Pampas Deer 365 



The marsh-deer has an extensive range in South America, occurring, 

 where the country is suitable to its mode of life, all over Brazil, and thence 

 southwards to Paraguay, Entre Rios, Uruguay, and the wooded Chaco 

 country of Argentina. Not improbably it also ranges northward into the 

 Guianas. It is still abundant in the Matto-Grosso district of Brazil, but 

 is rare in Uruguay and Entre Rios. In Uruguay the best localities for 

 this deer are in the montc, or wooded districts bordering the Rio Uruguay, 

 and in the neighbourhood of Olinar. It also occurs in the forest districts 

 of Salto. 



As is the case with most South American deer, information is very 

 meagre with regard to the habits of this handsome species. It generally 

 associates in small bands of from three to five, and passes the day in the 

 thick covert of the river valleys, whence it issues forth towards evening to 

 feed during the night on sedge and other water-plants. The tawns, of 

 which one is produced at a birth, are without spots. / 



THE PAMPAS DEER 



[Mazciina \_B/astoceros'\ hezoartica) 



(Plate VII. Fig. 8) 



Unlike its larger relative the marsh-deer, the present species avoids the 

 neighbourhood of swamps and rivers and frequents the open plains of 

 Argentina, which, although much flatter, present many similarities in 

 regard to climate and physical features generally to the veldt of South 

 Africa. In place, however, of the countless swarms of big game which 

 formerly covered the African veldt, the only large animals to be found on 

 the pampas, even before the invasion of settlers, were these deer, together 

 with guanaco, vicugna, and rheas, or American ostriches. The contrast 

 between the two areas as regards their animal inhabitants is thus very 



