American Museum of Natural History: Asiatic Mammals
BANTING (Bos javanicus)
The Banting, or Tsaine, prefers the forests of flat or rolling country to that of the hills, although it will sometimes seek the higher ground. It roams about in small herds, generally a group of cows with their calves and an old herd bull. Old bulls may also lead solitary lives or may wander with other males. A distinctive sheath of a horny substance along the ridge of the forehead connects the Banting's two horns. The male of the Burmese Banting is usually a reddish brown, quite similar to the cows, in contrast to the blackish brown Banting of Java which approaches the Gaur in color. A white disk on the buttocks is distinctive.
The Banting crosses readily with domestic cattle and is supposedly ancestral to some domestic stocks. Probably no true wild Banting now occur in the Malay States. Bantings range from northern Burma south through southeastern Asia and the islands of Borneo, Java and Bali.
ENVIRONMENT OF BANTING
The green stalks of bamboo, giants of the Grass family, recreate a dense forest in Burma north of Rangoon.
1. The smooth, long-jointed stems of the bamboo Bambusa vulgaris tower majestically above the other vegetation. Sections of the hollow stems with a solid plate across each joint, or node, can be used as water containers or flowerpots. The long, soft fibers in the wood are valuable for paper-making. Even a diesel fuel can be distilled from the stalks. A related species is the prime source of edible bamboo shoots. Some bamboo species flower in unison all over the world and then die; they continue through germination of the seeds they leave behind. Bambusa vulgaris does not follow this pattern, however, and persists in the vegetative phase.
2. The tall, long-leafed plant to the left is Hornstedtia sp. of the Ginger family, Zingiberaceàe.
3. The Coffee family, Rubiaceae, common in the tropics, is represented here by Ixora sp. with red, drooping leaves. Many members of this family are highly ornamental.
4. Scattered on the ground near the Bantings are the large dry leaves of teak, Tectona grandis, one of the most economically important timber trees of India, though Burma supplies the largest amount of teakwood. Teak is used chiefly for ship-building and furniture. Reforestation with teak seedlings is carried out to replenish the supply of these trees. A member of the Verbena family, the teak thrives in the mountains of Malabar and Southeast Asia. The family is well known in America for highly ornamental plants such as verbena, lantana and the beautyberry, Callicarpa.
5. To the right is Smilax microphylla. The thorny catbriers and greenbriers which form impenetrable thickets in American woods also belong to this genus. The tonic sarsaparilla was formerly obtained from rootstocks of members native to Central and South America.
6. At left is a pair of Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus gallus), the ancestral form of the domesticated chicken.
American Museum of Natural History: Asiatic Mammals
BANTING (Bos javanicus)
The Banting, or Tsaine, prefers the forests of flat or rolling country to that of the hills, although it will sometimes seek the higher ground. It roams about in small herds, generally a group of cows with their calves and an old herd bull. Old bulls may also lead solitary lives or may wander with other males. A distinctive sheath of a horny substance along the ridge of the forehead connects the Banting's two horns. The male of the Burmese Banting is usually a reddish brown, quite similar to the cows, in contrast to the blackish brown Banting of Java which approaches the Gaur in color. A white disk on the buttocks is distinctive.
The Banting crosses readily with domestic cattle and is supposedly ancestral to some domestic stocks. Probably no true wild Banting now occur in the Malay States. Bantings range from northern Burma south through southeastern Asia and the islands of Borneo, Java and Bali.
ENVIRONMENT OF BANTING
The green stalks of bamboo, giants of the Grass family, recreate a dense forest in Burma north of Rangoon.
1. The smooth, long-jointed stems of the bamboo Bambusa vulgaris tower majestically above the other vegetation. Sections of the hollow stems with a solid plate across each joint, or node, can be used as water containers or flowerpots. The long, soft fibers in the wood are valuable for paper-making. Even a diesel fuel can be distilled from the stalks. A related species is the prime source of edible bamboo shoots. Some bamboo species flower in unison all over the world and then die; they continue through germination of the seeds they leave behind. Bambusa vulgaris does not follow this pattern, however, and persists in the vegetative phase.
2. The tall, long-leafed plant to the left is Hornstedtia sp. of the Ginger family, Zingiberaceàe.
3. The Coffee family, Rubiaceae, common in the tropics, is represented here by Ixora sp. with red, drooping leaves. Many members of this family are highly ornamental.
4. Scattered on the ground near the Bantings are the large dry leaves of teak, Tectona grandis, one of the most economically important timber trees of India, though Burma supplies the largest amount of teakwood. Teak is used chiefly for ship-building and furniture. Reforestation with teak seedlings is carried out to replenish the supply of these trees. A member of the Verbena family, the teak thrives in the mountains of Malabar and Southeast Asia. The family is well known in America for highly ornamental plants such as verbena, lantana and the beautyberry, Callicarpa.
5. To the right is Smilax microphylla. The thorny catbriers and greenbriers which form impenetrable thickets in American woods also belong to this genus. The tonic sarsaparilla was formerly obtained from rootstocks of members native to Central and South America.
6. At left is a pair of Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus gallus), the ancestral form of the domesticated chicken.