Japanese Sika 231 



The Japanese race of the common sika [Ccrvi/s ska typici/s) is the 

 typical representative alike of the species and of the group. In height it 

 is normally about 2 feet 8 or 10 inches at the withers. The large white 

 caudal patch of erectile hairs is bordered both above and at the sides with 

 black. The gland on the outer side of the hind-legs is covered with pure 

 white hairs. When in the winter dress the white spots are more or less 

 completely obliterated, although they are more prone to persist at this 

 season in the hinds than in the stags. The tail appears to be always white 

 at the tip, but is black superiorly either at the base or along the whole of 

 the middle line. 



Sikas indistinguishable from the typical Japanese race are met with in 

 Northern China ; and between such small continental specimens and tull- 

 sized representatives of the larger Manchurian race there appears to be a 

 more or less complete transition. Whether, however, these small con- 

 tinental individuals should be assigned to the Japanese race, or regarded 

 simply as dwarfed representatives of the Manchurian race, depends on 

 whether they have a distinctly defined habitat of their own, or whether 

 they occur within the distributional area of the Manchurian race. It is but 

 very rarely that the antlers show more than four points a side, although, as 

 abnormalities, five or six, and in one instance as many as ten, points are 

 known to occur ; in such cases the antlers are almost invariably unsym- 

 metrical, the number of tines being greater on one side than on the other. 



The "record" pair of antlers of this race are in the possession of Sir 

 Edmund Loder, and measure -^i^ inches in length along the curve, with a 

 basal circumference of 5I inches, and a tip-to-tip interval of 27^ inches. 

 The next best pair are also in the collection at Leonard's Lee ; their length 

 being 25 1 inches. Both pairs show the normal four tines on each side. 

 They came from Japan, although the particular island where they were 

 obtained is not known. In the collection made by the late Sir Victor 

 Brooke there is, however, a pair of antlers from Yezo, the northern island 



