From the archive record
This blue-coloured antelope is called a nilgai or rojh in India. Nilgai, (Boselaphus tragocamelus), also called bluebuck, the largest Asian antelope (family Bovidae). The nilgai is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, and Hindus accord it the same sacred status as cattle (both belong to the subfamily Bovinae). Accordingly, the nilgai is the only one of the four Indian antelopes that are still abundant. Nilgai is the Hindustani word for “blue cow,” which describes the blue-grey of adult bulls. The nilgai’s conformation, however, is more horselike than cowlike: it has a long neck with a short upright mane, a bony narrow head, a barrel-like chest, strong legs, and high withers sloping back to the croup. On the other hand, it has a hock-length cow’s tail that ends in a black tuft. Both sexe