Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon Part 92

DESCRIPTION.--In body similar to the last, but with much difference in the horns, the tres-tine being greatly developed at the expense of the royal, which gives the antlers a forward cast; the brow-tine is also very long. In summer it is a light rufous brown, with a few faint indications of white spots; the under-parts and insides of ears nearly white; the tail short and black above. It is said to become darker in winter instead of lighter as in the last species.

SIZE.--Height from 12 to 13 hands.

This deer, which is identical with _Cervus frontalis_ and Hodgson's _Cervus dimorpha_, and which was discovered in 1838 by Captain Eld, has been well described by Lieutenant R. C. Beavan. The following extracts have been quoted by Professor Garrod; the full account will be found in the 'Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.' The food of this species seems to consist of gra.s.s and wild paddy. "In habits they are very wary and difficult of approach, especially the males.

They are also very timid and easily startled. The males, however, when wounded and brought to bay with dogs, get very savage, and charge vigorously. On being disturbed they invariably make for the open instead of resorting to the heavy jungle, like hog deer and sambar.

In fact the thamyn is essentially a plain-loving species; and although it will frequent tolerably open tree-jungle for the sake of its shade, it will never venture into dense and matted underwood.

When first started the pace of the thamyn is great. It commences by giving three or four large bounds, like the axis or spotted deer, and afterwards settles down into a long trot, which it will keep up for six or seven miles on end when frequently disturbed."

The next phase of development of which we have examples in India is the true cervine or elaphine type of horn in which the brow-tine is doubled by the addition of the bez; the royal is greatly enlarged at the expense of the tres-tine, and breaks out into the branches known as the sur-royals.

_GENUS CERVUS_.

Horns as above, muzzle pointed, m.u.f.fle large and broad, with a hairy band above the lip; hair coa.r.s.e, and usually deep brown, with a light and sometimes almost white disc or patch round the tail, which is very short; eye-pits moderate.

NO. 476. CERVUS CASHMIRIa.n.u.s.

_The Kashmir Stag_ (_Cervus Wallichii of Jerdon, No. 217_).

NATIVE NAMES.--_Hangul_ or _Honglu_ in Kashmir; _Barasingha_, Hindi.

HABITAT.--Kashmir. Jerdon also gives out that it is found throughout great part of Western and Central Asia, as far as the eastern sh.o.r.es of the Euxine Sea, and that it is common in Persia, where it is called _maral_; but according to careful observations made by Sir Victor Brooke the _maral_ is a distinct species, to which I will allude further on. In Kashmir it frequents the Sind valley and its offshoots; the country above also.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Cervus Cashmiria.n.u.s_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Brownish-ash, darker along the dorsal line; caudal disk white, with a dark border; sides and limbs paler; ears light coloured; lips and chin and a circle round eyes white. The male has very long and s.h.a.ggy hair on the lower part of the neck. The colour of the coat varies but little; at times it is liver-coloured or liver-brown, sometimes "bright pale rufous chestnut," with reddish patches on the inner sides of the hips. Jerdon says: "The belly of the male is dark brown, contrasting with the pale ashy hue of the lower part of the flanks; the legs have a pale dusky median line.

In females the whole lower parts are albescent."

SIZE.--Length, 7 to 7-1/2 feet; height, 12 to 13 hands; tail, 5 inches.

The horns are very large and ma.s.sive, with from ten to fifteen, or even more, points. Jerdon states that even eighteen points have been counted, but such cases are rare. Dr. Leith Adams says the largest he ever measured were four feet round the curves. "A. E. W." in his interesting papers on Kashmir game, published in _The Asian_, gives the following measurements of two heads:--

Inches. Inches.

Length of horns. 47 46 Girth above brow antler. 7-3/4 8 Divergency at tips.

Greatest. 56 50 Least. 29 32 Where obtained. Sindh Valley Sindh Valley

I once saw a beautiful head at a railway-station, the property of an officer who had just come down from Kashmir, the horns of which appeared to me enormous. The owner afterwards travelled with me in the train, and gave me his card, which I regret I lost, and, having forgotten his name, I was never enabled to write to him, either on the subject of the horns or to send him some papers he wanted on Asiatic sheep.

Dr. Leith Adams writes: "They (the horns) are shed in March, and the new horn is not completely formed till the end of October, when the rutting season commences, and the loud bellowings of the stags are heard all over the mountains." Of this bellowing Sir Victor Brooke says it is just like the voice of the Wapiti stag, which this animal closely resembles, and is quite different from that of the red deer.

"In the former it is a loud squeal, ending in a more gutteral tone; in the latter it is a distinct roar, resembling that of a panther."

Sir Victor Brooke also points out another peculiarity in this deer: namely, that "the second brow antler (bez) in _Cervus Cashmiria.n.u.s_, with very rare exceptions, exceeds the brow antler in length; a peculiarity by which the antlers of this species may be distinguished from those of its allies."

The female gives birth in April, and the young are spotted.

The points on which this stag differs from the _maral_ are the longer and more pointed head of the latter.

NO. 477. CERVUS AFFINIS _vel_ WALLICHII.

_The Sikhim Stag_ (_Jerdon's No. 218_).

NATIVE NAME.--_Shou_, Thibetan.

HABITAT.--Eastern Himalayas; Thibet in the Choombi valley, on the Sikhim side of Thibet.

DESCRIPTION.--Jerdon describes this stag as "of very large size; horns bifurcated at the tip in all specimens yet seen; horns pale, smooth, rounded, colour a fine clear grey in winter, with a moderately large disk; pale rufous in summer." Hodgson writes of the horns: "Pedicles elevate; burrs rather small; two basal antlers, nearly straight, so forward in direction as to overshadow the face to the end of the nasal; larger than the royal antlers; median or royal antlers directed forward and upwards; beam with a terminal fork, the p.r.o.ngs radiating laterally and equally, the inner one longest and thinnest." Jerdon adds: "Compared with the Kashmir stag this one has the beam still more bent at the origin of the median tine, and thus more removed from _C. elaphus_, and like _C. Wallichii_ (_C.

Cashmiria.n.u.s_)." The second basal tine or bez antler is generally present, even in the second pair of horns a.s.sumed. Moreover the simple bifurcation of the crown mentioned above is a still more characteristic point of difference both from the Kashmir _barasingha_ and the stag of Europe.

Regarding the nomenclature of this species there seems to be some uncertainty. Jerdon himself was doubtful whether the _shou_ was not _C. Wallichii_, and the Kashmir stag _C. Cashmiria.n.u.s_. He says: "It is a point reserved for future travellers and sportsmen to ascertain the limits of _C. Wallichii_ east and _C. affinis_ west, for, as Dr.

Sclater remarks, it would be contrary to all a.n.a.logy to find two species of the same type inhabiting one district."

Sir Victor Brooke writes: "Should _Cervus Wallichii_ (_Cuvier_) prove to be specifically identical with _Cervus affinis_ (_Hodgson_), the former name, having priority, must stand."

SIZE.--Length, about 8 feet; height at shoulders, 4-1/2 to 5 feet.

Horns quoted by Jerdon 54 inches round curve, 47 inches in divergence between the two outer snags. Longest basal tine, 12 inches; the medians, 8 inches.

An allied stag, _Cervus maral_, is found in Circa.s.sia and Persia.

Sir Victor Brooke mentions a pair kept for some years in one of his parks, which never interbred with the red deer, and kept apart from them. "The old stag _maral_, though considerably larger in size, lived in great fear of the red deer stag." Another very fine species, _Cervus Eustepha.n.u.s_, was discovered by Mr. W. Blanford inhabiting the Thian Shan mountains. As yet it is only known from its antlers, which are of great size, and in their flattened crowns closely resemble Wapiti horns.

TRAGULIDAE--THE CHEVROTIANS OR DEERLETS.

Animals of small size and delicate graceful form, which are separated from the deer and oxen by certain peculiarities which approximate them to the swine in their feet. They are, however, ruminants, having the complex stomach, composed of paunch, honeycomb-bag and reed, the manyplies being almost rudimentary; but in the true ruminants the two centre metacarpals are fused into a single bone, whilst the outer ones are rudimentary. In the pig all the metacarpal bones are distinct, and the African Tragulus closely resembles it. The Asiatic ones have the two centre bones fused, but the inner and outer ones are entire and distinct as in the swine. The legs are, however, remarkably delicate, and so slight as to be not much thicker than an ordinary lead pencil. The males have pendant tusks, like those of the musk and rib-faced deer.

_GENUS TRAGULUS_.

Has the hinder part of metatarsus bald and callous.

NO. 478. TRAGULUS NAPU.

_The Javan Deerlet_.

NATIVE NAME.--_Napu_.

HABITAT.--Tena.s.serim and the Malay countries.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Tragulus napu_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Above rusty brown, with three whitish stripes; under-parts white, tail tipped with white, muzzle black.

_Tragulus kauchil_ is another Malayan species yet smaller than the preceding; it may be found in Tena.s.serim. It is darker in colour than the last, especially along the back, with a broad black band across the chest.

_GENUS MEMINNA_.