Northern Pckin Sika 



^37 



slaty grey in the summer dress, hut in achilt hinds, and apparently also 

 stags (Fig- 5^*), those parts are coloured more like the h(jdy, l)eing pale 

 sandy, and the spots are continued along the hack of the neck to the ears. 

 Another feature of the species at this season is that the spots are not 

 continued on to the hinder and lower part ot" tlie thigh, as they are in the 

 common sika ; they terminate nearly in a straight line. There is no dark 

 line down the middle of the hack at this 

 season, although the mounted hind in the 

 British Museum shows a small black patch 

 on the middle of the withers. 



Chiefly as the result of observations on 

 living animals in the park at VVohurn 

 Abbey, it is stated in Deer of All Lands 

 that the white rump-patch in the adults of 

 the present species is of smaller extent than 

 in the common sika. The examination ot 

 additional specimens in the British Museum 

 shows, however, that this is not really the 

 case, the alleged difference in this respect 

 being due to the different conditions as 

 regards expansion in which the patch was 

 seen, or to the varying extent to which it 

 is concealed by the long brown hair (jf the 

 surrounding portion of the winter coat. 

 Compared with those of the Manchurian race of the common sika, the 

 antlers of the old stags of the Pekin species are much larger and heavier, 

 and not unfrequently carry five tines on each side. 



A fine pair of these antlers, presented by the Duke of Bedford, are 

 exhibited in the British Museum ; l)ut information is still required with 



Fig. 57. — Head of Pckin Sika Stag in 

 the Winter Coat. From a photo- 

 graph by the Duchess of Bedford. 



regard to the size to which the antlers of this species ero 



)W. 



Two 



