363 



THE NOMENCLATURE OF THE GEOGRArHICAL 



FOilMS OF THE PANOLIA DEER {RUCEUVUS 



ELBI AND ITS RELATIVES). 



BY 



Oldfield Thomas. 



Owing to the somewhat piecemeal way in which the vSangnai or 

 ^Manipur Deer, commonly confused with the Thamin, was discov^er- 

 ed, and the divided authority for its early description, a good deal 

 of error has arisen as to the nomenclature of this Deer and its rela- 

 tives, such as the giving and later withdrawal of the name cornices 

 by Lydekker. 



And I now find that in the latter's latest work* certain essen- 

 tial points in the history of the animal have been overlooked, so 

 that its nomenclature is still far from correct. 



Recognizing Eucerinis as a full genus, and raising to specific 

 rank the three forms admitted by Lydekker, we may for the sake 

 of clearness define them as : — 



A. — With naked pasterns, Manipiir ( '■^frontalis " of 



Lydekker). 

 B. — With hair}- pasterns ; the horns not palmated. Pegu, 



Burma, &c. (" eldi "). 

 C. — With hairy pasterns ; the horns more or less palmated 

 terminally. Siam and Hainan Q^ platijceros "). 

 But if the nomenclature of each species is carefully investigated 

 it appears that all the existing names applied to these animals 

 (except platiiceros and siamensis) were given to specimens originally 

 from Manipur, as will be seen by the following synonymy : — 

 Nondescript species of Deer, McClell. Calc. Journ. N. H., I, p. 



501, 1841, Manipur. 

 Cervus elcli, Editor (McClelland) Calc. Journ. N. H., II, p. 417, 

 1842. (Published at the suggestion of a correspondent, in a 

 note to Lieut. Eld's account and drawings of the Manipur 

 " Sungraee "). 

 Cervus (Riis a) frontalis, McClelland Calc. Journ. N. H., Ill, p. 

 401, 1843. (Based on Capt. Guthrie's specimens from 

 Manipur). 

 Panolia acuticornis, Gray. List Mamm. B. M., p. 180, 1843. 

 (Based on the account and figure in the Calcutta Journal, 

 1842, in which the name 0. eldi was only incidentally men- 

 tioned in a note. Locality therefore ^lanipur). 

 Cervus U/ratus, Schinz, Syn. Mamm., II, p. 395, 1845. (Based 

 on McClelland's "Nondescript species of Deer" 1841), 

 (Manipur). 



• Cat. Ung. B. M. IV, p. 100, 1915. 



