374 ^^rne of Europe, W. & N. Asia & America 



those of most of the former. They differ from the brockets by the very 

 short or rudimentary tail, and the uniformly upward direction of the hair 

 of the tace. But these differences are scarcely of generic value ; and 

 were it not that two of the bones of the ankle-joint, or tarsus, which 

 remain separate from one another in the brockets, are fused together in 

 the pudus, both might be included in the genus Mazama. Even as it 

 is, there may be some doubt as to the propriety of assigning the pudus to 

 a genus apart. 



The Chilian pudu, which inhabits the Andes of Chili and extends as 

 far south as the island of Chiloe, stands about 13^, inches at the withers, 

 and possesses a distinct, although small, tail. Its general colour is uniform 

 reddish brown speckled with fawn. Beyond the fact that during winter 

 it descends, in the southern part of its habitat, to the plains, nothing seems 

 to have been recorded with regard to the life-history of this little deer. 



THE ECUADOR PUDU 



{Pudua mcphistopheles) 



(Plate VII. Fig. ii) 



Although the Chilian pudu was described so long ago as the year 1782, 

 the present species was only named in 1896 ; the type specimen being an 

 immature doe from Paramo of Papallacta, Ecuador. The height at the 

 shoulder of this specimen is about 12^ inches, but full-grown examples 

 probably exceed the Chilian species in stature. The distinctive teatures ot 

 this pudu are the total absence of a tail, the blackish brown fur speckled 

 with bright rufous, and the nearly black face and limbs. The ears are 

 also smaller and more hairy ; the long hair tilling their interior being 

 white. 



