MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 491 



of our members can help to settle it so far as our Indian species is concerned. 

 In the Field of 27th July Mr. Claud Alexander stated that a live specimen of 

 the Indian Muntjac in his collection, which he had had for two years, certainly 

 shed its antlers annually about the end of June, and suggested that the 

 condition of the horns of the specimen in question was " probably due to youth 

 or old age or possibly to the animal having been in low condition at the time 

 the horns were growing." Mr. Alexander's evidence is conclusive enough so 

 far as an animal in captivity in Europe is concerned, but it would be interesting 

 to get it corroborated from observations of the Muntjac in its natural wild state. 

 Karachi, 20th August 1907. E. COMBER. 



[Since the above was written, the following further note on this subject has 

 appeared in the Field of 7th September 1907. 



SHEDDING 01 HORNS BV MUNTJAC. 



In your issue of July 13, R. L. seeks information as to the shedding of 

 horns by muntjac deer. Of the Chinese deer I can say nothing. I do not 

 know whether they are of a different species to our Indian " ribfaced " or 

 " barking " deer, but of the latter I can speak from an experience of many 

 years, in which I have annually preserved and hunted them. My opinion is 

 that all (or very nearly all) invariably shed their horns annually. Some few 

 retain them as late as the end of May. The largest horns I ever got in that 

 month were just about to drop off, and it is possible those R. L. mentions were 

 retained as late as this, and might have been unusually fine. Horns which I 

 believe in these districts and round Darjeeling are not shed, are most peculiar 

 and if R. L. cares to write to me I will gladly send him one of those I have. 

 They are merely sharp, straight, or slightly curved spikes of horn, perhaps l^in. 

 long. My men here, who have for years hunted with my dogs, maintain these 

 are never shed, and I am inclined to believe them. These deer appear more 

 savage than the others ; they often injure the dogs with their " teeth," more 

 often than the other kind I think ; but this may be only our fancy. I imagine 

 some constitutional defect has prevented their horns from growing, but the 

 deer are just as large as the others. The natives all maintain they are different 

 — a separate " jhat." I do not think it. Fortunately, they are comparatively 

 scarce. — E. R. Durnford (Fagu, P.O., Western Duars, E. Bengal).] 



No. VII.— THE ANAMESE SEROW. 



Very little is known in this country, so far, at least, as actual specimens are 

 concerned, with regard to the big game animals of Anam and Tonkin, and some 

 interest therefore attaches to the skin and skull of a serow brought from the 

 former district by Dr. J. Vasall, and presented by him to the British Museum. 

 It indicates an immature, and apparently female specimen. The late Pere 

 Heude (in a work published at Shanghai) described a number of skulls and 

 skins of serows from Tonkin, but, unfortunately, instead of regarding all as 

 pertaining to a single species, gave them no less than six specific names. Under 

 these circumstances, the only course is to take the first of the names, Nemor- 

 hcedus (or Capricornis) marcolinus for the Anam -Tonkin animal. From the 



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