i68 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



tinued as ridges in front of the eyes. There are also marked 

 differences in the form of the skull. These Deer derive their 

 name from the tuft of long hairs crowning the head — a character 

 possessed also by some of the Muntjacs. In the males the 

 upper tusks are very large, and in both sexes the hair is 

 remarkably coarse." ^ Tufted Deer, " Hei Chee-tsze " (Black 

 Muntjac), of the Chinese, are rare animals. Of the three 

 species described from China I have personal knowledge of one 

 only, namely, that found in western Hupeh. This species was 

 first shot by Mr. A. E. Leatham, south of Ichang, in February 

 1904, and described by R. Lydekker as anew species under the 

 name of E. ichangensis. 



This animal is sparingly scattered through western Hupeh 

 between 3000 and 8000 feet altitude, frequenting similar 

 country to that favoured by the ordinary Muntjac, but not 

 descending to the river-level. In early April 1907, when 

 hunting ordinary Muntjac, I was fortunate enough to shoot 

 a Tufted Deer. It was driven by dogs along a mountain spur 

 towards me, and I shot it with No. 4's as it tried to descend 

 into a low ravine. The locality was near the hamlet of Putze 

 in Patung Hsien, some three days' journey south-west of 

 Ichang, and very near the spot where the type-specimen was 

 shot by Leatham. Some six weeks later, in the mountains of 

 Hsingshan Hsien, in company with Mr. Zappey, I saw two of 

 these animals together, but they disappeared before we had 

 a chance to shoot. During our subsequent travels in these 

 regions we often heard of this animal, but we saw no others. 

 The animal shot near Putze was a female and carried a young, 

 about the size of a small cat, and black in colour. The adult 

 measured 28J inches at shoulder ; total length, 67J inches. 

 The body and top of tail was brownish-black, stern and under- 

 tail white, fore-legs brownish-black. Being a female it had 

 neither horns nor tusks. 



In Mupin, western Szechuan, E. cephalophus, the type of the 

 genus, occurs. This species differs from the foregoing in being 

 rather less uniform in colour, and from measurements recorded 

 is apparently a rather smaller animal. But the species are 

 evidently very closely allied. Around Ningpo, in eastern 



^ British Museum, Guide to Great Game Animals, 1907, p. 56. 



