, they may want to drink more than once in
the day.

Still, there is another reason why they like to be near water. Can you
tell what it is?

"To bathe in the water, when it is hot," you may say.

That is quite true; the buffaloes do enjoy a good bath. In fact, they
like to remain in the water for a long time, when the sun is very hot.
Then they lie down in the shallow part, and remain neck deep in the
water. And every now and again they dip their heads in the water to
keep them cool.

But even when the sun is not at all hot, when the sky is cloudy, the
buffaloes like to go into a stream or a pond. Why?

"Of course to wash themselves, and make themselves clean," you may
say.

_Buffaloes Cover Body with Mud against Flies_

No, my dear, you are wrong this time! Like some little boys, buffaloes
do not _want_ to make themselves clean! In fact, the buffaloes go into
the stream or the pond to _cover themselves with mud_! To _wallow_, as
it is called. They do that by rolling in the mud where the water is
shallow.

And why do they w